Skanderbeg

This article is about the Albanian hero. For other uses of "Skanderbeg", "Scanderbeg" or "Skënderbeu", see Skanderbeg (disambiguation).

File:Gjergj Kastrioti.JPG

Portrait of Skanderbeg in the Uffizi, Florence.

Gjergj Kastrioti Skanderbeg (6 May 1405 – 17 January 1468) (Albanian: Gjergj Kastriot Skënderbeu, widely known as Skanderbeg, Turkish İskender Bey, meaning "Lord or Leader Alexander"), or Iskander Beg, was a prominent historical figure in the history of Albania and of the Albanian people. Known as the Dragon of Albania he is the national hero of the Albanians and initially through the work of his main biographer, Marin Barleti, is remembered for his struggle against the Ottoman Empire, whose armies he successfully ousted from his native land for more than two decades.

Service in the Ottoman Army

Portrait of Scanderbeg, ca. 1648.

Born in Dibër, Albania, Skanderbeg was a descendant of the Kastrioti family.

According to Gibbon, Skanderbeg's father, was Gjon Kastrioti (John Castriot), lord of Middle Albania, that included Mat, Krujë, Mirditë and Dibër. His mother was Vojsava from the Tribalda family, (who came from the Pollog valley, north-western part of present-day Macedonia), or from the old noble Muzaka(Musachi) family. Gjon Kastrioti was among those who opposed the early incursion of Ottoman Bayezid I, however his resistance was ineffectual. The Sultan, having accepted his submissions, obliged him to pay tribute and to ensure the fidelity of local rulers, George Kastrioti and his three brothers were taken by the Sultan to his court as hostages. After his conversion to Islam, he attended military school in Edirne and led many battles for the Ottoman Empire to victory. For his military victories, he received the title Arnavutlu İskender Bey, (Albanian: Skënderbe shqiptari, English: Lord Alexander, the Albanian) comparing Kastrioti's military brilliance to that of Alexander the Great.

He was distinguished as one of the best officers in several Ottoman campaigns both in Asia Minor and in Europe, and the Sultan appointed him General. He even fought against Greeks, Serbs and Hungarians, and some sources say that he used to maintain secret links with Ragusa, Venice, Ladislaus V of Hungary, and Alfonso I of Naples. Sultan Murat II gave him the title Vali which made him General Governor. Skanderbeg came to lead a cavalry unit of 5,000 men with which he subdued a large part of Anatolia.

Albanian Resistance under Skanderbeg

The rise

File:Skandeberginkruja.jpg

The castle of Kruja during Ottoman times.

On November 28, 1443, Skanderbeg saw his opportunity to rebel during a battle against the Hungarians led by John Hunyadi in Niš as part of the Crusade of Varna. He switched sides along with 300 other Albanians serving in the Ottoman army. After a long trek to Albania he eventually captured Krujë by forging a letter from the Sultan to the Governor of Krujë, which granted him control of the territory. After capturing the castle, Skanderbeg abjured Islam and proclaimed himself the avenger of his family and country. He raised the flag with the Double-headed eagle, an ancient symbol of the Holy Roman Empire and the Byzantine Empire, used historically and till today by various states and authorities of the Balkans, Eastern Europe and Central Europe, including Albania (See Albanian flag).

Skanderbeg allied with George Arianiti (born Gjergj Arianit Komneni, who shared a distant relation with the Byzantine Komnenos dynasty from one of his great grandmothers) and married his daughter Andronike (born Marina Donika Arianiti).

Following the capture of Krujë, Skanderbeg managed to bring together all the Albanian princes in the town of Lezhë (see League of Lezhë, 1444). Gibbon reports that the "Albanians, a martial race, were unanimous to live and die with their hereditary prince" and that "in the assembly of the states of Epirus, Skanderbeg was elected general of the Turkish war and each of the allies engaged to furnish his respective proportion of men and money". With this support, Skanderbeg built fortresses and organized a mobile defense force that forced the Ottomans to disperse their troops, leaving them vulnerable to the hit-and-run tactics of the Albanians. Skanderbeg fought a guerrilla war against the opposing armies by using the mountainous terrain to his advantage. Skanderbeg commanded an army of about 18,000 soldiers, but only had absolute control over 3,500 men from his own dominions and had to convince his colleagues that his policies and tactics were the right ones.

Woodcut of confrontation between Skanderbeg's forces and Ottoman forces.

In the summer of 1444, in the field of Torvioll, the united Albanian armies under Skanderbeg faced the Ottomans under direct command of the Turkish general Ali Pasha, with an army composed of 25,000 to 40,000 men. Skanderbeg had under his command 7,000 infantry and 8,000 cavalry. 3,000 cavalry were hidden behind the enemy lines in a nearby forest under the command of John Musachi (Albanian: Gjon Muzaka) . At the given signal, they descended, encircling the Turks and giving Skanderbeg a much needed victory. About 8,000 to 22,000 Turks were killed and 2,000 were captured. His victory echoed across Europe because this was one of the few times that an Ottoman army was defeated in a set piece battle on European soil. In the coming years, Skanderbeg defeated the Turks two more times, once in 1445 in Moker (Dibra), and once more in 1447 in Oranik (Dibra).

