Emmanuel or Manolis Mormoris (Template:Lang-el) was a 16th-century Cretan military commander and notable political figure in the Republic of Venice.[1][2] He was the military commander of a Greek revolt in Ottoman-ruled Epirus at the time of the Ottoman-Venetian War of 1570-1573.
Family and early years
The Mormori (or Murmuri) family originated from Nauplion in southern Greece. Modern scholarship has described Emmanuel Mormoris as being of Greek or possibly Albanian origin though, according to Katerina Korre, state archival documents from the Republic of Venice described him unequivocally as being "of the Greek nation"[3][4][5][6]
The earliest mention of a member of the family dates back to the 15th century; Emmanuel Mormori, a rich landlord in Nauplion, was married to a lady from the Bua family.[7] During the Ottoman conquest of the Peloponnese (late 15th to early 16th century), thousands of Greek refugees followed the Venetians and so when the Ottoman forces conquered Nauplion in 1540, a branch of the Mormoris family escaped to the Venetian-controlled island of Crete.[7] Various members of the Mormoris family are mentioned in the sixteenth century either as Mormori or as Murmuri and participated in armed struggles against the Ottoman Empire, active in Nauplion itself.[7] In the following period, various members of the Greek-Cretan branch of the family served the Venetian Republic.[8] In various contemporary reports, Mormoris himself frequently praises the Greeks as well as various members of his family in their struggles against the Ottoman Empire."[6]
The father of Emmanuel Mormoris, Jacomo, was a cavaliere in the Venetian army and commander of the stratioti units of Crete.[9] Shortly before 1570, Emmanuel Mormoris was sent by the Venetian provveditore generale (governor-general) of Crete to Sfakia, a region in western Crete, to convince some local rebel to submit to Venetian rule.[9] In 1568, he became leader of a cavalry unit of stratioti di nationi Greca[10] and was dispatched to the island of Corfu.[11] The following year he was accepted as member of the Cretan nobility (cretensi nobili) by the Venetian Senate.[12]
Activity in Epirus
During the Ottoman-Venetian War of 1570-1573, Mormoris took action in the region of Epirus.[9] As part of his revolutionary preparations, the provveditore of Corfu, Sebastiano Venier, provided arms and ammunition to the Greeks of Himara.[13] As soon as military operations began, Mormoris proposed the capture of the coastal fortress of Sopot across Corfu.[14]
Sopot was the most important stronghold in the region and based on contemporary accounts, the Greek groups that participated in the operations composed of units of Greek stratioti from Corfu as well as Himariotes.[15] After a successful siege on 7 June 1570, Mormoris was appointed commander of the fortress and the surrounding region.[9][14] The capture of this strategic location triggered a general revolt under his leadership. Following this event the Ottoman presence was limited in the region to a few military outposts.[16] As such, Mormoris together with groups of Himariotes attempted to advance to neutralize them as soon as possible.[16] Soon after the anti-Ottoman movement was spread to the adjacent regions of Argyrokastron (modern Gjirokastër), Delvina and Parga with the military guidance of the local Greek nobility and a number of stratioti,[17] such as Petros Lantzas and Georgios Renesis.[17] In addition, the inhabitants of nearby Himara also supported the uprising and submitted voluntarily to Venetian rule,[14] while making use of the advantageous mountainous terrain of their homeland.[18]
