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A rather unknown, great military leader

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Qnzkid711 View Drop Down
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  Quote Qnzkid711 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Topic: A rather unknown, great military leader
    Posted: 10-Jan-2005 at 19:44

 Here is some info on the man who kept the Turks away from Albania and was a help to keeping them out of Western Europe:

 Gjergj Kastrioti (1405January 17, 1468), better known as Skanderbeg, was an Albanian who united his people and resisted the expanding Ottoman Empire for 25 years and is today considered a national hero of Albania.

He was born in Kruj, Albania; his father was an Albanian nobleman, Gjon Kastrioti, lord of Middle Albania. The Kastrioti family are originally from the Northern Alps of Albania but later migrated to middle Albania where they became noblemen, lording over Kruja.  


Obliged by the Ottomans to pay tribute to the Empire, and to ensure the fidelity of local rulers, Gjon Kastrioti's sons were taken by the Sultan to his court as hostages. In 1423, Gjergj Kastrioti and his three brothers were taken by the Turks. He attended military school and led many battles for the Ottoman Empire. He was awarded for his military victories with the title Iskander Bey (Albanian transliteration: Sknderbeu, English transliteration: Skanderbeg). In Turkish this title means Lord or Prince Alexander (in honor of Alexander the Great). Skanderbeg soon switched sides and came back to his native land to successfully defended Albania against the Ottoman Empire until his death.

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 claim that he used to maintain secret links with Ragusa, Venice, Ladislaus V of Hungary and Alfonso I of Naples. Sultan Murad II gave him the title Vali that made him the General Governor of some provinces in central Albania. He was respected everywhere but he missed his country. After his father died, Skanderbeg was looking for a way to return to Albania and lead his countrymen against the Ottoman armies. It is because of Skanderbeg's 25 year defiance of the Ottoman Empire that perserved Christianity in Albania to this day. The Turks were successful in converting almost 90% of Albania into Muslims. Those who chose to resist Turkish rule and embrace their Albanian heritage and perserve their culture are today's Albanian Christians.

In 1443, Skanderbeg saw his opportunity during the battle against the Hungarians led by John Hunyadi in Nis. He switched sides along with other Albanians serving in the Ottoman army. He eventually captured Kruje, his father's seat in Middle Albania. Above the castle he rose the Albanian flag, a red flag with a black two-headed eagle, and pronounced the words: "I have not brought you liberty, I found it here, among you." He managed to unite all Albanian princes at the town of Lezh (see League of Lezh, 1444) and united them under his command to fight against the Ottomans. He fought a guerilla war against the opposing armies by using the mountainous terrain to his advantage.

During the next 25 years, with forces rarely exceeding 20,000, he fought against the most powerful army of the time. In June 1450 an Ottoman army numbering approximately 150,000 and led by the Sultan Murad II in person, laid siege to Kruja. Leaving a protective garrison of 1,500 men under one of his best lieutenants, Kont Urani, or Vranakonti, Scanderbeg harassed the Ottoman camps around Kruja as well as the caravans coming to supply the Sultan's army. By September the Ottoman camp was in disarray as morale sunk and diseases spread as wild fire. Grudgingly, Sultan Murad finally acknowledged that the castle of Kruja would not have fallen by only strength of arms, so he decided to lift his encampment and make his way to Edirne. Soon thereafter he died and his son Mehmed was crowned Sultan.

For the next five years Albania was allowed some respite as the new Sultan, Mehmed II, set out to conquer the last vestiges of the Byzantine Empire in Europe and Asia Minor. The first test between the Ottoman Sultan and Skanderbeg came in 1455 during the Siege of Berat, where the former defeated the latter by decimating the Albanian army and leaving five-thousand dead in the field of battle, some 40-50% of all Albanian mobile forces. This was the worst military defeat that Skanderbeg had suffered and would ever suffer during his career.

In 1457, an Ottoman army numbering approximately 70,000 men invaded Albania and set out to destroy Albanian resistance once and for all. The army was led by Isa beg Evrenoz, the only commander to have defeated Scanderbeg in battle and Hamza Kastrioti, Scanderbegs own nephew. After wreaking much damage to the countryside, destroying crops, plundering and murdering, the Ottoman army set camp at the Ujebardha field (literally WhiteWater), halfway between Lezha and Kruja. There, in September, after having evaded the enemy for months, Skanderbeg attacked and utterly destroyed the Ottomans. His own forces did not exceed fifteen thousand men.

