The House of Kastrioti ( sq, Dera e Kastriotëve) was an

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 ...

noble family Nobility is a social class found in many societies that have an aristocracy. It is normally ranked immediately below royalty. Nobility has often been an estate of the realm with many exclusive functions and characteristics. The characteris ...

, active in the 14th and 15th centuries as the rulers of the

Principality of Kastrioti Principality of Kastrioti ( sq, Principata e Kastriotit) was one of the Albanian principalities during the Late Middle Ages. It was formed by Pal Kastrioti who ruled it until 1407, after which his son, Gjon Kastrioti ruled until his death in 14 ...

. At the beginning of the 15th century, the family controlled a territory in the Mat and

Dibra Dibra is an Albanian surname. Notable people with the surname include: * Abdurrahman Dibra (1885–1961), Albanian politician * Arenc Dibra (born 1990), Albanian footballer * Dino Dibra (1975–2000), Australian suspected murderer * Fuad Dibra (18 ...

regions. The most notable member was Gjergj Kastrioti, better known as

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 ...

, regarded today as an Albanian hero for leading the resistance against

Mehmed the Conqueror Mehmed II ( ota, محمد ثانى, translit=Meḥmed-i s̱ānī; tr, II. Mehmed, ; 30 March 14323 May 1481), commonly known as Mehmed the Conqueror ( ota, ابو الفتح, Ebū'l-fetḥ, lit=the Father of Conquest, links=no; tr, Fâtih Su ...

's efforts to expand 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) ...

into Albania. After Skanderbeg's death and the fall of the Principality in 1468, the Kastrioti family gave their allegiance to the Kingdom of Naples and were given control over the Duchy of San Pietro in Galatina and the County of

Soleto Soleto (Griko: ; Salentino: ; la, Soletum) is a small Griko-speaking city located in the province of Lecce in Apulia, Italy. The town has a total population of 5,542 and is one of the nine towns of Grecìa Salentina where the greek dialect Griko ...

, now in the

Province of Lecce The Province of Lecce ( it, Provincia di Lecce; Salentino: ) is a province in the Apulia region of Italy whose capital is the city of Lecce. The province is called the "Heel of Italy". Located on the Salento peninsula, it is the second most-p ...

, Italy. Ferrante (died 1561), son of

Gjon Kastrioti II Gjon II Kastrioti ( it, Ioanne Castrioto,Theodore Spandounes (Spandugnino), De la origine deli Imperatori Ottomani, Sathas, C. N. (ed.) (1890) Documents inédits relatifs à l'histoire de la Grèce au moyen âge, IX (Paris), p. 159 Giovanni Cast ...

, Duke of Galatina and Count of Soleto, is the direct ancestor of all male members of the Kastrioti family today. Today, the family consists of two Italian branches, one in Lecce and the other in

Naples Naples (; it, Napoli ; nap, Napule ), from grc, Νεάπολις, Neápolis, lit=new city. is the regional capital of Campania and the third-largest city of Italy, after Rome and Milan, with a population of 909,048 within the city's adminis ...

. The descendants of the House of Kastrioti in Italy use the family name "Castriota Scanderbeg".

History

A figure attested as

Kastriot of Kanina Kastriot of Kanina is a figure who is mentioned in 1368 in a letter of Alexander Komnenos Asen, ruler of the Principality of Valona to the Republic of Ragusa in relation to the Ragusan citizenship which Asen had acquired. Kastriot must have been an ...

in southern Albania who appears in a letter sent on September 2, 1368 by

Alexander Komnenos Asen Alexander Komnenos Asen ( el, Αλέξανδρος Κομνηνός Ασέν; bg, Александър Комнин Асен) was the son of Despot John Komnenos Asen and nephew of Emperor Ivan Alexander of Bulgaria and Empress Helena of Serbia ...

to the

Ragusan Ragusan may refer to: * citizen of the Republic of Ragusa hr, Sloboda se ne prodaje za sve zlato svijeta it, La libertà non si vende nemmeno per tutto l'oro del mondo"Liberty is not sold for all the gold in the world" , population_estimate ...

senate has been hypothesised by a number of authors, mostly in the early 20th century, as an ancestor of the Kastrioti family.

