The Muzaka family was an noble Albanian family that ruled over the region of

Myzeqe The Myzeqe (; sq-definite, Myzeqeja; ) is a plain in the Western Lowlands of Albania. The Myzeqe is the largest and widest plain, measured by area, in the Lowlands. Location The Myzeqe plain is a large alluvial plain traversed by three main riv ...

(

southern Albania Southern Albania () is one of the three NUTS-2 Regions of Albania. It consists of five counties: Berat, Fier, Gjirokastër, Korçë and Vlorë. Combined, they have a population of 700,000 as of the 2023 census. The southwestern part of the c ...

) in the

Late Middle Ages The late Middle Ages or late medieval period was the Periodization, period of History of Europe, European history lasting from 1300 to 1500 AD. The late Middle Ages followed the High Middle Ages and preceded the onset of the early modern period ( ...

. 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 The earliest historical document that mentions the Muzaka family (around 1090) is written by the Byzantine historian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 Anna Komnene (; 1 December 1083 – 1153), commonly Latinized as Anna Comnena, was a Byzantine Greek historian. She is the author of the '' Alexiad'', an account of the reign of her father, Byzantine emperor Alexios I Komnenos. Her work constit ...

. 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 The Vjosa (; indefinite form: ) or Aoös () is a river in northwestern Greece and southwestern Albania. Its total length is about , of which the first are in Greece, and the remaining in Albania. Its drainage basin is and its average dischar ...

. Some of them were loyal to the

Byzantine Empire The Byzantine Empire, also known as the Eastern Roman Empire, was the continuation of the Roman Empire centred on Constantinople during late antiquity and the Middle Ages. Having survived History of the Roman Empire, the events that caused the ...

while some of them allied with

Charles of Anjou Charles I (early 1226/12277 January 1285), commonly called Charles of Anjou or Charles d'Anjou, was King of Sicily from 1266 to 1285. He was a member of the royal Capetian dynasty and the founder of the House of Anjou-Sicily. Between 1246 a ...

who gave them (and some other members of

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 B ...

) impressive Byzantine-like titles (such as

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 ...

) in order to subdue them more easily. In the 1340s,

Stefan Dušan Stephen (honorific), Stefan Uroš IV Dušan ( sr-Cyrl, Стефан Урош IV Душан), also known as Dušan the Mighty ( sr-Cyrl, Душан Силни; – 20 December 1355), was the King of Serbia from 8 September 1331 and Emperor of th ...

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

Battle of Savra The Battle of Savra (; ; ; "Battle on the Saurian field") or the Battle of the Vjosë was fought on 18 September 1385 between Ottoman Empire, Ottoman and much smaller Zeta under the Balsha, Zetan forces, at the Savra field near Lushnjë (in moder ...

in 1385 the territory of Albania came under 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 ...

; they served the Ottomans until 1444 when Theodor Corona Musachi joined

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, ...

's rebellion. When the Ottomans suppressed Skanderbeg's rebellion and captured the territory of

Venetian Albania 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. Se ...

in the 15th century many members of the Muzaka family retreated to Italy. Those who stayed in Ottoman Albania lost their feudal rights, some converted to

Islam Islam is an Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic monotheistic religion based on the Quran, and the teachings of Muhammad. Adherents of Islam are called Muslims, who are estimated to number Islam by country, 2 billion worldwide and are the world ...

and achieved high ranks in the Ottoman military and administrative hierarchy. Notable members of the family include Andrea II Muzaka,

Gjon Muzaka Gjon Muzaka (fl. 1510; ) was an Albanian nobleman from the Muzaka family, that has historically ruled in the Myzeqe region, Albania. In 1510 he wrote the Muzaka chronicles (a ''Breve memoria de li discendenti de nostra casa Musachi''. The work ...

, Theodor Corona Musachi and

Andrea I Muzaka Andrea I Muzaka (; 12??1319), also known as Andrew Musachi was an Albanians, Albanian List of Albanian monarchs, Lord and member of the Muzaka family. Life Andrea I Muzaka was an influential Albanian nobility, Albanian lord and the founder of t ...

, among others. The last notable member of Muzaka family who found refugee in Italy died in

Naples Naples ( ; ; ) is the Regions of Italy, regional capital of Campania and the third-largest city of Italy, after Rome and Milan, with a population of 908,082 within the city's administrative limits as of 2025, while its Metropolitan City of N ...

in 1600.

History

Origin

The Muzaka were one of the most important families of Albanian origin. The family came from the lower Opar region (

Lekas Lekas is a village and a former municipality in the Korçë County, southeastern Albania. At the 2015 local government reform it became a subdivision of the municipality Korçë Korçë (; sq-definite, Korça) is the List of cities and towns i ...

