Damalas

The House of Zaccaria de Damalà—now Damalas— (', ') is a formerly ruling family of Genoese origin, established in the 14th century on the Greek island of Chios, due to the marriage of Admiral Benedetto I Zaccaria with a sister of Byzantine Emperor Michael VIII Palaiologos; it later received the hereditary royal dignity of King and Despot of Asia Minor, by grant of the Latin Emperor in 1325, and ultimately produced the last ruling dynasty of the Principality of Achaea in the 15th century.

Before the family grew roots in the Byzantine Empire through their presence on the island of Chios, they were originally from Genoa as the Zaccaria de Castro. This was further a branch of the older de Castro family from Gavi, and in turn, descended from the viscounts of Carmandino, dating back to 952.

After the family was expelled from Chios in 1329, they concentrated their efforts on the Barony of Damalà in the Principality of Achaea, which they had previously acquired through marriage. They would, in time, rise to become the principality's last titled rulers, marrying in the process with other major houses ruling over Greek territories and in the Balkans, most notably, the Tocco, Asen and Palaiologos families.

The Zaccaria part of their name would be eventually dropped after the Ottoman conquest of Greece, taking instead their name from their former seat in the Barony of Damalà in Achaea, and the family would later adopt a Hellenized spelling of it by the dawn of the XIXth century, hence becoming known as Damalas.

These Damalas descended from the Zaccaria dynasty share their name with other unrelated families of Byzantine origin, bearing the same Damala and Damalas names, and who trace their ancestry as early as 1230 in the Thracesian Theme of the Eastern Roman Empire. Descendants of these families also settled in Chios as well as Kos, and are often confused with the Genoese-descended Zaccaria de Damalà.

The Barony of Damalà

The connection of the Zaccaria name with that of Damalà began in the early XIVth century, when Martino Zaccaria, then the third Genoese lord of Chios and Phocaea, received the Barony of Damalà in the Principality of Achaea, through his marriage to Jacqueline de la Roche; heiress of the founding dynasty of the Duchy of Athens.

Martino had four sons, Bartolomeo with his first, Venetian, Ghisi wife, and Centurione, Octaviano, and Manfredo with his second wife, Jacqueline de la Roche. Bartolomeo died in 1334, and though he had a daughter, Marulla, according to the Assizes of Romania, the Zaccaria family, as Latins in Frankish Greece, observed Salic Law which only allowed for male succession in their fiefdoms.

Thus his eldest brother Centurione succeeded him as Baron of Damalà; held by Bartolomeo since 1317. He was also given control of his father's other possessions in the Morea, sometime during Martino's imprisonment for having broken with Constantinople. This began the dynastic struggle of the Achaean baronies on the death of Philip of Taranto; the Latin Emperor ruling as Prince of Achaea.

In thirteenth and fourteenth century medieval France, a baron was a lower ranked member of the feudal nobility, but in the Principality of Achaea, barons ''(barones et nobiles Achaie)'' were high lords formally equal to the Prince, that was regarded as first among his pairs (''primus inter pares):'' they had regalian rights to mint coinage, administer justice in their own domains, build castles, and participate in the High Court of the Principality. The Prince couldn't punish a baron without the lawful consent of the other liege barons.

According to the Chronicle of Morea, the original baronies were twelve, including Chalandritsa and Veligosti ''(Veligurt),'' whose fief was the city of Damalà. After the fall of Veligosti, Damalà would become the center of the barony, by then ruled by the Zaccarias, due to the marriage of its baroness Jacqueline De la Roche family, de la Roche with Martino Zaccaria.

By supporting Robert of Taranto, son of titular Latin Emperor Philip II, Centurione obtained the recognition of his position and the confirmation of his rights, which had been violated several times in the past by the Angevin princes.

His father Martino had continued the system of alliances through the marriages of his own children. Bartolomeo married Guglielma Pallavicini, who had brought the Marquisate of Bodonitsa as a dowry. Centurione married a daughter of the ''epitropos'' (steward or bailiff) of Morea, Andronikos Asen, son of Bulgarian Tsar Ivan Asen III and Irene Palaiogina. This Asenina lady brought to Centurione the regions of Lysarea and Maniatochorion.
Through this marriage, the descendants of Centurione also professed to be descended from the major aristocratic families of Constantinople, such as the Palaiologoi, while holding ties with the Kantakouzenoi, as empress Irene Asenina, sister of the Asenina of Centurione was married to John VI Kantakouzenos, emperor of the Eastern Roman Empire. After the union of Centurione and this Asenina lady, the Zaccaria started to practice Orthodox-rite weddings until the time of John Asen Zaccaria.

Byzantine Interregnum

After spending eight years in captivity for siding with the Latin Emperor over the Byzantine Emperor in 1329, Martino was released from his imprisonment. This was only permissible upon the condition that he swear an oath to remain in Genoa, through the intervention of Pope Benedict XII and Philip VI of France in 1337. He swore to never again, by word or deed, oppose the empire. He was then treated favorably by the emperor though, whom gave him a naval command as protocomes, as well as a few castles as compensation for his losses. This command would be succeeded by his second son Centurione.

The Pope, who had considered the Emperor's ejection of Martino from Chios to be a breach of faith and a usurpation, and the imprisonment to be "''contrary to God and justice"'', then intervened in Martino's favour. He ruled that Martino's oath was not binding, because it had been extracted, not at Martino's free will, but "''by the force of imprisonment''", and he, therefore, ordered the Latin Patriarch of Constantinople to release Martino and his warrantors from their oath.