Heinrich Kretschmayr Heinrich Kretschmayr (1870–1939) was an Austrian archivist and historian who specialized in the history of Venice. His principal work is the ''The History of Venice'' (German: ''Geschichte von Venedig'') in three volumes - a monumental surv ...

argued that this Kastriot may have been in fact Pal or Gjergj Kastrioti, John Fine considered it "probable" that this Kastriot was an ancestor of Gjon Kastrioti and Aleks Buda tried to bridge the geographical discrepancy between the Kastriot of Kanina who lived in southern Albania and the Kastrioti who were active in north-central Albania by arguing that after the fall of the Balšić, they returned to their ancestral lands in the

Dibër valley Dibër may refer to: * Dibër Valley, known today as the "Two Dibers", a tribal-highland region of northern Albania with the administrative and commercial center in Debar that was split between Albania and Yugoslavia, present North Macedonia Alba ...

. In contemporary historiography, the figure recorded as Kastriot of Kanina in 1368 is considered to be unrelated to the Kastrioti family. The Kastrioti so far remain absent from historical or archival records in comparison to other Albanian noble families until their first historical appearance at the end of the 14th century. The historical figure of

Konstantin Kastrioti 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 to be known by his full name and the progenitor of all members of the family. His son was Pal Ka ...

Mazreku is attested in Giovanni Andrea Angelo Flavio Comneno's ''Genealogia diversarum principum familiarum''. Angelo mentions Kastrioti as ''Constantinus Castriotus, cognomento Meserechus, Aemathiae & Castoriae Princeps'' (Constantinus Castriotus, surnamed Meserechus, Prince of Aemathia and Castoria). The toponym Castoria has been interpreted as Kastriot, Kastrat in Has, Kastrat in Dibra or the microtoponym "Kostur" near the village of Mazrek in the Has region. In connection to the Kastrioti family name, it is very likely that the name of one the different Kastriot or Kastrat which were fortified settlements as their etymology shows (

castrum In the Roman Republic and the Roman Empire The Roman Empire ( la, Imperium Romanum ; grc-gre, Βασιλεία τῶν Ῥωμαίων, Basileía tôn Rhōmaíōn) was the post-Roman Republic, Republican period of ancient Rome. As a po ...

) was as their family name. The Kastrioti may have originated from this village or probably had acquired it as

pronoia The ''pronoia'' (plural ''pronoiai''; Greek: πρόνοια, meaning "care" or "forethought," from πρό, "before," and νόος, "mind") was a system of granting dedicated streams of state income to individuals and institutions in the late Byz ...

. Angelo used the cognomen ''Meserechus'' in reference to Skanderbeg and this link to the same name is produced in other sources and reproduced in later ones like Du Cange's ''Historia Byzantina'' (1680). These links highlight that the Kastrioti used Mazreku as a name that highlighted their tribal affiliation (''farefisni''). The name Mazrek(u), which means horse breeder in Albanian, is found throughout all Albanian regions. The Kastrioti themselves where organised in a tribal structure and formed a ''fis'' or clan/tribe. Konstantin Kastrioti's son, who was the father of Gjon Kastrioti and grandfather of

, appears in two historical sources,

Gjon Muzaka Gjon Muzaka (fl. 1510; it, Giovanni Musachi di Berat ) was an Albanian nobleman from the Muzaka family, that has historically ruled in the Myzeqe region, Albania. In 1510 he wrote a ''Breve memoria de li discendenti de nostra casa Musachi'' (Shor ...

