A müdir (nahiye administrator) was established in Metsovo in around 1850.
General view of Metsovo, in a picture taken in the early 20th century. (Μ.Hasluck).
The nahiye was a subdivision of the vilayet or kaza and had a more uniform territory. During the Ottoman reforms, the nahiyes were granted relative administrative independence and their administration was assigned to müdir officers.
A fire destroyed the Greek School that had been built thanks to a donation from Dem. Zamanis. The library, containing 4000 books and manuscripts, was razed. After the incident, the school operated in the cells of the church of Aghia Paraskevi.
In the 19th century, Metsovo had five schools: one nursery school, one girls’ school, two primary schools (the central one and that of Aghios Demetrios) and one secondary school consisting of two classrooms.
Tositseio Girls’ School students from the wider region of Metsovo. (Archive of G. Platari-Tzima)
In 1831, Metsovo becomes a nahiye (municipality) and is officially incorporated into the Ioannina pashalik. For the first time a Turkish administrator (muhafiz) is put in charge.
Alley in Metsovo, in a picture taken in the end of the 19th century by Frédéric Boissonnas. (Thessaloniki Museum of Photography)
This administrative change demonstrates that Metsovo was an important settlement, in terms of its population.
In 1830, the independent Greek state was founded, with its borders extending to Epirus and Thessaly.
The independent Greek state in 1830.
Epirus, including Metsovo, is still part of the Ottoman Empire.
1821-1828: Greek Revolution
Nikolakis Mitropoulos raises the flag with the cross in Salona, on Easter Sunday, 1821.(Colour lithography, Louis Dupré, 1825)
In 1818, the Exarchate of Metsovo was passed to the School of Greek Language (Greek school) of Metsovo.
From this point on, the Exarch was no longer a natural person (an individual) but a legal entity (the School). The School supervisors elected a person to perform the duties of the Exarch and undertake the administration on their behalf. As a result, the Exarchate was now under the control of the residents of Metsovo.
In 1795, Ali Pasha created the mukataa (tax district) of the Metsovo area. This did not lead to changes in the existing tax regime and in fact placed a heavy financial burden on the residents of Metsovo.
In 1787, Ali Pasha became the administrator (Derbendler) of the Trikala sanjak area to which Metsovo belonged. He then became the Pasha of Ioannina.
Ali Pasha Tepelena.
Ali Pasha Tepelena (1741-1822) created a «state within a state» and ruled over the largest part of the western Ottoman provinces, taking advantage of the weakness of the Sublime Porte. At the peak of his power, he governed a large area including a large chunk of modern Albania and modern Greece. A charismatic leader, he amassed incredible wealth and successfully created a powerful army and an effective administrative mechanism. Tolerant towards the other religions, he appointed many Christians to higher military and administrative positions.
On May 25, 1759, the Greek school of Metsovo was officially founded thanks to a donation from Sterios Stanos.
General view of Metsovo, in a picture taken in the early 20th century. (Μ.Hasluck).
The term «Greek school» normally refers to secondary education establishments but in most cases, the Greek school also included a primary school. Metsovo had schools before this date, at least from the start of the 19th century, but 1759 was when the Greek school was officially founded. This corresponds with the Ottoman authorities’ authorisation of the restoration of the church of Aghia Paraskevi— its cells would serve as the school’s classrooms until 1817. This first school had one teacher and two tutors whose expenses were covered by donation by Stanos, revenues from the Monastery of Aghios Nikolaos and other bequests from Metsovo residents.
According to a 1766 letter regarding the hiring of teacher Triantafyllos Kyrkos Stanos: «…the undersigned priests and administrators of the area of Metsovo agreed that Mr Triantafyllos Kyrkos Stanos would provide Greek lessons for seven full years.»
In 1719, the French built a storehouse in Metsovo and filled it with products made by the Vlach population that they planned to export.
The Zygos pass, on the most important transportation networks connecting Epirus and Thessaly.(Colour lithography – Louis Dupré, 1825)
The French explorer Pouqueville reported that since the era of Louis XIV (17th century) the Vlachs had supplied wool and leather to the French. From the 18th century onwards, there was a rise in exports and traders from Metsovo established trading houses in Venice, Naples, Trieste, Marseilles, Vienna, Moscow, Odessa, Constantinople, Thessaloniki, Serres and Alexandria. Metsovo became a centre of trade even more important than Ioannina.
A voivode (high-rank Ottoman officer) was nominated to head the administration of Metsovo in the 17th century.
View of Metsovo on a 1815 etching.
In the 17th century, the division of mukataa was introduced to the Ottoman empire: any person who did not belong to the hierarchy of the fiefs was permitted to collect an area’s taxes after having deposited a pre-defined amount of money with the state treasury. The person who collected these taxes was also the administrator of the area.
