Lika Ceni (born 1749, Ulqin) known as Kapidan Lika Ceni, 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 ...

pirate leader. Lika Ceni was a legendary Albanian pirate from

Ulcinj Ulcinj ( cyrl, Улцињ, ; ) is a town on the southern coast of Montenegro and the capital of Ulcinj Municipality. It has an urban population of 10,707 (2011), the majority being Albanians. As one of the oldest settlements in the Adriatic coast ...

, notorious for sinking a ship of pilgrims bound for

Mecca Mecca (; officially Makkah al-Mukarramah, commonly shortened to Makkah ()) is a city and administrative center of the Mecca Province of Saudi Arabia, and the Holiest sites in Islam, holiest city in Islam. It is inland from Jeddah on the Red ...

. He reportedly was one of a number of

barbary corsairs The Barbary pirates, or Barbary corsairs or Ottoman corsairs, were Muslim pirates and privateers who operated from North Africa, based primarily in the ports of Salé, Rabat, Algiers, Tunis and Tripoli, Libya, Tripoli. This area was known i ...

who helped seize the port from Venice and stayed on raiding Venetian and other merchant ships along the Dalmatian coast. His legend has also become synonymous with the famous Lambros Katsonis (1752-1804); a Greek naval admiral of the 18th century (born in Levadia, he joined the Orlov Revolt in 1770). As captain of the Greek fleet against the Ottoman Empire he had become a thorn in the side of the Sultan. Greeks called him Katsonis, the Italians called Lambro Cazziani, Cazzoni. Ali Kaceni, the name that history remembers him by, is said to be a derivative of Katsonis. As he was attributed with defeating Lambros, thus earning his name of Ali Kaceni; Ali, the one who slew Labro Katsonis, which is in fact exaggeration as Greek commander was defeated, but not killed. In the legend of Lambros, it said that he died in battle with the Turks in

Crimea Crimea, crh, Къырым, Qırım, grc, Κιμμερία / Ταυρική, translit=Kimmería / Taurikḗ ( ) is a peninsula in Ukraine, on the northern coast of the Black Sea, that has been occupied by Russia since 2014. It has a pop ...

;Panos Stamou (c. 2007). Προσέγγιση ιστορικής προσωπικότητας μέσα από Αρχειακές πηγές: Περίπτωση Λάμπρου Κατσώνη pproaching the historic person through archival sources: The case of Lampros Katsonis(DOC) (in Greek). Hellenic Cultural Center (Moscow). p. 6. which culminates to the legend we know about Likaceni. Due to Karalambro (Black Lambro) deeds and actions against 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, ...

, 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 ...

was forced to eliminate this foe. For this act, Likaceni accepted the bounty made by the Sultan; with a reward of an official title for the one could defeat Lambro Katsonis. The legend says that Likaceni defeated Karalambro, thus given the title "Kapidan". Due to Likaceni's actions and activities in the

Adriatic The Adriatic Sea () is a body of water separating the Italian Peninsula from the Balkans, Balkan Peninsula. The Adriatic is the northernmost arm of the Mediterranean Sea, extending from the Strait of Otranto (where it connects to the Ionian Sea) ...

and

Mediterranean The Mediterranean Sea is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by the Mediterranean Basin and almost completely enclosed by land: on the north by Western and Southern Europe and Anatolia, on the south by North Africa, and on the e ...

; one of which was sinking a ship of pilgrims bound for

, many Ottoman pashas and captains of the Ottoman fleet convinced the Sultan that this Albanian was a massive threat and ordered his death as well. Upon being detained in the

Bosphorus The Bosporus Strait (; grc, Βόσπορος ; tr, İstanbul Boğazı 'Istanbul strait', colloquially ''Boğaz'') or Bosphorus Strait is a natural strait and an internationally significant waterway located in Istanbul in northwestern Tu ...

, Likaceni was able to slip through an Ottoman blockade and return to his home of

and thus his legend of bravery, fearlessness and pride succeeded in surviving through the centuries. His descendants still allegedly survive today under the surnames Kapidani and Lazoja.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ceni, Lika 1749 births 18th-century Albanian people Albanian criminals Barbary pirates People from Ulcinj Year of death unknown

See also

References