Gjini family (

Croat The Croats (; , ) are a South Slavs, South Slavic ethnic group native to Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina and other neighboring countries in Central Europe, Central and Southeastern Europe who share a common Croatian Cultural heritage, ancest ...

: Ginni) (

Italian Italian(s) may refer to: * Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries ** Italians, a Romance ethnic group related to or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom ** Italian language, a Romance languag ...

: Gini, Ghini) was an

Albanian Albanian may refer to: *Pertaining to Albania in Southeast Europe; in particular: **Albanians, an ethnic group native to the Balkans **Albanian language **Albanian culture **Demographics of Albania, includes other ethnic groups within the country ...

noble family Nobility is a social class found in many societies that have an aristocracy (class), aristocracy. It is normally appointed by and ranked immediately below Royal family, royalty. Nobility has often been an Estates of the realm, estate of the rea ...

which was active in

Albania Veneta Venetian Albania (, , , , ) was the official term for several possessions of the Republic of Venice in the southeastern Adriatic, encompassing coastal territories primarily in present-day southern Montenegro and partially in northern Albania. Sev ...

in the 16th and 17th century who played a major role in social and military history of the southeastern Adriatic coast. The noble Mark Gjini belonged to the family.

Name

According to Krahe and Lambertz the noun ''Gjin'' may be an ancient

name, a form of the anthroponym ''Gentius''.Riska, Albert (2013)
"The Christian Saints in the (Micro)toponymy of Albania"
''Anglisticum Journal (IJLLIS)'' vol 2 issue 3. Pages 167-176. Page 174 The name ''

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 lingui ...

'' is generally associated by

Albanian Christians Christianity in Albania began when Christians arrived in Illyria soon after the time of Jesus, with a bishop being appointed in Dyrrhachium ( Epidamnus) in 58 AD. When the Roman Empire was divided in 395 AD, modern Albania became part of the ...

to the figure of a saint.

Origin

The Gjini family is mentioned for the first time in 1216 in a letter sent from

Pope Innocent III Pope Innocent III (; born Lotario dei Conti di Segni; 22 February 1161 – 16 July 1216) was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 8 January 1198 until his death on 16 July 1216. Pope Innocent was one of the most power ...

to Demetrius Gjini, the Prince of Albania.

Background

The Ginni family, amongst families like the Bruti, Bruni, Krutaj, Skuraj, fled to Venetian Albania due to Ottoman pressure in the 16th century, although migrations had already begun in 1479, after the fall of Shkodër. The Gjini family produced lawyers who lived and worked in Zadar and Dalmatia and also members who served in the Venetian military during the

Cretan War (1645-1669) Cretan War may refer to multiple wars involving the island of Crete, including: *Cretan War (205–200 BC), a war between King Philip V of Macedon and Rhodes *Cretan War (1645–1669), a war between the Republic of Venice and the Ottoman Empire Se ...

. M. Antonovic writes of a Clement Ginni, a possible ancestor of the Gjini family figuring in Shkoder in 1330. The family reappears again only in 1536 in the will of Nikola Murthe, a migrant from Bar, who resides in Venice. A certain Baron Stjepan is said to have fled after Shkodra fell. In 1598, lawyers Nikola and Marko Ginni, sons of John Paul, are recorded in Zadar. Nikola was a captain in the Venetian military in 1622 where he did business with the head of Zadar, Simon Celadic. In 1593, Captain Marko Ginni was recorded as commander of a naval unit with soldiers commanded by Ulcinj migrant and Zadar resident Nikola Mesili (Melili) from Ulcinj. In 1595, two lawyers were recorded - John and Paul Ginni, the latter being a captain in 1595 when he married a noblewoman Margaret, daughter of Bartol Ferr. In 1602, Paul was recorded as a commander of an Albanian unit. A soldier named Leka Fransi from the Bojana river, was under Paul's command. In 1610, Ginni was to navigate a merchant ship from Venice to Split. In the summer, Ginni returned to Istria, where along with Captain Petar Žarković, commanded a detachment of 38 soldiers. The last mentioning of Paul Ginni is recorded in 1612 where he captured five Senj narrows.

References

Albanian noble families {{Albania-stub