's ''Breve memoria de li discendenti de nostra casa Musachi'' (1510) and Andrea Angelo's ''Genealogia diversarum principum familiarum'' (1603/1610) who was later largely reproduced by Du Cange (1680). Angelo calls Gjon Kastrioti's father "Georgius Castriotus" (Gjergj), lord (princeps) of "Aemathiae, Umenestria" ( Mat and probably Ujmisht) and "Castoriae". Muzaka calls him "Paulo Castrioto" (Pal) and asserts that "he ruled over no more than two villages, called Signa and Gardi Ipostesi" ( Sinë and Gardhi i Poshtëm, in Çidhën of Dibër). His first name is disputed. Neither name can be characterized as the correct version because of an extreme lack of sources. The name "Paulo" (Pal) is mentioned only by one author (Muzaka) and wasn't used as the name of any of his grandsons (Reposh, Konstantin, Stanisha, Gjergj) or great-grandsons (Giorgio, Costantino, Ferrante). His rule over "only two villages" as described by Muzaka has been disputed because if true, it would mean that his son, Gjon Kastrioti who ruled over a much larger area rose to power in the span of one generation. This is considered a very unlikely trajectory in the context of Albanian medieval society because

noble families Nobility is a social class found in many societies that have an aristocracy. It is normally ranked immediately below royalty. Nobility has often been an estate of the realm with many exclusive functions and characteristics. The characterist ...

had acquired their area of influence over multiple generations. Historian Kristo Frashëri considers it likely that he ruled over his region "in the third quartier of the 14th century" between 1350-75 based on the fact that when his grandson Gjergj Kastrioti was born, his son Gjon had already fathered eight children. His son, Gjon Kastrioti (died 1437), became the lord of Matia ( Mat). He managed to expand his territory but was ultimately subdued by the invading Ottomans. The most notable member was Gjergj Kastrioti, better known as

(1405–1468), declared an Albanian national hero, renowned in Albanian folklore for uniting the

Albanian principalities The term Albanian principalities refers to a number of principalities created in the Middle Ages in Albania and the surrounding regions in the western Balkans that were ruled by Albanian nobility. The 12th century marked the first Albanian princ ...

in a military and diplomatic alliance, the

League of Lezhë The League of Lezhë ( sq, Lidhja e Lezhës), also commonly referred to as the Albanian League ( sq, Lidhja Arbërore), was a military and diplomatic alliance of the Albanian aristocracy, created in the city of Lezhë on 2 March 1444. The Leag ...

, which fought against

's efforts to further expand the Ottoman Empire into

Europe Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a subcontinent of Eurasia and it is located entirel ...

Titles

The list of titles used by Kastrioti family are:

Albania in the Middle Ages When the Roman Empire divided into east and west in 395, the territories of modern Albania became a part of the Byzantine Empire. At the end of the 12th century, the Principality of Arbanon was formed which lasted until mid 13th century, after ...

* Lord or King of

* Prince of Kruja (

) * Lord of

Sina Sina may refer to: Relating to China * Chin (China), or Sina (), old Chinese form of the Sanskrit name Cina () ** Shina (word), or Sina ( ja, 支那, links=no), archaic Japanese word for China ** Sinae, Latin name for China Places * Sina, Al ...

and Lower Gardi * Lord of

Emathia Emathia ( gr, Ἠμαθία) was the name of the plain opposite the Thermaic Gulf when the kingdom of Macedon was formed. The name was used to define the area between the rivers Aliakmon and Loudias, which, because it was the center of the kingd ...

and Vumenestia In

Sanjakbey ''Sanjak-bey'', ''sanjaq-bey'' or ''-beg'' ( ota, سنجاق بك) () was the title given in the Ottoman Empire to a bey (a high-ranking officer, but usually not a pasha) appointed to the military and administrative command of a district (''sanjak' ...

of the

Sanjak of Dibra The Sanjak of Dibra, Debar, or Dibër ( tr, Debre Sancağı, al, Sanxhaku i Dibrës, mk, Дебарски санџак, translit=Debarski sandžak) was one of the sanjaks of the Ottoman Empire. Its capital was Debar, Macedonia (modern-day Nor ...

* Subaşi of Krujë In the Kingdom of Naples * Duke of San Pietro in Galatina * Count of

* Signore of

Monte Sant'Angelo Monte Sant'Angelo ( Foggiano: ) is a town and ''comune'' of Apulia, southern Italy, in the province of Foggia, on the southern slopes of Monte Gargano. History Monte Sant'Angelo as a town appeared only in the 11th century. Between 1081 and 1103, ...

* Signore of

San Giovanni Rotondo San Giovanni Rotondo is the name of a town and ''comune'' in the province of Foggia and region of Apulia, in southern Italy. San Giovanni Rotondo was the home of Saint Pio of Pietrelcina from 28 July 1916 until his death on 23 September 1968. Th ...

