Himariot letters(for history fans).

[Voskos]

1) Letter of the Himarriots to a certain Christopharo, Himarra,
March 26, 1530.
Original: AGS E1006 F95 [Floristán 1990-91: 127].(original in Latin)


… The priests and elders of Himarra and
all Albania subject themselves to the
most holy emperor of Spain…

2) Letter of the Himarriots to the Marquis of Atripalda, Himarra,
July 03, 1531.(original in Greek)


…the elders of Himarra and Albania…

3) Letter of the Himarriots to Fernando of Alarcón, general of the kingdom of Apulia, Himarra, May 09, 1532.(original in Latin)


… clergymen and laymen of Himarra
and stronghold of the Albanians…

[Voskos]

4) Letter of the Himarriots to the marquis of Atripalda, Himarra,
August 14, 1532.(original in Italian or Latin)


High and grand Sir, the captain of
Himarra and Albania… your servant the
protonotarios, the elders and archons of
Himarra and Albania… We confirm
receipt of your letter, in which you write
and command us to reveal the inten -
tions of the country and Albania. For
that reason we sent it (i.e. the letter) to
every land of Albania, and all are
prepared, in soul and heart, to be armsbearers of Your Lordship, because we let
them (i.e. the land of Albania) know
that Your Lordship is Albanian… I write
in another letter how many villages are
to be found in our band of Albania…

[Voskos]

5) Letter of the Himarriots to the marquis of Atripalda, Himarra,
November 11, 1532.
Original: AGS E1011 F228 [Floristán 1990-91: 135-6].(original in Italian or Latin)


…others of ours and other villages of
Albanians… and thus came the galley to
Himarra and bombarded the land and
so the Albanian elders and our Hi -
marriots were amazed…

[Voskos]

6) Letter of Alexios, priest and protonotarios of Himarra to Lord
Don Juan, Himarra, August 11, 1573.
Original: AGS E1011 F228 [Floristán 1992: 82].(written in Italian or Latin)


…We all bow [our] head, your slaves the
Himarriots and all Albania…

[Tauromachos]

There was an ancient Greek colony/city in Sicily called Chimara or Chimaera

See here
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/49/Magna_Graecia_ancient_colonies_and_dialects-en.svg/1200px-Magna_Graecia_ancient_colonies_and_dialects-en.svg.png
http://explorethemed.com/Images/Maps/ClassicSic936.jpg

[Voskos]

7) Letter of the Himarriots to pope Gregory XIII, Himarra, July 12,
1577.
Original: Vat. gr. 2124, n. 2. Latin translation in Bessarione, XVII (1913) 180–
1 [Laurent 2013: 12-3].


Once and since very old times, after the
travel to God of the most strong and
serene Scanderbeg, who was once our
king surnamed Kastriotis, nobody else
was capable to subdue us, not even the
enemy of Christ’s faith, the infidel Turk
with his brutal force and power never
made it to subdue us under him.


From Himarra, i.e. Epiros of the Arva -
nids, on July 12th 1577.


The Arvanid elders, priests, laymen and
our entire Republic from Epiros.

[Voskos]

8) Letter of the Himarriots to pope Gregory XIII, Himarra,
November 20, 1577.


The senate and all clergymen and
laymen of Epiros, that is of Himarra.

[Voskos]

9) Letter of the Himarriots to the archbishop of Otranto, Himarra,
November 8, 1577.
Original: Vat. gr. 2124, n. 167 [Laurent 2013: 16]


… in our place we have no notaries,
courtiers or potentates; we are the
notaries, the republic, the courtiers and
the chancellors of each other.

[Voskos]

10) Letter of the Himarriots to pope Gregory XIII, Himarra,
September 28, 1578.
Original: Vat. gr. 2124, n. 17 [Laurent 2013: 18].


† And ours, the Albanians (Arvanids),
those called Zhulats, fought against
three banner-holders and a great
massacre occurred for both Turks and
us, the Christians. And with the glory of
Christ more Turks were killed than
Christians.

[Voskos]

11) Letter of various villages of Himarra to the count of Benavente,
viceroy of Naples, Himarra, May 1, 1608.
Original: AGS E1105 F54 [Floristán 1992: 85].


… To bring faith (i.e. to make sure) that
this whole Albania wants to become
subject of the aforementioned king of
Spain…

[Hulu]

11) Letter of various villages of Himarra to the count of Benavente,
viceroy of Naples, Himarra, May 1, 1608.
Original: AGS E1105 F54 [Floristán 1992: 85].