In 1447, Skanderbeg was also involved in a conflict with Venice, (Albanian-Venice War) due to a capture of a castle in Northern Albania (Danja) by the Republic of Saint-Marc. During the conflict, Venice invited the Ottomans to attack simultaneously Skanderbeg from east, provoking a double-sided conflict for the Albanians. Skanderbeg, who had besieged a few castles that were possessed by Venice in Albania, was forced to fight an Ottoman Army under the conduct of Mustafa Pasha. In 1448 he won the battle against Mustafa Pasha in Dibër, some days later he won in Shkodra another battle against a Venetian Army led by Andrea Venerio. In the same time he besieged the towns of Durrës and Lezha which were under Venetian rule. This forced the Venice to offer a peace treaty to Skanderbeg The peace treaty was signed between Skanderbeg and Venice on 4 October 1448 and soon after Skanderbeg headed for joining John Hunyadi in Kosovo.

Although it is commonly believed that Skanderbeg took part in the Second Battle of Kosovo in 1448, he actually never arrived. He and his army were en route to reinforce the mainly Hungarian army of John Hunyadi, but Hunyadi did not wait for Skanderbeg while he was delayed by Brankovic. About the time of the battle, Mehmed II also launched an invasion of Albania in order to keep Skanderbeg busy. Although Hunyadi was defeated in the campaign, Hungary successfully resisted and defeated the Ottoman campaigns during Hunyadi's lifetime.

In 1449 an Ottoman army led by Sultan Murad II laid siege to the castle of Sfetigrad. Albanian garrison in the castle resisted the frontal assaults of the Ottoman Army, while Skanderbeg harrased the sieging forces with the remaining Albanian army under his personal command. In late summer 1449 due to lack of potable water the Albanian garrison surrendered the castle with the condition of a safe passage through the Ottoman besieging forces, a condition which was accepted and respected by the sultan

In June 1450, an Ottoman army numbering approximately 100,000 men led again by Sultan Murad II himself laid siege to Krujë. Following a practise of the scorched earth (neglecteing this way the local sources for such a great army), Skanderbeg left a protective garrison of 1,500 men under one of his most trusted lieutenants, Vrana Konti (also known as Kont Urani), while with the remainder of the army he harassed the Ottoman camps around Krujë and attacked the supply caravans of the sultan's army. Three major Ottoman direct assaults on the city walls were repelled by the garrison causing great losses to the besieging forces. Ottoman attempts of finding and cutting the water sources failed and the same happened with a saped tunnel, which crumbled suddenly. Also an offer of 300,000 aspra (Turkish money) and a graduation to the Turkish army made to commander of the garrison Vrana Konti was disdainfully rejected by him. By September the Ottoman camp was in disarray as morale sank and disease ran rampant. Murad II acknowledged the castle of Krujë would not fall by strength of arms and in October 1450, he lifted the siege and made his way to Edirne leving behind losses amounting to 20,000 dead. Soon thereafter in the winter of 1450–1451, Murad died in Edirne and was succeeded by his son Mehmed II.

The consolidation

Although achieving a great succes at resisting to the Sultan himself, the country couldn't crop the harvest and a famine was spread out. Following Skanderbeg's requests king Alfons of Naples helped him in this situation and the two parties signed in 1451 the Treaty of Gaeta, which was later used as an excuse for Skanderbeg in his Italian campaign. Also in 1451 Skanderbeg married the daughter of Gjergj Arianiti one of the most influent Albanian noblemen, strengthening this way the ties between them.

Engraving of an Albanian assault on a Turkish camp.

For the next five years Albania was allowed some respite as the new sultan set out to conquer the last vestiges of the Byzantine Empire, though a couple of minor battles took place in the meanwhile at the Albanian frontiers, all of which were won by the Albanian Army. Christianity in the Balkans was dealt an almost fatal blow when the Byzantine Empire was extinguished after the Fall of Constantinople in 1453. The first real test between the armies of the new sultan and Skanderbeg came in 1455 during the Siege of Berat, and would end in the most disastrous defeat Skanderbeg would suffer. Skanderbeg besieged the town's castle for months, causing the demoralized Turkish officer in charge of the castle to promise his surrender. At that point Skanderbeg relaxed the grip, split his forces and left the siege location. He left behind one of his generals, Muzakë Topia and half of his cavalry at the bank of the river Osum to finalize the surrender. It would be a costly error.

The Ottomans saw this moment as an opportunity for attack. They sent a large cavalry force from Anatolia to Berat as reinforcements. The Albanian forces had become overconfident and lulled into a false sense of security. The Ottomans caught the Albanian cavalry by surprise while they were resting in the shores of the Osum. Almost all the 5,000 Albanian cavalry laying siege to Berat were killed. Most of the forces belonged to Gjergj Arianiti and this defeat minimized his role as the greatest supporter of Skanderbeg.

This defeat affected somewhat the attitude of other Albanian noblemans. One of them Moisi Arianit Golemi defected to Turks and in 1456 returned to Albania as a commander of a Turkish army of 15,000 strong, but was defeated from Scanderbeg in a swift battle. Later that year Moisi Arianit Golemi remorseful returned to Albania asking for Skanderbeg forgiveness and once acquitted remained loyal up to his death in 1464.

In the beginning of 1457, another nobleman Hamza Kastrioti Skanderbeg's own nephew, defected to Turks. In the summer of 1457 an Ottoman army numbering approximately 70,000 men invaded Albania with the hope of destroying Albanian resistance once and for all; this army was led by Isa beg Evrenoz, the only commander to have defeated Skanderbeg forces in the battle of Berat, and Hamza Kastrioti, Skanderbeg’s nephew. After wreaking much damage to the countryside the Ottoman army set up camp at the Ujebardha field (literally translated as "White water"), halfway between Lezhë and Krujë. After having avoided the enemy for months, calmly creating the impression to the Turks and European neighbours that he was defeated, on September 2nd, Skanderbeg attacked the Ottomans in their encampments and defeated them. This was one of the most important and glorious victories of Skanderbeg over the Ottomans, which led to a 5 years peace treaty with Sultan Mehmed II. Hamza was captured and sent to detention in Naples.