This papal letter to the Patriarch was dated 1343. Two years earlier, Hugh IV, King of Cyprus, and the Hospitaller Knights of Saint John had appealed to the Doge of Venice and to the Pope, Benedict XII, for aid in a Crusade against the Turks. Benedict seems to have been unenthusiastic, but Clement V became Pope in May 1342, and he was more willing to consider the proposal.

The situation was complicated at this time because the Turk Oumour of Smyrna was an ally of John VI Cantacuzene, who had usurped the Byzantine throne in 1341, while the Ottoman emir, Ourkhan, supported the Regent Anne, mother of the legitimate Emperor John V. Anne wrote to the Pope in 1343, appealing for aid against Oumour. The Pope answered this combined appeal by preparing a fleet consisting of ships from Cyprus, Venice and the Knights of St. John and on 16 September 1343 placed Martino in command.

The family gained imperial favor once again, with Martino leading this crusade on behalf of the Byzantines to retake coastal lands of Anatolia, but this ended with his demise in 1345. Upon his father's death, Centurione inherited his father's one-half of the barony of Chalandritsa, the naval command of ''protocomes'', and the fortresses of Stamira and Lysaria, while already possessing the title to the barony of Damalà since 1334.

These improved relations with the Byzantines were cultivated by Centurione, and with his return to Chios as protocomes, he reclaimed his paternal estates and jointly exploited the lands of Chios and Phocea with a few other Genoese nobles, from the Ziffo, Corressi, Argenti, Agelasto families, whom the emperor had entrusted.

The Genoese repossession of Chios

Imperial rule in Chios was brief, and in 1346, a chartered company controlled by the Giustiniani called "''Maona di Chio e di Focea''" was set up in Genoa to reconquer and exploit Chios and the neighboring cities New and Old Phocaea in Asia Minor. Although the inhabitants firmly rejected an initial offer of protection, the island was invaded by a Genoese fleet led by Admiral Simone Vignoso.

The Quintet Lords of the island did not wait for the arrival of the diplomats, sent by the Empress Anna to negotiate with those under Vignoso. They mounted a resistance to the siege but, after several months, were forced to surrender the island to prevent starvation due to a naval blockade. Prior to the formalized surrender, drafted by an "I.N. of Agios Nikolaos", Centurione escaped with a few of his sailors and headed for friendly territory in New Phocaea.

Upon the surrender of Chios on 12 September 1346, a treaty was signed by the governing quintet, minus Centurione, on behalf of the island. This included amnesty for Centurione, referred to as Damala, and the group of men who had sailed with him to New Phocaea. Though direct rule in Chios and Old Phocaea ended in 1329, New Phocaea remained in the hands of the Zaccaria and their relatives into the 1340s.

When Centurione did not return to Chios, Vignoso sailed to New Phocaea and secured its surrender on 20 September 1346. The treaty forbade the Zaccaria from residing, owning property, or interfering in the governance of both Phocaeas, putting a definitive end to their influence there.

The ''"protocomes Damalla"''In the treaty, the additional "L" in the Damala is attributed to the fact that this individual is considered a fellow Italian by the Genoese conquerors. (Missailidis, 2012, p. 50) and an Argenti signed the treaty of New Phocaea as the Genoese with interests in the city before the invasion. Like the first, the second treaty did not explicitly prohibit the Zaccaria from remaining in Chios. While it is certain that Centurione and his immediate family left the island at this time, some members evidently stayed behind, as a "Jane Zaccaria" is recorded as a witness to a property sale on 14 June 1348. While Centurione resigned, the rest of Chios received favorable terms, including all the privileges granted by chrysobulls of Byzantine emperors, as well as religious freedom for Orthodox Christians in Chios.

From then, Centurione lived both in his Barony of Damalà and Galata, where he signed in 1352 as a witness, "''the first among the Latins''", to the treaty with Emperor John VI Kantakouzenos.

The Zaccaria in Morea

Centurione and his descendants ruled his father's possessions in Morea after their expulsion from Chios. The Barony of Damalà seems to have been lost to the Byzantines in the late 1380s, since his eldest son and grandson are only mentioned with it in a titular fashion. This eldest son was Andronikos Asano de Damala, or Zaccaria de Damalà. There are less sources for his presumed three brothers though: Filippo, Manuele and Martino. It is possible that Martino could have been the same person as Manuele as he does not appear in most genealogical records; he is known only from his participation in the Battle of Gardiki in 1375. Filippo and Manuele are documented through their marriages to prominent women of the time. Filippo married the heiress of Rhiolo in Achaea, and Manuele to Eliana Cattaneo.

Andronikos acted as bailiff of Achaea for a short time, when Centurione travelled to Naples to the court of Queen Joanna I. After 1386, he inherited the Barony of Chalandritsa and the title of the Grand Constable of Achaea, becoming one of the most powerful men inside the Principality. He was wed to Catherine Le Maure, the eldest daughter of Erard III Le Maure, and heiress to the great Barony of Arcadia and Saint-Sauveur. Through this marriage the Zaccaria added the coveted Le Maure inheritance to their domains.

Andronikos had four children: Centurione II, Stephen, Erard IV and Benedict. Centurione being the eldest, inherited his father's titles upon his death in 1401. Stephen was later appointed by Centurione as Latin Archbishop of Patras, a clerical position that he would hold until his demise in 1424. Erard inherited the maternal Barony of Arcadia, but seems to have died before 1404 as Centurione succeeded him as baron by then. Benedict is recorded as being alive in 1418, at Glarentza, when the forces of Olivier Franco besieged the city where Benedict was imprisoned.

