Morea

Morea, the modern name of the southern half of Greece, anciently called the Peloponnesos. Its name is derived by some from the Latin word for mulberry (morus), the leaf of which it somewhat resembles in shape; but some modern scholars trace its origin to the Slavonic more (" the sea"). The Slav immigrants were subdued by the Eastern Emperors, one of whom, Michael Palseologus VIII., partially recovered it from the Normans, who had held it since 1205. During the Middle Ages the peninsula was the scene of endless strife. Towards the end of the 15th century the Turks acquired the larger portion of it. Venice reconquered it in 1684, but lost it again in 1714; and it remained Turkish till the Greek War of Independence.