File:Beteja e Albulenës.jpg

Beteja e Albulenës by Fatmir Haxhiu

The last years

On 17 April 1461 Skanderbeg signed a three-year armistice with the sultan. This allowed him to launch in late summer 1461 a successful campaign against the Angevin noblemen and their allies (Francesco Piccinino) who sought to destabilize King Ferdinand I of Naples. For his services he gained the title of Duke of San Pietro in the kingdom of Naples. After securing the Neapolitan kingdom, a crucial ally in his struggle, he returned home, informed of the Ottoman movements in the borders. There were thre Ottoman armies approaching. The first one under the command of Sinan Bey was defeated in the Battle of Mokra (near Dibër), the second one under the command of Hasan Bey was defeated in the Battle of Ohër where the Turkish commander himself was captured and the third one was defeated in the region of Shkupi. This forced the sultan to agree to an ten-year armistice which was signed in April 1463. Inspired by the Crusade declared by Pius II and hearing of the Pope and crusaders army presence in Ancona, in the beginning of August 1464 Skanderbeg forces attacked and defeated Sheremet Bey forces near Ohrid lake. But when the pope died and the crusade dispersed, Skanderbeg forces remained alone against sultan. In April 1465 at the First Battle of Vajkal Skanderbeg fought and defeated Ballaban Badera, an Albanian Ottoman general, but in the same battle through an ambush Ballaban managed to capture some important Albanian noblemens, including Moisi Arianit Golemi, a cavalry commander; Vladan Giurica, the chief army quartermaster; Muzaka of Angelina, a nephew of Skanderbeg, and 18 officers. These men were sent immediately to Constandinople (Istanbul) where they were skinned alive for fifteen days and later cut to the pieces and thrown to the dogs Skanderbeg’s pleas to have these men back, by either ransom or prisoner exchange, failed.

Later same year two other Ottoman armies appeared in the borders. The commander of the this campaign and one of the Ottoman armies was Ballaban Badera, which together Jakup Bey in the command of the second army, planned a double flank movement. First Skanderbeg attacked Ballaban forces at the Second Battle of Vajkal. The Turks were defeated again, but this time all the Turkish prisoners were slained in an act of revenge for the previous execution of Albanian captains The other Turkish army under the command of Jakup Bey was defeated some days later in Kashari field near Tirana.

In 1466 Sultan Mehmed II personally led an army into Albania and laid siege to Krujë as his father had attempted sixteen years earlier. The town was defended by a garrison of 4,400 men, led by Prince Tanush Topia. After several months of siege and destructions and killings all over the country, Mehmed II (Fatih-The Conqueror), like Murad II, saw that seizing Krujë was impossible for him to accomplish by force of arms. Subsequently, he left the siege to return to Constantinople (Istanbul). However, he left a force of 40,000 men under Ballaban Pasha to maintain the siege, even building a castle in central Albania, which he named Il-basan (the modern Elbasan), to support the siege. Durrës would be the next target of the sultan, in order to be used as a strong base opposite the Italian coast. Skanderbeg spent the following winter in Italy, unsuccessfully seeking aid in Rome and Naples. However, on his return he allied with Lekë Dukagjini, and together on 19 April 1467 they first attacked and defeated in Kërraba region the Turkish reinforcments commanded by the Jonima the brother of Ballaban Pasha, while Jonima itself was killed. Four days later in 23 April 1467 they attacked the Ottoman forces besieging Kruja, the Second Siege of Kruja was eventually broken, resulting also with the death of Ballaban Pasha from an Albanian arquebusier named Gjergj Aleksi.

After these events, Skanderbeg forces besieged Elbasan, but lacking artillery and big numbers they couldn't capture it by direct assaults. The destruction of Ballaban Pasha's army and the besiege of Elbasan, forced Mehmed II to march again in summer 1467 against Albania. He energetically pursued the attacks against the Albanian strongholds, while sending detachments to raid the Venetian possessions to keep them isolated. The Ottomans failed again to take Kruja, and to subjugate the country, but the degree of destruction was immense.

During all these yearly Ottoman incursions, Albanians had a great numbers of casualties especially in the civilian population and the economy of the country was in ruin. The above problems, the loss of many Albanian noblemans and the new alliance with Lekë Dukagjini made Skanderbeg to call in January 1468, in the Venetian stronghold of Lezhë all the remaining Albanian nobleman in a conference for discussing the new war strategy and restructuring what remained from the League of Lezhe. During that period Skanderbeg felt ill of malaria and soon died on 17 January 1468. After the death of Skanderbeg none of the remaining Albanian nobleman had the authority and the stature to made an organized resistance to the Turkish forces. Kruja was besieged again in 1474 and in 1478 was finally captured by the Ottoman forces. In 1479 an Ottoman army headed by the Sultan himself besieged and captured Shkodra and this marked the end of the organised Albanian resistance.