* Baron of Gagliano * Baron of Salignano * Baron of Arigliano

Members

Kostandin Kastrioti 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 to be known by his full name and the progenitor of all members of the family. His son was Pal K ...

, possibly the father of Pal Kastrioti ** Pal Kastrioti - had the title "segnior de Signa et de Gardi-ipostesi" (Sina ( sq, Sinë) and Lower Gardi ( sq, Gardhi i Poshtëm)), three sons *** Aleks Kastrioti - lord of three villages, unknown issue *** Kostandin Kastrioti - Lord of Kruja castle ( lat, dominus Serinae), unknown issue *** Gjon Kastrioti (fl. 1407-1437†), married Voisava Tripalda, nine children **** Reposh Kastrioti - († 1430 or 1431), unknown issue, possibly father of Constantine **** Stanisha Kastrioti - († 1445?), one son *****

Hamza Kastrioti Hamza Kastrioti ( la, Ameses Castriota) or Bernardo Kastrioti (after his conversion to Christianity), was a 15th-century Albanian nobleman and the nephew of George Kastrioti Skanderbeg. Probably born in Ottoman territory, after the death of his ...

- (After 1457) **** Kostandin Kastrioti, unknown issue, possibly father of Constantine ***** Constantine Kastrioti **** Mara Kastrioti, married Stefan I Crnojević, buried in

Kom Monastery The Kom Monastery ( sr, Манастир Ком, Manastir Kom) is an Eastern Orthodox monastery in Montenegro. It is located on the small island of Odrinska gora, close to Žabljak Crnojevića, where the Crnojević River flows into the western s ...

, three sons (

Ivan Ivan () is a Slavic male given name, connected with the variant of the Greek name (English: John) from Hebrew meaning 'God is gracious'. It is associated worldwide with Slavic countries. The earliest person known to bear the name was Bulgari ...

Andrija Andrija ( sr-cyr, Андрија, ) is the South Slavic variant of Greek ''Andreas'' (Andrew). It may refer to: * Andrija Stipanović, basketballer * Andrija Žižić (born 1980), Croatian basketballer * Andrija Kaluđerović (born 1987), Serbian f ...

and

Božidar Božidar ( Bulgarian, Macedonian, sr-cyr, Божидар, pl, Bożydar, sometimes transliterated as Bojidar, or Bozhidar) is a Slavic given name meaning "Divine gift". It is a calque of the Greek name Theodore, itself derived from the Greek wor ...

) ****

(Gjergj Kastrioti) - Albanian national hero (d. 1468) *****

(d. 1501)- Count of Soleto, married Jerina Branković, daughter of despot

Lazar Branković Lazar Branković ( sr-cyr, Лазар Бранковић; c. 1421 – 20 February 1458) was a Serbian despot, prince of Rascia from 1456 to 1458. He was the third son of Đurađ Branković and his wife Eirene Kantakouzene. He was succeeded by hi ...

of Serbia ******

Costantino Castriota Costantino Castriota Scanderbeg (1477–1500) was an Albanian nobleman from the House of Kastrioti and prelate of the Catholic Church who served as Bishop of Isernia (1497–1500). ''(in Latin)'' Biography Costantino Castriota was born in 1477 ...

(d. 1500), bishop of Isernia (fl. 1498) ****** Ferrante Castrioti (d. 1561), duke of San Pietro in Galatina ****** Maria (d. 1569) ****** Giorgio (d. 1540), Venetian military (fl. 1499–1501) **** Jelena Kastrioti - married Pavle Balšić
p. 96 with whom she had

George Strez Balšić George Strez Balšić ( sr-Cyrl, Ђурађ Стрезов Балшић) or Gjergj Balsha ( sq, Gjergj Balsha) ( 1444–57) and his brothers Gojko and Ivan were the lords of Misia, a coastal area from the White Drin towards the Adriatic. The brot ...

