Dyrrhachium (theme)
| Theme of Dyrrhachium Δυρράχιον, θέμα Δυρραχίου Thema e Durrësit Provintia Dirrachii et Arbani | |||||||||||||
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| Theme of the Eastern Roman Empire | |||||||||||||
| 9th century–1205 | |||||||||||||
Byzantine themes and major settlements in the southern Balkans, Aegean Islands, and western Anatolia (c. 900 CE) | |||||||||||||
| Capital | Dyrrhachium | ||||||||||||
| Historical era | Middle Ages | ||||||||||||
• Established | 9th century | ||||||||||||
• Norman occupation | 1081 | ||||||||||||
• End of Norman occupation | 1084 | ||||||||||||
• Dissolution and capital surrendered to the Venetians | 1205 | ||||||||||||
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| Today part of | Albania | ||||||||||||
Common languages:
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The Theme of Dyrrhachium (Medieval Greek: θέμα Δυρραχίου; Albanian: Thema e Durrësit), also referred to at the time as provintia Dirrachii et Arbani, was a Byzantine military-civilian province (theme). It encompassed the Adriatic coastal regions of what is now Albania, among other areas.
Established in the 9th century and named after its capital, Dyrrhachium (modern-day Durrës), the theme was dissolved in 1205 following the fall of Constantinople to the Fourth Crusade. The former capital would subsequently come under Venetian control, leading to the establishment of the short-lived Duchy of Durazzo.