The Blinishti (incorrectly, ''Bleusi'', ''Bleuisti'', ''Bletisti'', ''Blevisci'') were a medieval Albanian feudal family that held lands in modern northern Albania between the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries. They governed a territory spanning from

Gjadër Gjadër is a settlement in the Lezhë County, northwestern Albania. At the 2015 local government reform it became part of the municipality of Lezhë. It is known for the former military air base made famous during the Cold War. History Accordi ...

in the west to Mali i Shejtit in the east, and from

Fushë-Arrëz Fushë-Arrëz (; sq-definite, Fushë-Arrëzi) is a municipality and town in Shkodër County, northwestern Albania Albania ( ; sq, Shqipëri or ), or , also or . officially the Republic of Albania ( sq, Republika e Shqipërisë), is a cou ...

in the north to Ndërfanda in the south of their domain. Their core settlement was modern Blinisht north of

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 cons ...

. According to

Milan Šufflay Milan Šufflay (8 November 1879 – 19 February 1931) was a Croatian historian and politician. He was one of the founders of Albanology and the author of the first Croatian science fiction novel. As a Croatian nationalist, he was persecuted in th ...

, the Blinishti were from the ''Matasei'' tribe of Mati. The earliest attestation of the Blinishti comes from an Angevin document of 1274 outlining an agreement between Charles I of Anjou and a number of Albanian nobles. In the document, Vlado Blinishti (''Blado Bletista'') is mentioned. Prior to his engagement with the Angevins, Vlado was likely a

stratioti 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 ...

with political ties to both the Byzantines and

Serbs The Serbs ( sr-Cyr, Срби, Srbi, ) are the most numerous South Slavic ethnic group native to the Balkans in Southeastern Europe, who share a common Serbian ancestry, culture, history and language. The majority of Serbs live in their na ...

(indicated by his identification with '' Caznecio Blinishti''). In 1279, Vlado was captured by the captain of Durazzo and imprisoned in Brindisi on grounds of disrespecting the conditions of the aforementioned agreement. However, in 1304 Vlado accepted Angevin suzerainty and was freed, receiving the title of ''

comes ''Comes'' ( ), plural ''comites'' ( ), was a Roman title or office, and the origin Latin form of the medieval and modern title "count". Before becoming a word for various types of title or office, the word originally meant "companion", either i ...

'' from

Philip I of Taranto Philip I of Taranto (10 November 1278 – 26 December 1331), of the Angevin house, was titular Latin Emperor of Constantinople (as Philip II) by right of his wife Catherine of Valois–Courtenay, Despot of Romania, King of Albania, Prince of A ...

. His son, Gulielm, was given the position of Albania's marshal (''marascallum regni albanie duximus ordinandum'') by the Angevins on top of his older title of ''

protosevastos The title of ''protosebastos'' ( el, πρωτοσέβαστος, ''prōtosébastos'', "first ''sebastos''") was a high Byzantine court title created by Emperor Alexios I Komnenos. History Although the title first appears in a document of 1049, wher ...

'' given previously by the Byzantines. Another member of this family, Kalojan Blinishti, is mentioned between 1304 and 1319 and also bore the title of ''comes''. A letter of 1304 claims Kalojan to have been the brother of a certain ''Blasius'' who may have been Vlado. Following the Albanian rebellion against the Serbs in 1319-36, instigated by Pope John XXII, the Blinishti no longer appear in the historical record, their territory likely being split by the Dukagjini and Thopia families.

References

{{Reflist Albanian noble families 13th-century Albanian people 14th-century Albanian people