, Lord of Misia **** Mamica Kastrioti, married Muzakë Thopia in 1445 **** Angelina Kastrioti, married Vladan Arianiti **** Vlajka Kastrioti, married Gjin Muzaka, secondly Stefan Strez Balšić, two sons with Stefan with whom she had Gojko Balšić and Ivan Strez Balšić Two possible members of the Kastrioti are recorded in the Ottoman '' defter'' of 1467. The first, a certain ''Dimitri Kastrijoti'', appears as a household head from the village of ''Setina e Poshtme'' which, alongside ''Setina e Sipërme'', can be identified with ''Signa'' which was traditionally held by the Kastrioti. The second was a '' yamak'' by the name of ''Mark Kastrioti'' from Derjan who was stationed in ''Shtjaknëz'' (modern Shqefën).

Italian period

Paolo Veronese - The Triumph of Mordecai - WGA24785

After the fall of Albania to the Ottoman Empire, the Kingdom of Naples gave land and noble title to Skanderbeg's family, the Kastrioti. His family were given control over the Duchy of San Pietro in Galatina and the County of

, now in the Province of Lecce in Italy. His son,

, married Jerina Branković, daughter of Serbian Despot

and one of the last descendants of the

Palaiologos The House of Palaiologos ( Palaiologoi; grc-gre, Παλαιολόγος, pl. , female version Palaiologina; grc-gre, Παλαιολογίνα), also found in English-language literature as Palaeologus or Palaeologue, was a Byzantine Greek f ...

. Two patrilineal branches of the Kastrioti family exist today: the branch of Lecce with two sub-branches and the branch of

Napoli Naples (; it, Napoli ; nap, Napule ), from grc, Νεάπολις, Neápolis, lit=new city. is the regional capital of Campania and the third-largest city of Italy, after Rome and Milan, with a population of 909,048 within the city's adminis ...

with one sub-branch. Both branches are patrilineally descended from the sons of Ferrante (-1561), Duke of

Galatina Galatina ( el, label=Griko, Ας Πέτρο, As Pètro; scn, label=Salentino, San Pietru), known before the unification of Italy as San Pietro in Galatina, is a town and ''comune'' in the Province of Lecce in Apulia, southern Italy. It is situated ...

and Count of

Spoleto Spoleto (, also , , ; la, Spoletum) is an ancient city in the Italian province of Perugia in east-central Umbria on a foothill of the Apennines. It is S. of Trevi, N. of Terni, SE of Perugia; SE of Florence; and N of Rome. History Spolet ...

Armorials

Main branch

File:Miniatura - Ms.1379 c.22V - Catriota.png, Venetian Armorial (16th century) File:Kastriotic CoA Korenić-Neorić Armorial.jpg, Korenić-Neorić Armorial (1595) File:Castriotich (Fojnica Armorial).jpg,

Fojnica Armorial Fojnica Armorial ( sh-Latn-Cyrl, Fojnički grbovnik, Фојнички грбовник) is a prominent Illyrian armorial which contains South Slavic heraldic symbols, and expresses romantic nationalism and Illyrism rather than historical accurac ...

(1675-1688) File:Coat of arms of the House of Kastrioti (by Charles Du Cange).svg,

Charles du Fresne, sieur du Cange Charles du Fresne, sieur du Cange (; December 18, 1610 in Amiens – October 23, 1688 in Paris, aged 77), also known simply as Charles Dufresne, was a distinguished French philologist and historian of the Middle Ages and Byzantium. Life Educate ...

(1680) File:Coat of arms of the House of Kastrioti (by Giuseppe Schirò).svg, Giuseppe Schirò (1904)

Cadet branches

File:Castrioti, by Giacomo Fontana, 1605.jpg, Coat of arms of the Neapolitan branch of the family by Giacomo Fontana (1605) File:Castrioti, by Jerónimo de Bolea, 17th century.jpg, Coat of arms of the Neapolitan branch of the family by Jerónimo de Bolea (17th century) File:Castrioti, by Angelo Maria da Bologni, 1715.jpg, Coat of arms of the Neapolitan branch of the family by Angelo Maria da Bologni (1715)

Footnotes

References

Sources

* * * * * * * * * *

External links

I Castriota Scanderbeg

Genealogical Tree
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kastrioti Family League of Lezhë