Greek Map

General Elements

                                             Municipalities :22

The prefecture boarders north with Arcadia`s prefecture, east with Arcadia`s prefecture and the Myrtoon Sea, west with Messenia`s prefecture and the Messenian gulf while south the Laconian gulf and the Myrtoon Sea are lying. The islet of Elaphonesus belongs to Laconia`s prefecture.  

History

Laconia was, for the first time, inhabited in the Neolithic Times while as its first inhabitants the Leleges are mentioned, who were succeeded by the Achaians and the Ionians. The first king of the land was named Lelegas, that`s why the area took the name Lelegia, while the first king of the second dynasty was the legentary Lakedemon. Laconia acquired great power. Around BC 1100, Dorians were settled in the area. They made Sparta their base from where rushing out they conquered almost the whole Laconia. They tried, by creating new laws and distinctions among the inhabitants (elots, et. al. ), to keep under control the Predorian tribes and not be assimilated by them. Except Sparta there were other significant cities as well: Kardamyle, Gythio, Amycles, Lephctra, Etylo, Anthile, Elos(of which the elots took their name). Till the age of Alexander the Great, Sparta and Athens were the greatest "cities-states" and were dominating all over Greece. In BC 222, after the victory of the Macedonians against the Spartans, Sparta was ruined while the institution of royalty, which dominated for so many years, was abolished.

In BC 146, Laconia was conquered by the Romans who confined Sparta in the area around Eurota. They granted privileges to some areas (coastal cities et. al. ), so it was created the Public of Freelaconians which was a confideracy with some independence. In the Byzantine Times, it was province of "Peloponnesus Theme", while it met repeated barbaric invasions of which the hardest was this of Alarichus, in AD 395.

In the 13th century, "William Vellarduinus the second" conquered Laconia which remained under the Franks domination till 1262, when it was given to the authority of the family of Paleologes. They founded the dominion of Morea with Mystra as its base. During two centuries, the land was ruled by masters who came from Paleologes family. The disputes of the mumbers of this family were exploited by the Turks, who invade against Peloponnesus (1460).

Despite the repeated tries, it wasn`t conquered permanently by the Turks but in the middle of the 17th century, since it met continuous destructions during the Turk-Venetian Wars. Only the area of Mani managed to keep some independence and privileges. In March 1821, in Mani, began the fight of the revolutionary force with leader Theodor Kolokotronis, which took back Kalamata (March 23). Laconia took active part in the Revolution of 1821 and it was liberated in 1828.

In the years of king Othon, the new city of Sparta was built, which unfolded to the capital of Laconia.

<

Best experienced with

Best viewed in 1024x768