MONEMVASIA | MAINLAND GREECE | PELOPONNESE

The inhabitants even devised a law on taxation, the Aviotikon, whereby the fortunes of those who died without heirs were left to the community and used to maintain and strengthen the walls. In 1147, Monemvasia successfully held its own against the Normans, but in 1249 it surrendered, after a three-year siege, to the Frankish conqueror of the Peloponnese, Guillaume de Villehardouin. He employed a large amount of military equipment, 3000 infantry, 8000 cavalry and cut off the fortress from access to both sea and land. The population surrendered only on condition that they would be accorded the same rights as the Franks. Ten years later, Guillaume was defeated by the Byzantines in the battle of Pelagonia and after three years in captivity, gave them three of his most important fortresses in the Peloponnese, Monemvasia, Mystra and Maina (1269). The Palaiologues granted Monemvasia many trading privileges which made it wealthy and powerful. The emperor Andronikos II Palaiologos spent 20 years in exile in the city,until he was returned to his throne in Constantinople. At that time the fortress-state had 8,000 houses and 40churches. In 1292, the city was tricked into opening its gates and then sacked by the former Catalan admiral and would-be pirate, Roberto de Lauria. When the emperor Ioannis Katakouzinos founded the Despotate of the Morea, he included Monemvasia within its jurisdiction. From 1460 to 1464, the fortress-state fell under the authority of Pope Pius II who vainly attempted to convert the population to Catholicism. The Venetians followed (1464) until they were forced to hand the state over to the Vizir of the Peloponnese (1540). In 1690, the Venetians reconquered the area under the leadership of Admiral Morosini and remained there until 1715, when they were obliged to sell the fortress-state to the OttomanTurks. They in turn ruled Monemvasia until the outbreak of the Greek War of Independence in 1821, when Greek besiegers compelled them to surrender. Monemvasia was a major trading centre and port-of-call for the ships that used to ply the Mediterranean. It was also known for its fabled Malmsey wine which was much sought after in the royal courts of Europe. The fame of its wines and tavernas endured until the 1950s. Today, after lying abandoned for about two decades, the medieval city-state is very much alive and has become a favourite among tourists.