The Ethnic Composition of Medieval Epirus

The Ethnic Composition of Medieval Epirus
by Brendan Osswald

ABSTRACT
Medieval Epirus was the melting pot of many migratory influxes, whether Slav, Vlach, Jewish, Albanian or Italian. Some Greek refugees also found asylum in this province during hard times. The best documented period is that from 1200 onwards. During the last three centuries of the middle ages, we see a sense of coexistence developing between the various nationalities which was not always pacific. Ideas of nationality, however, were different then from now, and we may also observe that the different military conflicts of the period were not ethnic ones. The Greeks despised some of the other groups, but this was mainly for social reasons. At the least, we may say that armies and aristocracies–those fields which we know best, thanks to our sources – were predominantly mixed.

To view the full article, sign up for a free account at Academia.edu
If you already have an account, use the following link to sign in and download the article:
The Ethnic Composition of Medieval Epirus