Maria, sister to Andronikos and only daughter of Centurione I, married Pedro de San Superano, leader of the Navarrese Company beginning in 1386.

In 1396, King Ladislas of Naples sold the rights to the Principality of Achaea to Pedro, who was already acting as the ''de facto'' Prince. This ended the principality's formal vassalage to the Angevins. Ultimately, Pedro did not have the funds to pay Ladislas, and after his death in November 1402, his wife ruled Achaea on behalf of her underage son as reigning princess as Maria II until 1404. It was in that year that her nephew, Centurione II Zaccaria, eldest son of her brother Andronikos, won a family inheritance dispute since she also could not fulfill the original terms of the sale. Ladislas agreed to sell the rights to Centurione, who promptly paid the owed sum to become the first truly sovereign Prince of Achaea, as per the original terms of the sale. On 20 April 1404, Centurione, who was already bailiff to his aunt, received Achaea as a hereditary principality and ascended its throne as its sovereign.

Centurione married an unknown lady of the Asen branch of the Palaiologos family, recorded in the Chronicle of the Tocco as ''"the princess"'' on more than one occasion. From this union, Centurione had at least four children: John Asen (Giovanni) Zaccaria, Catherine Zaccaria, Martino Zaccaria and another daughter whose name remains lost to history, that he offered as a bride to the adventurer Oliver Franco in 1418, after he seized the great port-city of Glarentsa.

In 1429, Prince Centurione and his son John were besieged inside the castle of Chalandritsa by the forces of Thomas Palaiologos. John dispatched a messenger with the name John Balotas to Constantine Palaiologos (later the last emperor of the Eastern Roman Empire) to declare that the Zaccaria preferred to surrender Chalandritsa to Theodora Tocco instead of Thomas. Theodora was the wife of Constantine, and sister of John's spouse Magdalene Tocco. Constantine refused the offer stating that this could result in unnecessary fighting between the Palaiologoi brothers. After resisting the siege up until then, he surrendered in late 1429.

Thomas forced him to a treaty whereby his daughter, Catherine, would marry the despot and thus make him Centurione's heir in Achaea, bypassing his son. During the negotiations, Centurione ensured that his original heir, John, would retain his princely title after his death, even only by name. It was agreed that Centurione was allowed to keep his princely title and his inheritance, the barony of Arcadia. He then retired to Arcadia in 1430 after the marriage was finalized early that year. He died there two years later in 1432, still hoping in vain for Genoese aid. After his death, his domains passed to Catherine, and therefore to the despotate of Morea and into Byzantine hands. Meanwhile, Centurione's wife was imprisoned at Chlemoutsi castle, where she spent the rest of her days.

Sometime around 1446, his eldest son John rose against his brother-in-law and despot Thomas Palaiologos, along with the Albanian chief Bochalis Leontaris, in a time when the Albanian influence in Morea grew quite formidable. Upon his uprising, he was proclaimed Prince of Achaea for the first time by Greek magnates, adopting the double-headed eagle as his emblem, and taking the city of Aetos as his seat. Within a year, John was defeated by the combined forces of then despots Constantine and Thomas Palaiologos. He was subsequently imprisoned with his eldest son and wife Magdalene Tocco by Thomas in Chlemoutsi castle, just as his mother had been, and left these remnants of the previous dynasty to waste away.

John nor his son died there as anticipated, and instead, in 1453 convinced their guard to release them during a widespread revolt against the Despots. To secure his release he married his daughter to the lord of Chlemoutsi, although the name of this Zaccaria princess does not survive. He was congratulated and recognized by many Western rulers, namely Pope Nicholas V, King Alfonso V of Naples, and the Venetian Doge Francesco Foscari, calling him "Prince Centurione III."

The confirmation of his princely title by Naples was a gesture of great significance since the Kingdom of Naples had been the feudal overlord of the Principality of Achaea since 1267, by the Treaty of Viterbo between Charles I of Anjou and William II of Villehardouin until the acquisition of the principality by his father in 1404. After his escape, John gained the support of many Latins, Greeks and Albanians and besieged Thomas inside the city of Patras. His campaign was initially successful, until Turkish troops came to the aid of Thomas by his request as an Ottoman vassal. John was then defeated by the Ottomans under Turahan Bey, after a rule of roughly one and a half years.

John escaped capture with his son and found refuge with the Venetians in Methoni, where he remained for a few years. In 1456, he retired under King Alfonso of Naples. In 1457, the Venetian Republic, recognising his high political value as titular Prince of Morea, also granted him an annuity, on the condition John would continue to reside in Modon or wherever else he could be most useful to the designs of Venice.

In 1459, he lost this Venetian annuity when he relocated to their enemy and his ancestral home of Genoa. There, the Doge wrote him a letter of recommendation to Pope Pius II for support. There he received his acknowledgement as the Prince of Achaea in exile by the Republic, where he endowed a precious reliquary of his family, the so-called ''Zaccaria Cross'' that is said to contain pieces of the True Cross belonging to St John the Evangelist. This reliquary remains in the treasury of Metropolitan Cathedral of Saint Lawrence to this day, and is considered one of Genoa's most important relics.

On 21 April 1461 the pope received an additional letter from the Duke of Milan, Francesco I Sforza, who also recommended that John should receive support,''“considering the great disturbances and adversities which he had suffered from both the Turks and from the Greeks.”''

In September 1461, John moved to Rome where he was welcomed to the papal court of Pope Paul II, who granted him a monthly pension of twenty florins as Prince of Achaea until his death in 1469.

