The Peloponnese, a historically rich and strategically significant region of southern Greece, played a dynamic role in Byzantine history. Initially regarded as a peripheral area of the empire, it experienced cycles of decline and resurgence, ultimately transforming into a vital economic, military, and cultural hub. Its strategic location made it a coveted prize for the many powers vying for dominance in the eastern Mediterranean, especially after the Fourth Crusade. Under Frankish domination, it was known as Morea and became the theater of the play of Western powers. Reclaimed by the Byzantines, it flourished as a regional powerhouse and showed remarkable artistic achievements, such as those seen in the famed Mystras. It was one of the last stronghold to held against the Turks. From this tumultous history, the Peloponnese retained the remains of fortified castles and cities, monastic centers and numerous rural churches. This enduring legacy underscores the region’s pivotal place in Mediterranean history and its contributions to Byzantine civilization.
History of the Peloponnese until 1460.
In late antiquity, the peninsula was part of the province of Achaia and retained its urban character. Before 535, the Byzantine geographer Hierocles compiled the Synekdemos, a list of the empire’s administrative divisions and their cities. He recorded 26 cities in the Peloponnese, out of 912 across the empire. However, from the late 6th century onward, building activity in the peninsula practically ceased. Whether this economic decline resulted from hostile invasions, primarily Slavic, or was part of a broader phenomenon of decline remains debated. The impact of the Slavic invasions has been particularly scrutinized. Their penetration into the Peloponnese is evidenced by numerous toponyms—up to 429 place names in the peninsula could be of Slavic origin. Nonetheless, it seems that the Slavs did not occupy the eastern cities, and they underwent a relatively rapid Hellenization, even though some independent Slavic communities persisted into the 14th century.
From the 7th century, the Peloponnese formed part of the theme of Hellas. By the early 9th century, it became a theme in its own right, with Corinth as its capital. Leo Skleros may have been its first strategos. In the 9th and 10th centuries, the peninsula’s coasts were frequently ravaged by Arab pirates, a threat that subsided only after the Byzantines reconquered Crete in 961. Afterward, the region enjoyed a period of prosperity, evidenced by rich agricultural production, active commerce, and flourishing industry in cities such as Corinth and Patras.
In 1204, the Fourth Crusade captured Constantinople. Beginning in 1205, Crusader leaders, especially William I of Champlitte and Geoffrey I Villehardouin, seized most of the Peloponnese with little resistance. The land was divided into baronies under the loose authority of the Principality of Achaia. By 1248, the conquest was complete. However, the Franks suffered a crushing defeat at the Battle of Pelagonia in 1259, and the Treaty of Constantinople in 1262 returned Mistra and other territories to Byzantine control, sparking a revival in the region. From that point, the peninsula was divided between the Despotate of Morea under Byzantine rule and various Frankish states.
The Turks first entered the Peloponnese in 1446, and, except for Venetian strongholds such as Nauplia and Methone, they conquered the entire peninsula by 1460.
Historical Figures of the Byzantine Peloponnese.