Skanderbeg's diplomacy

Relations with Papal States

Skanderbeg's military successes evoked a good deal of interest and admiration from the Papal States, Venice, and Naples, themselves threatened by the growing Ottoman power across the Adriatic Sea. Skanderbeg managed to arrange for support in the form of money, supplies, and occasionally troops from all three states through his diplomatic skill. One of his most powerful and consistent supporters was Alfonso the Magnanimous, the king of Aragon and Naples, who decided to take Skanderbeg under his protection as a vassal in 1451, shortly after the latter had scored his great victory against Murad II. In addition to financial assistance, the King of Naples supplied the Albanian leader with a few troops, military equipment, and sanctuary for himself and his family if such a need should arise. As an active defender of the Christian cause in the Balkans, Skanderbeg was also closely involved with the politics of four Popes, including Pope Pius II, who hailed him as the Christian Gideon.

Profoundly shaken by the fall of Constantinople in 1453, Pius II tried to organize a new crusade against the Ottoman Turks, and to that end he did his best to come to Skanderbeg's aid, as his predecessors Pope Nicholas V and Pope Calixtus III had done before him. The latter named him captain general of the Holy See. They gave him the title Athleta Christi, or Champion of Christ. But Pius II died in the crucial moment when the crusading armies were gathering and preparing to march in Ancona, on August 1464.

Relations with Venice Republic

In the begining of the Albanian insurrection, Venice was supportive to Skanderbeg considering him as a kind of buffer zone between them and the Ottoman Empire. Accordingly The League of Lezha was held in a Venetic territory with the Venice approval. The later affirmation of Skanderbeg and his rise as a strong force in their border, was seen as a menace to the interest of the Republic and this led to the worsening of the relations and the case of Danja was the final drop leading to Albanian-Venetic War 1447-1448. Not withstanding alone the forces of Skanderbeg they sought by every means to overthrow or bring about the death of this "formidable one" offering even a life pension of 100 dukats annually for the person who could do that. In that period they also requested the help of the sultan and when the Skanderbeg defeated the Turkish army and the Venetic army at Shkodra they requested armistice and a peace treaty with "buoni amici e vicini" (good friends and neighbour) was signed in 4 October 1448. Venice agreed to pay Skanderbeg 1400 ducats for keeping Danja and environs but would cede to Skanderbeg the territory of Buzëgjarpri at the mouth of river Drin, and also Skanderbeg would enjoy the privilege of buying tax-free 200 horse-loads of salt annually from the Venetic customs.

During the First Siege of Kruja, the Venetic merchants furnished the besieging Ottoman army. The attack of Skanderbeg on their caravans rose again the tension between the parties, but the case was resolved with the help of the baile of Durrës which didn't allow more Venetic merchant to furnish the Ottoman army.

The Senate of Venice further resented the Skanderbeg's alliance with the Kingdom of Naples an old enemy of the Republic. Commonly they delayed their due payments to Skanderbeg and this was always a matter of a long correspondence between the parties, with Skanderbeg always threatening and Venice steping backwards.

The position of Venice Republic changed when they entered in their first war with Turks (1463-1479). During this period the Republic saw at Skanderbeg an unvaluable ally, and in 1464 the peace treaty was renewed and this time other conditions were added. The right of assylum in Venice, an article precising that any Venetian treaty with the Turks would include a guarantee of Albanian independence an also a presence of two Venice ships in the Adriatic waters around Lezha.

After the death of Skanderbeg, with the request of the Skanderbeg's wife a number of Venice soldiers were added to the Albanian garrison at Kruja, while she went to take refuge to the Kingdom of Naples together with her 11 year old son Gjon Kastrioti and this way Venice de facto controlled what was once the Skanderbeg's territory. The eventual defeat of Venice and of what remained from their Albanian allies at the Siege of Shkodra in 1479, marked the end of the organised Albanian resistance.

Relations with Kingdom of Naples

According to some scholars Skanderbeg and King Alfons had secret contacts when Skanderbeg was subash at Kruja around 1438. After his ascendance in 1443 they become part of Skanderbeg diplomacy. Their intensification began in 1447 when Skanderbeg began the conflict with Venice Republic. King Alfons I was the main rival of Venice in Adriatik and his dreams for an empire were always opposed from Venice.

In 1448 Alfonso V of Aragon, suffered a rebellion caused by certain barons in the rural areas of his kingdom in southern Italy. He needed reliable troops to deal with the uprising, so he called upon Skanderbeg, for some assistance. Skanderbeg, responded to Alfonso's request for aid by sending to Italy a detachment of Albanian troops commanded by General Demetrios Reres. These Albanians, were successful in quickly suppressing the rebellion and restoring order and King Alfonso rewarded Demetrios Reres for his service to Naples by appointing him Governor of Calabria. Two years later in 1450 another detachment of Albanian troops was sent to garrison Sicily against a rebellion and invasion. This time the troops were led by Giorgio and Basilio Reres, the sons of Demetrios.

