Renesi was a historical Albanian tribe from the region around

Lezhë Lezhë (, sq-definite, Lezha) is a city in the Republic of Albania and seat of Lezhë County and Lezhë Municipality. One of the main strongholds of the Labeatai, the earliest of the fortification walls of Lezhë are of typical Illyrian const ...

, in northern

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 ...

. The Renesi were

Catholic The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

. Some members of the Renesi migrated in

Dalmatia Dalmatia (; hr, Dalmacija ; it, Dalmazia; see #Name, names in other languages) is one of the four historical region, historical regions of Croatia, alongside Croatia proper, Slavonia, and Istria. Dalmatia is a narrow belt of the east shore of ...

and settled in the city of Zara. They became a numerous and important stradiotic family 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, ...

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) ...

cities, as well as the

Kingdom of Naples The Kingdom of Naples ( la, Regnum Neapolitanum; it, Regno di Napoli; nap, Regno 'e Napule), also known as the Kingdom of Sicily, was a state that ruled the part of the Italian Peninsula south of the Papal States between 1282 and 1816. It was ...

. Forty stradiote members of Renesi are known.

History

Two settlements tied to, or founded by, the Renesi are attested in the Venetian

cadastre A cadastre or cadaster is a comprehensive recording of the real estate or real property's metes and bounds, metes-and-bounds of a country.Jo Henssen, ''Basic Principles of the Main Cadastral Systems in the World,'/ref> Often it is represented gra ...

of Scutari in 1416-7: ''Renesi'' (modern Renc) in Guri i Zi whose inhabitants are recorded as having left their village and settled around

Drisht Drisht ( sq-definite, Drishti) is a village, former bishopric and Latin titular see with an Ancient and notable medieval history (Latin ''Drivastum,'' Italian ''Drivasto'') in Albania, 6 km from Mes Bridge (Albanian: ''Ura e Mesit''). It is l ...

to avoid taxes, and ''Renise'' (likely corresponding to modern Mali i Rrencit) in

Shëngjin Shëngjin is a coastal town and a former municipality in Lezhë County, northwestern Albania. At the 2015 local government reform it became a subdivision of the municipality of Lezhë. The population at the 2011 census was 8,091.

which had a total of 13 households. Out of the 13 household heads recorded, only two were from the Renesi: ''Martin'' and ''Nikolla Renesi''. Branches of the Renesi had spread across north-western Albania and appear in '' Marsen'' (Marshej) in

Malësi e Madhe Malësi e Madhe () is a municipality in Shkodër County, in northwestern Albania. The municipality consists of the administrative units of Gruemirë, Kastrat, Kelmend, Qendër, Shkrel with Koplik Koplik (also known as Koplik i Poshtëm) is ...

, ''Bardh'' near

Sheldi Sheldi is a settlement in the former Gur i Zi municipality, Shkodër County, northern Albania. At the 2015 local government reform it became part of the municipality Shkodër Shkodër ( , ; sq-definite, Shkodra) is the fifth-most-populous c ...

, ''Turk'' (possibly near modern

Ganjollë Ganjollë is a settlement in the former Guri i Zi municipality, Shkodër County, northern Albania Albania ( ; sq, Shqipëri or ), or , also or . officially the Republic of Albania ( sq, Republika e Shqipërisë), is a country in Southeas ...

), ''Valm'' in Shëngjin, and ''Zamoran'' in the lowlands of Shkodra. Three out of the six household heads from Marsen were of the Renesi: Jon, Lazër, and Andre Renesi; one out of 11 from Bardh: ''Benko Renesi''; one out of 18 from Turk: ''Nikolla Renesi''; one out of three from Zamoran: ''Stefan Renesi''; and one out of 10 from Valm: ''Stefan Renesi''.

References

Citations

Bibliography

* * * * *{{cite book, last=Zamputi, first=Injac, publisher=The Academy of Science of Albania, title=Regjistri i kadastrës dhe i konçesioneve për rrethin e shkodrës, 1416-1417, year=1977, url=https://www.academia.edu/33718705 Tribes of Albania