Riniasas Castle or Despos Castle #1124

Description

Strategically located, the castle sits on the route between the Albanian mountains and southern Greece, allowing it to control the passage between Nicopolis, modern-day Preveza, Parga, and Thesprotia. Its proximity to the sea also enabled it to monitor maritime routes to Italy and the Ionian Islands.

The exact date of the castle’s construction is uncertain, but its Byzantine name, "Thomokastro," suggests it was built during the reign of Thomas I, Despot of Epirus (1296-1318). It was likely constructed in the early 14th century when Thomas successfully defended the region against the expansionist ambitions of Philip of Taranto.

The first historical reference to Thomokastro appears in the History of Kantakouzenos and is connected to the 1338 uprising of the Epirotes against the Byzantine Emperor Andronikos III Palaiologos.

During this rebellion in 1338, the Despot of Epirus, Nikephoros II Orsini, sought refuge in the castle. John Kantakouzenos, before he became emperor, convinced Nikephoros to surrender the fortress after capturing the nearby castles of Arta and Rogoi. Nikephoros later married Kantakouzenos' daughter and relocated to Constantinople.