Gjergj Kastrioti (Skenderbey)

Theodore seems to have done well here during my absence, defending the case of Scanderbeg

 

Akritas mentioned Emathia and Kastoria. Emathia was Barleti's term for Mati, which is a region in North-Central Albania. It is, essentially, free of Greek influence. Kastoria has nothing to do with Kastrioti, as historians have concluded long ago. Firstly, it is not plausible to assume the Kastrioti family received their name from the town of Kastoria, when no mention of them being from there originally is made .. nor did Scanderbeg's domains ever stretch thus far. Additionally, Kastrioti comes from the word castron, from the Greek word for castle. The Kastrioti family were the castle 'guards', so to say, of the fortification of Cidhna, in Dibra. This title was most probably given to the family during the Byzantine era, I presume. This suggests a long presence in Dibra, which simultaneously speaks against a Slav origins of this family.

 

The origin of the name of Kastoria, however, it has been argued by linguists, comes from the Greek word kastor, meaning beaver.

-----------------------------------------------------

 

Yugoslav

 

I explained it in my first post, and Theodore evaluated further. The Slav argument about the Kastrioti family's Slav origins is fallacious, because it depends on the anthroponyms of Scanderbeg's siblings.

 

You must realize that Scanderbeg's home-region, Dibra, was a territory adjacent to territories inhabited mainly by Slavs. The neighbourly influence ran probably high, as you can imagine. Additionally, Dibra, much alike the rest of Albania, had been continuously under the reign of Serbian kings, like tsar Dusan. This resulted, naturally, in an extensive Slav influence being exercised. Dusan's implementation of a law which furthermore prohibited any religion besides that of Orthodoxy of the Serbian rite, naturally had its consequences as well.

 

The result was the adoption of Slav anthroponyms of the Serbian-Orthodox sphere. Later on, when the Turks established a population census, you had a weird mix of Albanian-Slav names, especially along the border territories, such as Dibra or the highlands adjacent to Slavic Zeta. Thus you had a father, named Gjon (Alb.) who's son was named Branko (Srb.). Or Vlajko (Srb.) who was the son of Lul (Alb.). A clear sign of Serbian Orthodox influence, which naturally also affected Scanderbeg's family. The only one who has a high probabibility of coming from a Slav noble family was Scanderbeg's mother, Vojsava, a princess from Polog. But even here, we cannot be 100 per cent sure. These influences are still evident, in surnames such as Vladi, Bogdani etc, or even first-names, such as Vuksan and so forth.

 

Finally, I would also like to dwelve deeper into the case of Reposh Kastrioti. I mistook myself, having forgotten what I had read quite some while ago, about Reposh's true relation to the churhc/monastery, which was't that of a pious monk. Reposh Kastrioti's grave in Hilandar bears the inscription "dux Illyricus" -- Illyrian duke (Illyrian being a synonym, oftenly to Albanian, in medieval sources). This is sufficient to conclude that Reposh Kastrioti wasn't a monk, for which was requied that anyone, be he noble or something else, abandon his former titles and becomes a simple monk. We shall soon see what he was, but in order to fully grasp the essence of what I am writing, we need to unveil the mystery concerning the monastery of Saint George, also in Mt.Athos (the Hilandar area).

 

John Kastrioti, the father of Scanderbeg, had in exchange for two villages and 60 golden coins, received the monastery of Saint George. This monastery was called, by the Slavs, 'Arbanashka pirga', which was medieval Slav for 'Albanian monastery'. If John Kastrioti was a Slav, and if his sons were as well, then why would the Serbs of Hilandar call that monastery 'Albanian'? Unless it was because John Kastrioti bought it!? It becomes rather clear now, that Reposh Kastrioti wasn't an ordinary 'monk', but on the contrary, he was the commander of a local guard which protected the monastery on the account of his father. Him not being called a Serbian duke, infact, him not even having a Serb noble title (zupan, knyez, voievode), tells alot about his ethnicity. And the purchase of a monastery from John's side wasn't coincidental or without purpose either. Being near the port of Thessaloniki, John Kastrioti had access to, with the help of his intelligentsia, rather important information on both the Venetians AND the Ottomans, both with whom he had a beef. Reposh Kastrioti died as a noble commander, defending the monastery from which his father's men supervised important political occurances.

 

Regarding Reposh's son being named Branilo; is there any concrete source for this? Not calling you a liar, but I haven't heard of this before. Would like to know more.

 

 

The question of the names is not that complicated.

 

The Albanians who belonged to the orthodox religion at the time were followers of the pravoslav rituals, or of the greek orthodox church. The Albanian Orthodox Church (Autocephalous) was created only in the XX century, by the albanian bishop Theofan Stilian Noli.

So the orthodox albanians, during centuries, used to baptise their children with serbian or greek names. The spoken form of the name was of course albanian, but (specially the nobles) in their letters wrote their christening name as they got it in their baptism.

That explains why Repos and Stanisa had serbian names, they were not the only albanians bearing serbian names. But they were albanians, as it is shown by the toponym Arbanaski Pirg. (Arbanaski cannot be a mere geographical term, it is never reported such use of the word albanian)

 

Now regarding the nobility, the balkan nobility, as well as all the european mediaeval nobility used to marry people of the same strata, regardless their ethnic origin. So is a bit nonsense all this discussion.

The ethnicity of a nobleman is derived only by their territory, and by the direct male ancestors.

 

In Elbasan was buried an orthodox saint, John Vladimir, who is holly to albanians, but also bulgarians, serbians and montenegrines.

It is known as Gjon Vladimiri or Jan Vladimiri in albanian, and Jovan Vladimir in the slavic churches.

 

Regarding Skanderbeg's religion. If we take for granted that Skanderbeg was from Has region in northeastern Albania/western Kosova, then it could be a Catholic of the Byzanthine (eastern) Rithual. I say that because Pjeter Bogdani, which became the Catholic Archbishop of Skopje some decades later was from the very same region (Gur i Hasit). Reports from the Catholic priests of the region show that the albanians living there followed the eastern tradition, but recognized the sovereignity of the Pope on the church.

Anyway, the native religious belonging of Gjergj Kastrioti is still disputed, while it is certain that at an early time in his military career in Albania he was (probably by conversion) a Catholic, and the pope glorified his person with the title Athletus Christi (defender of christianity).

 

Regarding Kastoria, where did it came from???

 

             originally posted by yougoslav

I hear his mother is not just claimed by the Serbs, but Bulgarians and Macedonians too.

 

 

 

 

KUVENDI I LEZHES

 

(If one can even speak about nationality at all. After all, nationality is a nineteenth-century construct, and applying it to a medieval person is rather anachronistic...)

 

but the ottomans never knew he was a greek!!!!

i mean come on, just say kastrioti and notice how it rolls through your tounge in a hellenic manner. if only the ottomans had knowledge of this late discovery, they too would have known skenderbeg was a opressed greek minority.

 

poor sultan(s), they never knew who they were fighting.

 

ps almost forgot, someone please email the arberesh in italy, get them up to date, so they can start speaking greek instead of old albanian. poor confused folks!

 

Ah...right...