Simon Zenebishi () was an Albanian aristocrat and vassal of the

Kingdom of Naples The Kingdom of Naples (; ; ), officially the Kingdom of Sicily, was a state that ruled the part of the Italian Peninsula south of the Papal States between 1282 and 1816. It was established by the War of the Sicilian Vespers (1282–1302). Until ...

, who held the castle of Strovilo (Castrovilari), near

Butrint Butrint (, , ) was an ancient Greek polis and later Roman city and the seat of an early Christian bishopric in Epirus. Originally a settlement of the Greek tribe of the Chaonians, it later became part of the state of Epirus and later a Roman ...

, and was a member of the Zenebishi family of

southern Albania Southern Albania () is one of the three NUTS-2 Regions of Albania. It consists of five counties: Berat, Fier, Gjirokastër, Korçë and Vlorë. Combined, they have a population of 700,000 as of the 2023 census. The southwestern part of the c ...

. He probably dwelled in

Corfu Corfu ( , ) or Kerkyra (, ) is a Greece, Greek island in the Ionian Sea, of the Ionian Islands; including its Greek islands, small satellite islands, it forms the margin of Greece's northwestern frontier. The island is part of the Corfu (regio ...

, and was later subject to the sovereignty of Alfonso of Naples.

Life

He was a grandson a

Gjon Zenebishi John Zenevisi or Gjon Zenebishi ( or ''Gjin Zenebishi''; died 1418) was an Albanian magnate that held the estates in Epirus, such as Gjirokastër and Vagenetia. Name Zenevisi can be found with different spellings in historical documents. His n ...

and a son of

Thopia Zenebishi Thopia may refer to: * Thopia family, one of the most powerful Albanian feudal families in the Late Middle Ages ** Tanusio Thopia ** Karl Thopia ** George Thopia ** Helena Thopia ** Niketa Thopia ** Andrea I Thopia ** Andrea II Thopia ** Tanush T ...

of the Zenebishi family. The Zenebishi had established themselves as rulers in the region of

Gjirokastër Gjirokastër (, sq-definite, Gjirokastra) is a List of cities and towns in Albania, city in Southern Albania, southern Albania and the seat of Gjirokastër County and Gjirokastër Municipality. It is located in a valley between the Gjerë moun ...

, ruled by Gjon Zenebishi who in the late 14th century is a recorded as "sebastokrator". Simon appears in the historical records for the first time in a deal the Zenebishi had made with the Shpata clan of the

Despotate of Arta The Despotate of Arta (; ) was a despotate established by Albanians, Albanian rulers during the 14th century, after the defeat of the local Despot of Epirus, Nikephoros II Orsini, by Albanian tribesmen in the Battle of Achelous (1359), Battle of ...

. As part of their alliance against the Despote of Epirus, Carlo Tocco, a daughter of

Muriq Shpata {{Infobox noble, type , name = Muriq Shpata , title = Lord of Arta , image = , caption = , alt = , CoA = , more = no , succession = , reig ...

was married to Simon Zenebishi. This alliance held until 1413-14, when, due to unknown actions undertaken by Simon, the alliance between the Zenebishi and Shpata broke and the Zenebishi allied with the Tocco instead. In 1443, Simon Zenebishi built the Strovili fortress with Venetian approval and support. It was located near Saiata (Sayada), and above

Vagenetia Vagenetia or Vagenitia () was a medieval region on the coast of Epirus, roughly corresponding to modern Thesprotia. The region likely derived its name from the Slavic tribe of the Baiounitai. It is first attested as a '' sclavinia'' under some sor ...

, the lands of his grandfather

. In 1454–55 he was recognized by Alphonso V as a vassal of the

. He had a son, born and raised in

Turkey Turkey, officially the Republic of Türkiye, is a country mainly located in Anatolia in West Asia, with a relatively small part called East Thrace in Southeast Europe. It borders the Black Sea to the north; Georgia (country), Georgia, Armen ...

, who had deserted from the

Turks Turk or Turks may refer to: Communities and ethnic groups * Turkish people, or the Turks, a Turkic ethnic group and nation * Turkish citizen, a citizen of the Republic of Turkey * Turkic peoples, a collection of ethnic groups who speak Turkic lang ...

in 1454, who in 1455 asked the

King of Naples The following is a list of rulers of the Kingdom of Naples, from its first Sicilian Vespers, separation from the Kingdom of Sicily to its merger with the same into the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies. Kingdom of Naples (1282–1501) House of Anjou ...

to be

baptized Baptism (from ) is a Christian sacrament of initiation almost invariably with the use of water. It may be performed by sprinkling or pouring water on the head, or by immersing in water either partially or completely, traditionally three ...

Aftermath

His son, Alessandro "Lech" Zenebishi, ruled Strovilo following Simon's death until 1473, when he sold the castle to

Venice Venice ( ; ; , formerly ) is a city in northeastern Italy and the capital of the Veneto Regions of Italy, region. It is built on a group of 118 islands that are separated by expanses of open water and by canals; portions of the city are li ...

Ancestry

Name

In Catalan documents, his name is also spelled ''Simone Gimlixi'' and ''Gimbixi''. An Albanian neologism of his name is ''Simon Zenebishi''.

References

Sources

* * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Zenebishi, Simon Simon 15th-century Albanian people Republic of Venice nobility Venetian Albanians People from the Kingdom of Naples 15th-century Neapolitan people 15th-century Venetian people 1461 deaths Albanian monarchs