Mazreku (archaic forms: Masarecu, Masareccu, Meserechus, Mânzaraku, Mazaraki or Mazarek) is an

Albanian tribe The Albanian tribes () form a historical mode of social organization (''farefisní'') in Albania and the southwestern Balkans characterized by a common culture, often common patrilineal kinship ties and shared social ties. The ''fis'' ( sq-defini ...

or ''fis'' from the Dukagjin highlands. Historically they were one of the most widespread tribes, and placenames related to them are found throughout Albania: examples include Mazrek of Shkodër, Mazrek in Tiranë, Mazrek in

Prizren Prizren ( sq-definite, Prizreni, ; sr-cyr, Призрен) is the second List of cities and towns in Kosovo, most populous city and Municipalities of Kosovo, municipality of Kosovo and seat of the eponymous municipality and District of Prizren, ...

and Mazarać in

Vladičin Han Vladičin Han ( sr-cyrl, Владичин Хан, ) is a town and municipality located in the Pčinja District in southern Serbia. The town is located along the road from the Serbian capital Belgrade to the Greek city of Thessalonica. It is locate ...

. The name Mazrek(u), which means "horse breeder" in Albanian, is found throughout all Albanian regions. Furthermore, the name relates to the Albanian word mëz - maz ('foal'), deriving from the

Proto-Albanian Proto-Albanian is the ancestral reconstructed language of Albanian, before the Gheg– Tosk dialectal diversification (before ). Albanoid and other Paleo-Balkan languages had their formative core in the Balkans after the Indo-European migrat ...

*mandja and cognates to the

Messapic Messapic (; also known as Messapian; or as Iapygian) is an extinct Indo-European Paleo-Balkanic language of the southeastern Italian Peninsula, once spoken in Salento by the Iapygian peoples of the region: the Calabri and Salentini (known colle ...

word *''menza'' ('foal'). Another Albanian tribe called the Mazreku lived in

Epirus Epirus () is a Region#Geographical regions, geographical and historical region, historical region in southeastern Europe, now shared between Greece and Albania. It lies between the Pindus Mountains and the Ionian Sea, stretching from the Bay ...

during the Middle Ages. As a surname it may refer to: * Mazarek (vojvoda), Albanian nobleman and general in Serbia in the 15th century * Pjetër Mazreku, Albanian prelate of the Roman Catholic Church in the 17th century *

Matija Mazarek Matija Mazarek or Matija Masarek (; ; 1726– 1792) was an 18th-century Catholic priest. In the second half of the 18th century he was the archbishop of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Skopje. His reports to the Vatican are an important source for d ...

, priest in the Ottoman Empire in the 18th century * Blerim Mazreku (born 1981), Kosovan basketball player * Gafur Mazreku, Albanian politician, late 20th century * Pjetër Mazreku ( 1624–1642), Roman Catholic bishop * Luan and Bekim Mazreku, Kosovan soldiers in 1998 * Kostandin Kastrioti Mazreku, Great-grandfather of the Albanian national hero,

Skanderbeg Gjergj Kastrioti (17 January 1468), commonly known as Skanderbeg, was an Albanians, Albanian Albanian nobility, feudal lord and military commander who led Skanderbeg's rebellion, a rebellion against the Ottoman Empire in what is today Albania, ...

References

{{reflist Tribes of Albania

See also

References