The Progoni were an
Albanian noble family which established the first Albanian state to be recorded in history, the
Principality of Arbanon
Arbanon ( sq, Arbër or , el, Ἄρβανον, ''Árvanon''; la, Arbanum) was a principality ruled by the native Progoni family, and the first Albanian state to emerge in recorded history. The principality was established in 1190 by the native ...
.
[: "By 1190, Byzantium's power had so receded that the archon Progon succeeded in establishing the first Albanian state of the Middle Ages, a principality."]
History
Progon of Kruja
Progon was the first Albanian ruler known by name, an ''archon'' of the Kruja Fortress (modern Krujë) and its surroundings, known as the Principality of Arbanon. He ruled between 1190 and 1198. Progon was succeeded by his two sons, Gjin, and ...
, father of Dhimitër Progoni established his rule in Krujë in 1190. Before 1204, Arbanon was an autonomous principality of the Byzantine Empire.
Little is known about ''archon'' Progon who ruled Krujë and its surroundings at least since the era between 1190 and 1198. The
Krujë Castle
Krujë ( sq-definite, Kruja; see also the etymology section) is a town and a municipality in north central Albania. Located between Mount Krujë and the Ishëm River, the city is only 20 km north from the capital of Albania, Tirana.
Kruj ...
and other territories remained in the Progoni, and Progon was succeeded by his sons
Gjin Gjin is an Albanian male given name, clan, surname and onomastic element. As a name, it is usually held by Albanian Christians, as it is derived from the name of a saint, although the identity of this saint is unclear, as both theologists and lingu ...
, and later
Demetrio Progoni. He used the title ''princeps Arbanorum'' ("prince of the Albanians") to refer to himself and was recognized as such by foreign dignitaries. In the correspondence with Innocent III, the territory he claimed as ''princeps Arbanorum'' was the area between
Shkodra,
Prizren,
Ohrid
Ohrid ( mk, Охрид ) is a city in North Macedonia and is the seat of the Ohrid Municipality. It is the largest city on Lake Ohrid and the List of cities in North Macedonia, eighth-largest city in the country, with the municipality recording ...
and
Durrës
Durrës ( , ; sq-definite, Durrësi) is the second most populous city of the Republic of Albania and seat of Durrës County and Durrës Municipality. It is located on a flat plain along the Albanian Adriatic Sea Coast between the mouths of ...
(''regionis montosae inter Scodram, Dyrrachium, Achridam et Prizrenam sitae'').
In general, Progoni brought the principality to its climax.
The area the principality controlled, ranged from the Shkumbin river valley to the
Drin River valley in the north and from the Adriatic sea to the
Black Drin
The Black Drin, or Black Drim ( sq, Drini i Zi, mk, , translit=Crn Drim) is a river in North Macedonia and Albania. It flows out of Lake Ohrid in Struga, North Macedonia. It is long and its drainage basin is . Its average discharge is . After abo ...
in the east. Many later feudal rulers of Albania would lay claim to the same title and present their rule as the continuation of this state. The first to do so was
Charles I of Anjou who sought to legitimize the
Kingdom of Albania as a descendant state of the Principality of Arbanon about 60 years later, in 1272.
After Dhimitër Progoni's death and by 1256, Arbanon would be annexed by the reemerging Byzantine Empire. He had no sons, but left as his successor his nephew Progon as protosebastos of Ndërfandë (
Mirdita).
The rule of this Progon in the Mirdita area, the many similarities between the emblem of the Progoni family in the Gëziq inscription and the coat of arms of the later
Dukagjini family and the claim of the Dukagjini that they were the hereditary overlords of Ndërfandë and the abbacy of Gëziq has led historians to consider that the two clans may have been related or even that the Dukagjini were descendants of the Progoni via protosebastos Progon.
Members
*
Progon (fl. 1190–1198),
archon of Kruja
**
Gjin Gjin is an Albanian male given name, clan, surname and onomastic element. As a name, it is usually held by Albanian Christians, as it is derived from the name of a saint, although the identity of this saint is unclear, as both theologists and lingu ...
(fl. 1198–1208), lord of Kruja
**
Dhimitër (fl. 1208-1215/16), ''princeps Arbanorum''(prince of the Albanians),
megas archon,
panhypersebastos The title of ( gr, πανυπερσέβαστος, , venerable above all) was a Byzantine court title created by Alexios I Komnenos () using the imperial root (the Greek translation of ). It was always conferred to members of aristocratic familie ...
**Progon,
protosebastos The title of ''protosebastos'' ( el, πρωτοσέβαστος, ''prōtosébastos'', "first ''sebastos''") was a high Byzantine court title created by Emperor Alexios I Komnenos.
History
Although the title first appears in a document of 1049, whe ...
of Ndërfandë (
Mirdita), son of Gjin
See also
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History of Albania
The history of Albania forms a part of the history of Europe. During classical antiquity, Albania was home to several Illyrian tribes such as the Ardiaei, Albanoi, Amantini, Enchele, Taulantii and many others, but also Thracian and Gree ...
References
Citations
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{{Albanian noble families
Albanian monarchs