Principality of Kastrioti

The Principality of Kastrioti, Albanian: Principata e Kastriotit was one of existing 1389-1444, dominated by the noble family of Kastrioti principality, which was on the territory of modern Albanian state. It was founded in 1389 by the Albanian Gjon Kastrioti I. nobles and then out of the Albanian national hero Skanderbeg prince.

Formation

Gjon Kastrioti I ruled originally only in two small villages, which probably resulted in a coat of arms with the two-headed eagle as its symbol. In a short time succeeded Gjohn Kastrioti to expand his lands so that he was the undisputed master of Central Albania. He married Vojsava from the noble family of the Brankovic, who bore him five daughters: Mara, the future wife of Stefan Crnojević of Montenegro; Jela, she later became the wife of Gjin ( Gino ) Musacchio; Angjelina (Angelina ), the future wife of Vladan Arianit Komnenos Thopia; Vlajka was later the wife of Stefan Maramonte Balšić; Mamica, wife of Karol Musacchio Thopia was later; and four sons: Repos, Stanisa ( Stanislaus ), food Normandin (Constantine ) and Gjergj ( George Kastrioti, Skanderbeg later called ). Gjon Kastrioti was - unlike other princes of the region - to those who fought against the first invasion of the Ottoman Empire, but his resistance was largely ineffective.

To Gjon Kastrioti 1420 had I the power of his principality area expanded far beyond the region of Prizren Mat in the northeast to Lezha in the West.

After the Ottoman sultan had penetrated far into his principality to Skanderbeg pledged to pay tribute to the Ottoman Empire. In order to continue to remain in office as a local ruler of the Principality of Kastrioti, had to for safety and as a pledge for his fidelity Gjergj Kastrioti ( Scanderbeg ) and his three brothers at the court of the sultan in Constantinople Opel life hostage. 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 Iskender Bey Arnavutlu (Albanian: Skënderbeu shqiptar, German: Skanderbeg, meaning: Bey Alexander the Albanians ) as compared with the military brilliance of Alexander the Great.

The principality under Gjergj Kastrioti

Gjergj Kastrioti led as one of the best officers of the Ottoman Empire several campaigns in Asia Minor and in Europe, for which the Sultan promoted him to general. He fought with his troops in several campaigns against Greeks, Serbs and Hungarians; some sources also state that he had kept secret connections to the Republic of Ragusa, the Venetian Republic, to Ladislaus V of Hungary, and Alfonso I of Naples at this time. Sultan Murad II gave him the title Vali, making him the Sultan to the Governor General. On November 28, 1443, Skanderbeg saw his opportunity when the rebels were held during a battle against the Hungarians of John Hunyadi in Niš and as part of the Crusade of Varna in the battle. He led the armies together, including about 300 Albanians who were in the service of the Ottoman army. After a long trek to Albania he took a Kruja and was a letter from the Sultan to the Governor of Kruja, which implied that they allowed him to control the corresponding territory, back to the ruler. After the conquest of the castle of Kruja Skanderbeg abjured Islam and proclaimed himself the avenger of his family and the ruler of the country. He raised the flag with the double-headed eagle on emblem, an ancient symbol of different cultures in the Balkans (especially in the Byzantine Empire ), this symbol was later used in the Albanian flag. The former governor, who wanted nothing to do with the plans of Scanderbeg, was killed in his flight to Edirne. Skanderbeg allied then with Gjergj Arianiti ( born Gjergj Arianit Komneni ) and married his daughter Donika ( born Arianiti Muzaka ) with that.

League of Lezha

After the capture of Kruja succeeded Skanderbeg in the city of Lezha ( League of Lezha see 1444 ) to unite all Albanian princes. British historian Edward Gibbon reported that the " Albanians are a warlike race who live together and die together with their hereditary prince " and " in the assembly of the states of Epirus, Skanderbeg was elected leader. In the war against the Turks, each of the individual allies had to participate equally, or engage and provide his respective proportion of men and money corresponding ". With the support of Scanderbeg and the dismantled forts in their territory, they organized a mobile defense, so that the Ottomans had to retreat with their troops and were not adjusted to the new guerrilla tactics of the Albanians.