The Battle of Meçad () took place in July 1465 between Skanderbeg's

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 ...

forces and Ballaban Badera's Ottoman forces. Skanderbeg had been leading a war against the Ottoman Empire for over two decades and Ballaban Badera was an Ottoman captain of Albanian origin who had been recruited through the

devşirme Devshirme (, usually translated as "child levy" or "blood tax", , .) was the Ottoman Empire, Ottoman practice of Conscription, forcibly recruiting soldiers and bureaucrats from among the children of their Balkan Christian subjects and raising th ...

system. Ballaban planned to catch Skanderbeg's camp in a surprise when he was away. Skanderbeg had been warned of the stratagem, however, and surrounded the Ottoman camp instead. When Ballaban ordered his army out, the Albanians ambushed and routed them. Ballaban returned a month later and the month afterwards, but was defeated both times.

Background

In April 1465, Ballaban Badera, an Ottoman sanjakbey of the

Sanjak of Ohrid The Sanjak of Ohri (, , , ) was one of the sanjaks of the Ottoman Empire established in 1395. Part of it was located on the territory of the Lordship of Prilep, a realm in Macedonia ruled by the Ottoman vassal Prince Marko until his death in the B ...

of Albanian origin, had been defeated at the

Battle of Vaikal The Battle of Vajkal or Battle of Valkal () was fought in April of 1465 between the Albanian forces of Skanderbeg and an Ottoman army under Ballaban Pasha, an Ottoman commander of Albanian origin. Ballaban, the new Ottoman sanjakbey of the Sa ...

Skanderbeg Gjergj Kastrioti (17 January 1468), commonly known as Skanderbeg, was an Albanians, Albanian Albanian nobility, feudal lord and military commander who led Skanderbeg's rebellion, a rebellion against the Ottoman Empire in what is today Albania, ...

, although at a great cost. Skanderbeg had been leading a war against the Ottoman Empire for over twenty years. Ballaban was favored by Sultan

Mehmed II Mehmed II (; , ; 30 March 14323 May 1481), commonly known as Mehmed the Conqueror (; ), was twice the sultan of the Ottoman Empire from August 1444 to September 1446 and then later from February 1451 to May 1481. In Mehmed II's first reign, ...

who saw that a native Albanian would be useful in defeating an Albanian rebellion. Ballaban's appointment was a calculated act of social revolution, encouraging other Albanians to join the Ottoman army. In July 1465, Mehmed assigned Ballaban to an army with which to invade Albania.

Campaign

Before the campaign, Ballaban presented Skanderbeg with expensive gifts. Skanderbeg responded by giving Ballaban a pickaxe and a plow to remind Ballaban of his peasant Albanian origins. Ballaban, in return for the gift he had received, tried to finish the campaign as quickly as he could. Ballaban tried to bribe an Albanian camp in Meçad, near Oranik, but Skanderbeg, who had been farther north, was warned of the movements and returned to fight Ballaban. He marched in through

Ohrid Ohrid ( ) is a city in North Macedonia and is the seat of the Ohrid Municipality. It is the largest city on Lake Ohrid and the eighth-largest city in the country, with the municipality recording a population of over 42,000 inhabitants as of ...

. Ballaban was not aware of Skanderbeg's return and still prepared for the attack. Skanderbeg had surrounded the Ottomans in Meçad and when Ballaban ordered his attack, he found himself surrounded. On one side, they were attacked by the Albanian cavalry and on the other, by the Italian volunteers.

Aftermath

The Albanians won a decisive victory. Turkish flags fell into Albanian hands and few escaped. Ballaban returned to

Constantinople Constantinople (#Names of Constantinople, see other names) was a historical city located on the Bosporus that served as the capital of the Roman Empire, Roman, Byzantine Empire, Byzantine, Latin Empire, Latin, and Ottoman Empire, Ottoman empire ...

and Mehmed thus assigned him to an army of 20,000 which was again defeated by Skanderbeg in July 1465. In August, Ballaban launched his largest campaign against Albania. The Ottoman army consisted of 40,000 men altogether, but it too was defeated by Skanderbeg. The next year, however, Mehmed launched a

total war Total war is a type of warfare that includes any and all (including civilian-associated) resources and infrastructure as legitimate military targets, mobilises all of the resources of society to fight the war, and gives priority to warfare ov ...

against Albanian arms, completely devastating the country and laying siege to Krujë.

Notes

References

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Battle of Mecad (1465) Warfare by Skanderbeg Meçad 1465 in Europe Conflicts in 1465 Meçad Meçad