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91-452: The first Aleuas, who bore the epithet of Pyrrhos ( Πύρρος ), that is, "red-haired", is called king, or Tagus , of Thessaly , and a descendant of Heracles through Thessalus . Aleuas played no role his eponymous dynasty outside his kinship's veneration of him at an unidentified sanctuary in Thessaly, but Aelian recorded the myth of how he became a divinely-inspired seer, in the fashion of

182-766: A Latin archbishopric in the early 13th century, and remains a Latin Metropolitan (top-ranking) titular see of the Roman Catholic Church, which must not be confused with the Latin episcopal (low-ranking) titular see Larissa in Syria . Today there is a Catholic church in the city (Sacred Heart of Jesus). In the area from the Frourio hill to the Central square is located the old part of the city where some of its main landmarks are. Sights of

273-469: A brand new terminal ready to serve 1500 passengers per hour and new airplanes. Although the historical region of Thessaly extended south into Phthiotis and at times north into West Macedonia , today the term 'Thessaly' is identified with the modern Administrative Region which was established in the 1987 administrative reform. With the 2010 Kallikratis plan , the powers and authority of the region were redefined and extended. Along with Central Greece , it

364-507: A curious remnant of the forces collected by Ali Pasha . In the 19th century, the town produced leather , cotton , silk and tobacco . Fevers and agues were prevalent owing to bad drainage and the overflowing of the river; and the death rate was higher than the birth rate. In 1881, the city, along with the rest of Thessaly , was incorporated into the Kingdom of Greece during the prime ministry of Alexandros Koumoundouros . On 31 August 1881

455-476: A deep gash in the surface of Dione , a natural satellite of Saturn , was named after Larissa. The climate of Larissa is cold semi-arid ( Köppen : BSk ) with some Mediterranean climate ( Csa ) characteristics such as the drier summers and the somewhat wetter winters. The winter is cold, and some snowfalls may occur, though few of them are heavy. The summer is particularly hot, and temperatures near or above 40 °C (104 °F) typically occur every year for

546-501: A distinct administrative unit in 1276, when the pinkernes Raoul Komnenos was its governor ( kephale ). From 1271 to 1318 Thessaly was an independent despotate that extended to Acarnania and Aetolia , run by the dynasty founded by John I Doukas . John ruled from 1271 until his death in 1289 and was succeeded by his sons Constantine and Theodore. At this time, Thessaly came under Byzantine suzerainty, though it largely retained its independence. After Constatine's death in 1303, it

637-441: A few days. Thunderstorms during the summer months are sometimes heavy and may cause agricultural damage. Larissa receives about 413 mm (16 in) of rain per year and has an average annual average temperature of 15.4 °C (59.7 °F). The municipality Larissa was formed at the 2011 local government reform by the merger of the following 3 former municipalities, that became municipal units: The municipal unit of Larissa

728-521: A gift from a serpent : while he was tending sheep on the slopes of Mount Ossa , a serpent became enamored of him, kissed his hair, licked his face and brought him gifts. According to the Bibliotheca , a grateful brood of serpents, in return for his having erected a funeral pyre for their serpent-mother, purified his ears with their tongues, so that he might understand the language of birds, and interpret their flight in augury . Plutarch wrote that he

819-681: A major centre of the Greek Resistance , most famously seeing the desertion of the Italian Pinerolo Division to the guerrillas of EAM-ELAS in 1943. Thessaly occupies the east side of the Pindus watershed, extending south from Macedonia to the Aegean Sea . The northern tier of Thessaly is defined by a generally southwest-northeast spur of the Pindus range that includes Mount Olympus , close to

910-542: A natural harbor at Volos for shipping agricultural products from the plains and chromium from the mountains. The Gross domestic product (GDP) of the province was 9.7 billion € in 2018, accounting for 5.2% of Greek economic output. GDP per capita adjusted for purchasing power was 16,100 € or 53% of the EU27 average in the same year. The GDP per employee was 65% of the EU average. The unemployment rate stood at 20.6% in 2017. There are

1001-607: A number of highways such as E75 , and the main railway from Athens to Thessaloniki (Salonika) crosses Thessaly. The region is directly linked to the rest of Europe through the International Airport of Central Greece , which is located in Nea Anchialos , a small distance from Volos and Larisa . Charter flights link the region and bring tourists to the wider area, mainly in Pelion and Meteora . The new infrastructure includes

