Castle of Mistra
The Castle of Mistra was built in 1249 by Guillaume II de Villhardouin, but in 1263, having been taken prisoner by the Byzantine Emperor Michael VIII, he was compelled to yield it up to the emperor, together with the castle of Maina and Monemvasia.
Until the Turkish conquest in 1460, Mistra was ruled by Bizantine princes, who from 1347 bore the title of despot, the second highest rank in the Empire.
Below the Frankish castle on the summit of the hill there grew up first the upper and then the lower town.
