Nikollë Mekajshi ( it, Nicolò Mechaischi, la, Mecansius) was a

Franciscan , image = FrancescoCoA PioM.svg , image_size = 200px , caption = A cross, Christ's arm and Saint Francis's arm, a universal symbol of the Franciscans , abbreviation = OFM , predecessor = , ...

Roman Catholic Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy * Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD * Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *'' Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a let ...

prelate A prelate () is a high-ranking member of the Christian clergy who is an ordinary or who ranks in precedence with ordinaries. The word derives from the Latin , the past participle of , which means 'carry before', 'be set above or over' or 'pre ...

who served as bishop of Stephanium, a region in central Albania. He took part in 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 ...

in 1594, and was a member of the delegation that negotiated with

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 ...

Life

Born in the area of

Durrës Durrës ( , ; sq-definite, Durrësi) is the second most populous city of the Republic of Albania and seat of Durrës County and Durrës Municipality. It is located on a flat plain along the Albanian Adriatic Sea Coast between the mouths of ...

, Mekajshi served as bishop of Stephanium (Shtjefni), a region located between northern

Elbasan Elbasan ( ; sq-definite, Elbasani ) is the fourth most populous city of Albania and seat of Elbasan County and Elbasan Municipality. It lies to the north of the river Shkumbin between the Skanderbeg Mountains and the Myzeqe Plain in central ...

and

Mat District Mat District () was one of the 36 districts of Albania, which were dissolved in July 2000 and replaced by 12 newly created counties. It had a population of 61,906 in 2001, and an area of . It was named after the river Mat, which flows through ...

. In 1601-2 he and

Nikollë Bardhi Nikollë Bardhi (1551–1617) was an Albanian prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He played a key role in the Albanian struggle against the Ottoman Empire. Nikollë Bardhi was born in region of Zadrima, Lezhë, modern northern Albania in 1551. ...

unsuccessfully tried to instigate an armed uprising 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) ...

. In 1609-10 he sent another proposal to

Pope Paul V Pope Paul V ( la, Paulus V; it, Paolo V) (17 September 1550 – 28 January 1621), born Camillo Borghese, was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 16 May 1605 to his death in January 1621. In 1611, he honored ...

regarding an anti-Ottoman revolt. According to his plan 50,000 Catholic and Orthodox Albanian troops with support from

Philip III of Spain Philip III ( es, Felipe III; 14 April 1578 – 31 March 1621) was King of Spain. As Philip II, he was also King of Portugal, Naples, Sicily and Sardinia and Duke of Milan from 1598 until his death in 1621. A member of the House of Habsburg, Phi ...

would begin a revolt with the aim of removing Ottoman rule from the country. By 1610, when he assisted archbishop Marin Bici, during the preparation of his report on the Catholic population of the area Mekajshi had become the last remaining Catholic bishop in the Archdiocese of Durrës.

Sources

{{DEFAULTSORT:Mekajshi, Nikolle 16th-century Albanian Roman Catholic bishops 17th-century Albanian Roman Catholic bishops Franciscan bishops People from Durrës