Kostandin Kastrioti Mazreku (died ca. 1390) was an Albanian regional ruler in parts of the wider Mat and Dibër areas. He is the first

Kastrioti The House of Kastrioti ( sq, Dera e Kastriotëve) was an Albanian noble family, active in the 14th and 15th centuries as the rulers of the Principality of Kastrioti. At the beginning of the 15th century, the family controlled a territory in the ...

to be known by his full name and the progenitor of all members of the family. His son was Pal Kastrioti (also attested with other names), grandfather of the Albanian national hero,

Skanderbeg , reign = 28 November 1443 – 17 January 1468 , predecessor = Gjon Kastrioti , successor = Gjon Kastrioti II , spouse = Donika Arianiti , issue = Gjon Kastrioti II , royal house = Kastrioti , father ...

Historiography

The historical figure of Kostandin Kastrioti Mazreku is attested in Giovanni Andrea Angelo Flavio Comneno's ''Genealogia diversarum principum familiarum ''. The mythological ancient lineages produced by Angelo in his writings are fictional constructions, which he wrote in the context of the

Sacred Military Constantinian Order of Saint George The Sacred Military Constantinian Order of Saint George (SMOCG) ( it, Sacro Militare Ordine Costantiniano di San Giorgio, es, Sagrada Orden Militar Constantiniana de San Jorge), also historically referred to as the Imperial Constantinian Order ...

, but medieval biographies are considered reliable as they are corroborated and reproduced in others sources and have been compared with archival material in contemporary research. Angelo mentions Kastrioti as ''Constantinus Castriotus, cognomento Meserechus, Aemathiae & Castoriae Princeps'' (Constantinus Castriotus, surnamed Meserechus, Prince of Aemathia and Castoria. Angelo used the cognomen ''Meserechus'' in reference to

and this link to the same name is produced in other sources and reproduced in later ones like Du Cange's ''Historia Byzantina'' (1680). The term ''princeps'' is generally used in the context of "ruler", not as a specific title and highlights that he was a ruler in a region which included parts of the wider Mat ("Aemathia") and "Kastoria" (interpreted as a location between Has and Dibra) areas, the power base of the Kastrioti family in the time of

Gjon Gjon (definite form: ''Gjoni'') is an Albanian male given name, clan, surname and onomastic element. As given name Etymology and history ''Gjon'' as a given name is a form of the English name John. It is the name of the apostle Saint John in Al ...

and Gjergj Kastrioti (better known as Skanderbeg). In relation to the toponym "Kastoria", Kastriot, Kastrat in Has, Kastrat in Dibra or the microtoponym "Kostur" near the village of Mazrek in the Has region has been suggested as a possible location. The

cognomen A ''cognomen'' (; plural ''cognomina''; from ''con-'' "together with" and ''(g)nomen'' "name") was the third name of a citizen of ancient Rome, under Roman naming conventions. Initially, it was a nickname, but lost that purpose when it became here ...

''Meserechus'' (Mazreku) has been a subject of interest in historiography as it links the Kastrioti family to a Mazreku

tribe The term tribe is used in many different contexts to refer to a category of human social group. The predominant worldwide usage of the term in English is in the discipline of anthropology. This definition is contested, in part due to confli ...

(fis) as one of its branches/brotherhoods. These links highlight that the Kastrioti used Mazreku as a name that highlighted their tribal affiliation (''farefisni''). They don't indicate, however, that the name was ever used as a "second surname". The name Mazrek(u), which means horse breeder in Albanian, is found throughout all Albanian regions. The various geographical links of the Kastrioti to one particular Mazrek settlement are difficult to establish with certainty as the toponym appears in widespread diffusion across many subregions historically related to the family. A Mazrek(u) settlement linked to the Kastrioti appears near medieval

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 ...

, where even in the 17th century two figures named Kastrioti appear: a Pjetër Kastrioti and his daughter, Ana Katerina Kastrioti. Historian Paolo Petta has noted that the links to the historical Kastrioti family are preserved in the oral traditions of the Mazreku tribe in northern Albania.

References

Sources

* * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Konstantin Kastrioti 1390 deaths 14th-century Albanian people

Konstantin The first name Konstantin () is a derivation from the Latin name ''Constantinus'' ( Constantine) in some European languages, such as Russian and German. As a Christian given name, it refers to the memory of the Roman emperor Constantine the Great ...