This is new to me.

[Voskos]

12) Letter of the Himarriots to pope Alexander VII, Himarra, August
6, 1660
.
Original: APF SOCG 299 fs. 100r/v + 101v [Floristán 2014: 463-4].


We always hope to [enjoy the] protec -
tion of Your Beatitude, because this
place was Alexander the Great, the
Macedonian’s; hence, who can protect
it, if not the benediction of the new
Alexander VII?

[Voskos]

This is new to me.

Are you a history fan?

[Voskos]

13) Letter of the Himarriots to pope Alexander VII, Himarra,
January 20, 1662


We embraced the most precious present
you sent us, the all-hole metropo litan of
Durrës, who every daily did not cease
preaching the godly truth to us, so that
he sets us at the right path of our sal -
vation, to pacify the villages of Arbanon,
to put an end to our enmities, to bring us
to the fear of God, to correct us in the
service of the Highest, to resolve our
unlawfulness at a time when for every
little case we used to kill each other or
engage in plundering the household
things of the others.
...
And He sent us a terrible earthquake at
this poor region of Himarra and it
demolished most of the places. The
wrath of God did not seize at this point,
but He permitted the most infidel
nation of the Turks to come with an
army of 14,000.
... [We would like to send someone at
the Greek College] as a token of our
unity to the Roman Catholic faith and
also for him to be our intermediary
Caesaris Dimitrios, servant of your
Beautitude.
Doukas Caesaris, servant of your
Beautitude.
Elias Alexis, exarch of Himarra, servant
of your Beautitude.
Dimi Priftis
logothetes
, servant of your
Beautitude.
I, Ghin Kondis, Himarra’s elder, servant
of your Beautitude.
I, Ghioghis Kondis in the name of all
elders, governors, servant of your
Beautitude.
I, Giorgos Kokas and
protonotarios
of
Himarra, servant of your Beautitude.
The
protopapas
of Himarra, servant of
your Beautitude.
Father Alexis,
sakellarios
and parish
priest of Saints John and Demetrios,
servant of your Beautitude.
Abbot Akakios of the Virgin [Monas -
tery], servant of your Beautitude.
Father Elias with all crelirs, servant of
your Beautitude.

[Tauromachos]

What about letters to Benito Mussolini

When Mussolini came to Albania the locals embraced him with open arms.

[Voskos]

14) Letter of the Himarriot governors in favour of Simon Lascaris,
Himarra, August 14, 1662


I, the Greek priest Sir Athanasios Cons
-
tantios, translated [this letter] from the
original Greek into Latin in faith, etc. I
have written in my own hand and un -
dersigned it on October 23, 1662 of our
salvation. Sir Athanasios Constantios.

[Voskos]

15) Letter of the Vuno inhabitants in favour of Simon Lascaris, Vuno,
August 14, 1662

We, all Himarra province with the
rest of the surrounding places..

[Voskos]

16) Brief chronicle in a
Menaion
of Saint Basil’s Monastery in the
homonym village, Shën Vasil, 1750-1753

Note 1. In the year 1750 A.D. the
undersigned I attest that we, the
inhabitants of Shën Vasil, waged war
against the Arvanids, i.e. the Zhulates,
the Golemis and the Tatëzates and this
war lasted for three years. And in 1753
we made pact and each remained at own
border. We gave out the winter meadow
of Kokkinova to the Zhulats in return
for the peace...
...105 people were found dead from
both parties, i.e. 10 Hagiovasilitai
(inhabitants of Shën Vasil); 16 Nivicotes
(Bubari); 15 Kalashates, who turned with
our side. ... From our enemies, 30
Zhulates, 18 Golemis, 13 Tatëzates and 3
Delviniotes were killed...
...+ The abbot of Saint Basil’s Monastery,
priest-monk Stephanos.

[Voskos]

This one is very detailed:

17) Description of Himarra by its representatives addressed to
Russia’s government, Himarra, ante 1759


Known today as Himarra with the Himarriot peoples,
the province corresponds to the ancient western
Epiros, also known with the name Chaonia with the
chaonic peoples, who became known for Dodona’s
oracle and for their wars against the neighbouring
Molossians. Its borders today are the Adriatic Sea and
Albania to the West, the Ioanian Sea to the South,
the East and with Thessaly, which almost surrounds it
to the North. ...
The people are ready for war... Their common action
with the famous king Pyrrhus and the recently
glorified Scanderbeg are not mentioned – stories
praising their courage...
We only add that our faith is Orthodox, we are led by
a Bishop; we are spiritually subjugated to the Patriarch
of Constantinople. We speak the Albanian language,
the same [language spoken] at neighbouring Albania
and Bosnia. Yet, in many areas all learned speak
Greek; noble families also speak Italian, due to the
many officers serving foreign states and the young
people studying at the Padova and Napoli theological seminaries.

