Page 237

Ch. VII THE CATALANS AND FLORENTINES IN GREECE, 1380—1462 237 
 In 1381—1382 a plague swept from Pera to the Morea,34 taking many
lives. Galcerán of Peralta, onetime captain and castellan of Athens,
had escaped it. He had regained his freedom, but ever since his displacement
by Romeo de Bellarbre he knew that, although he was young, he had no future
in Greece. On April 23, 1383, Peter IV wrote Bellarbre that "we have learned
that at the time [Peralta] lost the aforesaid captaincy and castellany a
large amount of his property remained in the castle of Athens, which despite
his numerous re quests he has been unable to secure from you, to his no small
prejudice and loss." The king ordered the prompt restoration of Peralta's
possessions, and warned Bellarbre that he would incur the royal displeasure
if Peralta was obliged again to have recourse to the crown to secure justice
in this connection.35 Peralta presumably got back his property, because at
this point Bellarbre had no intention of displeasing the king. He had apparently
had enough of Greece, and was himself preparing to beat a retreat. In June
(1383) Peter granted Bellarbre, in recognition of past services and in expectation
of future loyalty, an emolument of 20,000 or 30,000 solidi Barcelonese. 36
And so we may assume that Bellarbre went back home with his beloved Zoe of
Megara and their children, for after 1383 he is no longer a part of the history
of Athens. 
 As king Peter worried about his distant domain and would have liked to hasten
the vicar-general's departure for Greece, since Athens and Neopatras were
threatened with ever-increasing danger, he learned that Dalmau had become
ill.37 The delay continued for months. On April 20, 1384, however, king Peter
IV wrote his son, the infante Don John, that the necessity of sending aid
to the duchies was not diminishing. Indeed, they might be lost. Whoever was
threatening the Greek duchies at this time, it was apparently not Nerio Acciajuoli,
the king's enemich capital. At least it was not he if we can take at face
value a royal letter of May 30 (1384) in which the king thanked Nerio for
keeping the peace he had made with Dalmau and for having "defended our city
of Athens." The king did emphasize, to be sure, that the vicar-general was
going to Greece with "so strong a force of men-at-arms" that the duchies
would have full 
subjects in the duchy of Athens against the "daily" incursions of Greeks
and Turks (Dipl., doc. DLXXV, p. 613). 
 34. Cf. Loenertz, "La Chronique breve moréote de 1423," in Melanges
Eugène Tisserant, II-1 (1964), 418. 
 35. Dipl., doc. DXLIV, p. 593. 
 36. Dipl., docs. DXLV and DXLVII, pp. 594, 595, dated June 1 and 20 respectively
and giving 30,000 and 20,000 solidi as Bellarbre's emolument. 
 37. Dipl., docs. DLII, DLIII, p. 598, dated September 16 and October 23,
1383.