Since the medieval times, the tower that dominates the village of Rovies, in northern Evia, was constantly changing hands and use as often as the Franks, Venetians, Ottomans and Greek rulers of the large Aegean island of central Greece alternated.
The stone building, one of the largest towers in Evia, was originally the residence and stronghold of William of Villehardouin, the Frank ruler of the Achaean principality in the Peloponnese, who -according to most sources- is said to have erected it in 1256. He allegedly also used the tower as an observatory for pirates.
William of Villehardouin’s interests in Evia emerged from a dispute over the inheritance of his second wife, the Venetian Carintana dalle Carceri. He demanded half of the barony of northern Evia, but the Venetians' refusal to provide it led to war between the two sides. The controversy was won by William of Villehardouin, who became the ruler of Northern Evia in 1256.
During the 14th century, by continuously claiming permanent rights from the Frankish successors of William of Villehardouin, the Venetians have slowly but methodically managed to regain control of Northern Evia. As for the tower, they are thought to have used it to send, by the use of lights, messages destined to Italy.
Then, during the Ottoman period that began in 1470 with the occupation of Evia, the tower in Rovies survived the devastating rage of Mohammed II only because the local Agas (provincial commander of the Ottoman empire) used it to vacation in this coastal settlement, along with the various women of his harem.
Centuries later, when the Greek War of Independence had already ignited, the Ottomans sold the tower in 1832 (or 1833) to the Greek landowner Apostolos Doumas, who’s origins were from Odessa in the Black Sea. The descendants of Doumas, the Papadopoulos family (a member of which is Anna Papadopoulou, the legendary Mother of the Soldier), have maintained and still possess the tower to this day.
The tower, built to Western architectural standards, is square, with small openings and ramparts, and consists of a vaulted ground floor and three floors - the last of which is destroyed. Around the tower, the modern buildings of the village of Rovies were gradually appearing from the beginning of the 20th century - especially after 1925, when refugees from Asia Minor and Constantinople settled there, based on the population exchange pact between Greece and Turkey.
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