Karl Topia ( Alb. Karl Topia ; between 1338 and 1342 - January 1388 ) - the first ethnic Albanian (at least by his father), who became the independent ruler of the Albanian principality with a center in the city of Durres (Drach, Durazzo) . Prince of Albania in 1368 - 1382 and 1385 - 1388 . In 1374 he received the title “Great Count of Albania” from Pope Gregory XI .
| Karl Topia | |||||||
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| Alb. Karl Topia | |||||||
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| Predecessor | title established | ||||||
| Successor | Balsha II | ||||||
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| Predecessor | Balsha II | ||||||
| Successor | Jergy Topia | ||||||
| Birth | between 1338 and 1342 Durres | ||||||
| Death | January 1388 Elbasan | ||||||
| Kind | Topia | ||||||
| Father | Anda Topia | ||||||
| Mother | Fiametta (Elena), illegitimate daughter of King Roberto of Naples | ||||||
| Spouse | 1. Vojislav Balsic , daughter of Balsha I of Montenegrin 2. Marica Kastrioti , daughter of Gyon , Prince Kastrioti | ||||||
| Children | from 1. Giergi Topia , Elena Topia , Vojislav Topia; from 2. Maria Topia, Nikita Topia . | ||||||
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Biography
Being the maternal grandson of King Roberto of Naples , Karl Topia in 1358 presented the appellate rights to the Albanian territories, formally part of the Anjou Kingdom of Albania, with a center in the city of Durres , which he managed to capture only in 1368 with the support of the Venetians .
Having got Durres, Karl took the new title of princeps (prince) of Albania, which actually was the end of the existence of the Anjou duchy of Durazzo on this territory. Strengthening his power, Topia encountered the brothers of his first wife, Balsic , who sought to unite all Serbian lands under their authority. The war with George I Balshich ended with the fact that Karl Topia captured him in the spring of 1364 and kept him imprisoned for two years.
Another Balshich, Balsha II , turned out to be more successful in the war with Topia: in 1382 he took the Albanian principality from him and ruled them until his death in the battle against the Turks in 1385, after which Karl Topia returned to reign with the support of the Turks. On August 17, 1386, Topia, seeing the intensification of the Turkish threat, signed an alliance treaty with the Republic of Venice , recognizing its suzerainty . In the same year, he unsuccessfully attempted to take from the widow of Balsh II Ksenia Komnin the Principality of Walloon . In January 1388, Karl Topia died leaving the Principality to his only legitimate son, Gyorgy Topi . Buried in the monastery of St. John Vladimir in Elbasan .