Skanderbeg: National Hero of Albania
In the mid-fifteenth century, writes Anthony Bryer, George Kastriota, surnamed Skanderbeg, was acclaimed as a powerful champion of Christianity on the eastern shores of the Adriatic.
The Albanians call their country Shqipenia, which means “Eagle’s Land.” The Turkish chronicler, Urudj, explains that their mountains are inaccessible, even to crows; only eagles and demoniac Albanians can live among them.
Their land is not much larger than Wales, and Albanians have lived there since long before the Slavonic invasions of the Balkans: Ptolemy mentions them in the second century A.D.
They are a chaotic race, divided into some fifty clans, to which they owe greater loyalty than to a religion or to the whole nation, the clans being broadly divided into the Ghegs in the north and the Tosks in the south.
In the fifteenth century, the Ghegs were largely Catholic and the Tosks Orthodox; today, most Albanians are Muslim, but Gheg and Tosk remain two distinct and almost impenetrable languages.
To continue reading this article you will need to purchase access to the online archive.
Buy Online Access Buy Print & Archive Subscription
If you have already purchased access, or are a print & archive subscriber, please ensure you are logged in.
Please email digital@historytoday.com if you have any problems.
