Name
Zenevisi can be found with different spellings in historical documents. His name in modern English is usually John Zenevisi[1][2] or John Sarbissa.[2] In Italian, his name was spelled as Giovanni Sarbissa.[3] In Albanian, his name is mostly spelled as Gjin Zenebishi (less commonly as Zenebishti), his given name scarcely spelled Gjon, as well.
The Zenebishi family was from the Zagoria region, between Përmet and Gjirokastër.[4]
In 1381 and 1384, the Catholic lords of Arta asked the Ottoman troops for protection against the invading Albanian clan of the Zenebishi; the Ottomans routed the raiders and restored order in Epirus.[5] Zenebishi submitted to the Ottomans after their victory against Balša II in the Battle of Savra in 1385, and gave them his son as a hostage to be sent to Edirne to the court of the sultan (this son became known as Hamza, an Ottoman official).[6] Shortly after his submission, Zenebishi revolted and seized the fortress of Gjirokastër, encouraged no doubt by the attack on Ioannina by the Albanians of Acarnania. In 1386 he titled himself with the Byzantine title of sevastokrator.[7]
Zenebishi was married Irene, the daughter of Gjin Bua Shpata, Despot of Arta, and thus became the son-in-law of Shpata and the brother-in-law of the wife of Esau de' Buondelmonti Despot of Epiros. In 1399 Esau, supported by some Albanian clans, marched against his wife's brother-in-law Gjon Zenebishi of Gjirokastër. Now Esau was routed and captured, and much of his land was occupied by Zenebishi. The neighbouring magnates determined to restore the captured despotes and secured Venetian intercession in his favour. Esau returned to Ioannina in 1400, regaining the reign from Zenebishi.[citation needed] In 1402, Esau divorced Irene Shpata and married Jevdokija Balšić, the sister of Konstantin Balšić, a leading Ottoman official in northern Albania.[1] After Esau's death (February 6, 1411), his wife Jevdokija tried to take control of Ioannina, but the town exiled her and appointed Esau's nephew, Carlo Tocco, as lord (he arrived on April 1, 1411).[1]
In 1412 Muriq Shpata and Zenebishi (who was the leader of the most powerful tribe in the vicinity of Ioannina) formed an alliance against Carlo Tocco.[1] They won an open-field battle against Tocco in 1412, but were unable to take over Ioannina.[1] Tocco relied on support from the local Greeks.[1] In 1414, Muriq Shpata died,[1] and Zenebishi was defeated by the Ottomans and fled to the Venetian island of Corfu where he died in 1418.