The origin of Damalà as a surname

The precise descent and change from the Zaccaria name to strictly Damalà comes from the line of John's eldest son, Antonio. By the time of John's imprisonment only five members of the family remained: himself, his two sons and daughter, and his sister Catherine. His eldest son Antonio was imprisoned with him in Chlemoutsi Castle until 1453, while his younger son Angelo is first seen passing through Genoa in 1448 and paid tribute as the grandson of Prince Centurione II by the Doge and nobility. He is later seen in Galata before and during the siege of Constantinople in 1453.

There is no record of Angelo having progeny, however his elder brother Antonio had a son named Pietro Antonio, that is recorded with his father regarding the Church of SS Peter and Paul in Galata which was on land that the family owned. Pietro's line died out within two subsequent generations while the line of Pietro's brother Giovanni—named after his grandfather—is the line that continues to this day.

The definitive transition to simply "Damalà", is recorded in the 16th century when his son Antonio Damalà (1498–1578) is given a fief by the Duke of Naxos, John IV Crispo; this was the establishment of a feudal relationship between the two and to this day the village is named Damala. The father of Antonio is listed as "Zaccaria de Damalà," now known to be Giovanni through Catholic baptismal records archived on the island of Tinos regarding his grandchildren.

Antonio played an important role in delaying the conquest of Naxos by the Turks. Giacomo IV Crispo, whom succeeded his father John after his death, sent Antonio to Constantinople in 1564 as ambassador to ask for the Sultan's mercy in order to recognize him. This is something Antonio seems to have achieved, as the relevant firman was issued on 29 April 1565.

When in Constantinople, Antonio had befriended the Sultan's son-in-law, Grand Admiral Piali Pasha, and for this reason, when Piali Pasha occupied Chios in 1566, he invited him to settle there, giving him the ancestral estates that the Genoese Maona had taken from the Zaccaria centuries before.

Upon arriving in Chios, Antonio took over lands in Volissos, Kardamyla, Delfini, Lagkada, Kalamoti, Campos and the Dafnonas tower. After 1566, Antonio lived in the tower, and also owned the Stratigato and the Damalà estates, whose churches, Panagia Coronata and Sotira, he renovated. These two churches, fortified towers, and manor house were all severely damaged during the 1822 massacre of Chios and subsequently damaged further by the earthquake of 1881. However, to this day there is an area of Dafnonas called "τού Δαμαλά" ("belonging to Damalà") where the Stratigato estate is still located. The location of the estate in Dafnonas, which is considered to be the family's oldest on the island, was known to be a seat of the Genoese aristocracy of Chios.

Starting with the children of Antonio, the family begins to appear in the Catholic vital records of Chios, all bearing distinctive Italian names along with the Damalà surname.It is important to note that during the time the family reestablished itself on Chios, it was common for servants to adopt the name of their respective lords. Therefore, there must be a distinction between the modern day descendants of these servants who were native to the island, and the patrilineal descendants of the Zaccaria de Damalà. There are also the descendants of the older Byzantine Damalas family, of Orthodox faith and Greek naming which can cause further confusion. Regarding this matter, author and historian Dimitri Lainas conducted a study in 2006, which compiled the most recent seven generations of the Zaccaria-descended Damalas by that time, published by Pelinnaeo Magazine.

The Damalà family under Ottoman rule

From the family's reestablishment on Chios, now under Ottoman rule since 1566, they are recorded as one of the families belonging to the Latin Bourgeoisie of the island, of which some were descended from the old companions of the Zaccaria during their tenures as lords of Chios. This was the second of six levels which formed the social class system of the island, with first being the descendants of the Giustiniani that had administered the island through the Genoese Maona, and the third being the local Greek nobles of Byzantine descent.

Though the members of the three upper levels were considered noble, this was not officially recognized under Ottoman rule, but due to the special privileges that Chios enjoyed in the empire, the Turks simply turned a blind eye to these classifications which were observed on the island, and did not interfere in their local government affairs.

The family's fortunes and descent allowed this first generation on Chios to intermarry with the recently deposed Giustiniani, and therefore take part in government. However, these social classifications shifted over time in favor of the Orthodox Greek nobles as they were routinely favored over Latin Catholics in disputes judged by the Ottomans. The "''Golden Key''" of Chios, which showcases the 37 noble families of Chios, reflects this later period of Greek preference.

By 1686, the Damalà were still recorded as one of the remaining Latin noble families of Genoese origin by Giovanni Battista de Burgo in his visit to the island in that year. It was in this period that the family leveraged these roots to find themselves in positions of power within the Venetian Republic and its sphere of influence. Gregorio Damalà was appointed as Consul of Venetian Greece and Louca Damalà was made Voivode of Mykonos, the latter being an autonomous ruler agreed upon by both the Venetians and Ottomans during their pause in hostilities in the region.

The Venetians briefly occupied Chios from 1694 to 1695, but the family's rank as Venetian nobles was ultimately a detriment to their position when the occupation ended.

During this Venetian interlude, Sultan Ahmed had ordered that the Catholics were to be put to the sword, and so when the Venetians were preparing to abandon the island, 60 Latin families who were “full of wealth” took what they were able to and departed with them to Nafplio in the Morea; still under Venetian rule. The family head, Costantino Damalà (b. 1649), and his three children, are listed amongst those that left Chios seeking refuge.

Unbeknownst to those that fled though, the sultan had died, and his successor had rescinded the order to execute any Latins that were found. Had this been known, they would not have been forced to flee, bound by faith and honour.