). In the area of the village of Lavdar and nearby hamlets are many of the ancestral burial grounds of the family. Gjon Muzaka claimed that the family received its name from the Myzeqë region, named after its population, the

Molossians The Molossians () were a group of ancient Greek tribes which inhabited the region of Epirus in classical antiquity. Together with the Chaonians and the Thesprotians, they formed the main tribal groupings of the northwestern Greek group. On t ...

, through the corruption of the name Molossi (into Molosachi and finally Musachi). The coat of arms of Muzaka family was a

two-headed eagle The double-headed eagle is an iconographic symbol originating in the Bronze Age. The earliest predecessors of the symbol can be found in Mycenaean Greece and in the Ancient Near East, especially in Mesopotamian and Hittite iconography. Most mo ...

Late Middle Ages

The earliest mention of the Muzaka family, as a loyal commander of

Alexios I Komnenos Alexios I Komnenos (, – 15 August 1118), Latinization of names, Latinized as Alexius I Comnenus, was Byzantine Emperor, Byzantine emperor from 1081 to 1118. After usurper, usurping the throne, he was faced with a collapsing empire and ...

(r. 1081-1118) circa 1090, was in the

work Work may refer to: * Work (human activity), intentional activity people perform to support themselves, others, or the community ** Manual labour, physical work done by humans ** House work, housework, or homemaking ** Working animal, an ani ...

of Byzantine historian

. One of the first notable members of the family was Andrea I Muzaki who was, like some other members of the

, given impressive Byzantine-like title like

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 ...

in order to subdue them more easily. In 1279, Gjon I Muzaka, who remained loyal to the Byzantines and resisted the Angevin conquest of Albania, was captured by the forces of

, but under the pressure of local Albanian nobles he was later released. The Muzaka family continued to remain loyal to the Byzantine Empire and resisted the expansion of the Serbian Kingdom. 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

. Andrea I ruled in the period of 1280—1319; Andrea II ruled, with some interruptions, in the period between 1319 and 1372. In 1319 three members of the Muzaka family even tried to get help from the Pope. For their loyalty to Byzantium, the head of the family Andrea II Muzaka gained the title of Despot in 1335, while other Muzakas continued to pursue careers in the Byzantine government in Constantinople. As soon as Andrea II Muzaka had obtained the title of despot, he endorsed an anti-Byzantine revolt (1335-1341) in his domains, and also formed an alliance with the Anjou from Naples on 30 December 1336, whereas he was recognized as a vassal of Robert, Prince of Taranto. As proof of his fidelity to the

Capetian House of Anjou The Capetian House of Anjou, or House of Anjou-Sicily, or House of Anjou-Naples was a royal house and cadet branch of the Capetian dynasty. It is one of three separate royal houses referred to as ''Angevin'', meaning "from Anjou" in France. Foun ...

, Andrea II Muzaka had to leave one of his sons as hostage in Durazzo. Andrea II waged war against the Serbians, and at around 1340, he defeated the Serbian army at the

Pelister Baba (; or Baba Mountain, ), also known by the name of its highest peak, Pelister (), is a mountain in North Macedonia. The Pelister peak (2601 metres, or 8533 feet) overlooks the city of Bitola. Baba is the third highest mountain in North Macedo ...

mountain. After the death of

in 1355 and collapse of the

Serbian Empire The Serbian Empire ( sr-Cyrl-Latn, Српско царство, Srpsko carstvo, separator=" / ", ) was a medieval Serbian state that emerged from the Kingdom of Serbia. It was established in 1346 by Dušan the Mighty, who significantly expande ...

, the Muzaka family of Berat regained control over parts of the south-eastern modern-day Albania and also over northern Greece with

Kastoria Kastoria (, ''Kastoriá'' ) is a city in northern Greece in the modern regions of Greece, region of Western Macedonia. It is the capital of Kastoria (regional unit), Kastoria regional unit, in the Geographic regions of Greece, geographic region ...

that Andrew II Musachi captured from

Prince Marko Marko Mrnjavčević ( sr-Cyrl, Марко Мрњавчевић, ; – 17 May 1395) was the ''de jure'' Serbia in the Middle Ages, Serbian king from 1371 to 1395, while he was the ''de facto'' ruler of territory in western Macedonia (region) ...

after the Battle of Marica in 1371. After the death of Andrew II Muzaka in 1372 his descendants inherited control over his former domains. Theodor II Muzaka inherited control over Muzaqeya and Berat while Kastoria was inherited by his son Gjin (1337—1389). According to chronicle of

(repeated in some historical works) Comita Muzaka, one of the daughters of Andrea II Muzaka, married

Balša II Balša Balšić ( sr-cyr, Балша Балшић; ; died 18 September 1385) or Balša II was the Lord of Lower Zeta from 1378 to 1385. He was a member of the Balšić noble family, which ruled Zeta (with Scutari) from 1362 to 1421. Early life ...

