The Treaty of Gaeta was a political treaty signed in

Gaeta Gaeta (; lat, Cāiēta; Southern Laziale: ''Gaieta'') is a city in the province of Latina, in Lazio, Southern Italy. Set on a promontory stretching towards the Gulf of Gaeta, it is from Rome and from Naples. The town has played a consp ...

on March 26, 1451, between Alfonso V for 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 ...

and Stefan, Bishop of Krujë, and Nikollë de Berguçi, ambassadors of

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 ...

. In the treaty Skanderbeg recognized himself a vassal of the Kingdom of Naples, and in return he would have the Kingdom's protection from 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) ...

. Alfonso V believed that he would be able to resurrect the politics of his Angevine predecessors and to use Albania as a foothold to further expand his realm into the Balkans.

Terms of the Treaty

The treaty was requested by

in order to ensure protection from the

. Although the party on the treaty was Alfonso V himself, the treaty was signed by his main notary, Arnaldo Fonolleda. The ambassadors of Skanderbeg were respectively two bishops: Stefan was an

orthodox Orthodox, Orthodoxy, or Orthodoxism may refer to: Religion * Orthodoxy, adherence to accepted norms, more specifically adherence to creeds, especially within Christianity and Judaism, but also less commonly in non-Abrahamic religions like Neo-pa ...

bishop and de Berguçi was a

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 ...

Dominican bishop. According to the treaty, if the Albanians were to need the Kingdom of Naples's help in military issues, they would be obligated to donate each city in danger to the Naple's crown. In addition Skanderbeg had to swear an oath of fidelity to the Aragon crown. As soon as the Albanian lands would be freed by Ottoman invasions, Skanderbeg had to pay taxes to Alfonso, and had to recognize the Naple's crown, however he would keep his autonomy and self-government. The last point of the treaty specifies that Skanderbeg had to buy salt only from the warehouses of Alfonso, rather than from the Ottomans, but with the same price that the Ottomans would have otherwise charged. To follow the treaty, Naples sent a detachment of 100 Napolitan soldiers commanded by Bernard Vaquer to the castle of Krujë in the end of May 1451. Vaquer was appointed to position of special commissioner and took over Kruje on behalf of the Kingdom of Naples and put its garrison under his command.

Aftermath

After Alfonso signed this treaty with Skanderbeg, he signed similar treaties with other chieftains from Albania:

Gjergj Arianiti Gjergj Arianiti (1383–1462) was an Albanian feudal lord who led several successful campaigns against the Ottoman Empire. He was the father of Donika, Skanderbeg's wife, as well as the grand-uncle of Moisi Arianit Golemi. Gjergj Arianiti was ...

, Gjin Muzaka, George Stresi Balsha, Peter Spani,

Paul Dukagjini Pal Dukagjini ( it, Paolo Ducagini, 1411–1458) was an Albanian nobleman, a member of the Dukagjini family. He and his kinsman Nicholas Dukagjini were initially subjects of Lekë Zaharia, a Venetian vassal who had possessions around Shkoder. ...

, Constantinos Spanchis, Thopia Muzaka, Peter of Himara, Simon Zanebisha and Karlo Toco.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Gaeta, Treaty of 1450s treaties 1451 1451 in Europe 15th century in the Kingdom of Naples Treaties of the Kingdom of Naples