Mormoris with a force composed of his soldiers and a "large number of Albanians" proceeded to siege of the coastal fortress of Nivice.[19] After operations lasting a year, it was finally taken in spring 1571.[20] However, the rebels met difficulties during the siege of nearby Nivice, which lasted nearly one year due to lack of the necessary preparations and artillery support.[16] The capture of Nivica fort was achieved due to the military activities of the Himariotes and Mormoris.[21] Meanwhile, an Ottoman fleet under admiral Uluz Ali approached the coast of Himara.[21] During the military operations, Mormoris was assisted by his brother Zorzis Mormoris who commanded units of Stratioti in Margariti, Santa Maura (Lefkada), and Corfu.[22]
However, due to ongoing developments in the Ottoman-Venetian War, Venice withdrew its support to the rebels and so during the Ottoman counter-offensive, the revolutionaries had to lift their siege of Kardhiq; Sopot was recaptured by the Ottomans in the same year (1571).[9] As for Emmanuel Mormoris, he was captured during the Ottoman advance and taken prisoner to Constantinople; he was released in June of 1575 during a prisoner exchange between the Venetian and Ottoman authorities.[9]
Later activity
In 1583, Mormoris, already promoted to colonel, was placed in command of the Venetian infantry units in Crete.[9] He was involved in the construction of the new fortress and port at Rethymno.[23] In 1590-1591, he was sent to Italy to suppress the revolt of the lord of Montemarciano, Alfonso Picollomini who was later executed in March of 1591. The following year, Mormoris returned to Crete to deal with various rebellions in the island.[22] In the summer of 1593, he was placed in Kefallonia where he supervised the construction of the Venetian fortress in Asos.[22] Mormoris was the author of several military reports on the subject of the construction of a wide network of fortifications in the Ionian islands and Crete.[24]
References
Citations
- ^ Setton 1991, p. 108: "Emmanuele Mormori, a Veneto-Cretan noble".
- ^ Hatzopoulos 1991, pp. 55–68: "Emmanuel Mormori, a Cretan officer in the service of the Venetian Republic in the sixteenth century."
- ^ Korre 2016, p. 1, footnote 1: "ASV (Archivio di Stato di Venezia), Collegio, Relazioni, [...] b. 78, φ 221ν (Emanuel Mormori di nation greca), κ.α."
- ^ Malcolm 2015, p. 217: "The Ottoman garrison fled, and [General Sebastiano] Venier installed there a small Venetian force under a Greek or possibly Albanian officer, Emanuele Mormori, who had used his local knowledge to help plan and execute the attack."
- ^ Stella 2007, p. 276: "Mormoris Emanuele, promotore albanese dell'insurrezione antiturca."
- ^ a b Setton 1991, p. 108, footnote 12 (continued): "Mormori, who was apparently of Greek origin, frequently praises the Greeks, and mentions members of his own family in the struggle against the Turks."
- ^ a b c Hatzopoulos 1993, p. 158.
- ^ Fotiou 1996–1997, p. 323: "His Erofili is dedicated to Giannis Mormoris, a lawyer, of the Greek-Cretan noble Mormori family, originating from the Peloponnese, and in Crete since 1540, whose members faithfully served the republic."
- ^ a b c d e f g Hatzopoulos 1993, p. 159.
- ^ Korre 2017, p. 376.
- ^ Korre 2016, p. 7.
- ^ Korre 2017, p. 577.
- ^ Chasiotis 1970, p. 147: "Ο Venier έφερε στους Έλληνες της Χιμάρας όπλα και άλλα πολεμοφόδια και παραχώρησε άδειες ελεύθερης ναυσιπλοϊας (salvocondotti) στις βενετικές θάλασσες. Οι άδειες αυτές ήταν αναγκαίες για τους Χιμαριώτες ναυτικούς πολλοί από αυτούς είχαν αποκλειστή από όλα τα λιμάνια της βενετικής επικράτειας, επειδή είχαν αναπτύξει παλιότερα όχι ειρηνική δραστηριότητα. Με τα μικρά πλοία τους, [...]"
- ^ a b c Hill 1940, p. 911: "The Greek, Manuel Mormori of Nauplia, who had proposed the undertaking, was left in charge. This success induced certain of the population in the neighbourhood of Cheimarra to submit themselves voluntarily to Venice."
