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)

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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.

QuickTime and a
TIFF (Uncompressed) decompressor
are needed to see this picture.

The Duchy of Athens during the catalan domination

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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 vicargeneral 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.

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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

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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

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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

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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!

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