Lekë Zaharia Altisferi (died 1447) was an Albanian nobleman from the

Zaharia family The Zaharia family, also known as the Zakarija, Zakaria or Zaccaria was an Albanian noble family, most prominent during the 14th and 15th century. History Nicholas Zakarija The Zaharia family is mentioned for the first time in the 14th century. ...

. He was the only son of his father

Koja Zaharia Koja Zaharia or Koja Zakaria () (? – before 1442) was an Albanian nobleman and a member of the Zaharia family. Name In Ragusan documents he is referred to as Kojčin or Gojčin. Because of that, many scholars like Nicolae Iorga, Ludwig Th ...

and mother Bosa Dukagjini, and he had a sister named Bolia, who named her son Koja after her father.

League of Lezhë

In 1444 he was one of the founders of the

League of Lezhë The League of Lezhë (), also commonly referred to as the Albanian League (), was a military and diplomatic alliance of the Albanian aristocracy, created in the city of Lezhë on 2 March 1444. The League of Lezhë is considered the first unif ...

, which included some other members of the Albanian nobility. The League's known members included: # Lekë Zaharia (lord of Sati and

Dagnum Dagnum (, , ) was a town, bishopric and important medieval fortress located on the territory of present-day Albania, which has been under Albanian, Serbian, Venetian and Ottoman control and remains a Latin Catholic titular see. It is close to t ...

) and his vassals Pal Dukagjin and Nikolla Dukagjini # Pjetër Spani # Lekë Dushmani # Gjergj Stres Balsha with

John John is a common English name and surname: * John (given name) * John (surname) John may also refer to: New Testament Works * Gospel of John, a title often shortened to John * First Epistle of John, often shortened to 1 John * Second E ...

and Gojko Balsha # Andrea Thopia with his nephew Tanush Thopia # Gjergj Arianiti Thopia Comneni # Theodor Korona Muzaka #

Stefan Crnojević Stefan Crnojević ( sr-Cyrl, Стефан Црнојевић), known as Stefanica (; 1426–1465) was the Zeta under the Crnojevići, Lord of Zeta between 1451 and 1465. Until 1441, as a knyaz he was one of many governors in Upper Zeta, whic ...

with his sons

Lekë's murder

According to contemporary chronicler

Marin Barleti Marin Barleti (, ; – ) was a historian, humanist and Catholic priest from Shkodër. He is considered the first Albanian historian because of his 1504 eyewitness account of the 1478 siege of Shkodra. Barleti is better known for his second work ...

, in 1445 during a marriage ceremony for

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, ...

's sister Mamica Kastrioti, Zaharia had a dispute with

Lekë Dukagjini Lekë III Dukagjini (1410–1481), mostly known as Lekë Dukagjini, was a 15th-century member of the Albanian nobility, from the Dukagjini family. A contemporary of Skanderbeg, Dukagjini is known for the '' Kanuni i Lekë Dukagjinit'', a code of ...

. At the center of this dispute was a woman named Irene Dushmani, heir to the Dushmani family. She seemed to prefer Zaharia, while this was not accepted by Dukagjini. A skirmish happened and Dukagjini remained wounded, saved only by the intervention of Vrana Konti. Two years later, in 1447, Lekë Zaharia was killed in an ambush and Dukagjini was accused of the murder. Original Venetian documents show that the murder occurred in 1444. According to the Venetian chronicler Stefano Magno, it was Nicholas Dukagjin, Zaharia's vassal, who killed Lekë Zaharia in the battle, not Lekë as stated by Barleti. Magno also stated that, before he died, Lekë Zaharia expressed his wish that his properties should be handed over to the Venetian Republic.

Aftermath

Having left no heirs, the fortress of Dagnum was claimed from Skanderbeg in the name of the League of Lezhë, of which Lekë Zaharia was a participant. However, his mother surrendered the castle to the Venice Republic. This event triggered the

Albanian–Venetian War The Albanian–Venetian War of 1447–48 () was waged between Venetian and Ottoman forces against the Albanians under George Kastrioti Skanderbeg. The war was the result of a dispute between the Republic and the Dukagjini family over the pos ...

, which lasted two years. In the end the castle of Dagnum remained in Venetian hands toward an annual tribute to Skanderbeg.Gjergj Kastrioti Skënderbeu, 1405-1468 Volume 4 of (Vepra të plota) / Fan S(tylian) Noli, Fan Stylian Noli Author Fan Stylian Noli Publisher Naim Frashëri, 1967 p. 90-92

Family tree

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Zaharia, Leke Leke 15th-century Albanian people Albanian Roman Catholics Year of birth missing Assassinated Albanian people 1447 deaths People assassinated in the 15th century Albanian monarchs