In 1461 Skanderbeg launched a successful campaign against the Angevin noblemen and their allies who sought to destabilize King Ferdinand of Naples. After securing the Neapolitan kingdom, a crucial ally in Skanderbegs struggle, he returned home. In 1464 Skanderbeg fought and defeated Ballaban Badera, an Albanian renegade. However, this battle became famous for another reason. Ballaban Pasha did not succeed in defeating Scanderbeg, but was successful in capturing a large number of Albanian army commanders, some of the bravest, including Moisi Arianit Golemi, Scanderbegs best cavalry commander; Vladan Giurica, his chief army economist; Muzaka of Angelina, a nephew, and 18 more noblemen and army captains. These men, after they were captured, were dispatched immediately to Istanbul and skinned alive for fifteen days. Scanderbegs pleas to have these men back, by either ransoming them or setting free all Ottoman prisoners in Albania, were to no avail.

In 1466 Sultan Mehmed II led the army himself and laid siege to Kruja, who was defended by a 4,400 men strong garrison led by Prince Tanush Thopia. After several months, Mehmed saw that trying to take Kruja was an exercise in futility left and went home. He, however, left a besieging force of forty thousand men under Ballaban Pasha to keep Kruja under siege until it fell. To support this force he built a castle in central Albania and named it El-Basan (which eventually became the modern city of Elbasan). This second siege was successful any more than the first was and soon enough Scanderbeg annihilated it, including its commander Ballaban Pasha, who fell under victim of the new modern firearms.

A few months later, in 1467 Mehmed, frustrated by his inability to subdue little Albania, came again at the head of the largest army of his time. Kruja was besieged a third time, but in a different way. While a contingent kept the city and its forces pinned down, Ottoman armies came pouring from Bosnia, Serbia, Macedonia and Greece with the aim of keeping the whole country surrounded, thereby strangling Scanderbegs supply routes and limiting his movements. While fight went on Scanderbeg fell ill with malaria in the Venetian held city of Lezhe, and died on January 17, 1468, just as the army under the leadership of Leke Dukagjini defeated a Ottoman force in Shkodra.

The Albanian resistance went on after the death of Scanderbeg for an additional ten years led by Leke Dukagjini. In 1478 the fourth siege of Kruja proved successful for the Ottomans, though through no strength of arms. Bent down by hunger and lack of supplies after a year long siege, the defenders surrendered to Mehmed, who had promised them to leave unharmed as long as they handed over the castle. As the Albanians were walking away with their families, the Ottomans preyed on them killing all the men and enslaving the women and children. A year later the Ottomans captured Shkodra, the last free Albanian castle, albeit under Venetian control, but the Albanian resistance continued sometimes organized and sometimes sporadically until 1500.

LEGACY

After his death from natural causes in 1468 in Lezh, his soldiers resisted the Turks for the next 12 years. In 1480 Albania was finally conquered by the Ottoman Empire. When the Turks found the grave of Skanderbeg in Saint Nicholas church of Lezhe, they opened it and held his bones like talismans for luck. The same year, they invaded Italy and conquered the city of Otranto.


Skanderbeg's posthumous fame was not confined to his own country. Voltaire thought the Byzantine Empire would have survived had it possessed a leader of his quality. A number of poets and composers have also drawn inspiration from his military career. The French sixteenth-century poet Ronsard wrote a poem about him, as did the nineteenth-century American poet Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. Antonio Vivaldi composed an opera entitled Scanderbeg.

Skanderbeg today is the National Hero of Albania. Many museums and monuments are raised in his honor around Albania, among them the Skanderbeg Museum next to the castle in Kruj.

Skanderbeg is founder of Castriota Scanderbeg family which is today part of Italian nobility.



Edited by Qnzkid711
"Europe and Asia are finally mine. Woe to Chritendom. She has lost her sword and shield."
Ottoman Sultan after hearing of the death of Skenderbeg.
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  Quote cattus Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 11-Jan-2005 at 02:17
yes, this brave man Kastrioti or Kastriota is rather unknown and you only seem to come across him when you read about the Ottomans.
A tip of the hat to Hunyadi, a good warrior and pest to the Ottomans as well. Thanks for sharing.

