The Zenevisi or Zenebishi was a medieval noble family in southern Albania that served the Angevins, Venetians and Ottomans, and at times was also independent. They governed territories in Epirus, centered in Gjirokastër. John Zenevisi was one of the most notable members of this family. Between 1373 and 1414 he controlled Gjirokastër and its surroundings. After the Ottomans captured the region of Epirus, members of this family held high positions within Ottoman hierarchy.
The "Zenevias", probably the Zenevisi, are mentioned in 1304 as one of the families that were granted privileges by the AngevinPhilip I, Prince of Taranto. According to Robert Elsie, the family originated from the Zagoria region between Gjirokastër and Përmet, in modern-day southern Albania. In 1381 and 1384, the Catholic lords of Arta asked the Ottoman troops for protection against the invading Albanians under the Zenevisi; the Ottomans routed the raiders and restored order in Epirus. John Zenevisi is one of the most notable members of this family. Like many contemporary Balkan rulers who were under the cultural influence of the Byzantine Empire, he adopted a title from the Byzantine court hierarchy for himself, that of sevastokrator. During the Ottoman Interregnum Zenevisi lost territory to the Republic of Venice; most of the mainland territories across from the Venetian possession of Corfu were taken. In 1419, he was killed by the Ottomans.
Ottoman period
Members of this family that initially resisted Ottoman expansion converted to Islam, while some of them rose to high positions within the Ottoman military and feudal hierarchy. The territory that the Zenevisi controlled before their submission to the Ottomans was registered in an Ottoman defter of 1431 as "the lands of Zenevisi". In 1443 Simon Zenevisi, John's grandson, built the Strovili fortress with Venetian approval and support. In 1454–55 Simon Zenevisi was recognized by Alphonso V as a vassal of the Kingdom of Naples. John's son, known after his conversion to Islam as Hasan Bey, was a subaşi in Tetovo in 1455. The other son of John, whose Muslim name was Hamza Zenevisi, was an Ottoman military commander who defeated the forces of the Despots of the Morea besieging Patras in 1459. In 1460, following the Ottoman conquest of the Morea, he became a sanjakbey of the Sanjak of Mezistre.
A4. Hamza Zenevisi, an Ottoman political hostage, he was converted into Islam and entered Ottoman service. In 1460 he became a sanjakbey of the Sanjak of Mezistre.
