Morea

The name Morea (Greek: Μωρέας) was used to refer to the Peloponnese peninsula in southern Greece during the Middle Ages and the early modern period. The name was also used to refer to a Byzantine province in the region, known as the Despotate of Morea.

Origins of the name

There is some uncertainty over the origin of the name "Morea", which is first recorded in the 10th century in Byzantine chronicles. As with many other things in the Balkans, part of the uncertainty stems from the political implications behind each suggested origin of the name.

Related Topics:
10th century - Byzantine

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Popular belief in Greece today is that the name originates from the word moria, meaning mulberry, a common plant in the region. The use of a long 'o' (Μωρέα) is a strong argument against this explanation.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

The spelling (specifically, the use of a long o, ω), and the context of the earliest references to Morea lend support to the theory that the name comes from the word moros (μωρός) meaning fool, which was also commonly used to refer to rebels or outlaws during Byzantine times. Morea, then, would be the land of the rebels, a good description of the peninsula for much of its history. This explanation, although it is the most plausible among Greek linguists, is often rejected today by the locals, as the word moros in modern Greek has retained its ancient meaning, but has lost its Byzantine connotations.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

In 1830, the German historian Jakob Philipp Fallmerayer (1790-1861) published the first of his volumes Geschichte der halbinsel Morea wahrend des Mittelalters ("History of the Morea Peninsula during the Middle Ages"). Based on his analysis of the spread of Slavic placenames in mainland Greece, Fallmerayer concluded that the 19th century Greeks had almost no linear cultural connection to the ancients and a large one to the Slavic tribes who had invaded during the 6th and 7th centuries. To support his thesis, Fallmerayer proposed that the word comes from the Slavic word more, meaning sea. His theory is, however, not widely accepted.

Related Topics:
1830 - Jakob Philipp Fallmerayer - 19th century - Slav - 6th - 7th - Slavic

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~