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  Quote Yiannis Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 11-Jan-2005 at 02:22

This is more appropriate place for this topic.

Of course George Kastrioti is an important figure but his biography above fails to mention that he and Hunyadi were routed by the sultan at the second Battle of Kosovo (1448) wich effectivelly imposed Ottoman dominance over the Balkans. Albanian submission was only a matter of time after that and when it happened Albanians converted to Islam en-masse.

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  Quote Temujin Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 11-Jan-2005 at 15:14
this is still medieval period, not renaissance...
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  Quote Qnzkid711 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 11-Jan-2005 at 19:38
I thought I put this on the Greek, Roman and Mediterranean forum?
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  Quote J.M.Finegold Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 11-Jan-2005 at 19:56
Yiannis moved it.
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  Quote Yiannis Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 12-Jan-2005 at 01:30

Originally posted by Temujin

this is still medieval period, not renaissance...

 

The beginning is medieval, the end however is renaissance. I had to make a choice!

Yes, I moved it from Greek/Roman forum since it's not in the timeframe of that era.

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  Quote cattus Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 12-Jan-2005 at 01:44
or the beginning is renaissance, the end however is medieval.
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  Quote Degredado Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 13-Jan-2005 at 10:45
Don't the Epirotes claim that the guy was Greek?
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  Quote TheodoreFelix Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 07-May-2005 at 22:09

Of course George Kastrioti is an important figure but his biography above fails to mention that he and Hunyadi were routed by the sultan at the second Battle of Kosovo (1448) wich effectivelly imposed Ottoman dominance over the Balkans. Albanian submission was only a matter of time after that and when it happened Albanians converted to Islam en-masse.

Scanderbeg was not at the Second battle of Kosovo. he remained neutral at that point.

Don't the Epirotes claim that the guy was Greek?

This is BS from "Vorio Hpeiros" propaganda. I wont go into in detail, but they claim that due to him, in a few mentions, stating that he was an Epirotians he fought for the Greeks and not the Albanians and the reason he remains Albanias hero today was because the land he protected is now occupied by us. This is BS as he, in many letters, made mentions of his Albanianess and at the time origins in the west were really only based on where the people were living. There was a very high population of Albanians in that area and so by the west they were called "epirotians". There was no historical significance to it and Scanderbeg used it to his popitical liking. Similarly, the slavic nations that lived up north were considered Illyrian due to the fact that they made up what was once the Illyrian province of the Roman Empire.

His ethnicity is "officially" half serb and Albanian but the serb part is also questionable as Viosvodina(his mother) came from an heavily Albanian populated area and the slavs and albanians there intermixed. So she was also likely part albanian. Recent evidence from Scanderbeg living ancestors(whom reside in Italy today as part of  the "Castriota Scanderbeg" family) have found the link of Scanderbeg to Albanians and will be providing the evidence of it to the tirana museum. Here is another source of Scanderbeg mentioning his "albanianess" in a letter that has now been translated to english.

http://members.aol.com/rhvara/con5.htm

and from a heraldic source http://www.heraldica.org/topics/national/albania.htm

 

The Kastrioti or Castriota family, of Albanian origin, begins with certainty with John Castriota, lord of Mat and Vumenestia, who died in 1443.

The family still exists. The current (or at least recent) head of the family of Castriota-Scanderbeg lives at "Napoli: via G. Cotronei 2", while his uncle lives at "Napoli: villa Scanderbeg, via Napoli 119 bis; La Pietra- Bagnoli (Napoli)". They bear the arms d'oro all'aquila bicipite, coronata sulle due teste di nero, col volo abbassato, alla punta d'azz., movente dal lembo superiore dello scudo, rovesciata e caricata di una stella (6) d'oro (which translates into Or an double-headed eagle, wings abaisse, crowned on both heads sable, on a pile azure a mullet or.)

A brother of George Castriota Scanderbeg was Stanisha (Staniscia), who left a son Branilo.

Sources:

Enciclopedia Italiana.
Enciclopedia Storico-Nobiliare Italiana.
Dizionario Biografico degli Italiani.
Charles Hopf: Chroniques Grco-Romaines. Berlin, 1873.
Foscarini, Amilcare: l' Armerista delle famiglie nobili e notabili in terra d'Otranto, 1927.

In the end.

