Teodoro Crescia (d. 1593) 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 ...

stradioti 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 in the Habsburg armies of the

Holy Roman Empire The Holy Roman Empire was a Polity, political entity in Western Europe, Western, Central Europe, Central, and Southern Europe that developed during the Early Middle Ages and continued until its Dissolution of the Holy Roman Empire, dissolution i ...

and the Crown of Spain (

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 ...

) in the reign of Emperor

Charles V Charles V may refer to: * Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor (1500–1558) * Charles V of Naples (1661–1700), better known as Charles II of Spain * Charles V of France (1338–1380), called the Wise * Charles V, Duke of Lorraine (1643–1690) * Infan ...

and

Philip II Philip II may refer to: * Philip II of Macedon (382–336 BC) * Philip II (emperor) (238–249), Roman emperor * Philip II, Prince of Taranto (1329–1374) * Philip II, Duke of Burgundy (1342–1404) * Philip II, Duke of Savoy (1438-1497) * Philip ...

Military

The Crescia family had a long tradition as captains of stradioti units in the Habsburg armies. In 1561, Teodoro Crescia gained for an annual sum of 300 ducats to the

bishop of Larino The Catholic diocese of Larino is located in the province of Campobasso, Southern Italy, c. 18 mi. (29 km) south of Termoli. It existed from the 7th century until 1986. In that year it was united into the diocese of Termoli-Larino. It was a suffra ...

a hereditary feud in the region of

Molise Molise (, , ; nap, label=Neapolitan language, Neapolitan, Mulise) is a Regions of Italy, region of Southern Italy. Until 1963, it formed part of the region of Abruzzi e Molise, alongside the region of Abruzzo. The split, which did not become effe ...

. His family preserved the feudal rights until the 18th century. The area was depopulated and many Albanians settled there to repopulate it. The settlement near the feud evolved in the modern

Arbëreshë Arbën/Arbër, from which derived Arbënesh/Arbëresh originally meant all Albanians, until the 18th century. Today it is used for different groups of Albanian origin, including: * Arbër (given name), an Albanian masculine given name * Arbëresh ...

village of

Ururi Ururi ( Arbërisht: ''Rùri'') is an Arbëreshë ''comune'' in the Province of Campobasso, in the Italian region Molise, located about northeast of Campobasso. Ururi developed in the late 16th century settlement when Albanian military captain Teod ...

. His sons Giorgio, Paolo and Nicola were stradioti captains. In the reign of Charles V, he fought in Piedmont, Flanders and Germany. In 1567, he was again leading a company of 80 Albanians in Flanders in the campaign of the

Duke of Alba Duke of Alba de Tormes ( es, Duque de Alba de Tormes), commonly known as Duke of Alba, is a title of Spanish nobility that is accompanied by the dignity of Grandee of Spain. In 1472, the title of ''Count of Alba de Tormes'', inherited by G ...

. After his return to Italy, the company was commanded by one of his sons. Crescia was for many more years active in the Habsburg armies. Archival material shows that in 1583 he was negotiating for the extension of his final pension to his sons. He died in 1593. The command of his company was passed to two other Albanian captains, his brother-in-law Elia Capoisio and after his death to Michele Papada.

References

Bibliography

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Crescia, Teodoro 1593 deaths 16th-century Albanian people Albanian military personnel