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1092-415: A population loss of 6.2%. In 2011, the population of the region of Thessaly was 732,762 and represented 6.8% of the total population of Greece. A 2.8% decrease in the population since 2001 was noted, but Thessaly remains Greece's third most populous region. The population break-down is 44% urban, 40% agrarian, and 16% semi-urban. A decrease in the agrarian population has been accompanied by an increase in

1183-508: A short distance from Larissa (about 60 km [37 mi]). Larissa lies on the river Pineios . The municipality of Larissa has an area of 335.98 km (129.72 sq mi), the municipal unit Larissa has an area of 122.586 km (47.331 sq mi), and the community Larissa has an area of 88.167 km (34.041 sq mi). The city is in close proximity of destinations such as Mount Olympus, Mount Kissavos, Meteora, Lake Plastira, Pilio, etc. The Larissa Chasma ,

1274-755: A unit of the Greek Army headed by General Skarlatos Soutsos entered the city. A considerable portion of the Turkish population emigrated into the Ottoman Empire at that point. In this new era the city starts gradually to expand and to be rebuilt by the Greek authorities. During the Greco-Turkish War of 1897 , the city was the headquarters of Greek Crown Prince Constantine . The flight of the Greek army from here to Farsala took place on April 23, 1897. Turkish troops entered

1365-530: Is a traditional geographic and modern administrative region of Greece , comprising most of the ancient region of the same name. Before the Greek Dark Ages , Thessaly was known as Aeolia ( Ancient Greek : Αἰολία , Aiolía ), and appears thus in Homer 's Odyssey . Thessaly became part of the modern Greek state in 1881, after four and a half centuries of Ottoman rule . Since 1987 it has formed one of

1456-522: Is divided into four city-districts or municipal communities (29 city areas) plus 2 suburban communities (Amphithea and Koulourion). The municipality includes also the Community of Terpsithèa (with the suburban community of Argyssa). 1st Municipal District (pop. 26,035) 2nd Municipal District (pop. 41,816) 3rd Municipal District (pop. 30,121) 4th Municipal District (pop. 26,814) Community of Terpsithèa (pop. 1,290) From 1 January 2011, in accordance with

1547-530: Is supervised by the Decentralized Administration of Thessaly and Central Greece , based at Larissa . The region of Thessaly is divided into five regional units (four were pre-Kallikratis prefectures ), Karditsa , Larissa , Magnesia , the Sporades and Trikala , which are further subdivided into twenty-five municipalities . The regional governor is Dimitris Kouretas  [ el ] , who

1638-447: Is the leading cattle-raising area of Greece , and Aromanian shepherds move large flocks of sheep and goats seasonally between higher and lower elevations. In the last few decades, there has been a rise in the cultivation of dried nuts such as almonds , pistachios , and walnuts , especially in the region of Almyros . An increase in the number of olive oil trees has been also observed. The nearly landlocked Gulf of Pagasai provides

1729-672: The Battle of Cynoscephalae , and it was there also that Antiochus III the Great , won a great victory in 192 BC. In 196 BC Larissa became an ally of Rome and was the headquarters of the Thessalian League . Larissa is frequently mentioned in connection with the Roman civil wars which preceded the establishment of the Roman Empire and Pompey sought refuge there after the defeat of Pharsalus . Larissa

1820-658: The Council of Nicaea . St. Achillius of the fourth century, is celebrated for his miracles. Le Quien cites twenty-nine bishops from the fourth to the 18th centuries; the most famous is Jeremias II, who occupied the see until 733, when the Emperor Leo III the Isaurian transferred it from the jurisdiction of the Pope of Rome to the Patriarchate of Constantinople . In the first years of

1911-670: The Fourth Crusade , the King of Thessalonica , Boniface of Montferrat , gave the city to Lombard barons , but they launched a rebellion in 1209 that had to be subdued by the Latin Emperor Henry of Flanders himself. The city was recovered by Epirus soon after. Larissa was conquered by the Ottoman Empire in 1386/87 and again in the 1390s, but only came under permanent Ottoman control in 1423, by Turahan Bey . Under Ottoman rule,

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2002-528: The Kallikratis Plan (new administrative division of Greece), the new municipality of Larissa includes also the former municipalities of Giannouli and Koilada . The province of Larissa ( Greek : Επαρχία Λάρισας ) was one of the provinces of the Larissa Prefecture. Its territory corresponded with that of the current municipalities Larissa (except the municipal unit Giannouli ) and Tempi (except

