THESSALY, the largest division of ancient Greece; lay S. of Macedonia and E. of Epirus; being separated from the latter by Mount Pindus, and from the former by the Cambunian Mountains; the Maliac Gulf and Mount CEta bound ing it on the S. It is a vast plain shut in on every side by mountains; on the N. and W. by those already named, on the S. by Mount Othrys, and on the E. by Mounts Pelion and Ossa, the only open ing being the Vale of Tempe in the N. E., between Ossa and Olympus. This plain is drained chiefly by the Peneus river (now Salambria) and its tributa ries, and is the most fertile in all Greece. Thessaly was originally inhabited by so called Pelasgians, who, however, were either expelled or reduced to slavery by Dorian immigrants from the more rugged region of Epirus about 1000 B. C. The Penestm, descendants of the old inhabi tants, held a position analogous to that of the Helots in Sparta. There were districts—Hestimotis, Pelasgiotis, Thessaliotis, and Phthiotis; Magnesia on the coast being a minor division. The government appears to have been oligar chial in the separate cities—of which Pharsalus, Larissa, Heracleum, and Pherm were the principal—power being in the hands of two great families. About 374 B. C. Jason, tyrant of Pher, was elected Tagus (chief-magistrate) of all Thessaly. The rule of Jason's suc
cessors became so unbearable that aid was sought from Philip of Macedon, who in 344 subjected the country to Mace donia. Thessaly remained subject to the Macedonian kings till the victory of Cy noscephalae, in 197 B. C., brought it un der the protection of Rome. Under the emperors Thessaly was united with Mac edonia, but after Constantine it was a separate province. In A. D. 1204 with other portions of the Eastern Empire, it came under the dominion of the Vene tians, and in 1355 was taken by the Turks. The restoration to Greece of Thessaly S. of the Salambria was rec ommended by the Berlin Congress in 1878; and subsequently various modifica tions of the Greco-Turkish frontiers were proposed, the Greeks endeavoring to se cure the cession of the whole of Thes saly. War between Greece and Turkey seemed imminent; but in 1881 Turkey agreed to cede, and Greece to accept, Thessaly S. of the ridge of mountains forming the watershed of the Salam bria (the ancient Peneus), by much the largest and most fertile section of the province. The Greek portion constitutes the three monarchies of Larissa, Trik hala, and Phthiotis with Phocis.