Everything about The Principality Of Pindus And Voivodship Of Macedonia totally explained
The
Principality of Pindus and Voivodship of Macedonia (also
Pindo or
Pindos, sometimes
Pindus and Moglena; ; ) was an autonomous
puppet state set up under
fascist Italian control in northwest
Greece in the regions of
Epirus,
Thessaly and
West Macedonia during
World War II. It was proclaimed during the
Italian occupation of northern Greece in the summer of
1941 as the fatherland of ethnic
Aromanians, but was never able to assert itself over the local population until its
de facto disbandment in 1944. The capital of the statelet was
Metsovo (
Aminciu in Aromanian), but the national assembly sat in
Trikala.
History
The concept of an autonomous Vlach state in the
Pindus area was initially promoted by
Romania from the 1860s onwards. The first attempt to realize this goal was undertaken by
Alchiviad Diamandi di Samarina, who in 1917 founded the "Republic of Pindus" in then Italian-occupied southern
Albania. Although the statelet survived for only a day, it signalled the beginning of Diamandi's association with the Italians in pursuit of his aims.
After the
fall of Greece to the Germans in spring 1941 and the division of the country among the Axis powers, Diamandi created a
separatist organisation known as the
Fifth Roman Legion, with the support of the Italian occupation authorities. Diamandi established himself as prince at Aminciu, and hoped for the creation of a state that would encompass all of north-western Greece. Diamandi also met the Greek collaborationist Prime Minister,
Georgios Tsolakoglou, but Tsolakoglou refused to accommodate his demands. From mid-1942 on, the armed
Greek Resistance also made its presence felt, fighting against the Italians and their collaborators.
In late 1942, the Italian occupation authorities, which previously had supported mostly Aromanian and
Albanian groups, changed their attitude towards the
Slavic Macedonian population. According to a source from the old pre-communist Bulgarian National Security Service, this change was due to the decisive intervention of the leader of
VMRO Ivan Mihailov through
Ante Pavelić in
Rome in early 1943. Then the vacant title was offered to the
Cseszneky family, probably in recognition for their role in supplying the
Italian Army with cereals.
Gyula Cseszneky was a Hungarian-Croatian baron in Italian service, who only nominally reigned as
Voivode Julius between August-September in
1943, but never actually assumed power, although some local autonomist
Bulgarian-
Macedonian Uhrana leaders governed in his name . Whatever authority the Principality exercised, it practically ceased to exist after the
Italian capitulation in September 1943, when the area was taken over by the Germans.
Another important figure in the history of the state was the
Albanian Vasil Rapotika (Vasilis Rapoutikas).
[ According to V. Papagianni, he was Minister of Defence in the autonomous government since its creation. After Matushi's departure Rapotika wasn't loyal to the Italians, but rather offered his services to the Germans, particularly after the Italian occupation forces had started to arm local Macedonians. He was shot dead by a Greek guerilla group just outside Larissa. The Greeks then tied his corpse on the back of a donkey and paraded him through the Vlach villages of the Pindus. This was intended in order to scare the local population and as a final proof that the Principality had reached its end. ]
Another commander was M. Hatzi who was recognized by the Nazi German authorities in 1944 as leader of their local supporters. In September of 1944 the above mentioned Ivan Mihailov was offered by the Germans to head a future semi-independent Macedonian state but he declined favouring the occupation of Vardar Macedonia by Bulgaria.
Internal policies
Due to the chaotic political and military situation the succession rules were not set. Nevertheless, it seems that the Principality was an elective and not a hereditary monarchy.
The state adopted certain anti-Greek policies but unlike other fascist régimes of the time wasn't anti-Jewish. Jews from Kastoria, Veria, and Ioannina held top positions in the hierarchy of the Principality.
Rulers
Arms of HH the Prince Alchibiades
» See Heraldry
Quarterly, I three moutons passant, Or; II a chèvre salient, gules; III Azure, a river in fess Gules bordered Argent; IV a loup guardant, vert; overall an escutcheon barry of eight Gules and Argent impaling Gules.
Orders and decorations
Princely Eagle Order
Julian Order
Nobility
» See Nobility
The system of nobility isn't known. A couple of titles of count and baron were granted by both Prince Alchibiades and Prince Julius. It was noted that Alchibiades had sold positions for 250 000 drachmas.
Further Information
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