Conspiracy plans to overthrow Ottoman rule in the northern region of Epirus were organized in the 1570s by local Greek nobles, Manthos Papagiannis and Panos Stolikos, Nevertheless revolutionary actions began after Papagiannis' death in 1596. Spanish conspirators, with instructions from Naples, led an action to spark revolt in southern Albania. They decided to invite archbishop Athanasius I of Ohrid in their plans. He was described as "discrete and intelligent". In the beginning, Athanasius was uninvolved, until the beginning of 1596 when he offered his cooperation to the Venetian official in Corfu. Athanasius sent a letter to the provveditore and captain of Corfu, Angelo Basadonna, in January 1596, about wanting to meet up and discuss "very important things". The two had a meeting on 26 January 1596, during which Athanasius spoke of the "miserable state of Christians" and asked for help for a general uprising. Rejected by Venice, he openly joined the Spanish conspirators, who contacted the Napolitan deputy about this. Athanasius sent his minister to Naples to ask for weapons and 2,000 soldiers from Spain, and to establish the whole plan of the uprising. The Napolitan vice-king sent one of his captains to oversee events and to get to know the real intents of the people. While the Napolitan captain was in Albania, the Himariotes south of Valona immediately rose up. The Himara revolt was part of a range of anti-Ottoman movements in the Western Balkans at the end of the 16th century during the Long Turkish War in areas that extended from Epirus up north to the area of Šibenik .
What sparked the revolution?
Papagiannis' death