In 1451 the Albania was in ruin after succesfully defeated sultan Murad I in the First Siege of Kruja and now it was the turn of Skanderbeg to ask for help from King Alfons. He sent his emissaries at Naples and after some negotiations Skanderbeg's representatives Stephan the bishop of Kruja and the domenican Nichola de Berguzzi in 26 March 1451 the signed the Treaty of Gaeta. The treaty was signed not only in the name of Skanderbeg but even “ ... e de soi parenti, baruni in Albania, de la parte altra” (..... his relatives barones in Albania, from the other part). According to the Treaty Skanderbeg recognized to King Alfons the sovranity over his lands, in exchange for the help that King Alfons would gave to him in his war against the Ottomans. Skanderbeg even promised to put the lands he and his relatives would eventually conquer from the Ottomans under Alfons sovranity. King Alfons pledged to respect the old priviledges of Kruja and Albanian territories and to pay Skanderbeg an annual 1500 ducats, while Skanderbeg pledged to make his fealty to Alfons V only after the full expulsion of the Ottomans from the country ( a condition which was never reached in Skanderbeg's life) but this never took place. This fact (the oath never took place) expresively stated in the agreement has rised many debates among scholars. Was Skanderbeg to be called a vasal of King Alfons or not. Some maintain that although it looked like a typical vasal treaty, since this treaty was a conditional agreement and the condition was not fulfilled than Skanderbeg was not even de jure a vasal of Aragon. In the same time Alfons V signed different treaties with other Albanian noblemen, including Golem Arianit Komneni and also the Despot of Morea Demeter Paleologue These movements of Alfons showed that he indeed was thinking for a crusade begining in Albania and Morea, a crusade which never took place. Following this treaty in the end of May 1451, a small detashment of 100 catalan soldiers headed from Bernard Vaquer was established in the castle of Kruja. In May 1452 another catalan nobleman Ramon d’Ortafà came to Kruja with the title of viceroy. In 1453 Skanderbeg paid a secret visit to Naples and Vatican propably discussing for the new conditions after the fall of Constantinople and the planing of a new crusade which Alfons would have presented to the Pope Nicholas V in a meeting of 1453-1454. In November 1453 Skanderbeg informed King Alfons that he had conquered some territories and a castle and Alfons replied some days later that soon Ramon d’Ortafà would have returned to continue the war against the Ottomans (now more than ever) and also promised more troops and supplies. In the begining of 1454 Skanderbeg and Venetians informed the King Alfons and the Pope about a possible Ottoman invasion and asked for help. Pope sent 3000 ducats while Alfons sent 500 infantry and a certain sum of money, along with a message directed to Skanderbeg.<ref>("Magnifico et strenuo viro Georgio Castrioti, dicto Scandabech, gentium armorum magnanimo capitaneo, nobis plurimum dilecto" Noli 1947</ref> ). In June 1454 Ramon d’Ortafà returned after a long absence in Kruja this time with the title of viceroy of Albania, Greece and Slavonia with a personal letter to Skanderbeg as the Captain general of the armed forces in Albania. Along with Ramon d’Ortafà, King Alfons V sent also in Albania the clerics Fra Lorenzo da Palerino and Fra Giovanni dell’Aquila with a tabby flag with an embroided white cross as a symbol of the Crusade which was about to begin. Even this crusade did never begin while the Neapolitan troops were used in the siege of Berat where they were almost entirely annihilated and there were never replaced. In 27 July 1458 King Alfons V the greatest supporter of Skanderbeg died at Naples while Skanderbeg sent three emissaries Tanush Topia, Vladan Givrici and Angjelin Muzaka, to his son King Ferdinand. According to Marinescu the death of King Alfons marked the ending of the Aragonese dream of a Mediterranean Empire and also the hopes for a new crusade in which to Skanderbeg was assigned to a leading role. The relationship of Skanderbeg with the Kingdom of Naples continued even after Alfonso V death. The situation was changed, the natural son and heir of Alfons V Ferdinand I of Naples was not at the height of his father and now it was the turn of Skanderbeg to help King Ferdinand to regain and maintain his kingdom. In 1460 King Ferdinand had serious problems with another uprising of Angevins and asked for help from Skanderbeg. This invitation worried King Ferdinand's opponents, while Malatesta declared that if King Ferrante of Naples sent for Skanderbeg he Malatesta would sent for the turks Ferdinand's main rival Giovanni Antonio Orsini, Prince of Taranto in a correspondence with Skanderbeg tried to dissuade him from this enterprise and even offered him alliance.

This didn't affected Skanderbeg and in the begining of 1461 Skanderbeg dispatched a company of 500 cavalry under his nephew, Gjok Stres Balsha and when the situation became critical, Skanderbeg made a tree year armistice with the Ottomans and in late August 1461 landed himself in Puglia with an expedition of 1000 cavalry and 2000 infantry. In Barletta and Trani, he managed to defeat the Italian and Angevin forces of Giovanni Antonio Orsini, Prince of Taranto and after secured his throne he returned to Albania.

King Ferdinand was very grateful with Skanderbeg for this intervention and not only gave to him and his descendants the castle of Trani, properties of Mount Saint Angel and Saint John Rotondo, but also continued to support Skanderbeg with money and supplies Skanderbeg paid another visit in Naples after he visited Rome in the winter of 1466-67 asking invain for help King Ferdinand's gratitude toward Skanderbeg continued even after his death. In a letter of 24 February 1468 he expresively stated that "Skanderbeg was like a father to us" and "We regret this (Skanderbeg) death not less than the death of King Alfons", offering his protection over Skanderbeg's widov and his son. It is relevant the fact that the majority of Albanian leaders after the death of Skanderbeg found refuge in the Kingdom of Naples and this was also the case for the common peoples trying to escape from Ottomans, which formed Arbëresh colonies in that area.

After death

Mural commemorating a Skanderbeg battle. The Arms of Skanderbeg visible in the forefront are copies of the originals held at the Art Museum Vienna

The Albanian resistance went on after the death of Skanderbeg for an additional ten years under the leadership of Dukagjini, though with only moderate success and no great victories. In 1478, the fourth siege of Krujë finally proved successful for the Ottomans; demoralized and severely weakened by hunger and lack of supplies from the year-long siege, the defenders surrendered to Mehmed, who had promised them to leave unharmed in exchange. As the Albanians were walking away with their families, however, the Ottomans reneged on this promise, killing the men and enslaving the women and children.

