Teodoro Crescia () (d. 1593) 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 ...

stradioti The Stratioti or Stradioti were mercenary units from the Balkans recruited mainly by states of Southern Europe and Central Europe from the 15th century until the middle of the 18th century. They were largely of Albanian origin (about 80%), others ...

captain in the Habsburg armies of the

Holy Roman Empire The Holy Roman Empire, also known as the Holy Roman Empire of the German Nation after 1512, was a polity in Central and Western Europe, usually headed by the Holy Roman Emperor. It developed in the Early Middle Ages, and lasted for a millennium ...

and the Crown of Spain (

Kingdom of Naples The Kingdom of Naples (; ; ), officially the Kingdom of Sicily, was a state that ruled the part of the Italian Peninsula south of the Papal States between 1282 and 1816. It was established by the War of the Sicilian Vespers (1282–1302). Until ...

) in the reign of Emperor

Charles V Charles V may refer to: Kings and Emperors * Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor (1500–1558) * Charles V of Naples (1661–1700), better known as Charles II of Spain * Charles V of France (1338–1380), called the Wise Others * Charles V, Duke ...

and Philip II.

Military

The Crescia family had a long tradition as captains of stradioti units in the Habsburg armies. In 1561, Teodoro Crescia gained for an annual sum of 300 ducats to the

bishop of Larino The Catholic diocese of Larino is located in the province of Campobasso, Southern Italy, c. 18 mi. (29 km) south of Termoli. It existed from the 7th century until 1986. In that year it was united into the diocese of Termoli-Larino. It was a suffra ...

a hereditary feud in the region of

Molise Molise ( , ; ; , ) is a Regions of Italy, region in Southern Italy. Until 1963, it formed part of the region of Abruzzi e Molise together with Abruzzo. The split, which did not become effective until 1970, makes Molise the newest region in Ital ...

. His family preserved the feudal rights until the 18th century. The area was depopulated and many Albanians settled there to repopulate it. The settlement near the feud evolved in the modern

Arbëreshë Arbën/Arbër, from which derived Arbënesh/Arbëresh originally meant all Albanians, until the 18th century. Today it is used for different groups of Albanian origin, including: * Arbër (given name), an Albanian masculine given name *Arbëres ...

village of Ururi. His sons Giorgio, Paolo and Nicola were stradioti captains. In the reign of Charles V, he fought in Piedmont, Flanders and Germany. In 1567, he was again leading a company of 80 Albanians in Flanders in the campaign of the

Duke of Alba Duke of Alba de Tormes (), commonly known as Duke of Alba, is a title of Spanish nobility that is accompanied by the dignity of Grandee of Spain. In 1472, the title of ''Count of Alba de Tormes'', inherited by García Álvarez de Toledo, wa ...

. After his return to Italy, the company was commanded by one of his sons. Crescia was for many more years active in the Habsburg armies. Archival material shows that in 1583 he was negotiating for the extension of his final pension to his sons. He died in 1593. The command of his company was passed to two other Albanian captains, his brother-in-law Elia Capoisio and after his death to Michele Papada.

References

Bibliography

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Crescia, Teodoro 1593 deaths 16th-century Albanian people People from the Holy Roman Empire People from the Kingdom of Naples Ethnic Albanian military personnel Medieval Albanian generals