While the lives of the remaining members on Chios were spared, the persecution of those of the Catholic faith greatly increased. The Turks imposed heavy taxes, confiscated the estates of the fugitives and threw into chains three men from each important family, considering them accomplices or followers of the Venetians. They deprived the remaining Giustiniani of their privileges, turned the churches into mosques and forbade Latin-rite worship. This forced the Catholics on Chios to attend church only in the chapel of the French consulate, which the Ottomans were unable to close.

In the late 18th century, Giovanni Damalà (1740–1812), grandson of Costantino, is seen living in the old Genoese colony of Galata with his family. He is mentioned during several events of the 1790s as a Genoese notable (noble) from Chios, who was also one of the four deputies, along with Giuseppe Varthaliti, Marco Xantachy, and Giuseppe Vitali, that represented the ''Magnifica Comunita di Pera.''

Struggles and prominence in the XIXth and early XXth centuries

By the 19th century, the family was considered one of the most important Latin families of the Aegean. They are seen with numerous estates in the aristocratic Campos area of Chios, known for its stone mansions with citrus orchards. The bulk of these estates were in the ''"Frankish Mountain"'' (Φραγκοβούνι) district, in the southeast portion of Campos. During the Turkish occupation, the consulates of European countries were located in the area and many Catholics lived there.

In 1822, the catastrophe known as the Chios massacre took place on the island, which saw the Damalà abruptly lose their privileged social position held since they returned to the island. Members that were able to escape capture fled along with the other noble families. The appointed governor of the island at this time was Ioannis Zanni Damalà, son of the deputy Giovanni in Galata. He along with the heads of several other noble families of Chios were executed in the city, and irreparable damage was done to their centuries-old estates.

Beginning with Ioannis Zanni, the family began intermarrying with the Greek nobles that had been on the rise. The name was completely Hellenized to "Δαμαλάς" (Damalas) after 1822, when the Ottomans made the worship of the Catholic faith forbidden for a second time. This transition is observed in the names of the family around the massacre, which was effectively a great reset to the island that solidified the Ottoman preference of Orthodox Greeks over other groups in Chios.

Over the following decades the family reemerged as an influential force in the region, establishing themselves in Ermoupoli on the island of Syros, a place where other Chian nobles had fled to after 1822.

The head of the family at that time was Ambrosios Ioannou Damalas, eldest son of the slain Ioannis Zanni. Ambrosios became the most important merchant in the flourishing Syros and acquired great wealth, thereafter leading the establishment of the Hellenic Steamship Company. In the cosmopolitan Vaporia district by the port of Ermoupoli, he had built an extremely ornate palace in the neoclassical style, rich with frescoes by Italian artist Giuseppe Tami. Some of the land of this estate was ceded for the expansion of Othonos Square, and it was there that the family was recognized by the first King of modern Greece, as King Otto I and Queen Amalia were hosted at the palace; first in 1846 and again in 1850.

It was Ambrosios that sold one of his father's remaining landed estates on Chios to his friend George Sourias. This is parcel 125 according to Arnold C. Smith's ''"Map of the Kampos."''

Beginning in Ermoupoli, the family soon returned to their traditional role in statecraft, with Ambrosios serving as its mayor from 1853 to 1862, and his two eldest sons Ioannis and Pavlos as mayors of Chios (1878–1892) and Piraeus (1903–1907) respectively. A physician by training, Pavlos was also a cultural and athletic patron, founding the Ereto Rowing Club in 1885 under royal charter. The club remains today the oldest sports institution in Greece and the Balkans, and holds an annual regatta in his name.

He later worked with Prince George of Greece and Denmark to organize the watersports events for the first modern Olympic Games in 1896. During his mayoral election in 1903, Pavlos contested the results in a highly controversial election, which was initially marred by widespread fraud, violence, and impersonation. He appealed directly to Dimitrios Rallis and Crown Prince Constantine, while thousands of citizens marched to Athens in protest. The election was annulled by court order and reheld later that year, resulting in his victory. As mayor, he oversaw a number of civic improvements and promoted reconciliation, despite facing opposition from a divided city council.

In recognition of his public service, he was appointed Commander of the British Royal Victorian Order during Edward VII’s 1906 visit to Greece.

Ambrosios' third son, however, took a different path, albeit none less public. Aristidis Iakovos Damalas, better known as Jacques Damalà, who began as a military officer and diplomat, soon left these professions as he became infamous in Paris due to his womanizing habits and frequent opium consumption, to later become an actor and marry fellow actress, French theater star Sarah Bernhardt.

Regarding Jacques, Bram Stoker, the author of gothic horror classic novel Dracula, noted:

''"I sat next to him at supper, and the idea that he was dead was strong on me. I think he had taken some mighty dose of opium, for he moved and spoke like a man in a dream. His eyes, staring out of his white, waxen face, seemed hardly the eyes of the living."''

Stoker would later acknowledge that Jacques Damala was one of his models for the titular Count Dracula.

After Jacques' death, Bernhardt wore mourning clothes for a year, as was the Catholic custom, and she never renounced his last name, which she had hyphenated with her own. For a while, she insisted on being called ''"the widow Damalà,"'' and even sculpted a funerary bust of him which is now on display at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City.

Jacques was a good friend of fellow Greek Basil Zaharoff, the notorious "merchant of death" and one of the richest men in the world at the time. Near Jacques' death, Zaharoff took in his illegitimate daughter with a theatre extra after she was left in a basket on Bernhardt's doorstep. Eventually, this girl was baptised ''Tereza'' (1889–1967) and was raised by a surrogate family that Zaharoff found for her in Adrianople, in Eastern Thrace, later becoming a socialite in royal Athens society, and an impactful lover of both Ernest Hemingway, who called a her a "Greek princess", and Gabriele d'Annunzio, as well getting acquainted with Benito Mussolini, and serving as a model for Pablo Picasso in the early 20th century. The life of Tereza Damalà, including having been Zaharoff's ward and lifelong friend was the subject of the historical novel ''Tereza'', by Greek journalist Freddy Germanos.