- ^ Chasiotis 1970, p. 149: "Για την πολιορκία και την άλωση του χιμαριώτικου φρουρίου του Σοποτού, του σπουδαιότερου στρατιωτικού ορμητηρίου της περιοχής, έχουμε αρκετές πληροφορίες από ανώνυμη έκθεση αυτόπτη μάρτυρα -ίσως του Βernardo Sagredo Και η πηγή αυτή και άλλες ανάλογες σύγχρονες μαρτυρίες μιλούν για ελληνική συμμετοχή, προπάντων των Ελλήνων "στρατιωτιών" της Κέρκυρας και των επαναστατών της Χιμάρας."
- ^ a b c Chasiotis 1970, p. 213: "Με την κατάληψη του Σοποτού η τουρκική κυριαρχία περιορίστηκε σε μερικά μόνο στρατιωτικά κέντρα της περιοχής. Αυτά προσπάθησε να τα εξουδετερώση έγκαιρα ο Εμμανουήλ Μορμόρης με τους Χιμαριώτες επαναστάτες στις αρχές του 1570. Μεγάλες δυσκολίες αντιμετώπισαν οι επαναστάτες κατά την πολιορκία του κάστρου της Νίβιτσας. Η επιχείρηση άρχισε το καλοκαίρι του 1571, αλλά η ατελής προετοιμασία της και η έλλειψη πυροβολικού καθυστέρησαν τους Χιμαριώτες πάνω από ένα χρόνο. Τελικά, με τη βοήθεια των ανδρών του Μόρμορη η Νίβιτσα κυριεύτηκε την άνοιξη του 1571, οι υπερασπιστές της σφάχτηκαν ή αιχμαλωτίστηκαν και ο Τούρκος διοικητής της, ένας από τους πιο σημαντικούς στρατιωτικούς αρχηγούς της περιοχής, έπεσε στα χέρια των επαναστατών."
- ^ a b Vranousis & Sfyroeras 1997, p. 245: "Στόχος τους ήταν το φρούριο του Σοποτού, που το κατέλαβαν στις 10 Ιουνίου 1570 μετά την πτώση του η εξέγερση γενικεύθηκε με την καθοδήγηση του Ναυπλιώτη Μανώλη Μορμόρη. Η απελευθεύρωση του Σοποτού υπήρξε αφετηρία άλλων επιχειρήσεων στην Ήπειρο και, συγκεκριμένα στις περιοχές του Αργυροκάστρου και της Πάργας, στις οποίες σημαντικός ήταν ο ρόλος των Ελλήνων και, κυρίως, των "στρατιωτών" Πέτρου Λάντζα, Γεωργίου Ρενέση και άλλων."
- ^ Hammond 1967, p. 126: "In 1570-4 the Venetians occupied the fortress at Sopot and helped the people against the Turks [...] to withdraw to fastnesses in the hills."
- ^ Malcolm 2015, p. 136: "But shortly after that, Emanuele Mormori, the commander of the recently conquered fortress of Sopot, took his soldiers and 'a large number of Albanians' to attack the small Ottoman fortress of Nivica."
- ^ Giakoumis 2002, p. 21.
- ^ a b Vakalopoulos 2003, pp. 80–81: "Η επιχείρηση της Νίβιτσας στέφθηκε με επιτυχία χάρη στις πολεμικές ενέργειες των Χιμαριωτών και του Εμμ. Μόρμορη και είχε σαν αποτέλεσμα να περιέλθει ολόκληρη η περιοχή του Δέλβινου και του Αργυροκάστρου στη Βενετική εξουσία, ενώ προσέγγιζε και πάλι ισχυρός στόλος στα παράλια της Χιμάρας με επικεφαλής το ναύαρχο Ουλούτζ Αλή [...]"
- ^ a b c Hatzopoulos 1993, p. 160.
- ^ Korre 2016, p. 8.
- ^ Korre 2017, p. 377.