[Voskos]

18) Relief inscription on a bell of the monastery of the Nativity of the
Virgin at Krorëz, Bregdet, close to Saranda, 1813


In perennial memory of the volun -
teering Albanian
stradioti
of the king of
Two Sicilies from the villager of Lukova,
Mesina 1813. Through me, Raponzio

[Voskos]

What about letters to Benito Mussolini

When Mussolini came to Albania the locals embraced him with open arms.

i would embrace madonna and Penelope Cruz with open arms.

[Voskos]

19) Brief chronicle in a
Menaion
of Saint Basil’s monastery in the
homonym village, Shën Vasil, September 5, 1830


Note 5. In September 5, 1830 sultan
Mahmud (II) sent Sader Yikşemi to
Ioannina and occupied all of Albania
and imposed a penalty to our villages
with the pretext that he liberated us
from the third [i.e. tax] which Ali Pasha
levied from us. I, Spiro Prifti, am
writing these in memory thereof.

[Voskos]

20) Brief chronicle in a
Menaion
of Saint Basil’s monastery in the
homonym village, Shën Vasil, December 6, 1839


Note 2. In December 6 of the year 1839
Xhelio Picari together with Kurvelesh
and Vlora’s river destroyed the çiftliks
of Delvina; he made great robbery and
stealing and stripping them off their
property and animals; the poor Chris -
tians went out asking for mercy. On the
same year unprecedented high prices
were observed. Corn came to cost 80
kuruş per sack ... while in the Albanian
Vlora and Berat and Korça reached 120
to 150 kuruş per sack... Spiro Prifti from
Shën Vasil, I am writing in memory
thereof.

[Voskos]

21) Brief chronicle in a
Menaion
of Saint Basil’s monastery in the
homonym village, Shën Vasil, December 20, 1845


Note 6. In December 20 of the year
1845 the Albanians submitted to the
sultan and also provided their children
as soldiers; these were recruited in the
regular army (nizam army), one young
for every four households... Archiman -
drite Agathangelos

[Voskos]

22) Brief chronicle in a
Menaion
of Saint Basil’s monastery in the
homonym village, Shën Vasil, May 1, 1847


Note 7. In May 1 of the year 1847 the
Albanians gathered in council and revol -
ted against the sultan with Gjoleka
(Gjon Leka) from the village of Kuçi,
Hoto from Nivica Lopësi... as their
heads. They fought against the sultan’s
pashas until September 15 ... Then Mu -
sir Pasha came ... burnt two villages as
well as Kuçi ... and the Albanians sub -
mitted ... Archimandrite Agathangelos.

[Voskos]

23) Brief chronicle in a
Menaion
of Saint Basil’s monastery in the
homonym village


Note 9. In the year 1848 Gjon Leka
reached Istanbul, got amnesty of his
misdoing and the sultan gave him of -
fices; while he released the other elders
of the Albanians whom he had impri -
soned... The archimandrite Agathangelos

[Voskos]

24) Brief chronicle in a
Menaion
of Saint Basil’s monastery in the
homonym village, Shën Vasil, February 1854

Note 9. In the year 1854, on February
the 20
th
the entire Kurvelesh (Labëria)
gathered in Delvina by Suleyman bey
and demanded from the Christians of
Himarra and Rizomata to enlist for war,
too. On the contrary, if they disobey
and do not side themselves against the
enemies of the Kingdom, they will kill
them all... The archimandrite Agathangelos

[Hulu]

Are you a history fan?

Yes sir. Apparently these letters are also published in Albanian press. I didn't know that.

[Hulu]

13) Letter of the Himarriots to pope Alexander VII, Himarra,
January 20, 1662

This one is very detailed:

17) Description of Himarra by its representatives addressed to
Russia’s government, Himarra, ante 1759



Note how their religion is described first as catholic and then orthodox, or it has something to do with who they are addressing their letters :D Truth is nobody helped, we were all alone in fighting the turks.

Himariote last names are mostly catholic.

[Tauromachos]

i would embrace madonna and Penelope Cruz with open arms.

Cruz is Spanish though

[catgeorge]

Looks like the Turks really fucked up the Albos and got cucked.