 -United Albanian clans & Princes
- Formed the state of Arber/Albania
- Married an Albanian lady
- Fought for the independence of Albanian lands and protected them for a quarter century
- Died as an Albanian because his heart and actions spoke Albanian. Gave national character to the Albanian resistence against Ottomans.
- It is recorded to fight even agaisnt Greek and Serb landlords

He was Albanian




Edited by Iskender Bey ALBO
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  Quote vulkan02 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 08-May-2005 at 22:50
can't believe it taht they say scanderbeg was Greek... and they say Albanians mess around with Propaganda...whatta bunch of hypocrites
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  Quote TheodoreFelix Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 09-May-2005 at 15:24
Scanderbeg is also claimed by some Bulgarian nationalists(claiming his mother was Bulgarian), Serbian(climing his mother was a Serb) and FYROMIANS.

but much like all historical claimers. its mostly limited to super-nationalists.


Edited by Iskender Bey ALBO
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  Quote Molossos Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 16-May-2005 at 02:04

Originally posted by Iskender Bey ALBO

This is BS from "Vorio Hpeiros" propaganda...

Instead of using such language and claiming false things, I suggest that you read further to find out what Voria Ipiros means to us Epirotes and Greeks in general. Kastrioti's origin has little to do with the history of the people of Epirus, since he mainly fought in territories inhabited by Albanian populations. The northern frontier that separated Epirus from ancient Illyria was river Devolis.

After all, Kastrioti was a defender of Christian legacy and culture in the western Balkans, I don't really think he viewed himself as Albanian. We all know that Albanian nationalism rose in the beginning of the 20th century. Muslim Albanians, both Ghegs and Tosks, were fierce enemies of Christianity in general in the territories they controlled or lived in and I don't think they really appreciated Skenderbey before the founding of the modern Albanian state.

By the way, you know that in Himarra the Albanian authorities are absent? May I remind you the mutinies of the Himarriotes during every electoral period in Albania? Just in case you still think it's BS...

Photo taken from the liberation of Northern Epirus, during the Balkan Wars 1912-1913.

 

 

 



Edited by Molossos
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  Quote vulkan02 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 16-May-2005 at 13:56
Originally posted by Molossos

Originally posted by Iskender Bey ALBO

This is BS from "Vorio Hpeiros" propaganda...

Instead of using such language and claiming false things, I suggest that you read further to find out what Voria Ipiros means to us Epirotes and Greeks in general. Kastrioti's origin has little to do with the history of the people of Epirus, since he mainly fought in territories inhabited by Albanian populations. The northern frontier that separated Epirus from ancient Illyria was river Devolis.

After all, Kastrioti was a defender of Christian legacy and culture in the western Balkans, I don't really think he viewed himself as Albanian. We all know that Albanian nationalism rose in the beginning of the 20th century. Muslim Albanians, both Ghegs and Tosks, were fierce enemies of Christianity in general in the territories they controlled or lived in and I don't think they really appreciated Skenderbey before the founding of the modern Albanian state.

By the way, you know that in Himarra the Albanian authorities are absent? May I remind you the mutinies of the Himarriotes during every electoral period in Albania? Just in case you still think it's BS...

Photo taken from the liberation of Northern Epirus, during the Balkan Wars 1912-1913.

The defence of Christianity of George kastrioti came second after the defense of his homeland. Even it is recorded that although he adopted the double headed eagle from the byzatines he did so because this was of symbolic importance of Albanians themselves. The double heads signified the unification of the Gegs and Tosks and the eagle well (in albanian the eagle = Shqiponja), (albanian = Shqiptar) so its pretty clear why the eagle was a good choice too. It is known that many muslims also fought in his army, muslims who resent the Sultan as well as Albanian converts who had accept islam ...he never discriminated against them as long as they fought against the Ottomans... he spared his own flesh and blood Hamza pasha after catching him alive and many others who had defected to the Ottomans after they were captured.

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  Quote TheodoreFelix Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 16-May-2005 at 14:52

After all, Kastrioti was a defender of Christian legacy and culture in the western Balkans, I don't really think he viewed himself as Albanian. We all know that Albanian nationalism rose in the beginning of the 20th century. Muslim Albanians, both Ghegs and Tosks, were fierce enemies of Christianity in general in the territories they controlled or lived in and I don't think they really appreciated Skenderbey before the founding of the modern Albanian state.

