Discovery by Eneo Xhepa.
Abstract
This excerpt from the National Almanac of the Year 1867 (edited by Marinos P. Vretos, p. 98) discusses the Albanian communities of Poros, Hydra, and Spetses in Greece. It states that Albanian settlers were the first inhabitants of these islands, driven there by fear of pirates. It specifically notes that in 1470, Albanians fleeing the armies of Mehmed II settled in Hydra.
The author says that Albanians are descendants of the ancient inhabitants of Epirus and belong to the tribes of northwestern Greece that, at various times, renewed the blood of the Hellenic nations. The passage reflects 19th-century Greek intellectual efforts to integrate Albanian (Arvanite) presence into a broader narrative of Greek ethnogenesis and historical continuity.
English:
“The Albanians of Poros, Hydra, and Spetses.
The Albanians are descendants of the ancient inhabitants of Epirus.
Albanian settlers were the first inhabitants of Poros, as well as of Hydra and Spetses. Fear of pirates initially led them to build their houses upon…
In 1470, Albanians fleeing the victorious arms of Mehmed II took refuge in Hydra and settled there. The Albanians, as we have also stated elsewhere, are the descendants of the ancient inhabitants of Epirus, and belong to those tribes of northwestern Greece which, at various periods, renewed the blood of the degenerate Hellenic nations.
Context
This excerpt comes from the National Almanac of the Year 1867, edited by Marinos P. Vretos, page 98. It reflects 19th-century Greek scholarly views linking Albanians (particularly Arvanites) in southern Greece to ancient Epirote populations.”
In Greek:
“ΕΘΝΙΚΟΝ ΗΜΕΡΟΛΟΓΙΟΝ. ΤΟΥ ΕΤΟΥΣ 1867
Ἐκδοθὲν ὑπὸ Μαρίνον Π. Βρετοῦ.
Οἱ Ἀλβανοὶ τοῦ Πόρου
τῆς Ὕδρας καὶ τῶν Σπετσῶν.
Οἱ Ἀλβανοὶ εἶναι ἀπόγονοι τῶν
ἀρχαίων κατοίκων τῆς Ἠπείρου.
Ἀλβανοὶ μετανάσται ὑπῆρξαν οἱ πρῶτοι κάτοικοι τοῦ Πόρου, ὡς καὶ τῆς Ὕδρας καὶ τῶν Σπετσῶν. Ὁ φόβος τῶν πειρατῶν αὐτοὺς ὡδήγησε κατ’ ἀρχὰς νὰ κτίσωσι τὰς οἰκίας ἐπὶ τῶν…
Κατὰ τὰ 1470 οἱ φεύγοντες τὰ τροπαιοῦχα ὅπλα τοῦ Μωάμεθ β’ Ἀλβανοὶ κατέφυγον εἰς Ὕδραν καὶ κατεστάθησαν ἐκεῖ. Οἱ Ἀλβανοί, ὡς καὶ ἀλλαχοῦ εἴπομεν, εἶναι οἱ ἀπόγονοι τῶν ἀρχαίων κατοίκων τῆς Ἠπείρου, καὶ ἀνήκουσιν εἰς τὰς φυ…
λὰς ἐκείνας τῆς βορειο-δυτικῆς Ἑλλάδος, αἵτινες κατὰ διαφόρους ἐποχὰς ἀνενέωσαν τὸ αἷμα τῶν ἐκφυλισθέντων Ἑλληνικῶν ἐθνῶν.
Source
Marinos P. Vretos, ed. Ethnikon Imerologion tou Etous 1867 [National Almanac of the Year 1867]. Paris: [Publisher], 1866 [or 1867]. Page 98. (Also distributed in Athens).