2093-556: The Larissaean Aleuadae conspired to put an end to their rule, and for this purpose they invited Alexander II , son of Amyntas III . Alexander took Larissa and Crannon , but kept them to himself. Afterwards, Pelopidas restored the original state of things in Thessaly; but the dynasts of Pherae soon recovered their power, and the Aleuadae again solicited the assistance of Macedonia against them. Philip willingly complied with

2184-613: The Pelasgians , Trojan allies, used to live in the city of Larissa. It is likely that this city of Larissa was different to the city that was the birthplace of Achilles . The Larissa that features as a Trojan ally in the Iliad was likely to be located in the Troad , on the other side of the Aegean Sea . Traces of Paleolithic human settlement have been recovered from the area, but it was peripheral to areas of advanced culture. The area around Larissa

2275-573: The Sporades islands. Thessaly is named after the Thessaloi , an ancient Greek tribe . The meaning of the name of this tribe is unknown, and many theories have been made about its etymology. According to the Dutch linguist Robert S. P. Beekes , the name predates Greek presence in the region and could come from the Pre-Greek form reconstructed as *Kʷʰeťťal-. The Greek linguist Georgios Babiniotis also assigns

2366-750: The battle between the Titans and the Olympians . According to legend, Jason and the Argonauts launched their search for the Golden Fleece from the Magnesia Peninsula. Thessaly was home to extensive Neolithic and Chalcolithic cultures around 6000–2500 BC (see Cardium pottery , Dimini and Sesklo ). Mycenaean settlements have also been discovered, for example at the sites of Iolcos , Dimini and Sesklo (near Volos ). In Archaic and Classical times,

2457-530: The "Father of Medicine", died here. Today, Larissa is an important commercial, transportation, educational, agricultural and industrial centre of Greece. The city straddles the Pineios river and N.-NE. of the city are the Mount Olympus and Mount Kissavos . According to Greek mythology it is said that the city was founded by Acrisius , who was killed accidentally by his grandson, Perseus . There lived Peleus ,

2548-633: The (supposed) initial settlement and intermittent uprisings. Being agriculturalists, the Slavs probably traded with the Greeks inside towns. It is likely that the re- Hellenization had already begun by way of this contact. This process would be completed by a newly reinvigorated Byzantine Empire. With the abatement of Arab-Byzantine Wars , the Byzantine Empire began to consolidate its power in those areas of mainland Greece occupied by Proto-Slavic tribes. Following

2639-604: The 11th century, in the Strategikon of Kekaumenos and Anna Komnene 's Alexiad ). In the 12th century, the Jewish traveller Benjamin of Tudela records the existence of the district of "Vlachia" near Halmyros in eastern Thessaly, while the Byzantine historian Niketas Choniates places " Great Vlachia " (Aromanian: Vlãhia Mari ) near Meteora . The term is also used by the 13th-century scholar George Pachymeres , and it appears as

2730-473: The 2021 census. It is also capital of the Larissa regional unit . It is a principal agricultural centre and a national transport hub, linked by road and rail with the port of Volos , the cities of Thessaloniki and Athens . The municipality of Larissa has 164,095 inhabitants, while the regional unit of Larissa reached a population of 268,963 (in 2021 ). Legend has it that Achilles was born here. Hippocrates ,

2821-472: The Aleuadae themselves are frequently mentioned. After the end of the Peloponnesian War , another Thessalian family, the dynasts of Pherae , gradually rose to power and influence, and gave a great shock to the power of the Aleuadae. As early as 375 BC, Jason of Pherae , after various struggles, succeeded in raising himself to the dignity of Tagus . When the dynasts of Pherae became tyrannical, some of

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2912-651: The Aleuadae, just as the Thessalian Medius, who is mentioned as one of the companions of Alexander the Great . The family now sank into insignificance, and the last certain trace of an Aleuad is Thorax, a friend of Antigonus. Whether the sculptors Aleuas, mentioned by Pliny , and Scopas of Paros , were in any way connected with the Aleuadae, cannot be ascertained. Thessaly Thessaly ( / ˈ θ ɛ s ə l i / THESS -ə-lee ; Greek : Θεσσαλία , romanized :  Thessalía [θesaˈli.a] ; ancient Thessalian : Πετθαλία , Petthalía )

3003-618: The Byzantine Empire, laying siege to Thessalonica and even the imperial capital Constantinople itself. By the 8th century, Slavs had occupied most of the Balkans from Austria to the Peloponnese, and from the Adriatic to the Black seas, with the exception of the coastal areas and certain mountainous regions of the Greek peninsula. Relations between the Slavs and Greeks were probably peaceful apart from