By the turn of the century, a first cousin of Jacques had established his branch as a notable banking family in Constantinople. Ioannis Damalas (b. 1835) and his son Iakovos (b. 1868) had played a significant role for many years in the economic life of Turkey, and influencing the communal affairs of the Greeks in the city. Iakovos in particular, became the director of operations in India for the Ralli Brothers Company. He also established a connection with the Greek royal court when he married Helena Lüders, eldest daughter of Otto Lüders, Lord Chamberlain to King George I of Greece and tutor of the future King Constantine I of Greece.

The present-day Damalas

The Damalas family has remained one of the most prominent in Chios, as attested by many historians, including Konstantinos Amantos and Nikos Perris.

While the current day members are few, the family has made efforts in recent years to regain their former eminence. In 2012, Anastasia Damala formed the philanthropic Antonios Damalas Foundation which hosts intellectual seminars on the sciences, philosophy, current events and history. These events are held in an 8-story building in Piraeus that is owned by the family and houses conference halls, a library, museum and chapel.

The foundation also has operations in Chios, within one of their ancestral homes, directly across from the ruins of the Kamenos Pyrgos estate. Notably, this home is on land that has been held since their Zaccaria ancestors acquired it and constructed Kamenos Pyrgos.

From the early 1990s until 2024, Spyros Dimitrios "Jim" Damalas (1951–2024), established himself as a pioneering figure in sustainable tourism, known for his significant contributions to Costa Rica's eco-friendly hospitality industry. He founded Greentique Hotels and established the renowned Si Como No Resort, Spa, and Wildlife Refuge. His commitment to environmental conservation and community engagement earned him numerous accolades, including the Rainforest Alliance Sustainable Standard-Setters Award. Through his large presence in the conservation community, he made notable connections, such as his friendship with Jimmy Buffett, who wrote a chapter about meeting Damalas in his book ''" A Pirate Looks at Fifty."''

In 2023, a genealogical study was conducted regarding the ''Agnatic descendants of Martino Zaccaria de Chios e Damalà'', the first historic head of the Zaccaria de Damalà branch that took hold in the Principality of Achaea after his marriage to Jacqueline de La Roche.

According to the family succession traditions in history, the most senior male-line descendant of Martino is the current legitimate head of the family, which leads, through the aforementioned genealogical study, to Constantine Zaccaria de Damalà (b. 1992).

The legal background regarding the nobiliary status of the family was profiled in a book published in 2024, titled ''Achaean Disputes: Eight Centuries of Succession Conflicts for the Title of Prince of Achaea'', authored by Ugo Stornaiolo S.

Church of the Holy Apostles

The Church of the Holy Apostles is a late Byzantine church located in Pyrgi, the largest medieval village of Chios. It is one of the best preserved examples of Byzantine architecture in Greece. The church originally existed as one of the private shrines of the Damalas family, from which it is believed Pyrgi was built around, as in the late Byzantine period, population centers began around churches with a tower and manor house. As such, the church is situated just northeast of the village's main square.Holy Apostles is a small reproduction of the ''katholikon'' (main church) of Nea Moni, being richly decorated outside with brick patterns. The interior is completely covered with frescoes painted by Antonios Kenygos of Crete, in 1665.

An inscription over the main entrance of the church tells us that monk Symeon of the Damalas family, who eventually became the metropolitan bishop of Chios, raised the church "from its foundations" in 1564. This most likely refers to an extensive renovation, since its architectural and morphological features indicate that it was constructed in the middle of the 14th century.

It is likely that the original church was destroyed in one of the great earthquakes of 1546, and 18 years later, the monk Symeon had found it in ruins. Under the property law at the time, it would have belonged to his family and would have been his obligation to rebuild it. Nonetheless, since only his monastic name is known, the exact family relation of this Symeon Damalas to the Zaccaria de Damalà family that was present in Chios during that time has remained obscure and unproven, aside from apocryphal family tradition.

The manor house and fortified tower that accompanied the church were destroyed like many structures in the 1881 Chios earthquake.

Male-line descent

Below are all the male-line dynastic descendants of Martino, titular King and Despot of Asia Minor, and subsequently of Centurione II, Prince of Achaea. The numbers represent the positions in the line of succession. A silver crown designates previous heads of the family while gold denotes the current head.In 1325, Martino Zaccaria received the royal title “'' King and Despot of Asia Minor''” by imperial grant of Philip II of Taranto, the titular Latin Emperor, and in 1404, his descendant, Centurione II Zaccaria, acquired full sovereign rights to the Principality of Achaea. These royal and princely titles have at times been associated with the family’s legitimate male-line descendants. Following the fall of Achaea, Centurione’s son, John Asen Zaccaria, continued to be recognized in exile as ''Prince of Achaea'' by the Christian powers of the time, of which only the Holy See remains as a sovereign state today. The historical record indicates that the family retained noble status in the Aegean and Constantinople, though it is not known whether their royal and princely titles continued in private use in subsequent generations, and therefore are not noted with later heads of the House on this genealogical tree.

Additionally, under the Ottoman Empire, Western dynastic titles were not formally recognized. After Greek independence, the constitutions of the Kingdom of Greece and, later, the Hellenic Republic explicitly prohibited legal recognition of hereditary titles. The same is true in the United States, where members of the senior line reside today. As a result, there has been no formal state recognition since the late 15th century of these historic titles. Their continued acknowledgement has been limited to nobiliary, heraldic, ecclesiastical and academic contexts.

