It represents him as a cruel and capricious tyrant. Thomas seized various properties of the Church of Ioannina and awarded them to his Serbian retainers. In 1382 a new appointee to the local archbishopric, Matthew, was sent out from Constantinople, and invested Thomas with the title of despotes on behalf of the Byzantine Emperor John V Palaiologos. Nevertheless, later Thomas quarreled with the archbishop and exiled him from Ioannina. Thomas was also accused of persecuting the local nobility, which inspired a series of revolts against his rule. In addition to seizing ecclesiastical and private property, Thomas established new taxes and monopolies on various commodities, including fish and fruit. In addition to relying on his military forces to enforce these imposts, Thomas waged a continuous war against the Albanians of Arta and Angelokastron. Soon after taking possession of Ioannina, Thomas was unsuccessfully besieged by Albanian nobleman, Peter Losha of Arta. Thomas betrothed his daughter to Losha's son in 1370, satisfying the Albanians and ending conflicts. In 1374, Pjetër Losha died of the plague in Arta, after which Gjon Shpata took over the city. At this time he was not bound by agreement to Thomas; he laid siege to Ioannina and ravaged the country-side. Thomas brought peace when he betrothed his sister Helena to Gjon Shpata the following year. Attacks on Ioannina continued, however, by the Malakasioi, who were finally defeated by Thomas (1377 and 1379). In May 1379, Gjon Shpata devastated the country-side of Ioannina. After repeated failure, Thomas turned for help to his Frankish and then his Ottoman neighbors. The latter responded promptly and dispatched an auxiliary force in 1381. Thomas put this force to good use and conquered many fortresses from his enemies in 1381–1384. He was given the epithet "Albanian-Slayer" (Αλβανοκτόνος, Albanoktonos). However, the Albanians under Gjon Shpata, together with the Mazarakii tribe held their defensive positions and ultimately defeated Thomas once again. Nevertheless, Thomas had come to be on bad terms with his wife Maria, who participated in the subsequent conspiracy against her husband. On December 23, 1384, Thomas was assassinated by his guards. the population of Ioannina swore allegiance to Maria and invited her brother John Uroš Doukas Palaiologos to come and advise her in the government. Assessment Preljubović is generally treated in a negative outlook in contemporary sources. The Chronicle of Ioannina, written about his rule in Ioannina, regularly describes him as "wicked", a "merciless