In 1479 the Ottoman forces captured the Venetian-controlled Shkodër after a fifteen-month siege. Shkodër was the last Albanian castle to fall to the Ottomans and Venetians evacuated Durrës in 1501. Albanian resistance continued sporadically until 1912 when Albania was no longer part of the Ottoman Empire.

The union which Skanderbeg had maintained in Albania did not survive him. Without Skanderbeg at their lead, their allegiances faltered and splintered until they were forced into submission. The defeats triggered a great Albanian exodus to southern Italy, especially to the kingdom of Naples, as well as to Sicily, Greece, Romania, and Egypt. Albania remained a part of the Ottoman Empire until 1912.

Effects on the Ottoman expansion

The Ottoman Empire's expansion was ground to a halt during the timeframe in which Skanderbeg and his Albanian forces resisted. He has been credited with being the main reason for delaying Ottoman expansion into Western Europe, giving the Italian city-states time to better prepare for the Ottoman arrival . While the Albanian resistance certainly played a vital role in this, it was one piece of numerous events that played out in the mid-15th century. Much credit must also go to the successful resistance mounted by Vlad III Dracula in Wallachia and Stephen III the Great of Moldavia, who dealt the Ottomans their worst defeat at Vaslui, among many others, as well as the defeats inflicted upon the Ottomans by Hunyadi and his major Hungarian forces. Stephen III the great and Hunyadi having also achieved the title of Athleti Cristi, Defenders of the Christian faith along with Skanderbeg. The particularity of Skanderbeg was the maintaining of such an important and difficult resistance for a long period of time (25 years) against the strongest power of the 15th century's world, by possessing very limited economical and human resources. His leading, political, diplomatical and military abilities was the main factor for the small Albanian principate to achieve such a success.

Descendants

Coat of arms of the Kastrioti family.

Skanderbeg’s family, the Kastrioti Skanderbeg, were invested with a Neapolitan dukedom after the Turkish pressure became too strong. They obtained a feudal domain, the Duchy of San Pietro in Galatina and County of Soleto (Lecce, Italy). Two lines of the Castriota Skanderbeg family live onwards in Southern Italy, one of which descends from Pardo and the other from Achille, both being natural sons of Duke Ferrante, son of John and Skanderbeg’s nephew. They are part of the Italian nobility and members of the Sovereign Military Order of Malta with the highest rank of nobility. The only legitimate daughter of Duke Ferrante, Erina, born from Adriana Acquaviva, inherited the paternal estate, bringing the Duchy of Galatina and County of Soleto into the Sanseverino family after her marriage with prince Pietrantonio Sanseverino.

Name

Albanian stamp

His names have been spelled in a number of ways: George, Gjergj, Giorgi, Giorgia, Giorgio, Castriota, Kastrioti, Castrioti, Castriot, Kastriot, Skanderbeg, Skenderbeg, Scanderbeg, Skënderbeg, Skenderbeu, Scander-Begh, Skënderbej or Iskander Bey.

The name, Skanderbeg has the following explanation: The name which can also be written "Skenderbeu" is the Albanian way of writing the Greek name Alexander (Skender or Skander from Turkish and Arab "Iskander") and the Turkish Bey (Lord or prince). The last name Kastrioti refers to a toponym in northern Albania called Kastriot in Debar, where Skanderbeg was born. Because the Albanian language was not written at that time, the written and used languages were Latin and Greek. His name was Gjergj Kastrioti and "Skander Bey" was not part of his name, "Skender" was given by the Sultan and he later also gave him the "Bey" title as he was awarded by the Turkish Sultan, meaning Lord Alexander, comparing Skanderbeg's military skill to that of Alexander the Great's. Thus his name was Gjerg Kastrioti and his title was "Lord Alexander".

Seal of Skanderbeg

Seal of Skanderbeg.

A seal ascribed to Skanderbeg has been kept in Denmark since it was discovered in 1634. It was bought by the National Museum in 1839. The seal is made of brass, is 6 cm in length and weighs 280 g. The inscription (laterally reversed) is in Greek and reads

ΒΑΣΙΛΕΥΣ.ΑΛΕΞΑΝΔΡΟΣ.ΕΛΕΩ.ΘΥ. ΑΥΤ.ΡΩΜ.ΟΜΕΓ. ΑΥΘ.ΤΟΥΡ.ΑΛΒ. ΣΕΡΒΙ.ΒΟΥΛΓΑΡΙ.

Most of the words are abbreviated, but an English translation might be: King Alexander, by the grace of God, Emperor of the Romans, the great ruler of the Turks, Albanians, Serbs, [and] Bulgarians.

If this seal is authentic, it indicates that George Kastrioti declared himself king, using the name Skender in its Greek form. (Greek or Latin were the customary languages for royal inscriptions in the Middle Ages.) The titles highly exaggerate his actual power, but this was often the case for Medieval rulers. Skanderbeg is apparently seen as a successor of the Byzantine emperors, as shown by the title and the double-eagled crest, during this period a symbol of Byzantine power. After the fall of Constantinople in 1453 AD, such claims were also made by the Russian Czars.

Legacy

Gjergj Kastrioti has been classified as one of the hundred best generals of the human history.

Skanderbeg Museum.

