History:
Foundation and Frankish rule
In late 1248, William II of Villehardouin, ruler of the Frankish Principality of Achaea, captured Monemvasia, the last remaining Byzantine outpost on the Morea. This success was soon followed by the submission of the restive Tsakones on Mount Parnon, the Slavic Melingoi tribe of Mount Taygetos, and the inhabitants of the Mani peninsula, thereby extending his sway over all of Laconia and completing the conquest of the peninsula, which had begun in 1205, in the aftermath of the Fourth Crusade. Laconia was incorporated into the princely domain, and the young prince
passed the winter of 1248–49 there, touring the country and selecting
sites for new fortifications such as Grand Magne and Leuktron, finally near his residence of Lacedaemon (ancient Sparta), on a spur of Mount Taygetos, he built the fortress that came to be known as Mystras.
Ottoman and Venetian years
The last Byzantine emperor, Constantine XI Palaiologos, was despot at Mystras before he came to the throne. Demetrios Palaiologos, the last despot of Morea, surrendered the city to Sultan Mehmed II in 30 May 1460. Under Ottoman rule it became part of the Sanjak of Mezistre. The Venetians occupied it from 1687 to 1715, but otherwise the Ottomans held it until 1821. The city joined the Orlov revolt in 1770. It was looted by Ottoman Albanians
and the metropolitan bishop Ananias executed, despite having saved
several Albanian lives in the uprising. A great number of local Greeks
were also killed by the Albanian groups, while several children were
sold into slavery. Mystras was left in ruins and this event was a significant factor leading up to its abandonment.
Byzantine restoration
In September 1259, William of Villehardouin was defeated and captured, along with many of his nobles, at the Battle of Pelagonia, by the forces of the Nicaean emperor Michael VIII Palaiologos. Two years later, the Nicaeans recaptured Constantinople, putting an end to the Latin Empire and restoring the Byzantine Empire.
At this point, the emperor concluded an agreement with the captive
prince: William and his men would be set free in exchange for an oath of
fealty, and for the cession of Monemvasia, Grand Magne, and Mystras. The handover was effected in 1262, and henceforth Mystras was the seat
of the governor of the Byzantine territories in the Morea. Initially
this governor (kephale) was changed every year, but after 1308 they started being appointed for longer terms. Almost immediately on his return to the Morea, William of Villehardouin
renounced his oath to the emperor, and warfare broke out between
Byzantines and Franks. The first Byzantine attempts to subdue the
Principality of Achaea were beaten back in the battles of Prinitsa and Makryplagi, but the Byzantines were firmly ensconced in Laconia. Warfare became endemic, and the Byzantines slowly pushed the Franks back. The insecurity engendered by the raids and counter-raids caused the
inhabitants of Lacedaemon to abandon their exposed city and settle at
Mystras, in a new town built under the shadow of the fortress.
While Mystras served as the provincial capital from this time, it
became a royal capital in 1349 CE, when the first despot was appointed
to rule over the Morea. The Byzantine Emperor John VI Kantakouzenos, reorganized the territory in 1349 to establish it as an appanage for his son, the Despot Manuel Kantakouzenos. From 1349 until its surrender to the Ottoman Turks on 31 May 1460, Mystras was the residence of a Despot who ruled over the Byzantine Morea, known as the "Despotate of the Morea".
For the larger portion of his reign, Manuel maintained peaceful
relations with his Latin neighbors and secured a long period of
prosperity for the area. Greco-Latin cooperation included an alliance to
contain the raids of the Ottoman Sultan Murad I into Morea in the 1360s. The rival Palaiologos dynasty seized the Morea after Manuel's death in 1380, with Theodore I Palaiologos
becoming despot in 1383. Theodore ruled until 1407, consolidating
Byzantine rule and coming to terms with his more powerful
neighbours—particularly the expansionist Ottoman Empire, whose suzerainty he recognised.
Modern years
The final straw to Mystras came in 1823 during the Greek war of Independence when Egyptians under the rule of Ibrahim massacred the local population and destroyed the local area.
The town was rebuilt 9 km away under the name Sparti in 1831. Most
families moved to Sparti, but a few decided to move instead to New
Mystras, a small village in the countryside. This process of relocation
was completed in 1953 when the remaining properties were confiscated by
the municipality. In 1989 the ruins, including the fortress, palace, churches, and monasteries, were named a UNESCO World Heritage Site
and features a museum and the partially restored ruins of the city. The
only inhabitants today are a group of nuns who reside in the Pantanassa
Monastery. The majority of the most important churches are still
standing, including St. Demetrios, Hagia Sophia, St. George, and the
Monastery of Peribleptos. The Palace of the Despots has undergone
substantial restorations in the past decade, making it a significant
attraction. Visitors can reach the ruins via the modern city of Sparti,
which is only a few miles from Mystras.
(From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia)
