|
Albanian Nobility
The Albanian nobility was an elite hereditary ruling class in Albania, parts of the western Balkans and later in parts of the Ottoman world. The Albanian nobility was composed of landowners of vast areas, often in allegiance to states like the Byzantine Empire, various Serbian states, the Republic of Venice, the Ottoman Empire and the Kingdom of Naples in addition to the Albanian principalities. They often used Byzantine, Latin or Slavic titles, such as sebastokrator, despot, dux, conte and župan. Notably, they also constructed religious sites, castles and had powerful courts. The Albanian principalities were usually divided in history except during the Principality of Arbanon when there was only one Albanian state ruled by one dynasty, and also during the League of Lezhë where most of the Albanian nobility and peasant communities unified under a military alliance against the Ottoman Empire. History of the Albanian nobility Noble Albanian families first arose during the ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
League Of Lezhë
The League of Lezhë (), also commonly referred to as the Albanian League (), was a military and diplomatic alliance of the Albanian aristocracy, created in the city of Lezhë on 2 March 1444. The League of Lezhë is considered the first unified independent Albanian country in the Medieval age, with Skanderbeg as leader of the regional Albanian chieftains and nobles united against the Ottoman Empire. Skanderbeg was proclaimed "Chief of the League of the Albanian People," while Skanderbeg always signed himself as "''Dominus'' ''Albaniae"'' ( Albanian: ''Zot i Arbërisë'', English: ''Lord of Albania''). At the assembly of Lezhë, members from the families Kastrioti, Arianiti, Zaharia, Muzaka, Spani, Thopia, Balsha and Crnojević, which were linked matrilineally or via marriage to the Kastrioti, were present. The members contributed to the league with men and money while maintaining control of the internal affairs of their domains. Soon after its creation, the pro-Vene ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Albanians
The Albanians are an ethnic group native to the Balkan Peninsula who share a common Albanian ancestry, Albanian culture, culture, Albanian history, history and Albanian language, language. They are the main ethnic group of Albania and Kosovo, and they also live in the neighboring countries of Albanians in North Macedonia, North Macedonia, Albanians in Montenegro, Montenegro, Albanians in Greece, Greece, and Albanians in Serbia, Serbia, as well as in Albanians in Italy, Italy, Albanians in Croatia, Croatia, Albanians in Bulgaria, Bulgaria, and Albanians in Turkey, Turkey. Albanians also constitute a large diaspora with several communities established across Europe and the other continents. Albanian language, The language of the Albanians is an Indo-European languages, Indo-European language and the only surviving representative of the Albanoid, Albanoid branch, which belongs to the Paleo-Balkan languages, Paleo-Balkan group. Albanians ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Sultan
Sultan (; ', ) is a position with several historical meanings. Originally, it was an Arabic abstract noun meaning "strength", "authority", "rulership", derived from the verbal noun ', meaning "authority" or "power". Later, it came to be used as the title of certain rulers who claimed almost full sovereignty (i.e., not having dependence on any higher ruler) without claiming the overall caliphate, or to refer to a powerful governor of a province within the caliphate. The adjectival form of the word is "sultanic", and the state and territories ruled by a sultan, as well as his office, are referred to as a sultanate ( '. The term is distinct from king ( '), though both refer to a sovereign ruler. The use of "sultan" is restricted to Muslim countries, where the title carries religious significance, contrasting the more secular ''king'', which is used in both Muslim and non-Muslim countries. Brunei, Malaysia and Oman are the only sovereign states which retain the title "sultan" ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Mataranga Family
The Mataranga, Matranga, Matarango or Matrangolo (''Matrënga'' in Albanian) were an Albanian noble family during the 13th and 15th centuries. Members of this family included local rulers, Byzantine officials and writers. After the occupation of Albania by the Ottoman Empire, part of the family emigrated to Italy and settled in the Arbëresh villages of Piana degli Albanesi and Santa Cristina Gela in Southern Italy, where they have continued to maintain the Arbëresh language. History Before 1284, the Matranga family was either a vassal of Charles of Anjou, in the period when he created Kingdom of Albania, or of his nephew Philip of Taranto.Angelov 2007, p. 319 They were first documented in 1297 in a Ragusian document. Members of the Matranga family were attacking Ragusian merchants in the region of Karavasta Lagoon. Rulers of the territory between the cities of Durrës and Vlorë, they were described as subjects to the Byzantine Emperor at the time. The Matranga family m ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Protosebastos
The title of ''protosebastos'' (, ''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, where Domenico I Contarini, the Doge of Venice, uses it alongside the title of ''patrikios'' to refer to himself, it is commonly accepted that it was created by Emperor Alexios I Komnenos (). It was first conferred to his brother Adrianos, while another early holder, his brother-in-law Michael Taronites, was soon after raised to the even higher title of '' panhypersebastos''. It was also conferred on Sergius VI of Naples and his son, John VI, at about the same time. Later, during the 12th century, it was given to close relatives of the Byzantine emperor, such as the eldest son of a ''sebastokratōr''. In the Palaiologan period it was conferred to leading aristocratic families, such as the Tarchaneiotai, the Raoul, etc. The ''Book on Offices'' by Pseudo-Kodinos, ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Sebastokrator