* '' Martino, titular King and Despot of Asia Minor (c. 1291–1345)''
** '' Bartolomeo, Marquis of Bodonitsa (c. 1309–1334)''
** '' Centurione I, Bailiff of Achaea (c. 1318–1386)''
*** '' Andronikos, Grand Constable of Achaea (c. 1357–1401)''
**** '' Centurione II, Prince of Achaea (c. 1375–1432)''
***** '' Centurione III, Prince of Achaea (c. 1406–1469)''
****** ''Antonio (c. 1428–?)''
******* ''Pietro Antonio (c. 1452–?)''
******** ''Angelo (c. 1482–?)''
******* ''Giovanni (c. 1458–?)''
******** ''Antonio, Ambassador of the Duchy of Naxos to the Ottoman court (1498–1578)''
********* ''Giovanni (c. 1559–c. 1608)''
********** ''Antonio (c. 1590–c. 1633)''
*********** ''Giovanni (1615–?)''
************ ''Costantino (1649–c. 1712)''
************* ''Francesco (c. 1690–?)''
************* ''Baldassare (1705–c. 1759)''
************** ''Nicola (1736–1760)''
************** ''Giovanni, Deputy of the Magnifica Comunita di Pera (1740–1812)''
*************** ''Nicola Isidoro (1766–c. 1768)''
*************** ''Nicola (1768–?)''
*************** ''Ioannis Zanni, Governor of Chios (c. 1778–1822)''
**************** '' Ambrosios, Mayor of Ermoupoli (1808–1869)''
***************** ''Ioannis, Mayor of Chios (1845–1916)''
****************** ''Ambrosios (1892–1913)''
***************** '' Pavlos, Mayor of Piraeus, CVO (1853–1925)''
****************** ''Ambrosios (1898–1913)''
***************** '' Aristidis Iakovos, aka Jacques Damala (1855–1889)''
**************** ''Dimitrios (c. 1815–?)''
***************** ''Nicholas, Royal Commissioner to the Holy Synod of the Church of Greece (1842–1892)''
***************** ''Athanasios Dimitrios (c. 1852–?)''
****************** ''Ioannis Athanasios (1877–1947)''
******************* ''George John (1923–2015)''
******************* ''Constantine John (1923–2004)''
******************** ''John Constantine (1955–2007)''
******************** ''Stefanos Constantine (1959–)''
********************* ''Constantine Paul (1992–)''
****************** ''Evangelos Athanasios (c. 1878–?)''
****************** ''Stefanos Athanasios (1884–1943)''
******************* ''Nasos Stefanos (1922–1923)''
****************** ''Apostolos Athanasios (c. 1889–?)''
****************** ''Harry Panagiotis (c. 1891–?)''
****************** ''Panagiotis Harry (1911–1994)''
******************* (1) ''Harry Peter (1946–)''
******************** (2) ''Peter Christopher (1975–)''
******************* ''Spyros Dimitrios (1951–2024)''
****************** ''George Athanasios (1892–1959)''
******************* ''Thomas George (1918–1965)''
******************** ''Thomas (c. 1936–?)''
******************** ''Ronald (c. 1936–?)''
***************** ''Alexandros Dimitrios (c. 1854–?)''
****************** ''Antonios Alexandros (1874–?)''
******************* ''Dimitrios Alexandros (1906–1999)''
******************** ''Isidoros Dimitrios (c. 1924–?)''
******************** ''Antonios Dimitrios (1930–1989)''
********************* (3) ''Dimitrios Antonios (c. 1948–)''
********************** (4) ''Antonios Dimitrios (1997–)''
********************* (5) ''Markellos Antonios (c. 1950–)''
******************* ''Stylianos Alexandros (1912–1993)''
******************** ''Antonios Stylianos (1935–1992)''
******************** ''Nicholas Stylianos (1947–1999)''
******************* ''Alexandros (1916–1985)''
****************** ''Petros Alexandros (1883–1943)''
******************* ''William Peter (1924–1998)''
******************** ''Anthony William (1945–2010)''
********************* (6) ''Daniel Anthony (1951–)''
******************** ''William Thomas (1947–2015)''
********************* (7) ''Scott Thomas (1972–)''
******************** (8) ''Thomas Steven (1951–)''
********************* (9) ''David Thomas (1976–)''
******************* ''Gus Peter (1926–1995)''
******************** ''Peter Gus (1952–2000)''
****************** ''Constantine Alexandros (1887–?)''
******************* ''Alexander Constantine (1919–?)''
****************** ''Harry Alexandros (1888–1956)''
******************* ''Alex Harry (1938–1999)''
******************** (10) ''Alex Harry (1961–)''
***************** ''Mikes Dimitrios (1855–1912)''
****************** ''Dimitrios (c. 1873–?)''
******************* ''Mikes (c. 1891–?)''
******************** ''Dimitris (c. 1909–?)''
***************** ''Isidoros Dimitrios (c. 1856–?)''
**************** ''Iakovos (c. 1817–?)''
***************** ''Zanni Iakovo (1835–1898)''
****************** ''Jacques (1868–1937)''
****************** ''Alexandros (1869–?)''
***************** ''George (1837–?)''
***************** ''Dimitrios (1841–?)''
************** ''Costantino (1744–?)''
************** ''Severio (1746–?)''
************ ''Louca, Voivode of Mykonos (c. 1650–1688)''
************ ''Neophytos, Bishop of Thessaloniki (c. 1652–c. 1688)''
************ ''Mathon (c. 1653–c. 1688)''
*********** ''Francesco (c. 1620–?)''
************ ''Michele (c. 1670–?)''
************* ''Francesco (c. 1688–?)''
************** ''Michele (c. 1706–c. 1775)''
*************** ''Francesco (1743–?)''
*************** ''Giacomo (1746–?)''
*************** ''Giovanni (c. 1758–?)''
**************** ''Michele (1785–1817)''
*********** ''Nicola (c. 1626–?)''
************ ''Andrea (c. 1651–c. 1711)''
*********** ''Gregorio, Consul of Venetian Greece (c. 1632–c. 1675)''
************ ''Antonio (c. 1669–?)''
********* ''Costantino (1590–?)''
********** ''Giovanni (1617–?)''
********* ''Nicoli (c. 1610–?)''
********** ''Antonio (1638–?)''
********** ''Giovanni (1642–?)''
********* ''Filippo (c. 1560–c. 1607)''
********** ''Antonio (c. 1580–?)''
*********** ''Filippo (1602–?)''
*********** ''Nicola (1604–?)''
************ ''Antonio (1635–1636)''
************ ''Antonio (1636–c. 1642)''
************ ''Antonio (1642–?)''
*********** ''Giovanni (1607–?)''
********** ''Filippo (c. 1585–c. 1621)''
****** ''Angelo Giovanni (c. 1430–?)''
***** ''Martino (?–c. 1424)''
**** '' Stefano, Archbishop of Patras (?–1424)''
**** ''Benedetto (?–c. 1418)''
**** ''Erard IV, Baron of Arcadia (1401–1404)''
*** ''Martino (c. 1336–c. 1375)''
*** ''Filippo (?–c. 1402)''
**** ''Giovanni (1402–?)''
*** ''Manuele (?–c. 1413)''
** ''Octaviano (c. 1319–c. 1350)''
** ''Manfredo (c. 1319–c. 1350)''