3094-470: The Byzantine-Bulgarian border. In 1199–1201 another unsuccessful revolt was led by Manuel Kamytzes , son-in-law of Byzantine emperor Alexios III Angelos , with the support of Dobromir Chrysos , the autonomous ruler of Prosek . Kamytzes managed to establish a short-lived principality in northern Thessaly, before he was overcome by an imperial expedition. Following the siege of Constantinople and

3185-462: The Classical Era. Larissa is thought to be where the famous Greek physician Hippocrates and the famous philosopher Gorgias of Leontini died. When Larissa ceased minting the federal coins it shared with other Thessalian towns and adopted its own coinage in the late fifth century BC, it chose local types for its coins. The obverse depicted the nymph of the local spring, Larissa, for whom the town

3276-453: The Crusader principalities in southern Greece. Michael's work was completed by his half-brother and successor, Theodore Komnenos Doukas , who by 1220 completed the recovery of the entire region, and assigned pronoiai to aristocratic Greek families. The Vlachs (Aromanians) of Thessaly (originally a chiefly transhumant Romance-speaking population) first appear in Byzantine sources in

3367-725: The Macedonian border. Within that broken spur of mountains are several basins and river valleys. The easternmost extremity of the spur extends southeastward from Mount Olympus along the Aegean coast, terminating in the Magnesia Peninsula that envelops the Pagasetic Gulf (also called the Gulf of Volos), and forms an inlet of the Aegean Sea. Thessaly's major river, the Pineios , flows eastward from

3458-590: The Ottoman armies under Mehmed Reshid Pasha and Mahmud Dramali Pasha . After the establishment of the independent Kingdom of Greece , Greek nationalist agitation continued, with further revolts in 1841, in 1854 during the Crimean War , and again during the Russo-Turkish War of 1877–1878 . In 1880 Thessaly's population consisted of approximately 285,000 Greeks, 40,000 Turks, and 40,000 Jews. Thessaly became part of

3549-455: The Ottoman takeover of the region, they were an integral part of the military structures of Thessaly. Two of their military leaders known in Byzantine sources as Peter and John Sebastopoulos controlled the small towns of Pharsala and Domokos . In 1348, Thessaly was invaded and occupied by the Serbian Empire of Stefan Dušan , under the general Preljub . After the latter's death in 1356,

3640-525: The Persians subsequently. The following year, the Persians were decisively defeated at the Battle of Plataea and withdrew from all of their European possessions, including Thessaly. In the 4th century BC, after the Greco-Persian Wars had long ended, Jason of Pherae transformed the region into a significant military power, recalling the glory of Early Archaic times. Shortly after, Philip II of Macedon

3731-458: The campaigns of the Byzantine general Staurakios in 782–783, the Byzantine Empire recovered Thessaly, taking many Slavs as prisoners. Apart from military expeditions against Slavs, the re-Hellenization process begun under Nicephorus I involved (often forcible) transfer of peoples. Many Slavs were moved to other parts of the empire such as Anatolia and made to serve in the military. In return, many Greeks from Sicily and Asia Minor were brought to

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3822-532: The central Pindus Range just south of the spur, emptying into the Thermaic Gulf . The Trikala and Larissa lowlands form a central plain which is surrounded by a ring of mountains. It has distinct summer and winter seasons, with summer rains augmenting the fertility of the plains. This has led to Thessaly occasionally being called the "breadbasket of Greece". The region is well delineated by topographical boundaries. The Chasia and Kamvounia mountains lie to

3913-431: The city are: Larissa is around 120 kilometres (75 mi) south-west of Thessaloniki and around 210 kilometres (130 mi) north-west of Athens . There are a number of highways, including E75 , E65 , and the main railway from Athens to Thessaloniki (Salonika) crossing through Thessaly. The region is directly linked to the rest of Europe through the International Airport of Central Greece located in Nea Anchialos

4004-531: The city there is a Holocaust memorial and a synagogue. After WWII the city was expanded rapidly. Today Larissa is the fourth largest Greek city with many squares, taverns and cafes. It has three public hospitals with one being a military hospital. It hosts the Hellenic Air Force Headquarters and NATO Headquarters in Greece. It has a School of Medicine and a School of Biochemistry – Biotechnology and

4095-479: The city two days later. After a treaty for peace was signed, they withdrew and Larissa remained permanently in Greece. This was followed by a further exodus of Turks in 1898. The Hassan Bey mosque (which was built in the early 16th century) was demolished in 1908. During the Axis Occupation of the country , the Jewish community of the city (dated back to second BC, see Romaniotes ) suffered heavy losses. Today in

