Philip of Taranto AR Denier – Crusader States, Despotate of Epirus

Medieval:  Crusader States  Silver Denier Tournois of Philip of Taranto, Despotate of Epirus

Obv: ✠ ⚜ PhS • P • TAR • DESP ⚜, Cross pattée.

Rev: ✠ +NEPANTI CIVIS+, Castle tournois.

1294 – 1313 AD. · Despotate of Epirus · Malloy 111b

0.8g · 18mm

The Despotate of Epirus was a Byzantine successor state established in the aftermath of the Fourth Crusade (1204), centered in what is now northwestern Greece and southern Albania. It emerged as one of several states claiming to be the legitimate heir to the Byzantine Empire, alongside the Empire of Nicaea and the Empire of Trebizond.

Philip of Taranto, a prince of the Angevin dynasty and titular Emperor of Constantinople, became entangled in the region’s politics as part of his family’s ambitions in Greece. He claimed suzerainty over various Greek territories, including Epirus, as part of the Angevin efforts to dominate the Balkans and restore the Latin Empire. Philip’s influence over Epirus, however, was limited and largely nominal, as the local rulers often resisted foreign control.