Mark Gjini 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 ...

leader chosen at the Convention of Mat to negotiate with the Pope an alliance against the

Ottoman Empire The Ottoman Empire (), also called the Turkish Empire, was an empire, imperial realm that controlled much of Southeast Europe, West Asia, and North Africa from the 14th to early 20th centuries; it also controlled parts of southeastern Centr ...

Life

Mark Gjini held the title of Stradiot captain serving the

Republic of Venice The Republic of Venice, officially the Most Serene Republic of Venice and traditionally known as La Serenissima, was a sovereign state and Maritime republics, maritime republic with its capital in Venice. Founded, according to tradition, in 697 ...

. His service to Venetians includes his contribution in the

Uskok War The Uskok War, also known as the War of Gradisca or the War of Friuli, was fought by the Austrians, Slovenes, Croats (from Croatia and Slavonia) and Spanish on one side and the Venetians, Croats (from Dalmatia and Istria), Slovenes (from Istri ...

with six boats with 300

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, ...

. Gjini was a distinguished figure of the Albanian struggle against the

at the end of the end of 16th century and the beginning of the 17th century. He participated at the ''Convention of

Mat A mat is a hard or soft floor covering that generally is placed on a floor or other flat surface. Mats serve a range of purposes including: * serving to clean items passed over it, such as a doormat, which removes dirt from the soles of shoe ...

'' which was held on November 7, 1594 by Albanian leaders for a better organization of their revolts. The convention decided that help should be sought from the

Pope The pope is the bishop of Rome and the Head of the Church#Catholic Church, visible head of the worldwide Catholic Church. He is also known as the supreme pontiff, Roman pontiff, or sovereign pontiff. From the 8th century until 1870, the po ...

, and the trusted and experienced leaders Tom Plezha, Mark Gjini and

Nikollë Mekajshi Nikollë Mekajshi (, ) was a Franciscan Roman Catholic prelate who served as bishop of Stephanium, a region in central Albania. He took part in the Convention of Mat in 1594, and was a member of the delegation that negotiated with Pope. Life B ...

were chosen to undertake the negotiations. This was done secretly from the Republic of Venice as the latter did not want to open a new conflict with the Ottomans. A year later Gjini returned from

Italy Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsula, a peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, with the Alps on its northern land b ...

to recruit men for the implementation of plans, and was almost killed by people employed by Venetians. In 1607, Gjini led a delegation that requested help by the King of Spain. After the failure of the Mat Convention's goals, little is known about Mark Gjini. The documents, however, show that after the 1607-1608 period, he was still one of the most active anti-Ottoman leaders in

Albania Albania ( ; or ), officially the Republic of Albania (), is a country in Southeast Europe. It is located in the Balkans, on the Adriatic Sea, Adriatic and Ionian Seas within the Mediterranean Sea, and shares land borders with Montenegro to ...

References

Sources

* * *{{cite book, author=Instituti i Historisë, title=Studime historike, year=1967, publisher=Akademia e Shkencave 16th-century Albanian people 17th-century Albanian people