If the area was a kaza, its administrator was called a voivode. A voivode administered Metsovo from the 17th century onwards.
In 1659, the Exarchate of Metsovo was founded and was supervised by the Patriarchate of Constantinople.
The Exarchates were ecclesiastical districts subject directly to the Ecumenical Patriarch and not to the Metropolises’ system. The Patriarch would pass the management of the exarchates to citizens, along with the right to collect the ecclesiastical contributions and the duty to provide Christians with spiritual leadership. The division into patriarchal exarchates started in the 14th century during the Byzantine rule, further developed during the Ottoman rule and abolished in the 19th century.
There are no patriarchal documents to confirm the year when the Exarchate of Metsovo was founded. The first relevant text that mentions the Exarchate of Metsovo dates back to 1808. It is therefore possible that the Exarchate may have been founded before 1659.
In 1659, Sultan Mehmed IV granted tax and political privileges to the residents of Metsovo due to the services they offered as «derbentzides» (guards of «derveni»/mountain pass). The residents of the area of Metsovo were exempt from the ordinary and extraordinary taxes levied on Christian subjects in other areas, provided that every year they paid the corresponding tax in advance and in a lump-sum
One of the Metsovo area firmans. (Archive of G. Plataris-Tzimas)
Oral lore has it that Kyriakos or Kyrgos Flokas, a leading shepherd from Metsovo, contributed greatly to the granting of the privileged status to the area by the Ottomans. He was favoured by a Grand Vizier* who rewarded Kyriakos for sheltering and protecting him when his life was in danger from the Sultan
*The Grand Vizier was a form of «prime minister» in the Ottoman empire. The post holder acted as head of the Imperial council (Divani), the second highest in rank in the empire after the Sultan.
On May 17, 1617, Nikolaos Mpasdanis (known as Vlachonikolas from Metsovo) was executed in Trikala for converting back to Christianity from Islam. He was given the title «New Martyr» and in 1800 a small chapel attached to the Monastery of Aghios Nikolaos was constructed in his honour.
According to the census carried out by the Ottomans in 1454-55, Metsovo, along with six other settlements (probably: Milia, Anilio, Voutonosi, Derventista/Anthohori, Koutsoufliani/Platanistos and Malakasi) formed a kind of «community», known as «Horion Metsovou». It belonged to Omer bey as part of the fiefdom, in the sanjak (administrative district) and kaza (province) of Trikala. 700 families were subject to taxation; 41 widows and 52 single men and women were recorded in total.
According to the census carried out by the Ottomans in 1454-55, Metsovo is inhabited by 700 families subject to taxation, 41 widows and 52 single men and women.
Metsovo, in a picture taken in the end of the 19th century by Frédéric Boissonnas. (Thessaloniki Museum of Photography)
The administrative structure of the Ottoman state was based on specific political and financial mechanisms. The names of the administrative divisions, as well as their geographical designation, changed over the centuries. The sanjak was a subdivision of «eyalet», which was a large district such as Rumeli. The sanjak administrator was called «sanjak-bey».
On October 9, 1430, Ioannina surrendered to Sinan Pasha, beylerbey (administrator) of Rumeli. It was the beginning of Ottoman rule across large part of Epirus.
Ioannina, in a picture taken in the mid-19th century by Frédéric Boissonnas.(Thessaloniki Museum of Photography)
The term «Rumeli» was used to describe a large administrative district that included the territory of the Balkan peninsula. In other words, it represented the Ottoman possessions in the Balkans. ‘Rumeli’ means «land of the Romans», i.e. land of the Byzantine Empire which called itself «Roman Empire». During Ottoman rule, Christian residents of the Balkans were called «Rum», from which the name «Romioi» originates.
It is estimated that the Ottomans conquered the area of Epirus and Metsovo in the mid-15th century. Metsovo was incorporated in the Trikala sanjak (administrative district) and, from the mid-19th century, in the Ioannina pashalik. The situation would not change until 1912, when the First Balkan War marked the end of the Ottoman rule. During these five centuries, the Vlach speaking population of the mountainous area of Metsovo participated in the economic life of the vast empire by paying the taxes imposed by the central administration and by developing trade relations with a wide network of centres, including Istanbul but certainly not limited to Ottoman borders. At the same time, Metsovo formed an integral part of the Ottoman administrative and military organisation, at times serving as the headquarters of Ottoman officials. The changes taking place in the empire, especially the Ottoman reforms of the 19th century, could not but affect the evolution of the Metsovo population and economy.
From the mid-19th century, Metsovo saw strong economic growth, the development of education and the construction of utility infrastructure thanks to the legacies of a number of benefactors.