The "Dragon of Albania" Skanderbeg, is also credited with the greatest body count. He is said to have slain three thousand Turks with his own hand during his campaigns. Among stories told about him was that he never slept more than five hours at night and could cut two men asunder with a single stroke of his scimitar, cut through iron helmets, kill a wild boar with a single stroke and cleave the head off a buffalo with another.

As part of his internal policy programs, Skanderbeg issued many edicts, like census of the population and tax collection, during his reign based on Roman and Byzantine law.

When the Ottomans found the grave of Skanderbeg in Saint Nicholas, a church in Lezhë, they opened it and made amulets of his bones, believing that these would confer bravery on the wearer.

Skanderbeg today is the national hero of Albania. Many museums and monuments, such as the Skanderbeg Museum next to the castle in Krujë, have been raised in his honor around Albania and in predominantly Albanian-populated Kosovo. Skanderbeg's struggle against the Ottoman Empire became highly significant to the Albanian people, as it strengthened their solidarity, made them more conscious of their national identity, and served later as a great source of inspiration in their struggle for national unity, freedom, and independence.

A division of the Waffen SS was named after Skanderbeg during the Second World War. The 21st SS Division was composed of ethnic Albanians and saw service on the Eastern Front.

James Wolfe, commander of the British forces at Quebec, spoke of Skanderbeg as a commander who "excels all the officers, ancient and modern, in the conduct of a small defensive army". On October 27, 2005, the United States Congress issued a resolution "honoring the 600th anniversary of the birth of Gjergj Castrioti (Scanderbeg), statesman, diplomat, and military genius, for his role in saving Western Europe from Ottoman occupation."

Skanderbeg is depicted on the obverses of the Albanian 1000 lekë banknote of 1992-1996, and of the 5000 lekë banknote issued since 1996.

Skanderbeg in literature

File:BarletiSkanderbeg.jpg

Frontispiece of Historia de vita et gestis Scanderbegi, Epirotarum principis by Marin Barleti

Skanderbeg gathered quite a posthumous reputation in Western Europe in the 16th and 17th centuries. With virtually all of the Balkans under Ottoman rule and with the Turks at the gates of Vienna in 1683, nothing could have captivated readers in the West more than an action-packed tale of heroic Christian resistance to the "Moslem hordes".

Books on the Albanian prince began to appear in Western Europe in the early 16th century. One of the earliest of these histories to have circulated in Western Europe about the heroic deeds of Skanderbeg was the Historia de vita et gestis Scanderbegi, Epirotarum Principis (Rome ca. 1508–1510), published a mere four decades after Skanderbeg's death. This History of the life and deeds of Scanderbeg, Prince of the Epirotes was written by the Albanian historian Marinus Barletius Scodrensis, known in Albanian as Marin Barleti, who after experiencing the Turkish occupation of his native Shkodër at firsthand, settled in Padua where he became rector of the parish church of St. Stephan. Barleti dedicates his work to Donferrante Kastrioti, Skanderbeg's grandchild, and to posterity. The book was first published in Latin and has since been translated in many languages.

The work was widely read in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries and was translated and/or adapted into a number of foreign language versions: German by Johann Pincianus (1533), Italian by Pietro Rocca (1554, 1560), Portuguese by Francisco D'Andrade (1567), Polish by Ciprian Bazylik (1569), French by Jaques De Lavardin, also known as Jacques de Lavardin, Seigneur du Plessis-Bourrot (Histoire de Georges Castriot Surnomé Scanderbeg, Roy d'Albanie, 1576), and Spanish by Juan Ochoa de la Salde (1582). The English version, translated from the French of Jaques De Lavardin by one Zachary Jones Gentleman, was published at the end of the 16th century under the title, Historie of George Castriot, surnamed Scanderbeg, King of Albinie; containing his Famous Actes, his Noble Deedes of Armes and Memorable Victories against the Turkes for the Faith of Christ. Gibbon was not the first one who noticed that Barleti is sometimes inaccurate in favour of his hero; for example, Barleti claims that the Sultan was killed by disease under the walls of Kruje.

Kastrioti's biography was also written by Franciscus Blancus, a Catholic bishop born in Albania. His book "Georgius Castriotus, Epirensis vulgo Scanderbegh, Epirotarum Princeps Fortissimus" was published in Latin in 1636.

Voltaire starts his chapter "The Taking of Constantinople" with the phrase

Had the Greek Emperors acted like Scanderbeg, the empire of the East might still have been preserved.

A number of poets and composers have also drawn inspiration from his military career. The French 16th century poet Ronsard wrote a poem about him, as did the 19th century American poet Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. Antonio Vivaldi composed an opera entitled Scanderbeg. For Gibbon, "John Huniades and Scanderbeg... are both entitled to our notice, since their occupation of the Ottoman arms delayed the ruin of the Greek empire."

In 1855, Camille Paganel wrote Histoire de Scanderbeg, inspired by the Crimean War.

In the lengthy poetic tale Childe Harold's Pilgrimage (1812–1819), which Byron had begun writing while in Albania, Scanderbeg and his warrior nation are described in the following terms:

Land of Albania! where Iskander rose, Theme of the young, and beacon of the wise, And he his namesake, whose oft-baffled foes Shrunk from his deeds of chivalrous emprize: Land of Albania! let me bend mine eyes On thee, thou rugged nurse of savage men! The cross descends, thy minarets arise, And the pale crescent sparkles in the glen, Through many a cypress grove within each city's ken." Canto II, XXXVIII. "Fierce are Albania's children, yet they lack not virtues, were those virtues more mature. Where is the foe that ever saw their back? Who can so well the toil of war endure? Their native fastnesses not more secure Than they in doubtful time of troublous need: Their wrath how deadly! but their friendship sure, When Gratitude or Valour bids them bleed Unshaken rushing on where'er their chief may lead.

