Mark Gjini 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 chosen at the

Convention of Mat The Convention of Mat was organized on November 7, 1594 by Albanian leaders fighting against the Ottoman Empire. Mat was chosen as the place of the meeting due to its role in Albanian revolts of the 16th century. The aim was a better organization ...

to negotiate with the Pope an alliance 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) ...

Life

Mark Gjini held the title of

Stradiot The Stratioti or Stradioti ( gr, στρατιώτες ''stratiotes''; sq, Stratiotë, Stratiotët;, it, stradioti, stradiotti, stratioti, strathiotto, strathioti; french: estradiots; sh, stratioti, stradioti; es, estradiotes) were mercenary u ...

captain serving the

Republic of Venice The Republic of Venice ( vec, Repùblega de Venèsia) or Venetian Republic ( vec, Repùblega Vèneta, links=no), traditionally known as La Serenissima ( en, Most Serene Republic of Venice, italics=yes; vec, Serenìsima Repùblega de Venèsia, ...

. His service to Venetians includes his contribution in the

Uskok War The Uskok War, also known as the War of Gradisca, was fought by the Austrians, Croats, and Spanish on one side and the Venetians, Dutch, and English on the other. It is named for the Uskoks, soldiers from Croatia used by the Austrians for irreg ...

with six boats with 300 Albanians. Gjini was a distinguished figure of the Albanian struggle against the

at the end of the end of 16th century and the beginning of the 17th century. He participated at the ''Convention of Mat'' which was held on November 7, 1594 by Albanian leaders for a better organization of their revolts. The convention decided that help should be sought from the

Pope The pope ( la, papa, from el, πάππας, translit=pappas, 'father'), also known as supreme pontiff ( or ), Roman pontiff () or sovereign pontiff, is the bishop of Rome (or historically the patriarch of Rome), head of the worldwide Cathol ...

, and the trusted and experienced leaders

Tom Plezha Tom Plezha was an Albanian leader chosen at the Convention of Mat to negotiate with the Pope an alliance against the Ottoman Empire. Life Tom Plezha held the title ''Captain'' serving the Republic of Venice. He took part in the Battle of Lepanto i ...

, Mark Gjini and

Nikollë Mekajshi Nikollë Mekajshi ( it, Nicolò Mechaischi, la, Mecansius) was a Franciscan Roman Catholic prelate who served as bishop of Stephanium, a region in central Albania. He took part in the Convention of Mat in 1594, and was a member of the delegation t ...

were chosen to undertake the negotiations. This was done secretly from the Republic of Venice as the latter did not want to open a new conflict with the Ottomans. A year later Gjini returned from Italy to recruit men for the implementation of plans, and was almost killed by people employed by Venetians. In 1607, Gjini led a delegation that requested help by the King of Spain. After the failure of the Mat Convention's goals, little is known about Mark Gjini. The documents, however, show that after the 1607-1608 period, he was still one of the most active anti-Ottoman leaders in Albania.

References

Sources

* * *{{cite book, author=Instituti i Historisë, title=Studime historike, year=1967, publisher=Akademia e Shkencave 16th-century Albanian people 17th-century Albanian people