Bey of Mani
The Bey of Mani (Greek: Μπέης της Μάνης) was the title given to the ruler of the Mani Peninsula in southern Greece under the Ottoman Empire, from the late 17th through the early 19th centuries. The Mani was a semi-autonomous region in the Peloponnese with a history of unrest and resistance to Ottoman rule.
The term bey was a Turkish honorific title. The Ottomans would typically choose a local Maniot Greek from a leading clan as Bey of Mani. The bey was to govern Mani as a vassal state within Ottoman Greece, subject to the approval of the Sublime Porte.
The first Bey of Mani was the Maniot Limberakis Gerakaris, installed c. 1669. The last Bey of Mani was Petros Mavromichalis, also known as "Petrobey". Mavromichalis would become a significant figure in the Greek War of Independence which began in 1821.
In Greek, the title was often rendered as Hegemon or Prince of Mani (Ηγεμόνας της Μάνης).[citation needed]
List of beys
The bey was always drawn from one of the local magnate clans:[1]
| Name | Birth | Death | Clan | Place of origin | Tenure |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tzanetos Koutoufaris | Koutoufaris family | Thalames | 1776–1779 | ||
| Michalbey Troupakis or Mourtzinos | Troupakis family | Kardamyli | 1779–1782 | ||
| Tzanetbey Grigorakis | 1742 | 1813 | Grigorakis family | Skoutari, Gytheion | 1782–1798 |
| Panagiotis Koumoundouros | Koumoundouros family | Doloi | 1798–1803 | ||
| Antonobey Grigorakis | Grigorakis family | Skoutari, Gytheion | 1803–1808 | ||
| Konstantis Zervakos or Zervobey | Zervakis family | Karvelas | 1808–1810 | ||
| Theodorobey Grigorakis | Grigorakis family | Marathonisi | 1811–1815 | ||
| Petrobey Mavromichalis | 1765 | 1848 | Mavromichalis family | Limeni, Oitylo | 1815–1821 |
References
- ^ Νεώτερον Εγκυκλοπαιδικόν Λεξικόν Ηλίου, Vol. XII, p. 927