Maurice Spata

[1][2][3] Shortly before Gjin died on 29 October 1399, he appointed his brother, Skurra Bua Shpata, ruler of Naupactus, as his successor as Lord of Arta.

While Skurra fled to Angelokastron, a short time after, possibly as early as December 1399, Muriq managed to evict Vonko from Arta and took over the governance of the city himself.

The attack, under Carlo's general Galasso Peccatore, was repulsed, but Skurra died soon after, leaving his possessions to his son Pal Shpata.

[8] In 1406, Carlo and the Bua brothers joined forces to raid and devastate Acarnania and the vicinity of Arta, but the city itself, stoutly defended by Muriq Shpata, held out.

At Angelokastron, however, Pal Shpata, who lacked his father's ability, felt threatened by the Tocco advance and in 1406 called in Ottoman assistance.

As Maurice refused to come to his cousin's aid, Paul ceded Angelokastron to the Ottomans (only for Carlo Tocco to capture it within less than a year) and retired to Naupactus, which he sold to Venice in 1407–08.

This event triggered a contest between Tocco and the Albanian lords to secure possession of Ioannina, left in the hands of the infant Giorgio and his mother, for themselves.

[13] At the same time, Muriq concluded an alliance to Tocco's Italian rival in the Morea, the Prince of Achaea Centurione II Zaccaria.