Canto II, LXV.George Castriot, surnamed Scanderbeg, King of Albania.

Ludvig Holberg, a Danish writer and philosopher, claimed that Skanderbeg is one of the greatest generals in history. Sir William Temple considers Skanderbeg to be one of the seven greatest chiefs without a crown, along with Belisarius, Flavius Aetius, John Hunyadi, Gonzalo Fernández de Córdoba, Alexander Farnese, and William the Silent.

Monuments outside Albania

• The palace in Rome in which Skanderbeg resided in 1465–66 still bears his name. A statue in the city is dedicated to him. The square where the statue resides is named "Piazza Albania".
• In 2006, a statue of Gjergj Kastrioti Skanderbeg was unveiled on the grounds of St. Paul's Albanian Catholic Community in Rochester Hills, Michigan, the first Skanderbeg statue in the United States.
• Monuments or statues of Skanderbeg have also been erected in: Skopje, Debar, Pristina, Geneva, Brussels and various locales throughout southern Italy where the Arbëreshë community dominates.

List of Skanderbeg's battles

Skanderbeg fought 25 battles and 24 of them ended with victory. The one loss was a battle in Berat in which he wasn't there and arrived at the end of the battle.

• Siege of Petrela (1443/1444)
• Siege of Stelluzi (1443/1444)
• First Siege of Sfetigrad (1443/1444)
• Battle of Torvioll (1444)
• Battle of Mokra (1445)
• Battle of Otonetë (1446)
• Battle of the Drin (1448)
• Battle of Oronik (1448)
• Siege of Sfetigrad (1449)
• Siege of Krujë (1450)
• Siege of Berat (1455)
• Battle of Oronichea (1456)
• Battle of Abulena (1457)
• Battle of Mokrena (Dibra) (1462)
• Battle of Lower Dibra (1462)
• Battle of Pollog (1462)
• Battle of Pollog (1462)
• Battle of Ohër (1464)
• Battle of Kumanove (1465)
• Siege of Krujë (1466)
• Siege of Krujë (1467)

See also

• Arms of Skanderbeg
• History of Albania
• History of Ottoman Empire

Gallery of statues commemorating Skanderbeg

• Skanderbeg statue in Tirana, Albania.
  Skanderbeg statue in Tirana, Albania.
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  Statue of Skanderbeg, in Krujë, Albania.
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  Statue of Skanderbeg, in Skopje, Republic of Macedonia
• A horseman statue portraying the Albanian folk hero, George Castriota Skanderbeg, in the square Piazza Albania in Rome, Italy.
  A horseman statue portraying the Albanian folk hero, George Castriota Skanderbeg, in the square Piazza Albania in Rome, Italy.
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  Statue of Skanderbeg in Pristina, Kosovo.
• Skanderbeg and his men in Krujë, Albania.
  Skanderbeg and his men in Krujë, Albania.
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  Statue of Skanderbeg in Debar, Republic of Macedonia.

References

Literature

• Marinus Barletius. Historia de vita et gestis Scanderbegi Epirotarum Principis. Rome: Bernardinus de Vitalibus, 1508-1510. (in Latin) Eng trans: History of the life and deeds of Scanderbeg Prince of the Epirotes. Earliest known published book about Scanderbeg.
• Jacques de Lavardin and Seigneur du Plessis-Bourrot. Histoire de Georges Castriot, Surnommé Scanderbeg, Roy d'Albanie. Franche-ville: pour Jean Arnauld, 1604. (in French) Based on Marin Barleti's book. (Google Books, full access)
• Clement Clarke Moore. George Castriot, Surnamed Scanderbeg, King of Albania. New York: D. Appleton & Co., 1850. (Google Books, full access)
• James Meeker Ludlow. The Captain of the Janizaries. New York: Harper & brothers, 1890. This is a novel. (Google Books, full access. Also on The Internet Archive)
• Alessandro Laporta. La vita di Scanderbeg di Paolo Angelo (Venezia, 1539). Un libro anonimo restituito al suo autore. Congedo, 2004. ISBN 8880865714, ISBN 9788880865711. (in Italian) Reprint from 1539.
• Thomas Whincop. Scanderbeg: Or, Love and Liberty. London: W. Reeve, 1747. This is a play (a tragedy), the first known of several plays to have been written about Scanderbeg. (Google Books, full access)
• Henry Wadsworth Longfellow and Fan Noli. Skenderbeu. Boston, 1916. (in both Albanian and English) This is Longfellow’s poem about Scanderbeg, adapted in Albanian and published by Fan Noli. (Google Books, full access)
• Franciscus Blancus. Georgius Castriotus, Epirensis vulgo Scanderbegh, Epirotarum Princeps Fortissimus, published in Latin, Venice, 1636.

Additional sources

• Adapted from Fan S. Noli's biography George Castrioti Scanderbeg

External links

• I Castriota Scanderbeg Template:It icon
• Heraldic Source on Scanderbeg
• Benjamin Disraeli, 1833, The Rise of Iskander, (Note this is historical fiction)
• Analysis of literature on Scanderbeg
• Scanderbeg: Warrior-King of Albania — trailer of a documentary
• Military History Timeline of Skanderbeg
• Marinus Barletius: History of George Castriot, surnamed Scanderbeg: Chapter XII