Nice selective reading. However you completely failed to look up one is letters to the prince of Tarraco where he specifically called himself an Albanian. This is also not the only one. There are many others that he has acknowledged this also. They are in the hands of the Kastrioti family now in Italy. As soon as his new book is released be sure to check some of them for some closure.

Kastrioti's origin has little to do with the history of the people of Epirus

Because, oh so knowledgable, Greek claims on Scaderbeg did not really being until this "Northern Epirus" issue came up.

 

Albanians have always appreciated Scanderbeg. You see, we have have a certain history with religion. We tend to go with the flow. Meaning switch religion as the advantages of it go up and down. When ottomans came we switched to Islam so we could avoid heavy taxation and rule ourselves. Makes perfect sense to me.

Yes the picture of a few Greeks during the Balkan wars really does it.

Yes Himara does have absent Albanian control. But thats only because Albania is still pretty damn poor and thats a relatively hard to reach area from central Albania and greeks have easy influence on the area through Corfu.

 Anyway, Albanians were enemies of christianity huh? How so? Albanian revolts against ottoman control went on very well into the 17th century. Albanian generals went on to fight with the Pope or against the Ottomans by joining with the northern German armies.

Scanderbeg's rebellion wasnt the only one. Albanian rebellions prevented Mehmed II from geting his army ready to invade Italy and mountain Albanian tribes refused to give any support to the Turks by not allowing them to build roads to their areas and by refusal to give soldiers and pay taxes.

 

So you see. We don't "all know." You just don't know anything. Now enough of this. This is a Scanderbeg discussion. Not a "Northern Epirus" one.

 



Edited by Iskender Bey ALBO
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  Quote Molossos Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 17-May-2005 at 22:42
I recall claiming that you are an atheist so the argument of switching sides according to interests seems perfect to me. Only this is called lack of morality and religious/national conscience. But after all, your nation was created a century before. I didn't expect you to be such a strong supporter of anything that has to do with such meanings.
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  Quote TheodoreFelix Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 17-May-2005 at 22:57

Only this is called lack of morality and religious/national conscience

Yes you are correct I am an athiest. However I am speaking for the Albanian population in general. Which is mainly made up of agnostics(which probably make up a heavy % of what people consider a 70% majority), Catholics and Orthodox. My mother is the case where she does not care what church she attends, just as long as she can get to a church.

Only this is called lack of morality and religious/national conscience.

You are mistaking the national conscious of Albania with that of Greece. Our national concious does not go by religion. They are two different words to us. As a famous Albanian poet said "look not to the church or mosque for pietism, the religion of Albania is Albanianism.". We do not associate our national conciousness with religion. Its how three different religions can get along in Albania. Greece national conciousness is defined by its religion. And its how people in the Greek press, likes of Nick Gage, can claim over 200,000 something(dunno its different with every damn estimate) "Greek" minority in "Northern Epirus". Simply because it believes that everyone who is an orthodox there is a Greek since Albanian orthodox do not have their separate church(like Serbia or FYROM). We rely on Greek archbishops.

 We luckly have had a great one since 93(Anastasios) who had kicked out and went against many of these Greek nationalists who have made these claims on Southern Albania. Unfortunately as great as he is he wont last for all that much longer as he is already rather old. This is why I will push forward for Orthodox followers in Albania should break-off and create their own church.

But after all, your nation was created a century before.

Okay....And Greece was created just over 60 years before us..... That means what?

I didn't expect you to be such a strong supporter of anything that has to do with such meanings.

With any hope, you will never see Albania having anything to do with such meanings, we don't need religion to dictate our political and moral world.

Molossos, unless you have anything constructive to say stop posting as this is becoming very tiring. This is a topic about Scanderbeg. You have questions or want to say something about him go ahead. If not then there are other topics you can go and attack us as much as youd like, Im sure Phallanx will be with you on the whole thing.



Edited by Iskender Bey ALBO
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  Quote vulkan02 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 18-May-2005 at 10:56
Iskender Bey ... in this life you can be sure of two things..first you will die oneday.. and second that Molossus and Phallanx will ALWAYS no matter what the topic is come back to Greece and Albanian issues,
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  Quote Phallanx Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 18-May-2005 at 18:22
However you completely failed to look up one is letters to the prince of Tarraco where he specifically called himself an Albanian. This is also not the only one.


Actually he says nothing about Albanians in his letter and it wasn't prince Tarraco it was addressed to Jiovanni Antonio the prince of TARANTO.

