Petros Lantzas
Pietro Lanza/Pedro Lanza
Born1533
Corfu
Died26 February 1613
Napoli
NationalityGreek
Occupation(s)Rebel, Spy, Privateer and Pirate
Known forVarious plots to overthrow Ottoman rule in Greek-inhabited regions
ParentGiorgio Lanza
AwardsSopracomito / Governor of Parga
Espionage activity
CountryGreece
AllegianceRepublic of Venice
Spanish Empire

Petros Lantzas (Greek: Πέτρος Λάντζας; Italian: Pietro Lanza[1] or Spanish: Pedro Lanza[2]) c. 1533 - 26 February 1613), was a Corfiot Greek, spy, privateer and pirate in the 16th century Balkans who took part in several anti-Ottoman plots.[3][2] He initially worked for the Republic of Venice and from 1574 was employed by the Spanish Empire. Lantzas was involved in various plots to overthrow Ottoman rule in Greek-inhabited regions. In 1608, he devised a plan to assassinate the Ottoman sultan Murad III by placing a present containing explosives in front of him.

Early years

Petros Lantzas was born on the island of Corfu, then part of the Republic of Venice (now in modern Greece). The Lantza family originated from western Europe, but was already located in Corfu for some centuries according to local records found in the island.[4] The Lanza before their settlement in Corfu were likely one of the Albanian artistocratic families near Butrint and they were allies of John Zenevisi in the late 14th century. They settled in Corfu after the Ottoman conquest in the 15th century.[5] Russian historian Vladimir Lamansky noted in Venetian records comita Lanza who was an ally of Zenevisi in 1394 and had close relations with Venice.[6] He must be the same as a certain Gjin (Ghin) Lanza who is listed among those Albanian noblemen who were considered to be allies by the Venetians.[7] Murzaku (2009) has proposed that Pietro Lanza was a native of Himara.[1]

Andrea Lanza, grandfather of Petros, was appointed at 1499 castelanno and then at 1500 governor (capitano) of Parga. His father was a priest in Corfu.[8] His son Georgios was also appointed governor of the same town at 1544-1545.[4] An archival document contains a biographical note which mentions that Petro Lanza was in fact not a Lanza, but the illegitimate son of a Venetian commander, Captain General Benedetto da Pesaro.[9] According to one view Lantzas/Lanza himself is described in contemporary sources as Greek.[10] According to another view he is described variously; some described him as part of the local Greek Corfiot nobility, other avoid any characterization as part of the local Corfiot or Greek population.[5]

The Castle of Sopoto (today Borshi) besieged by the Venetians in 1570.
The castle of Margariti under Venetian siege (1571).

During the Ottoman-Venetian War of 1570-1573, he supported the rebellion of Emmanuel Mormoris in Ottoman-ruled Epirus.[11] As such, Lantzas made preparatory skirmishes and raided Turkish ships in the regions of Lepanto and Preveza. He also attacked inland regions and penetrated as far as Delvinë.[12] After the successful siege of Sopot (today Borsh) at 10 June 1570 he managed to continue his activities against the Ottomans with the support of the Greek element of Epirus.[13] The Next year at 22 November 1571 support the Venetians in the successful siege of Margariti castle. At the end of the war (1573), he was appointed governor of the coastal town of Parga, opposite of Corfu, by the Venetians.[14][10]

In 1574, however, Lantzas was dismissed from office and banished by the Venetian authorities. Though the reason for this turn of events is unclear, an anonymous letter sent to the local Venetian provveditore (governor-general) alleged that Lantzas was ostensibly buying munitions from the Spanish to allow the locals to defend themselves against the Turks, but according to the letter he was in fact selling these munitions to the Turks for his own profit. The letter goes on to ask for Lantzas to be assassinated.[10] Meanwhile, being unhappy with the Venetian–Ottoman peace settlement, he transferred to Spanish service. Lantzas served the Viceroy of Naples and became a notable member of the Greek community of Naples.[15][16]

In Spanish service

Venice decided to sue for a unilateral peace with the Ottomans in 1573. As a result, the Greek collaborators of the Venetians and their agents in Corfu and the Ottoman Empire turned to the Kingdom of Naples, then part of the Spanish Empire.[16] On the other hand, Spain actively encouraged insurrections against the Ottoman Empire and acceded to the petitions of a number of rebels and potential rebels.[17]

In the following years, Lantzas served the Spanish as a corsair and spy.[18] In July 1576, he went to Himara, where the local population was willing to raise a revolt against Ottoman rule.[14] As part of this, Lantzas, together with the rebels from Himara, led an attack against the nearby Ottoman fortress of Sopot (today Borsh), with success.[14]

