Zealots, Thessalonica


Zealots was an anti-aristocratic political group with social demands in 1342 that dominated political developments in Thessalonica until 1350. The contemporary sources, notably anti-Zealots in sympathies, provide little information on the Zealots' government of Thessalonica. Zealots managed to establish effective civic self-government for eight years .They confiscated the property of the aristocracy, and redistributed their wealth. However, is hard to decide whether the Zealots actually had a program of social reform. One possible explanation would be that as the city was in a constant state of siege, a sense of somewhat egalitarian society may have developed.