Catalans in Athens

Catalans in Athens? What is this? When? Before F. C. Barcelona?

This could be the reaction of a modern Greek, if you asked him what did he know about the Catalan Company, which ruled in Athens for 76 years. It is a part of our (greek and athenian) history, which is not usually taught in the school History lessons.

Lets take the things from the beggining.

A fictitious representation of Athens, 14th century

1204: The 4th Crusade forgets its original aim (to expell muslim arab domination from Palestine) and destroys Byzantine Empire. The crusaders occupy Constantinople, the capital of the Eastern Roman Empire.

Eugene Delacroix, The entry of crusaders into Constantinople

As a result, the Empire is cutted into small partitions, some dominated by byzantine (greek) and some others by western leaders.

A map of eastern Mediterranean after 1204

One of them was the Duchy of Athens, ruled at first by Frankish leaders. Its first capital was not Athens but Thebes, in Boeotia. Later, Athens became the capital of the duchy. In 1311, after the battle of Halmyros in Boeotia, the Catalan Company seized power in the duchy.

The Catalan Company in its first years

The Catalan Company of the East (Companyia Catalana d Orient) was founded by Roger de Flor (or Rutger von Blum, 1266-1306) in 14th century. It was a company of mercenaries, mostly from Catalonia and Aragon, who stayed unemployed after the Peace of Caltabellota (1302).

Roger de Flor

In 1303 the emperor of Constantinople Andronicus II (in 1261 Greeks had reconquest Constantinople) called the Catalan Company to fight against Turks in Asia Minor. Roger de Flor formed an army with 1.500 knights and 4.000 pedestrians (the famous Almogavars, hard soldiers who had fought during the spanish reconquista).

Almogavar pedestrian warrior

Andronicus II Palaiologos

Golden coin of Andronicus II

Roger de Flor arrives in Constantinople

The Catalan Company defeated Ottoman Turks several times in Asia Minor. Thus, they became famous as good warriors. But the new emperor Michael did not feel comfortable with a so strong western army inside its territories. So, he called them back to the european lands of the empire, namely to ensure his interests in Bulgaria, but in fact to organize the assassination of Roger de Flor. For this purpose, he used other, German, mercenaries; they finally assassinated Roger de Flor while he was in Adrianoupolis, Thrace.

Roger de Flors coat of arms

This fact made the soldiers of Catalan Company furious. For two years (having, at the same time, many quarrels between them) they devastated the great regions of Thrace and Macedonia. Byzantine writers refere to these facts saying that the land became a desert. This was the catalan revenge and, in the collective greek memory, for many centuries, the name Catalan meant wild, savage people.

Their behavior was reasonable, because they were strangers in a foreign country and they should either win or die.

The catalan revenge is described in

Francisco de Moncada, Expedition of Catalonians and Aragonians against Turks and Greeks (Barcelona, 1623)

Something characteristic:

In late 20th century, the Catalan singer Josep Tero visited the mountain Athos, which is now an autonomous region inhabited by monks. But he was astonished when he realized that some monks were hostile against him, just because he was from Catalonia. It was unbelievable: 700 years later, they still remembered the Catalan attack!

Josep Tero and Carles Duarte

So, Josep Tero with his friend Carles Duarte, a writer, begun a campaign and persuaded the catalan government to make a gesture of excuse. Thus, as an excuse, but also as an example of the new european spirit of friendship, the government of Catalonia financed the restauration of a building in the famous monastery of Vatopedion in the Holy Mountain Athos.

The monastery of Vatopedion, in the Holy Mountain Athos

(Macedonia, Greece)

Companyia Catalana in Athens

After devasted the northern Greece, the company went to the south. In 1311 the company defeated other, mostly western, troops in the battle of Halmyros, near Orchomenos in Boeotia. The duke of Athens and almost all the Frank (French) nobles were killed.

Thus, the Catalans conquered the Duchy of Athens, formerly dominated by Franks from Burgundia, a duchy that contained both Attica and Boeotia, and from time to time other places. Most of the time, the capital of this state was not Athens but Thebes, in Boeotia, a city more developped than Athens at those years.

The Duchy of Athens during the catalan domination

The ruins of castle of Livadia, Boeotia

Since they had the hostility of many western kings, the Catalans asked the protection of Frederic II of Sicily. He accepted and placed his 5 year old son Manfred head of the Company, whose vicar-general in Greece was Berenguer Estagniol. After 1316, the majority of the dukes and vicar-generals lived in the West, and the duchy was practically rulled by vicegerents.

Later, the Company asked the protection of Peter IV of Aragon. Peter accepted and sent his own guard on the Acropolis of Athens, which he discribed as lo dit castell sia la pus richa joya qui al mont sia. This formule is considered as the first, after a thousand years, mention made by a western about the aesthetic value of Acropolis.

Catalans established in the duchy military and administrative institutions according to their origin. Their constitution (els Capitols de la Companyia) was written in catalan language and was accorded with the laws of Barcelona that regulated the public and private life of its inhabitants. The llengua catalana became official language of the state, together with latin.The municipal local system replaced the feudal organization of the Franks. There were five communities. Each city had its own governor (vicarius) and the military commander (castellano or capitano). The city had also separate municipal authorities whth representatives in the central council.

A coin of the catalan period of Athens

Greek native population, mostly paysants, did not take part in these conflicts between nobles, greek or foreigners. The change of power usually did not mean anything for the ordinary life, which was difficult, anyway. Many of them became immigrants in frankish- or ventian-ruled places. The others, who preferred not to leave their country, just hopped that the dominator of the day would ensure them better living conditions.

Merchants and paysants at the time

It is characteristic that the native greek population did not help at all the son of the last Frank leader, who,having the support of the pope and many european leaders, attempted in 1331 to expell Company from the duchy.

The Catalans were organized in a particularly closed religious and social group, because they considered that any involvement with the natives was a menace of their integrity and survival in the greek lands. Unlike what happened those times in Peloponese, it was very difficult for native Greeks to have a public authority in the Duchy of Athens. The Company constituted the social and state ruling class. Moreover, it was forbidden for a christian orthodox to mary a catholic woman. It was, also, very difficult for a native to be a big land owner.

.

The greek translation of a book by Antonio Rubio y Lluch (Els castelis catalans en Grecia continental, Barcelona, 1910). The book was immediately translated by G. Mavrakis and edited in Athens at 1912.

A map from the same book

At 1388, the Florentine Nerio Acciaiuoli ended the domination of the Catalan Company in Athens. Some years later, Ottoman Turks were going to rule all over the Balkan peninsula.

The Accaiuoli coat of arms

The end!

PAGE 1