''Sebastokrator'' (, ; ; ), was a senior court title in the late Byzantine Empire. It was also used by other rulers whose states bordered the Empire or were within its sphere of influence (Bulgarian Empire, Serbian Empire). The word is a compound of '' sebastós'' (, the Greek equivalent of the Latin ''Augustus'') and ''krátōr'' ('ruler', the same element as is found in '' autokrator'', 'emperor'). The wife of a ''Sebastokrator'' was named ''sebastokratorissa'' (, ''sevastokratórissa'') in Greek, ''sevastokratitsa'' () in Bulgarian and ''sevastokratorica'' in Serbian. Eastern Roman Empire The title was created by Emperor Alexios I Komnenos () to honour his elder brother Isaac Komnenos.. According to Anna Komnene, Alexios did this to raise Isaac above the rank of '' Caesar'', which he had already promised to his brother-in-law, Nikephoros Melissenos. Anna Komnene compares the rank of ''sebastokratōr'' to "a second emperor", and also records that along with the ''Caesar'' a ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
North Macedonia
North Macedonia, officially the Republic of North Macedonia, is a landlocked country in Southeast Europe. It shares land borders with Greece to the south, Albania to the west, Bulgaria to the east, Kosovo to the northwest and Serbia to the north. It constitutes approximately the northern third of the larger geographical Macedonia (region), region of Macedonia. Skopje, the capital and largest city, is home to a quarter of the country's population of over 1.83 million. The majority of the residents are ethnic Macedonians (ethnic group), Macedonians, a South Slavs, South Slavic people. Albanians in North Macedonia, Albanians form a significant minority at around 25%, followed by Turks in North Macedonia, Turks, Romani people in North Macedonia, Roma, Serbs in North Macedonia, Serbs, Bosniaks in North Macedonia, Bosniaks, Aromanians in North Macedonia, Aromanians and a few other minorities. The region's history begins with the Paeonia (kingdom), kingdom of Paeonia. In the la ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Vukašin Of Serbia
Vukašin Mrnjavčević ( sr-Cyrl, Вукашин Мрњавчевић, ; c. 1320 – 26 September 1371) was King of Serbia as the co-ruler of Stefan Uroš V from 1365 to 1371. He was also a nobleman. Principal domains of Vukašin and his family were located in southern parts of medieval Serbia and northwestern parts of the modern region of Macedonia.King Vukasin and the Disastrous Battle of Maritsa M.A. Vladislav Boskovic, GRIN Verlag, 2009, He died in the in 1371 with his brother, Jovan Uglješa. In folk tradition, Vukašin is referred to as a usurper and, ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Muzaka-Serbian Conflict
The Muzaka-Serbian Conflict was a series of armed engagements and battles throughout the Middle Ages In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the 5th to the late 15th centuries, similarly to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire and ... fought by the Albanian Principality of Muzaka against the Serbian Empire, during a span of around 20 years. Background After the weakening of the Byzantine Empire and the Second Bulgarian Empire, Bulgarian Empire in the middle and late 13th century, the northern territory of modern-day Albania became part of Serbia. Firstly, as part of Serbian Grand Principality and later as part of Serbian Empire. Serb control in southern Albania is unclear. Some suggest they acquired towns, but others believe they only obtained submission, possibly nominal, from Albanian tribes. Central and southern Albanian towns were not conquered until 1343– ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Muzaka Family
The Muzaka family was an noble Albanian family that ruled over the region of Myzeqe ( southern Albania) in the Late Middle Ages. The Muzaka are also referred to by some authors as a tribe or a clan. The earliest historical document that mentions the Muzaka family (around 1090) is written by the Byzantine historian Anna Komnene. At the end of the 13th and beginning of the 14th century members of the Muzaka family controlled a region between the rivers of Devoll and Vjosë. Some of them were loyal to the Byzantine Empire while some of them allied with Charles of Anjou who gave them (and some other members of Albanian nobility) impressive Byzantine-like titles (such as Sebastokrator) in order to subdue them more easily. In the 1340s, Stefan Dušan pressed further south into Albania, and by 1343-45 had taken central towns and territories in southern Albania, including domains of the Muzaka family. However, they would fall back under local control after his death in 1355. After the ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Andrea II Muzaka
Andrea II Muzaka ( 1318–1372) was an Albanian nobleman of the Muzaka family and the ruler of the Principality of Muzaka in the 14th century. He inherited the principality from his father, Teodor I Muzaka, who died around 1331. Andrea II is known for having expanded the Principality of Muzaka to its greatest extent, from the southern Adriatic coastline of Albania in the west to Kastoria in the east by the time of his death in 1372. He was recognised as ''Despot of the Kingdom of Albania'' and as ''Marshal of Albania'' by the Angevin Kingdom of Albania in 1336-37. In the next decade, he led the resistance against the Serbian invasions of Albania, and after the fall of the Serbian Empire, he regained his former territories and began to expand again. During his wars against the Serbian successor states, Andrea II succeeded in defeating both Vukašin of Serbia and his son, Prince Marko, solidifying his family's principality. He was recognized as ''Despot of Epirus'' by the Byzant ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Gjergj Thopia
Gjergj Thopia (; October 1392), also known as Giorgio, Georg or George was an Albanian Prince and member of the Thopia family. He was the Prince of Albania and the Lord of Durrës from 1388 to 1392. His reign was marked by efforts to maintain control of his territories amidst increasing Ottoman pressure and internal rivalries with other Albanian noble families. Gjergj allied with Venice to protect Durrës but ultimately relinquished the city to Venetian rule due to declining health and political instability. Gjergj's death in 1392 marked the end of his lineage, with his holdings passing to his sister, Helena Thopia, and his legacy shaped by his alliances and resistance to Ottoman encroachment. Early life and reign Gjergj, born around the 1370s, was the son of Karl Thopia and Voisava Balsha. A member of the powerful Thopia family, Karl ruled the Principality of Albania on the coast of the Adriatic Sea and played a significant role in regional politics. Voisava came from the ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