4186-548: The city was known as Yeni-şehir i-Fenari , "new citadel". As the chief town and military base of Ottoman Thessaly , Larissa was a predominantly Muslim city. In 1521 ( Hijri 927) the town had 693 Muslim and 75 Christian households; according to Gökbilgin (1956), it also included Albanian and Jewish communities. During Ottoman rule the administration of the Metropolis of Larissa was transferred to nearby Trikala where it remained until 1734, when Metropolitan Iakovos II returned

4277-686: The collapse of Roman power in the west, and subsequently suffered many invasions, such as by the Slavic tribe of the Belegezites in the 7th century AD. The Avars had arrived in Europe in the late 550s. They asserted their authority over many Slavs, who were divided into numerous petty tribes. Many Slavs were galvanized into an effective infantry force, by the Avars. In the 7th century the Avar-Slav alliance began to raid

4368-458: The combined forces of Thessaly. The earliest historical person who probably belongs to the Aleuadae is the general Eurylochus , who terminated the First Sacred War about 590 BC. In the time of the poet Simonides we find a second Aleuas, who was a friend of the poet. He is called a son of Simus; but besides the suggestion of Ovid that he had a tragic end, nothing is known about him. At

4459-455: The country's 13 regions and is further (since the Kallikratis reform of 2011) sub-divided into five regional units and 25 municipalities . The capital of the region is Larissa . Thessaly lies in northern central Greece and borders the regions of Macedonia to the north, Epirus to the west, Central Greece to the south, and the Aegean Sea to the east. The Thessaly region also includes

4550-404: The death of John II, Thessalian independence came to an end, and the Almogavars occupied Siderokastron and southern Thessaly (1319) and formed the Duchy of Neopatria . The other parts of Thessaly either came under Byzantine rule or were ruled by their own nobility. These local magnates eventually started fighting amongst themselves. Those in the south, such as the Melissenos family of Volos, sought

4641-497: The dissolution of the Byzantine Empire by the Fourth Crusade in April 1204, Thessaly passed to Boniface of Montferrat 's Kingdom of Thessalonica in the wider context of the Frankokratia . With his Greek ties, Boniface won the support of the Greek population and of various important Greek families. In 1212, Michael I Komnenos Doukas , ruler of Epirus , led his troops into Thessaly. Larissa and much of central Thessaly came under Epirote rule, thereby separating Thessalonica from

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4732-434: The earlier, federal coins of Thessaly. Larissa, sometimes written Larisa on ancient coins and inscriptions, is near the site of the Homeric Argissa. It appears in early times, when Thessaly was mainly governed by a few aristocratic families, as an important city under the rule of the Aleuadae , whose authority extended over the whole district of Pelasgiotis . This powerful family possessed for many generations before 369 BC

4823-588: The help of the Catalans, while those in the north, such as the Gavrilopoulos family of Trikala, turned towards Byzantium. At this time, some of Thessaly's ports came under Venetian rule. In 1332, most of Thessaly was taken by the Byzantines following a campaign by Andronikos III Paleologos . He left its administration to Michael Monomachos , who governed it for the next 10 years. Groups of Albanians moved into Thessaly as early as 1268 as mercenaries of Michael Doukas . The Albanian tribes of Bua , Malakasioi and Mazaraki were described as "unruly" nomads living in

4914-434: The hero beloved by the gods, and his son Achilles . In mythology, the nymph Larissa was a daughter of the primordial man Pelasgus . The city of Larissa is mentioned in Book II of Iliad by Homer : "Hippothous led the tribes of Pelasgian spearsmen, who dwelt in fertile Larissa— Hippothous , and Pylaeus of the race of Mars, two sons of the Pelasgian Lethus, son of Teutamus." In this paragraph, Homer shows that

5005-467: The ill-fated expedition of 401 (retold in Xenophon's Anabasis ) meant to help Cyrus the Younger , son of Darius II , king of Persia , overthrow his elder brother Artaxerxes II and take over the throne of Persia (Meno is featured in Plato 's dialogue bearing his name, in which Socrates uses the example of "the way to Larissa" to help explain Meno the difference between true opinion and science (Meno, 97a–c); this "way to Larissa" might well be on