"Our ancestors were EPIROTIANS, from which PYRROS the king was born. Who won the Romans and occupied Taranto and other cities of Italy. You do not have fighters to resist the EPIROTIAN courage"
(Georgios Kastriotis. K.Pangel, p156,1860)

So according to you Pyrros and the Epirotes were also Albanians???
Don't think so.

We also know that Pope Pius B' tells us that the Kastiotes were Macedonians that ruled in Emathia. His parent were princess Voisave of Serbia and John Kastriotis prince of Emathia.

I really don't see why his origin is of such interest to you. Would he be less of a hero to you and your people if you knew he was a Serb, Bulgarian or a German????
What should be of interest is his heroic deeds for the lands and people  he ruled.
Anyway, Albanians were enemies of christianity huh? How so? Albanian revolts against ottoman control went on very well into the 17th century. Albanian generals went on to fight with the Pope or against the Ottomans by joining with the northern German armies.

You obviously forgot all about the TOURK-ALBANIANS like Ali Pasha, Ali Farmaki..............any simple search on the Ottoman empire will show you that the Albanians were actually the ones that did all the dirty work for the Ottomans.

Actually we know of the fact that just before the war of independence,  Theodoros Kolokotronis attempts to form an aliance with the "TOYRKALBANIAN" Ali Farmaki, asking him to stop the massacre and plunder of the Hellinic villages and form an alliance with him to get rid of the Ottoamns.

Anyone that knows the area of MANI (Sparta) must know of "Mpardounia" were we could find the later known as "Tourko-Mpardouniotes".
Known throughout the region's history to have been populated by Albanians, mortal enemies of the Maniates.
Later this region was continuously "refueled" with converted Albanians and was used as a base from which Ottoman attacks on the rebelous Maniates continuously began.




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Joined: 01-May-2005
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  Quote TheodoreFelix Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 18-May-2005 at 18:29

Phallanx. Thats weak.
HE CALLED HIMSELF Albanian. Do you think people had who originated from who then? For godssakes the Illyrian language was thought to be slavic then. Guess why? Because they were living in the area that was once the province Illyricum.

I really don't see why his origin is of such interest to you. Would he be less of a hero to you and your people if you knew he was a Serb, Bulgarian or a German????
What should be of interest is his heroic deeds for the lands and people  he ruled.
>>

It doesnt really. >>

 However Ill listen to the words of his two decendants who have stated that they have found his ties to his Albanian origin and will present it to the Tirana museum. They have written this is in a preface of a new Italian book on Scanderbeg. This one: http://www.arbitalia.it/stampa/pubblicazioni/2003/scanderbeg _un.eroe.moderno.htm>>

And he stated he was Albanian, what else he mentioned about being Epiriot has no meaning as it involves the old past. Which he more then very likley had very little linguistical and ethnological knowledge in.

You obviously forgot all about the TOURK-ALBANIANS like Ali Pasha, Ali Farmaki
>>

Turk-Albanians. Exactly. Ali was an Albanian who came up in ranks in the Ottoman Empire. Like quite a few others. And? Out fighting against them was well over by then. While he did fight help fight against you guys in the Independence he is more known for restoring Egypt after it was left in pieces from Napoleon.

Later this region was continuously "refueled" with converted Albanians.
>>

Actually we know of the fact that just before the war of independence,  Theodoros Kolokotronis attempts to form an aliance with the "TOYRKALBANIAN" Ali Farmaki, asking him to stop the massacre and plunder of the Hellinic villages and form an alliance with him to get rid of the Ottoamns.
>>

Actually while I have heard about him as I dont recall him being of any relevance to Albanian history.

 

Once again. Phallanx, you and your buddy there have managed to desacrate a topic and made it into a nationality fest. This has nothing to do with "Turko-Albanians", Greek Independance, "North Epirus" or Epiriots. It has to do witha man who stated he was Albanian and his people were the Albanians, fought for Albania, his army was made up almost entirely of Albanian soldiers with Venetians here and there and some Slavs(who in one occasion betrayed us and caused some of our worst casualties). That man was Gjergj Kastrioti, the Albanian national hero. Ofcourse this place seems to be your personal playground so you have every right to disrupt it. Why do you and a few other Turks here have a habit of doing that?

 



Edited by Iskender Bey ALBO
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