. Other authors confirm that Balša II married in 1372 and gained control over the territory south of Durazzo, including Valona and Kanine, as

dowry A dowry is a payment such as land, property, money, livestock, or a commercial asset that is paid by the bride's (woman's) family to the groom (man) or his family at the time of marriage. Dowry contrasts with the related concepts of bride price ...

. The same chronicle mentions Theodor II Muzaka as one of participants of the

Battle of Kosovo The Battle of Kosovo took place on 15 June 1389 between an army led by the Serbian Prince Lazar Hrebeljanović and an invading army of the Ottoman Empire under the command of Sultan Murad I. It was one of the largest battles of the Late Middl ...

in 1389, together with

. The Muzaka family was in conflict with

before his death in 1396 which is probably why Theodor Corona Musachi is commemorated in south Slavic and

Serbian epic poetry Serbian epic poetry () is a form of epic poetry created by Serbs originating in today's Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Montenegro and North Macedonia. The main cycles were composed by unknown Serb authors between the 14th and 19th centu ...

as Korun Aramija, Marko's enemy. Saint Athanasius of Muzaka Church Inscription

Greek Orthodox Greek Orthodox Church (, , ) is a term that can refer to any one of three classes of Christian Churches, each associated in some way with Greek Christianity, Levantine Arabic-speaking Christians or more broadly the rite used in the Eastern Rom ...

church Church may refer to: Religion * Church (building), a place/building for Christian religious activities and praying * Church (congregation), a local congregation of a Christian denomination * Church service, a formalized period of Christian comm ...

( Church of St Athanasius of Mouzaki) located in

Greece Greece, officially the Hellenic Republic, is a country in Southeast Europe. Located on the southern tip of the Balkan peninsula, it shares land borders with Albania to the northwest, North Macedonia and Bulgaria to the north, and Turkey to th ...

was built in 1383–84 by Teodor II Muzaka and his brother Stoya Muzaka and dedicated to St. Athanasius. Teodor II Muzaka died in 1389 against the Ottomans in the

battle of Kosovo The Battle of Kosovo took place on 15 June 1389 between an army led by the Serbian Prince Lazar Hrebeljanović and an invading army of the Ottoman Empire under the command of Sultan Murad I. It was one of the largest battles of the Late Middl ...

Ottoman Empire period

After the

in 1385 the region of Myzeqe and most of

, came under control of the

. The first signs of the rivalry between Venice and Ottomans in Albania appeared first in 1387 and after the death of Gjergj Thopia in 1391, when many Albanian noblemen including Andrea III Muzaka came under strong influence of Venice. To break out the influence of Venice

Bayezid I Bayezid I (; ), also known as Bayezid the Thunderbolt (; ; – 8 March 1403), was the sultan of the Ottoman Empire from 1389 to 1402. He adopted the title of ''Sultan-i Rûm'', ''Rûm'' being the Arabic name for the Eastern Roman Empire. In 139 ...

launched a campaign in 1394 and restored Ottoman control over most of Albania. In period 1415—17 Ottoman Empire annexed

Vlorë Vlorë ( ; ; sq-definite, Vlora) is the List of cities and towns in Albania, third most populous city of Albania and seat of Vlorë County and Vlorë Municipality. Located in southwestern Albania, Vlorë sprawls on the Bay of Vlorë and is surr ...

and Berat and ended the rule of Muzaka family, though some of its members converted to Islam and became Ottoman officials, like Yakup Bey Muzaka son of Theodor Corona Musachi, who was

sanjakbey ''Sanjak-bey'', ''sanjaq-bey'' or ''-beg'' () was the title given in the Ottoman Empire to a bey (a high-ranking officer, but usually not a pasha) appointed to the military and administrative command of a district (''sanjak'', in Arabic '' liwa’' ...

of the Ottoman

Sanjak of Albania The Sanjak of Albania (, or ; or ) was a second-level administrative unit of the Ottoman Empire between 1415 and 1444. Its mandate included territories of modern central and southern Albania between Krujë to the Kalamas River in northwester ...

during the

Albanian Revolt of 1432–36 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 ...