5096-486: The interior of Greece, to increase the number of defenders at the Emperor's disposal and dilute the concentration of Slavs. In 977 Byzantine Thessaly was raided by the Bulgarian Empire . In 1066 dissatisfaction with the taxation policy led the Aromanian and Bulgarian population of Thessaly to revolt against the Byzantine Empire under the leadership of a local lord, Nikoulitzas Delphinas . The revolt, which began in Larissa , soon expanded to Trikala and later northwards to

5187-428: The late 14th century with the capture of Larissa in 1392-93 and consolidated in the early 15th century. Nevertheless, Ottoman control was threatened throughout this era by groups of Greeks, Albanians and Aromanians who based themselves in the mountainous areas of Thessaly. At the time of the Ottoman conquest, the great Eastern plain of Thessaly was almost entirely depopulated as a result of the nearly continuous warfare of

5278-400: The late 19th century) and its muslim cemeteries. The city remained a part of the Ottoman Empire until Thessaly became part of the independent Kingdom of Greece in 1881, except for a period where Ottoman forces re-occupied it during the Greco-Turkish War of 1897 . In the late 19th century, there was still a small village in the outskirts of the town inhabited by Africans from Sudan ,

5369-422: The lowlands of Thessaly became the home of baronial families, such as the Aleuadae of Larissa or the Scopads of Crannon. In the summer of 480 BC, the Persians invaded Thessaly . The Greek army that guarded the Vale of Tempe was alerted by Alexander I of Macedon and evacuated the road before the enemy arrived. Not much later, Thessaly surrendered to the Persians. The Thessalian family of Aleuadae joined

5460-415: The main branch, the Aleuadae, remained at Larissa . The influence of the families, however, was not confined to these towns, but extended more or less over the greater part of Thessaly. They formed in reality a powerful aristocratic party ( βασιλεῖς ) in opposition to the great body of the Thessalians. For many generations the Aleuadae enjoyed the privilege of furnishing the Tagus , or chief commander, of

5551-411: The modern Greek state in 1881, after the Convention of Constantinople except the area around the town of Elassona , which remained in Ottoman hands until 1912. It was briefly captured by Ottomans during the Greco-Turkish War of 1897 . After the Treaty of Constantinople (1897) , Greece was forced to cede minor border areas and to pay heavy reparations. The remaining part of Thessaly held by the Ottomans

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5642-419: The mountains of Thessaly in the early 14th century in Emperor John VI Kantakouzenos’ ‘History’. They numbered approximately 12,000. Kantakouzenos describes a pact they made to serve the Byzantine Emperor and pay tribute to him ca. 1332 in exchange for using the lowland areas of Thessaly in the summer months. Albanian groups were given military holdings Fanari in the 1330s and by the end of the 14th century and

5733-443: The municipal units Gonnoi and Kato Olympos ). It was abolished in 2006. The mayors of Larissa from 1881 to 2023 were as follows: Larissa is a major agricultural center of Greece , due to the plain of Thessaly . In manufacturing sector, Larissa is among others home to Biokarpet carpet company (whose owners were also major shareholders of AEL FC in the past) and Orient Bikes . It comes also in first place with

5824-418: The north of Thessaly a rare humid subtropical climate ( Cfa ) can be found, although it is different from a climate typically below or above the tropics, it also marks the limit of this rare Cf subtype on the European continent (e. g. the small village of Kalvia). The population of the region of Thessaly was 687,527 in 2021 census. The region has shrunk by 45,235 people between 2011 and 2021, experiencing

5915-441: The north, the Mount Olympus massif to the northeast. To the west lies the Pindus mountain range, to the southeast the coastal mountains of Óssa and Pelion . Several tributaries of the Pineios flow through the region. Most of the province has a hot summer Mediterranean climate ( Köppen : Csa ), but also found is a cold semi-arid climate ( BSk ) including the capital Larissa (on its Mediterranean edge of category). Even in

6006-402: The origin of the name of the Thessalians to pre-Greek times, although he does not try to explain its etymology. In Aromanian it is referred to as Tesalia . In Homer 's epic, the Odyssey , the hero Odysseus visited Aeolia, the kingdom of Aeolus , which was the old name for Thessaly. The Plain of Thessaly, which lies between Mount Oeta /Othrys and Mount Olympus , was the site of

6097-428: The part of Socrates an attempt to call to Meno's mind a "way home", understood as the way toward one's true and "eternal" home reached only at death, that each man is supposed to seek in his life). The constitution of the town was democratic , which explains why it sided with Athens in the Peloponnesian War . In the neighbourhood of Larissa was celebrated a festival which recalled the Roman Saturnalia , and at which