Sources
- Chasiotis, Ioannis K. (1970). Οι Έλληνες στις Παραμονές της Ναυμαχίας της Ναυπάκτου: Εκκλήσεις, Επαναστατικές Κινήσεις στην ελληνική Χερσόννησο από τις Παραμονές ως το Τέλος του Κυπριακού Πολέμου, 1568–1571 [The Greek People in the Eve of the Battle of Lepanto: Appeals, Revolutionary Movements in the Greek Peninsula from the Eve to the End of the War of Cyprus, 1568–1571] (in Greek). Thessaloniki: Hetaireia Makedonikōn Spoudōn.
- Fotiou, Thanos (1996–1997). "George Chortatsis Katzourbos". Modern Greek Studies Yearbook. 12–13.
{{cite journal}}: Invalid|ref=harv(help) - Giakoumis, Konstantinos (2002). The Monasteries of Jorgucat and Vanishte in Dropull and of Spelaio in Lunxheri as Monuments and Institutions during the Ottoman Period in Albania (16th-19th Centuries) (PhD Thesis). University of Birmingham. Retrieved 8 July 2018.
- Hammond, Nicholas Geoffrey Lemprière (1967). Epirus: The Geography, the Ancient Remains, the History and the Topography of Epirus and Adjacent Areas. Oxford: The Clarendon Press.
- Hatzopoulos, Dionysios (1993). "Greek Officers in the Eighteenth Century Venetian Army". The Journal of Modern Hellenism. 10: 157–165. ISSN 0743-7749.
- Hatzopoulos, Dionysios (1991). "Venice and Crete: Documents from the XVIth to XVIIIth Centuries". Fontanus. 4: 55–68. ISSN 0838-2026.
- Hill, Sir George Francis (1940). A History of Cyprus: The Frankish Period, 1432–1571. Cambridge: The University Press.
- Korre, Katerina (2016). Ο βίος και η πολιτεία της προσφυγικής οικογένειας Μούρμουρη (Mormori) στα Χανιά του 16ου αιώνα. Προσωπογραφία, οικογενειακές στρατηγικές, κοινωνικές συμπεριφορές. Heraklion: 12th International Congress of Cretan Studies (published 8 August 2019). ISBN 978-960-9480-35-2.
- Korre, Katerina (2017). "Μισθοφόροι stradioti της Βενετίας: πολεμική και κοινωνική λειτουργία (15ος-16ος αιώνας) [Stradioti, mercenaries of Venice: military and social role (XV-XVI centuries)]" (in Greek). Kerkyra: Ιόνιο Πανεπιστήμιο. Σχολή Ιστορίας και Μετάφρασης - Διερμηνείας. Τμήμα Ιστορίας (published 2018). hdl:10442/hedi/42539.
{{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires|journal=(help) - Malcolm, Noel (2015). Agents of Empire: Knights, Corsairs, Jesuits and Spies in the Sixteenth-century Mediterranean World. Oxford: Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0190262785.
- Setton, Kenneth Meyer (1991). Venice, Austria, and the Turks in the Seventeenth Century. American Philosophical Society. ISBN 978-0-87169-192-7.
- Stella, Aldo (2007). "Lepanto: Nella Storia e nella storiografia alla luce di nuovi documenti". Studi Veneziani. 51: 205–278.
- Vakalopoulos, Konstantinos Apostolou (2003). Ιστορία της Ηπείρου: Από τις Αρχές της Οθωμανοκρατίας μέχρι και του Παρόντος [History of Epirus: From the Beginning of Ottoman Rule to the Present] (in Greek). Hērodotos.
- Vranousis, L.; Sfyroeras, V. (1997). "From the Turkish Conquest to the Beginning of the Nineteenth Century: Revolutionary Movements and Uprisings". In Sakellariou, M. V. (ed.). Epirus, 4000 Years of Greek History and Civilization. Athens: Ekdotikē Athēnōn. pp. 244–251. ISBN 9789602133712.
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