John was born into the
Zenebishi family which was a wealthy and noble Albanian family from the
Zagoria region, between
Përmet and
Gjirokastër. He was one of the most notable members of this family. After the
Ottomans captured the region of Epirus, some members of the family fled to
Morea, while other members held high positions within the
Ottoman hierarchy. In 1381 and 1384, the Catholic lords of Arta asked the Ottoman troops for protection against the invading Albanian clan of the Zenebishi; the Ottomans routed the raiders and restored order in Epirus. Zenebishi submitted to the Ottomans after their victory against
Balsha II in the
Battle of Savra in 1385, and gave them his son as a hostage to be sent to
Edirne to the court of the sultan (this son became known as
Hamza, an Ottoman official). Shortly after his submission, Zenebishi revolted and seized the fortress of
Gjirokastër, encouraged no doubt by the attack on
Ioannina by the Albanians of
Acarnania. In 1386 he titled himself with the Byzantine title of
sevastokrator. Zenebishi was married to the daughter of
Gjin Bua Shpata,
Despot of Arta, and thus became the son-in-law of Shpata and the brother-in-law of the wife of
Esau de' Buondelmonti Despot of Epiros. In 1399 Esau, supported by some Albanian clans, marched against his wife's brother-in-law Gjon Zenebishi of Gjirokastër. Now Esau was routed and captured, and much of his land was occupied by Zenebishi. The neighbouring magnates determined to restore the captured despotes and secured Venetian intercession in his favour. Esau returned to Ioannina in 1400, regaining the reign from Zenebishi. In 1402, Esau divorced Irene Shpata and married
Jevdokija Balsha, the sister of
Kostandin Balsha, a leading Ottoman official in
northern Albania. After Esau's death (February 6, 1411), his wife Jevdokija tried to take control of Ioannina, but the town exiled her and appointed Esau's nephew, Carlo Tocco, as lord (he arrived on April 1, 1411). In 1412
Muriq Shpata and Zenebishi (who was the leader of the most powerful tribe in the vicinity of Ioannina) formed an alliance against Carlo Tocco. They won an open-field battle against Tocco in 1412, but were unable to take over Ioannina. Tocco relied on support from the local Greeks. In 1414, Muriq Shpata died, and Zenebishi was defeated by the Ottomans and fled to the Venetian island of Corfu where he died in 1418. ==Aftermath==