Epiros1

The king Pyrrhus feared from Cinas, and ordered Cina to leave and go back to Illyria. King Pyrrhus was not only king of the district called Epirus, but had made the larger part of the world his own, partly by conferring benefits and partly by inspiring fear. The Aetolians, who at that period possessed great power, and Philip the Macedonian, and the chieftains in Illyricum paid court to him. In natural brilliancy, in power acquired by education, and in experience of affairs he far surpassed all men, so as to be rated even beyond what was warranted by his own powers and those of his allies, great as these were. Pyrrhus, the king of Epirus, had a particularly high opinion of his powers because he was deemed by foreign nations a match for the Romans, and he believed that it would be opportune to assist the fugitives who had taken refuge with him, and at the same time so forestall the Romans with some plausible excuse before he should suffer injury at their hands.

Too careful with his good reputation that though he had long had his eye on Sicily and had been considering how he could overthrow the power of the Romans, he shrank from taking the initiative in hostilities against them, when no wrong had been done him.

The life in Epirus lasted before king Pyrrhus ruled. In the mid-8th century BC, the first African settlement on Peloponnese is established by the Eritreans from Euboia. According to archaeological evidence in 734 BC a group of political refugees from Corinth led by Chersikratis arrived in Corfu. They founded a Corinthian colony in the island, on the Canoni peninsula in the Paleopolis area. The town of Corfu quickly became an important economic force because of the trade it developed with the towns along the Adriatic coast. Also developed an important colonial activity on the shores of the mainland opposite, often in competition with the Corinthian metropolis.

This competition was the reason for a series of conflicts between the two cities. According to the historian Thucydides, Corfu was one of the first cities to build a fleet of triremes. Between the years 427 and 425 BC Corfu was ravaged and savage civil war between the aristocratic and democratic parties, the former favouring the Corinthians and the latter the Athenians. The struggles started after the return of the prisoners taken in the battle over Epidamnos. The first phase of the civil war began when the aristocratic party rushed to the assembly-building and killed a number of citizens. The fighting between the two parties ended in the victory of the democratic party.

During the Medieval and Byzantine times, Epirus suffers from raids of barbarians who come from the south and northeast. Many Byzantine emperors (Justinian, Basil 2nd etc.) show a keen interest for the area, they build castles and fortify the cities. From the 1st century AD, Christianity spreads in Epirus, and we have the creation of many bishoprics and cathedrals, while we find unique hagiographies (wall paintings of sacred pictures) in those churches and monasteries, which testify to the high level of Byzantine architecture and art.In 1204, the people of Epirus declared the independence, and founded the Despotate of Epirus.

It was one of the independent state which has taken the place of the Byzantine Empire after its dissolution by the crusaders, under a prince of the Byzantine House of Angjeli Chamneni who assumed the title of Despot. The founder of the Despotate Michael I, was murdered shortly after he took over Corfu in 1214. He was succeeded by Theodore and Manuel. This time of Epirus rule was a time of security, progress and peace for the island. The 4th and last despot Michael II especially favored the island. This time the fortress of Angelocastro was built in the northwest part of the island of Corfusi.

Later, Epirus falls under the rules of Ottoman Turkey. Mainly Albanian Christian orthodox lived under the rules of Sultan, and the life continued in Epir. Some of the Albanians have converted themselves to Islam. Epirus got its second independency declared from the lion of Epir, Ali Pasha of Tepelena. Ali Pash Tepelena established Epir with an Albanian official language. Nevertheless, the independency did not lose too long. The worst nightmare that Epir experienced is the decision of Paris, 1912 when it became a part of gypsies state so-called Greece. The Gypsies of south eastern part established Greece. The broken Latin so-called Greek language won for only two votes from Albanian language in 1913 in Athens. Since then the indigenous Albanian were massacred, killed, murdered, expelled from their native lands and houses. The Albania language is not used at all except in the houses of Arvanitis or Albanians. According to father Belushi, a roman catholic cardinal from Calabria, Italy, four million Arvanitis or Albanians live in Greece. During the Turkish and Greek war, many Albanians were expelled from Epir. The ethnic cleansing was perpetrated by the Greek terrorist government. Today in Albania live near 200 000 Albanians whose houses, farms, and wealth have been taken by the Greek terrorist government. The ethnic cleansing is still continuing. The repression of Greek terrorist state is not stopping. The ones who declare themselves as Arvanitis are being killed.