Andrea Manesi 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 ...

leader who organized a revolt in 1607 against the

Ottoman Empire The Ottoman Empire, * ; is an archaic version. The definite article forms and were synonymous * and el, Оθωμανική Αυτοκρατορία, Othōmanikē Avtokratoria, label=none * info page on book at Martin Luther University) ...

. He declared himself to be the second

Skanderbeg , reign = 28 November 1443 – 17 January 1468 , predecessor = Gjon Kastrioti , successor = Gjon Kastrioti II , spouse = Donika Arianiti , issue = Gjon Kastrioti II , royal house = Kastrioti , father ...

, instructed by celestial beings to depose the

Sultan Sultan (; ar, سلطان ', ) is a position with several historical meanings. Originally, it was an Arabic abstract noun meaning "strength", "authority", "rulership", derived from the verbal noun ', meaning "authority" or "power". Later, it ...

and take his place. Gaining fame as having miraculous abilities and helping the poor, he increased the number of his supporters until the revolt was put to an end by Ottoman armies.

Life

Andrea Manesi was born in Qullëz, a village between Lezhë and

Shkodër Shkodër ( , ; sq-definite, Shkodra) is the fifth-most-populous city of the Republic of Albania and the seat of Shkodër County and Shkodër Municipality. The city sprawls across the Plain of Mbishkodra between the southern part of Lake Shkod ...

in northwest

Albania Albania ( ; sq, Shqipëri or ), or , also or . officially the Republic of Albania ( sq, Republika e Shqipërisë), is a country in Southeastern Europe. It is located on the Adriatic and Ionian Seas within the Mediterranean Sea and shares ...

. Raised in a period of intense conflict between the Ottoman Empire and Albanians seeking independence, in 1607 he started to claim that he was contacted by celestial beings, and instructed by them to take control of the empire. Manesi claimed that he was a successor of Skanderbeg, the Albanian leader who fought against the Ottomans, and that Sultan

Ahmed I Ahmed I ( ota, احمد اول '; tr, I. Ahmed; 18 April 1590 – 22 November 1617) was Sultan of the Ottoman Empire from 1603 until his death in 1617. Ahmed's reign is noteworthy for marking the first breach in the Ottoman tradition of royal f ...

had no right to rule. Claims about him making miracles and helping poor people emerged. In front of 3000 Albanian men, he foresaw attempts by the Sultan to kill him. Soon Manesi, supported by ever growing numbers of rebels, reduced taxes and called on local officials to do their job honestly. After some regions of Albania, such as Dukagjini, Kthella and Selita joined the revolt, Andrea Manesi was invited to pay a visit to the Sublime Porte but refused to do so. As a response, the Sultan ordered large armies to attack the rebellious regions, though Manesi and his supporters continued their activities until 1610. After failing to secure support from Spain, the revolt was definitely put to an end.

Legacy

Andrea Manesi is a rather obscure figure in

historiography Historiography is the study of the methods of historians in developing history as an academic discipline, and by extension is any body of historical work on a particular subject. The historiography of a specific topic covers how historians ha ...

. His history is valuable not only in the context of Albanian-Ottoman relations of that time, but also in demonstrating mechanisms of myth creation as well. Emerging from the status of an ordinary person, by realizing the importance of gaining fame, he reached the status of a regional leader.

References

Sources

* * *{{cite web, url=http://www.gazetadita.al/dy-shqiptare-te-4-shekujve-me-pare/, title=Dy shqiptarë të 4 shekujve më parë, last=Zeqo, first=Moikom, date=July 17, 2010, website=gazetadita.al, publisher=Dita, access-date=June 10, 2018, archive-date=June 12, 2018, archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180612140312/http://www.gazetadita.al/dy-shqiptare-te-4-shekujve-me-pare/, url-status=dead 17th-century Albanian people Sanjak of Scutari

Life

Legacy

See also

References

Sources