. There are claims that Jakub's father Theodor Corona Musachi participated in the revolt while some sources emphasize that no contemporary documents support such claims. Jakub Bey Muzaka was on the position of the sanjakbey of the Sanjak of Albania until September 1442 when he was one of 16 Ottoman sanjakbeys under command of Sihàb ed-Dîn Pasa who were all killed by Christian forces commanded by Janos Hunyadi in a battle near

Ialomița River Ialomița may refer to: * Ialomița County, Romania * Ialomița (river) The Ialomița ( ) is a river of Southern Romania. It rises from the Bucegi Mountains in the Carpathians. It discharges into the Borcea branch of the Danube in Giurgeni.

. He had a son named Jusuf Celebi who is recorded as a

timariot Timariot (or ''tımar'' holder; ''tımarlı'' in Turkish) was the name given to a Sipahi cavalryman in the Ottoman army. In return for service, each timariot received a parcel of revenue called a timar, a fief, which were usually recently conqu ...

in Kalkandelen (Tetovo) in 1455. In 1444 Theodor Corona Musachi joined Skanderbeg's rebellion. In 1455

tried to recapture the city but failed. After his death many members of noble families from Albania who were before opposed to the Ottomans, like Arianiti, Zenebishi and Muzaka family, converted to

and achieved high ranks in the military and administrative hierarchy in

Ottoman Albania Ottoman Albania was a period in History of Albania, Albanian history within the Ottoman Empire, from the Ottoman conquest in the late 15th century to the Albanian Declaration of Independence, Albanian declaration of Independence and official s ...

. Although they were often left to rule lands they inherited from their ancestors, the new Ottoman regime obliged them to abandon part of their territories and their feudal rights. According to some sources the last member of Muzaka family died in

in 1600. Still, there are other notable people recorded as members of the Muzaka family after 1600. In the middle of the 18th century a sanjakbey of the Sanjak of Avlona was Ahmet Pasha Kurt from the Muzaka family who was later appointed to the position of '' derbendci aga'' (guardian of the mountain passes) which he held until the sultan appointed Ahmet's grandson, Ali Pasha Tepelena, instead of him.

Family tree

, Marshal of Albania (1280–1319) ** Teodor I Muzaka, Protosebastus (1319–1331) *** Andrea II Muzaka, Despot of Albania (1331–1372), married Euphemia Mataranga **** Gjin I Muzaka, Lord, married Lady Suina Arianiti-Comneniates ***** Andrea III Muzaka, married Anna Chiranna Zenevisi ****** Gjin II Muzaka, married Kirana Zardari *******

, married Maria Dukagjini ********Theodore Muzaka ********Adrian Muzaka ********Constantine Muzaka ********Helena Muzaka ********Porphida Muzaka *******Andrea Muzaka ********Gjin Muzaka *******Suina Muzaka, married Mosachi Comnino ********Lord Comnino ********Lord Arianiti ********Lady Yela Arianiti, married to Nicholas Dukagjini, then to Sinaibego Muzaka *******Maria Muzaka, married Dangelino Mosachi Comnenus ********Porphida Comninata, married to Giulio de Valignano, Baron in Abruzzo *********Giovanni Giacomo de Valignano **********Antonio de Valignano **********Giulio Cesare de Valignano *********Geronimo de Valignano *********Hipolita Maria de Valignano,married to Lord Barone della Tolfa *********Giovanna de Valignano, married to Giovanni Vincenzo

Brancaccio Brancaccio is the 12th district of Palermo, in Sicily, Italy. It is located in the south-eastern outskirts of the city and is included in the 2nd municipal division. The area of the district appears today as densely urbanized, despite the fact th ...

*******Helena Muzaka, married George Blandisi Carles ********Visava Blandisi Carles married Francesco Martino of Thoano ********Lord Federico ********Lord Giovanni Ferrante ********Lord Alfonso ********Lady Porfida, married to Giovanni Battista Caracciolo ********Lady Giovanna, Catholic nun ********Lady Andronica, married Giovanni Antonio Ayno *******Comita Muzaka, married Arianites Arianiti ********Daughter married to a son of Helichis of Montenegro *******Condisa Muzaka married Duche, Lord of Neppe and Spatinia *******Theodora Muzaka, married to Goissavo Balsha, then to

Lekë Dukagjini Lekë III Dukagjini (1410–1481), mostly known as Lekë Dukagjini, was a 15th-century member of the Albanian nobility, from the Dukagjini family. A contemporary of Skanderbeg, Dukagjini is known for the '' Kanuni i Lekë Dukagjinit'', a code of ...