Notable members

*Martino Zaccaria, lord of Chios in the Byzantine Empire, baron of Damala and ½ of Chalandritsa in the Principality of Achaea, and titular King and Despot of Asia Minor in the Latin Empire of Constantinople.
*Bartolomeo Zaccaria, marquis of Bodonitsa ''jure uxoris'' and baron of Damalà.
*Centurione I Zaccaria, baron of Damala, Chalandritsa and Estamira in the Principality of Achaea, bailiff of the Principality of Achaea for the Angevin Kings of Naples; mid 14th century.
*Andronikos Asen Zaccaria, baron of Chalandritsa, Arcadia and Estamira, titular Baron of Damala, Grand Constable of Achaea; mid to late 14th century.
*Marulla Zaccaria Pallavicini, daughter of Bartolomeo, lady of Aerina and Salamis
* Maria II Zaccaria, Princess of Achaea ''per suo jure'', 1402–1404.
*Centurione II Zaccaria, Prince of Achaea, 1404–1432, baron of Chalandritsa, titular baron of Damala, baron of Arcadia until 1432.
*Stephen Zaccaria, Latin Archbishop of Patras, 1404–1424.
*John Asen Zaccaria, known as Centurione III, short-ruling Prince of Achaea, 1453–1454 during the 1453 Morean Rebellion.
*Antonio (Zaccaria de) Damalà, ambassador of the Duchy of Naxos to the Ottoman court, 1498–1578.
*Symeon Damalas (?), metropolitan of Chios; mid 16th century.
*Louca Damalà, voivode of Mykonos; late 17th century.
*Gregorio Damalà, consul of Venetian Greece, late 17th century
*Neophytos Damalas, metropolitan of Thessaloniki, late 17th century.
*Ioannis Zanni Damalas, governor of Chios; early 19th century.
*Constantino Damalas, Greek revolutionary during the Greek war of independence; early 19th century.
* Ambrosios Damalas, merchant and politician, mayor of Ermoupolis from 1853 to 1862.
* Jacques (Aristides) Damala, Diplomat, military officer, actor, socialite and husband of Sarah Bernhardt; late 19th century.
* Nikolaos Damalas, theologian and university professor, royal commissioner to the Holy Synod of the Church of Greece; mid to late 19th century.
*Ioannis Damalas, mayor of Chios from 1878 to 1882.
* Pavlos Damalas, merchant and politician, mayor of Piraeus from 1903 to 1907, honorary CVO, and founder of the Ereto Rowing Club.
* Tereza Damala, socialite, illegitimate daughter of Jacques Damala, ward of Basil Zaharoff, lover of Ernest Hemingway and Gabriele d'Annunzio, and model of Pablo Picasso, late 19th to early 20th centuries. Subject of the historical novel ''Tereza'', by Greek journalist Freddy Germanos.
*Ioannis Damalas, banker; late 19th century.
*Iakovos Damalas, banker and Ralli Brothers director; late 19th century to early 20th century.
*Mikes Damalas, cinematographer; mid 20th century.
*Antonios Damalas, academic, writer and researcher; mid-late 20th century.
*Anastasia Damala, philanthropist and founder of the Antonios Damalas Foundation.
*Spyros Dimitrios Damalas, businessman and pioneer in ecotourism in Costa Rica; 1993–2024.
*Constantine Zaccaria de Damalà, equity trader, current head of the family.

References

Sources

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Notes

{{Reflist, group=note

Greek noble families
Italian noble families
Venetian noble families
Spanish noble families
People from Chios
Noble families from the Crusader states
People from the Principality of Achaea