6188-417: The population of the Sanjak. Failed Greek uprisings occurred in 1600/1 and 1612, and during the Morean War (1684–1699) and the Orlov Revolt (1770). In 1780, Ali Pasha of Ioannina took over control of Thessaly, and consolidated his rule after 1808, when he suppressed a local uprising. Heavy taxation, however, ruined the province's commerce, and coupled with the outbreak of the plague in 1813, reduced

6279-430: The population to some 200,000 by 1820. Rigas Feraios , the important Greek intellectual and forerunner of the Greek War of Independence was from the region. He was born in Velestino , near the ancient town of Pherae . When the Greek War of Independence broke out in 1821, Greek risings occurred in the Pelion and Olympus mountains as well as the western mountains around Fanari, but they were swiftly suppressed by

6370-453: The power of the Aleuadae was then still as great as before. Around 460 BC we find an Aleuad named "Orestes", son of Echecratides, who came to Athens as a fugitive, and persuaded the Athenians to exert themselves for his restoration. He had been expelled either by the Thessalians or more probably by a faction of his own family, who wished to exclude him from the dignity of basileus ( βασιλεύς ) (that is, probably Tagus ), for such feuds among

6461-399: The previous decades. It was resettled by Turkish settlers from Western Anatolia and Greeks from Western Thessaly and the surrounding mountains. In the following decades, the population of this area grew very rapidly as a result of law and order. Thessaly was ruled through the Sanjak of Tirhala administrative division during the Ottoman period . In the 1520s, Muslims made up of 17.5% of

6552-459: The privilege of furnishing the tagus , the local term for the strategos of the combined Thessalian forces. The principal rivals of the Aleuadae were the Scopadae of Crannon , the remains of which are about 14 miles south west. Larissa was the birthplace of Meno , who thus became, along with Xenophon and a few others, one of the generals leading several thousands Greeks from various places, in

6643-540: The region was conquered by Nikephoros Orsini after he won the support of the local Greek population. After his death three years later, it was taken over by the self-proclaimed Serbian emperor Simeon Uroš . Simeon's son John Uroš succeeded in 1370 but abdicated in 1373, and Thessaly was administered by the Greek Angeloi-Philanthropenoi clan until the Ottoman conquest c. 1393. Ottoman control began in

6734-571: The reign of the first Aleuas. German philologist Philipp Karl Buttmann places this hero in the period between the so-called return of the Heraclids and the age of Peisistratus . But even earlier than the time of Peisistratus the family of the Aleuadae appears to have become divided into two branches, the Aleuadae and the Scopadae, called after Scopas (though not the sculptor Scopas ). The Scopadae inhabited Crannon and perhaps Pharsalus also, while

6825-432: The request, broke the power of the tyrants of Pherae, restored the towns to an appearance of freedom, and made the Aleuadae his faithful friends and allies. In what manner Philip used them for his purposes, and how little he spared them when it was his interest to do so, is sufficiently attested. Among the tetrarchs whom he entrusted with the administration of Thessaly, there is one Thrasydaeus, who undoubtedly belonged to

6916-461: The see from Trikala to Larissa and established the present-day metropolis of Larissa and Tyrnavos. The town was noted for its trade fair in the 17th and 18th centuries, while the seat of the pasha of Thessaly was also transferred there in 1770. Larissa was the headquarters of Hursid Pasha during the Greek War of Independence . It was also renowned for its mosques (four of which were still in use in

7007-514: The semi-urban population. The metropolitan area of Larissa, the capital of Thessaly, is home to more than 230,000 people, making it the biggest city of the region. An Aromanian minority resides in Thessaly. This region, along with Epirus and Macedonia , are the regions with the biggest concentrations of Greek Aromanians . Another notable population group of Thessaly are the Karagounides , an ethnic Greek subgroup. The Aeolic dialect of Greek

7098-562: The slaves were waited on by their masters. As the chief city of ancient Thessaly, Larissa was taken by the Thebans and later directly annexed by Philip II of Macedon in 344. It remained under Macedonian control afterwards, except for a brief period when Demetrius Poliorcetes captured it in 302 BC. It was in Larissa that Philip V of Macedon signed in 197 BC a treaty with the Romans after his defeat at

7189-512: The tenth century it had ten suffragan sees; subsequently the number increased and about the year 1175 under the Emperor Manuel I Comnenus , it reached twenty-eight. At the close of the 15th century, under the Ottoman domination, there were only ten suffragan sees, which gradually grew less and finally disappeared. Larissa is an Orthodox Metropolis of the Church of Greece . It was also briefly