Lantzas' assignment was to supervise the military movements of the Ottomans, as well as those of the Venetians, and to direct the shipment of weapons, provisions, spies, and saboteurs who were sent repeatedly to Epirus, the Ottoman capital of Constantinople, and other parts of the Ottoman Empire.[16] He led pirate raids against Ottoman ships, while from 1577 he began chasing and attacking Venetian ships (frigates and galliots) by orders of the governor of Bari and Otranto.[19] These activity resulted in diplomatic tensions between Habsburg Spain and Venice.[20][21] This activity aroused the wrath of Venice, which attempted to assassinate him.[16] As a result of this activity, Lantzas was dismissed from his post as the captain of the royal frigates in 1578, though he continued to serve the Viceroys of Naples until the first decade of the 17th century.[20][15]

In 1578, under the guidance of Lantzas, plans were proposed to the Viceroy of Naples and the Spanish king Philip II (r. 1556–1598) for a military intervention in favor of a Greek insurrection in Cyprus, which had been occupied by the Ottomans since 1571.[22] In August 1596, Lantzas supported another revolt in Himara led by the Archbishop of Ohrid, Athanasios Rizeas.[23]

Later, Lantzas proposed to engage in a number of clandestine operations by moving to Constantinople; in 1608, he devised a plan to assassinate the Ottoman sultan by placing a present containing explosives in front of him.[18][24]

Lantzas died on 26 February 1613 during a trip to Ragusa on the Adriatic shore.[25]

