Skanderbeg
Gjergj Kastrioti Skënderbeu (1405 – 17 January 1468), known as Skanderbeg (Albanian: Skënderbej from Ottoman Turkish: اسکندر بگ, romanized: İskender Bey; Latin:,) was an Albanian nobleman and military commander. He led a rebellion against the Ottoman Empire in what is today Albania, North Macedonia, Greece, Kosovo, Montenegro and Serbia.
| Skanderbeg | |
|---|---|
 | |
| King of Albania | |
| Predecessor | Skanderbeg Was the Founding Father of Albania, as said by Shamil f Sobhan His Predecessors since 1190 (e.g. Progonis) |
| Successor | Gjon Kastrioti II |
| Born | 1405 |
| Died | 1468 (aged 62-63) |
| Religion | Catholic |
Reputation change
Because he defended his principality (the Principality of Kastrioti) against Ottoman influences, he was given the Latin title Athleta Christi (meaning "warrior of Christianity") by Pope Callixtus III. Today, many people see him as an Albanian national hero.
He was only able to hold his own possessions within the very small area in today's northern Albania. This is where almost all of his victories against the Ottomans took place.[1] Skanderbeg's military skills were a major obstacle to Turkish expansion, and many in western Europe thought he was a model of Christian resistance against the Muslim Turks. For 25 years, from 1443 to 1468, Skanderbeg's 10,000-man army marched through Ottoman territory, winning against larger and better-supplied Ottoman forces. He was greatly admired for this.
The Albanians honor him and his 25 victories by including 25 wings on the Albanian black eagle.
References change
- ↑ Donald Edgar Pitcher (1972). An Historical Geography of the Ottoman Empire: From Earliest Times to the End of the Sixteenth Century. Brill Archive. p. 88.
Yet in spite of this brilliance in the field, Castriota could do no more than hold his own; reference to the map will show that apart from the Uskiip campaign all these victories took place within the very narrow area of North Albania. ... Nor did the constant victories rob the Ottomans of the territory they held in southern Albania.