7280-404: The third largest in the country Institute of Technology. It occupies the first place among Greek cities into green coverage rate per square-metre urban space and the first place with the highest percentance of bars-taverns-restaurants per capita in Greece. It also has two public libraries and five museums. Christianity penetrated early to Larissa, though its first bishop is recorded only in 325 at

7371-502: The time when Xerxes invaded Greece, three sons of this Aleuas, Thorax , Eurypylus, and Thrasydaeus, came to him as ambassadors, to request him to go on with the war, and to promise him their assistance. When, after the Persian war , Leotychides was sent to Thessaly to chastise those who had acted as traitors to their country, he allowed himself to be bribed by the Aleuadae, although he might have subdued all Thessaly. This fact shows that

7462-523: The west of Ohrid in North Macedonia . The alluvial soils of the Pineios Basin and its tributaries make Thessaly a vital agricultural area, particularly for the production of grain , cattle , and sheep . Modernization of agricultural practices in the mid-20th century has controlled the chronic flooding that had restricted agricultural expansion and diversification in the low-lying plains. Thessaly

7553-533: Was appointed Archon of Thessaly, and Thessaly was thereafter associated with the Macedonian Kingdom for the next centuries. Thessaly later became part of the Roman Empire as part of the province of Macedonia ; when that was broken up, the name resurfaced in two of its late Roman successor provinces: Thessalia Prima and Thessalia Secunda . Thessaly remained part of the East Roman "Byzantine" Empire after

7644-464: Was elected in the second round of the 2023 regional election and took office on 1 January 2024. Larissa Larissa ( / l ə ˈ r ɪ s ə / ; Greek : Λάρισα , Lárisa , pronounced [ˈlarisa] ) is the capital and largest city of the Thessaly region in Greece. It is the fifth-most populous city in Greece with a population of 148,562 in the city proper, according to

7735-426: Was extremely fruitful; it was agriculturally important and in antiquity was known for its horses. The name Larissa (Λάρισα Lárīsa ) is in origin a Pelasgian word for "fortress". There were many ancient Greek cities with this name. The name of Thessalian Larissa is first recorded in connection with the aristocratic Aleuadai family. It was also a polis (city-state). Larissa was a polis (city-state) during

7826-543: Was finally regained by the Greeks during the First Balkan War in 1912. In 1923, the entire Muslim population was sent to Turkey following the population exchange between Greece and Turkey at the end of the Greco-Turkish War . During World War II , Thessaly was occupied by the Kingdom of Italy from April 1941 to September 1943. After the Armistice of Cassibile , Germany occupied Thessaly until October 1944. It became

7917-423: Was hated by his father on account of his haughty and savage character; but his uncle nevertheless contrived to get him elected king and sanctified by the god of Delphi . His reign was more glorious than that of any of his ancestors, and the nation rose in power and importance. This Aleuas belongs to the mythical period of Greek history. According to Aristotle the division of Thessaly into four parts took place in

8008-533: Was named; probably the choice was inspired by the famous coins of Kimon depicting the Syracusan nymph Arethusa . The reverse depicted a horse in various poses. The horse was an appropriate symbol of Thessaly, a land of plains, which was well known for its horses. Usually there is a male figure; he should perhaps be seen as the eponymous hero of the Thessalians, Thessalos, who is probably also to be identified on many of

8099-550: Was ruled by John II Doukas until his death in 1318. From 1306 to 1310, the Almogavars or Catalan Company of the East ( Societas Catalanorum Magna ), plundered Thessaly. In 1310, they occupied a series of forts in the south. From there they departed to the Duchy of Athens , called by the duke Walter I , whom they eventually killed in battle and took over the Duchy of Athens . In 1318, with

8190-602: Was sacked by the Ostrogoths in the late 5th century , and rebuilt under the Byzantine emperor Justinian I . In the eighth century, the city became the metropolis of the theme of Hellas . The city was captured in 986 by Tsar Samuel of Bulgaria , who carried off the relics of its patron saint, Saint Achilleios , to Prespa . It was again unsuccessfully besieged by the Italo-Normans under Bohemond I in 1082/3. After

8281-427: Was spoken in Thessaly. This included several local varieties, in particular the variants of Pelasgiotis and Thessaliotis. The language was not written. Apart from Greek, Aromanian is also spoken in Thessaly. Some Aromanian dialects from the region have some unique peculiarities of their own, such as that of Krania , which is one of the few with differential object marking (DOM) along with those dialects spoken at

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