********Nicholas Dukagjini ********* Dukaginzade Ahmed Pasha ****** Teodor III Muzaka, Lord of Berat (1389-1450) ******* Jakup Muzaka ****** Maria Muzaka, married

Gjergj Arianiti Gjergj Arianiti (13??–1462) was an Albanian feudal lord who led several successful campaigns against the Ottoman Empire. He was the father of Donika, Skanderbeg's wife, as well as the uncle of Moisi Golemi. Gjergj Arianiti was Skanderbeg's ...

******* Donika Kastrioti, Lady of Albania, married Gjergj Kastrioti *******Voisava Arianiti, Lady of Zeta, married

Ivan Crnojević Ivan Crnojević ( sr-Cyrl, Иван Црнојевић, italics=no, lit=Ivan the Black) was the lord of Zeta and Montenegrin-Serbian leader from 1465 to 1490. Having formed an alliance with the Republic of Venice, he led the resistance against the ...

*******Chiranna Arianiti, married Nicholas Dukagjini *******Helena Arianiti, married to Gjergj III Dukagjini *******Despina Arianiti, married to Tanush IV Dukagjini ******* Angelina Arianiti, married to

Stefan Branković Stefan Branković ( sr-Cyrl, Стефан Бранковић; c. 1417 – 9 October 1476), also known in historiography as Stefan the Blind (Стефан Слепи), was briefly the despot (ruler) of the Serbian Despotate between 1458 and 1459. ...

******** *******Komita Arianiti, married Gojko Balsha *******Catherine Arianiti, married Andrew Spani then Niccolò Boccali ******Helena Muzaka, married to Philip, Lord in Ragusa *****Materango Muzaka ******Gjin Molosachi Materango *******Lord Andrea *****Blaise Muzaka ******Bogdan Muzaka ******Gjin Muzaka ******Constantine Muzaka ******Theodore Muzaka ******Gjon Muzaka ******Unnamed Daughter, married Constantine Miserri ******Theodora Muzaka, married Paul Zardari *******Maria Zardari, married Vrana Konti *****Bogdan Muzaka ******Gjin Musachi Bogdan *****Laldi Muzaka ******Andrew Musachi, married Lady Theodora *****Helena Muzaka, married Aidino Clopes, Lord of Vresda *****Condisa Muzaka *****Peter Muzaka, married to Lady Angelina *****Andrew "the blind", married to Comita Zardari ******Lord Mighria Muzaka ******Lord Paul Muzaka ******Lord Blasius Muzaka **** Teodor II Muzaka, Lord of Berat & Myzeqe (1372–1389) ***** Nicola Muzaka **** Stoya Muzaka, Lord of Castoria **** Comita Muzaka, Lady of

Zeta Zeta (, ; uppercase Ζ, lowercase ζ; , , classical or ''zē̂ta''; ''zíta'') is the sixth letter of the Greek alphabet. In the system of Greek numerals, it has a value of 7. It was derived from the Phoenician alphabet, Phoenician letter zay ...

, married Balša II Balšić ***** Ruđina Balšić **** Chiranna Muzaka, Lady of Ohër and Dibra, married

Andrea Gropa Andrea Gropa also known as Andrija was a 14th-century Albanian nobleman who ruled the region and the city of Ohrid, first as a minor vassal for a very short time (župan) to Serbian King Vukašin Mrnjavčević (r. 1365–1371), then as independen ...

*** Mentulo Muzaka, Count of Këlcyra ** Gjin Muzaka ** Domenico Moncino Musachi, brother of Gjin Maria Musachi ***

Voisava Kastrioti Voisava was a noblewoman and wife of Gjon Kastrioti, an Albanians, Albanian nobleman, feudal lord from the House of Kastrioti. They had nine children together, one of whom was the Albanians, Albanian national hero Gjergj Kastrioti, better known ...

***Agnes Muzaka ****Andrea Angeli * Ahmet Kurt Pasha Unknown Branch of Muzaka Family?? **Hanka ***Ali Pasha Source

Armorials

File: Stema e Nikollë Muzakës.png, Coat of arms attributed to Nicola Muzaka in 1534 File:Stema e Muzakëve.png, Coat of arms of the Muzaka family in 1673 File: Stema e Masaracchiove.png, Coat of arms of the Muzaka family in the 19th-century on the

Niscemi Niscemi is a little town and ''comune'' in the province of Caltanissetta, Sicily, Italy. It has a population of 27,558. It is located not far from Gela and Caltagirone and 90 km from Catania. Etymology The name Niscemi is derived from the ...

palace gate

References

Sources

* * * * * * {{Authority control Medieval Albanian nobility Byzantine families League of Lezhë