References

Notes

    Citations

    1. 1 2 Murzaku 2009, p. 63
    2. 1 2 Braudel, Fernand (16 December 2015). El Mediterráneo y el mundo mediterráneo en la época de Felipe II. Tomo 2 (in Spanish). Fondo de Cultura Economica. p. 76. ISBN 978-607-16-3458-0. Embarcaron en Otranto rumbo a Corfú en una nave apitaneada por un enlace llamado Pedro Lance o Lanza, griego de Corfu, que tenía la función de encaminar - y controlar- a los agentes que iban y venían a Levante y que años después tuvo un papel crucial en la detención y ejecución de Don Martín
    3. ↑ Floristan, J.M (2005). "(ARZ)OBISPOS GRIEGOS EN ROMA Y ESPAÑA (1596-1602)" (PDF). Erytheia: 187. Retrieved 21 April 2021. a través de Pedro Lantzas, agente griego al servicio de los españoles en este reino
    4. 1 2 Ioannou, Panagiotis (2000). "Από τη Γαληνοτάτη στον Καθολικότατο : οι φουρτούνες του καπετάν-Πέτρου Λάντζα". Θησαυρίσματα. 30: 277-278. Retrieved 21 April 2021. Η οικογένεια Λάντσα δυτικής προέλευσης στιγμάτισε με την παρουσία της την Κέρκυρα για πολλούς αιώνες. Ήταν από τις πρώτες οικογένειες στο νησί. Μερικοί από αυτούς γράφτηκαν στο Λίμπρο ντ'όρο της Κέρκυρας. Μέλος της ήταν και ο κουρσάρος, πειρατής και τυχοδιώκτης Πέτρος Λάντζας. Ο Παππούς του Ανδρέας Λάντζας ,ήταν από το 1499 Castellano και το 1500 Capetanio Πάργας. Ο πατέρας του Γεώργιος, ήταν το 1544-1545 επίσης Capetanιo της ίδιας πόλης. Ο Αντώνιος Λάντζας, προφανώς συγγενής του, εκτελούσε χρέη Διερμηνέα στην υπηρεσία των Βενετικών αρχών της Κέρκυρας
    5. 1 2 Xhufi 2016, p. 51:Kështu, më 1506, për autoritetet oftonte një farë garancie kaporali Pjetër Lanza. Në skedën përkatëse nuk i përcaktohet prejardhja, siç veprohet me ushtarakët e tjerë. Por ne dimë, se në vitin 1394, një Lanza, me titullin kont (comite Lanza), sundonte në afërsi të Butrintit e Ksamilit dhe ishte aleat me sebastocrator-in Gjon Zenebishi. Kalimi i Lanzave në Korfuz ka ndodhur, si edhe për shumë krerë feudalë shqiptarë, gjatë periudhës së pushtimit osman. Megjithatë, bie në sy fakti se Lanza ynë, i cili, edhe nëse nuk kishte lindur, me siguri duhet të kishte dekata që jetonte në Korfuz, nuk identifikohet si korfiotët e tjerë me përcaktorin "vendas" e aq më pak "grek". Nuk indentifikohet, vërtet, as si "shqiptar", siç për shëmbull, cilësohej më 1596 një tjetër fisnik korfiot me origjinë nga Himara (capitan Candido Albanese). Me sa duket, procesi i integrimit tek Lanzat e fundit të shek. XVI kishte avancuar por, siç do e tregojë më poshtë historia e Pjetër Lanzës, jo aq shumë saqë të konsideroshin "korfiotë" me të drejta të plota. [(..) we know that in 1394, a Lanza, with the title of count (comite Lanza), ruled near Butrint and Ksamil and was allied with the sebastocrator Gjon Zenebishi. The passage of the Lanza to Corfu took place, as well as that of many other Albanian feudal lords, during the period of Ottoman occupation. However, it is striking that our Lanza, who, even if he had not been born, must have had decades living in Corfu, is not identified like other Corfiots with as a "native" or a "Greek". He is also not identified as an "Albanian", as is in 1596 another Corfiot nobleman originally from Himara (Captain Candido Albanese) (..)
    6. ↑ Xhufi 2016, p. 57.
    7. ↑ Xhufi 2016, p. 58: Vladimir Lamansky i konsideron ata shqiptare (l' albanais Piero Lantza)...
    8. ↑ Giuzman 2021, p. 407: Brigantine, commissioned and captained by Andrea Lanza, the castellan of Parga (Lanza's father was a priest in Corfu)
    9. ↑ Xhufi 2016, p. 51:Gjithsesi, certifikatën e tij të garancise e plotësonte një "shënim biografik", ku thuhet se Lanza ishte i biri i djalit jashtë martese të një ushtaraku të lartë venecian, i Kapitenit të Përgjithshëm, Benedetto da Pesaro. [However, his warranty certificate was accompanied by a "biographical note" stating that Lanza was the illegitimate son of a senior Venetian military commander, Captain General Benedetto da Pesaro.]
    10. 1 2 3 Lubin 2012, p. 135: "Pietro or Petros Lantzas, described in the sources as a Greek, who had served as the Venetian governor of Parga in 1573 [...] the crime that he did."
    11. ↑ Vranousis & Sfyroeras 1997, pp. 244–251.
    12. ↑ Chasiotis 1970, p. 93.
    13. ↑ Vakalopoulos, 2003, p. 81: "Στο μεταξύ ο Πέτρος Λάντζας συνέχιζε το καλοκαίρι του 1570 μετά την κατάληψη του Σοποτού, τη στρατιωτική του δράση κατά των Τούρκων. Ο Λάντζας επιχειρούσε παράτολμες επιθέσεις στις τουρκικές δυνάμεις προσπαθώντας να διατηρήσει σε επαναστατική εγρήγορση τον Ηπειρωτικό ελληνισμό."}}
    14. 1 2 3 Vakalopoulos 2003, p. 84.
    15. 1 2 Gürkan 2012, p. 228.
    16. 1 2 3 4 Hassiotis 1969, p. 285.
    17. ↑ Lubin 2012, p. 165.
    18. 1 2 Gürkan 2012, p. 114.
    19. ↑ Braudel, Fernand (1995). The Mediterranean and the Mediterranean World in the Age of Philip II: Volume II. University of California Press. p. 879. ISBN 978-0-520-20330-3. There were other names too: Pedro Lanza, a Greek from Corfu and a well-known chaser of ... Otranto
    20. 1 2 Gürkan 2012, p. 419.
    21. ↑ Braudel, Fernand (2015). El Mediterráneo y el mundo mediterráneo en la época de Felipe II. Tomo 2 (in Spanish). Fondo de Cultura Economica. ISBN 978-607-16-3458-0. aquel Pedro Lanza, griego de Corfú, cazador de fragatas y de queches, de navíos y de súbditos venecianos, a quien Ribera, gobernador de Bari y de Otranto, tomó a su servicio en 1576-1577
    22. ↑ Hassiotis 1969, p. 286.
    23. ↑ Vakalopoulos 2003, p. 83: "Πάντως οι ενέργειες του αρχιεπισκόπου της Μάνης Αθανασίου συνέβαλαν στην έκρηξη νέου κινήματος (Αύγουστος 1596), στην προετοιμασία του οποίου συνέβαλε ζωηρά και ο Πέτρος Λάντζας. Ο Αθανάσιος κινητοποίησε 1.300 Χιμαριώτες [...]"
    24. ↑ Gürkan 2012, p. 419: "Similarly, the Corphiote Pietro Lanza served the Viceroys of Naples for many years as a corsair and spy. After many years in service, he even offered, at a very old age, an interesting plan, worthy of the caliber of this seasoned corsair. He would go to Constantinople and engage in a number of clandestine operations including the assassination of the Ottoman Sultan with a fake present in whose lower part there would be explosives."
    25. ↑ Papadopoulou 1982, Volume I, p. 84.

    Sources

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