Maps of Power

Nevesca

Niveasta, Nymfaio, Νυμφαίον, Невеска

Begin 01.01.1481
End 25.01.1695

Properties

ID 113005
System Class Place
Place Existing Village chorion selo
Case Study Ethnonym of the Vlachs
Historical place Ottoman Empire
Administrative unit Greece

Description

evesca (Nymfaio) is a mountain village in the municipality Amyntaio in Florina regional unit in Greece. Local traditions relate that Nymfaio was established by the Vlach inhabitants of a settlement named Iordana, near Lake Zazari and Lake Himaditida. Pressure from the Ottomans forced the inhabitants of this lowland settlement to seek a safer location on mount Vitsi, where they establishd a new settlement named Niviasta. The relocation may have been connected with, or precipitated by, the mass arrival of Konyar Turks in the low lands of what is now Ptolemaida. The first mention of the village, under the name Nevesca, is in the Ottoman defter (census for nahie Florina) from 1481, where 6 families are registered. Judging by some of the names of the registered villagers (like Gon or Arnaut) it is possible that at least some of the inhabitants in 1481 were Albanian. In the Ottoman defter for Florina in 1626-1627, Nevesca is a village with 94 families. Around 1630, the village became a center of silversmithing. Before the exoduses of the Vlachs from Gramos and Moscopole around 1769, Nevesca was already predominantly Vlach. In the 19 century it is a flourishing Vlach village. In 1900 Vassil Kanchov registers 2,300 inhabitants in Nevesca, all of them Vlachs. Between 1693-1695 orders were sent to the kadis in Kastoria, Florina, Ostrovo, Bitola, Bihlishte and Prespa, who are informed that 80 bandits attacked the home of Aliya in Yasikoy near Komotini in Western Thrace, and they are ordered to catch the bandits. The bandits, around 80, attacked the house of Aliya in Yesikoy, they killed his father Hasan, his brother Hussein and a female slave, robbing 4,000 golden coins, 33 bags full of silver coins and other stuff. The bandits were led by certain Ioan Karakash Papazoglou from Nymphaio. The others in the band came from Kleisoura, Nymphaio and Pisoder. By January 25, 1695, the authorities arrested 5 of these bandits, while the others were hiding in Nikolitsa, Nymphaio, Kleisoura and Gramatikovo. Considering that a century later all named villages were predominantly Vlach, it is probable that the band that made the above mentioned attack was consisted of Vlach bandits.

literature

Lustas 1988

Relations

Sources (2)
Name Class Description
Court Register of Edirne 1693-1695 Source Three documents from the Court in Bitola: Page 31b of Document 2 from Sicil 28 writen on 9 Jumada al-thani 1106 (January 25, 1695); Page 49b of Document 2 from Sicil 28 writen in the third decade of Rabi al-thani 1105 (between 20-28 December 1693); and Page 49b of Document 3 from Sicil 28 writen in the third decade of Jumada al-awwal (between 18-27 January 1694). All three documents are orders sent to the kadis in Kastoria, Florina, Ostrovo, Bitola, Bihlishte and Prespa, who are informed that 80 bandits attacked the home of Aliya in Yasikoy near Komotini in Western Thrace, and they are ordered to catch the bandits. The bandits, around 80, attacked the house of Aliya in Yesikoy, they killed his father Hasan, his brother Hussein and a female slave, robbing 4,000 golden coins, 33 bags full of silver coins and other stuff. The bandits were led by certain Ioan Karakash Papazoglou from Nymphaio. The others in the band came from Kleisoura, Nymphaio and Pisoder. By January 25, 1695, the authorities arrested 5 of these bandits, while the others were hiding in Nikolitsa, Nymphaio, Kleisoura and Gramatikovo. Considering that a century later all named villages were predominantly Vlach, it is probable that the band that made the above mentioned attack was consisted of Vlach bandits.
Defter of Nahie Florina 1481 Source Page No. 498 of Defter No. 16 from the year 1481 is part of the Census for Nahie Florina. On this page, all 6 male heads of families from the village Nevesca are registered.