The Principality of Kastrioti ( 1389 - 1444 ) is one of the most influential principalities in medieval Albania. It was created by Gyon Kastrioti and exalted under the leadership of his son George Kastrioti (Skanderbeg) , the national hero of Albania.
| Historical state | |
| Principality of Kastrioti | |
|---|---|
| Principata e Kastriotit | |
 Principality of Castrioti in the 15th century | |
←   →1389 - 1444 | |
| Capital | Kruya |
| Languages) | Albanian |
| Religion | Catholicism |
| Official language | |
Content
Creation
Initially, Gyon Castrioti was the owner of two villages in the vicinity of the city of Debar . In a short time he expanded his possessions, subjugated the Mati region to his power and became one of the major feudal lords of Central Albania.
Gyon Castrioti was married to Voisava Tripalde, from whom he had five daughters (Mara, Elena, Angelina, Vlajka, Mamitsa) and four sons (Reposh, Stanisha, Konstantin and George).
Gyon Kastrioti was among those Albanian feudal lords who opposed aggression from the Ottoman sultans, but his resistance was ineffective. Gyon Castrioti rebelled against the Turks, but was defeated and lost part of his possessions. He was forced to recognize himself as a vassal of the Sultan and pledged to pay tribute. His sons, including the future Skanderbeg , were sent to the court of the Sultan as hostages. George Castrioti converted to Islam , studied at a military school in Edirne and participated in numerous military campaigns of the Ottoman Empire. For his military victories, the Turks gave him the nickname Skanderbeg , comparing him with Alexander the Great.
Skanderbeg's rise to power
George Castrioti (Skanderbeg) became one of the major Ottoman military leaders. He participated in the military campaigns of the Sultan against the Greeks, Serbs and Hungarians. Some sources report that he maintained secret ties with Dubrovnik , Venice , the king of Hungary, Laszlo V, and the king of Naples, Alphonse the Magnanimous . Sultan Murad II gave him the title “Vali” in the Albanian region of Dibra . On November 28, 1443, after the defeat of the Turkish army near Nis in Serbia, Skanderbeg, together with a detachment of Albanians (300 people), fled from the Ottoman possessions to his homeland. He captured the fortress of Kruyu, renounced Islam and declared himself head of the Principality of Kastrioti. Skanderbeg made an alliance with another powerful Albanian feudal lord George Arianiti and married his daughter Donika.
Lezha League
After the capture of Krui, Skanderbeg organized a congress of Albanian princes in the coastal city of Lezha, which belonged to the Venetian Republic. Leka Zakharia and vassals Pal and Nikolai Dukagini , Peter Spani , Leka Dushmani , Georgy Streshi , Ivan and Goiko Balshichi Andrei Topiya and his nephew Tanush , George Arianiti , Theodor Korona Muzaki , Stefan Chernoyevich with three sons: Ivan, Andrei and Bozhid arrived at the congress .
On March 2, 1444, Albanian feudal lords created the so-called Lezha League, a military-political alliance directed mainly against the Ottoman Empire. Skanderbeg was elected head and commander of the league forces. Each of the league participants had to provide under the command of Skanderbeg a certain number of soldiers and money. Skanderbeg , using mountainous impregnable fortresses and guerrilla warfare tactics, successfully repelled the attacks of the Ottoman Turks for a long time.
See also
- Lezha League
- Albanian principalities
- History of Albania
- Kastrioti
Sources
- Alain Ducellier: Kastrioti. In: Lexikon des Mittelalters (LexMA). Band 3, Artemis & Winkler, München / Zürich 1986, ISBN 3-7608-8903-4 , Sp. 1442.
- Albanische Akademie der Wissenschaften (Hrsg.): Historia e popullit shqiptar në katër vëllime. Botimet Toena, Tirana 2002, ISBN 99927-1-623-1 .