The Battle of Polog was the result of 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 ...

incursion into Ottoman territory. Aided by Alfonso the Magnanimous, the Albanian leader Skanderbeg made plans to recapture Svetigrad, which had been lost in 1448. His strategy involved launching an invasion of

Macedonia Macedonia most commonly refers to: * North Macedonia, a country in southeastern Europe, known until 2019 as the Republic of Macedonia * Macedonia (ancient kingdom), a kingdom in Greek antiquity * Macedonia (Greece), a traditional geographic reg ...

to devastate the country surrounding Svetigrad and to lure the garrison into a trap. While implementing this, he was stopped in the fields of Polog near Tetovo by a force which was planning to invade Albania led by his old friend Ibrahim Pasha. The force was quickly destroyed and Skanderbeg's army proceeded its looting before returning to Debar.

Background

Skanderbeg lost Svetigrad in 1448 after a two-month-long siege. The fortress was vital to his strategic defense of Albania as it guarded one of the main mountain passes into the country from Macedonia. He, therefore, made efforts to regain it with the help of

Alfonso V of Aragon Alfonso the Magnanimous (139627 June 1458) was King of Aragon and King of Sicily (as Alfonso V) and the ruler of the Crown of Aragon from 1416 and King of Naples (as Alfonso I) from 1442 until his death. He was involved with struggles to the t ...

; in the Treaty of Gaeta signed in 1451, Skanderbeg became a vassal of Alfonso in return for financial and military aid for his ongoing war with the Turks. In the winter of 1452, Skanderbeg made plans for his offensive and thus received much-needed artillery and arquebuses from Alfonso.Francione p. 107.

Prelude

In the spring of 1453, Skanderbeg moved into

. During the night, Skanderbeg's army marched through a severe storm, hoping to surprise the Turks. Near Tetovo Skanderbeg's force met an opposing Ottoman force of 14,000 men led by Ibrahim Pasha, one of Skanderbeg's old friends during his service in the Ottoman army. Skanderbeg ordered the march to halt and made plans to retreat into the Mokra valley, hoping to entice his opponent into a trap. But Ibrahim did not follow and instead bivouacked on the field of Polog. This maneuver blocked further incursions into Macedonia. In the Albanian camp, battleplans were being made while the Turkish camp remained quiet. Moisi Arianit Golemi proposed making a night attack but Skanderbeg was reluctant since a powerful storm was sweeping through, making it difficult to launch an attack; Hamza Kastrioti supported Moisiu.Francione p. 108.

Battle

Skanderbeg's doubts soon faded and he made plans for an attack on his enemy's camp. On 22 April, despite the storms, Skanderbeg launched a swift cavalry attack which broke into the enemy camp causing disorder and chaos. Skanderbeg confronted Ibrahim and challenged him to a personal duel. Skanderbeg came out victorious and beheaded his opponent. His head was placed on a pike in a manner similar to Władysław III of Poland's execution and upon being informed, the Turkish troops quickly fled.

Aftermath

According to Marin Barleti, the

Ottomans The Ottoman Turks ( tr, Osmanlı Türkleri), were the Turkic founding and sociopolitically the most dominant ethnic group of the Ottoman Empire ( 1299/1302–1922). Reliable information about the early history of Ottoman Turks remains scarce, ...

lost 10,000 men, while the Albanians lost 300. According to Francione, the Turks left behind 3,000 dead. Skanderbeg's army continued fighting before returning to Debar.Franco p. 317. The same year, the Byzantine Empire fell after the

fall of Constantinople The Fall of Constantinople, also known as the Conquest of Constantinople, was the capture of the capital of the Byzantine Empire by the Ottoman Empire. The city fell on 29 May 1453 as part of the culmination of a 53-day siege which had begun o ...

Notes

References

*
Franco, Demetrio
''Comentario de le cose de' Turchi, et del S. Georgio Scanderbeg, principe d' Epyr''. Venice: Altobello Salkato, 1480. {{Use dmy dates, date=June 2017 Polog Polog 1453 in Europe Polog Macedonia under the Ottoman Empire Polog 1453 in the Ottoman Empire