Gjergj Kastrioti Skanderbeg: what we know for certain and what is legend

Gjergj Kastrioti was born probably around 1405. No document confirms the date; the year 1405, proposed by Fan Noli, is widely accepted today. His father was Gjon Kastrioti, a lord of central Albania. About his mother, Vojsava, there are two views: some scholars link her to a Slavic noble family from Polog, others to the Albanian Muzaka family.

Hostage at the Ottoman court

Like many sons of vassal nobles, Gjergj was sent as a hostage to Adrianople, probably in 1415 and again in 1423. He was educated in the palace school and served for about 20 years under Sultan Murad II. The Ottomans called him İskender Bey, "Lord Alexander", a name that probably compared him to Alexander the Great. From this name comes "Skanderbeg". In 1440 he was appointed sanjakbey of Dibra.

The defection and Krujë

In early November 1443, during the battle of Niš against Hungarian armies, Skanderbeg deserted the Ottoman army. On 28 November he reached Krujë and took the city, according to the sources with a forged letter from the sultan. This was the beginning of a resistance that would last until his death.

The League of Lezhë

On 2 March 1444, in Lezhë, the Albanian nobles assembled: the Arianiti, the Dukagjini, Zaharia, the Muzaka, the Spani, the Thopia, the Balsha and others. They formed a military alliance with Skanderbeg as commander. The name "League of Lezhë" was coined later by historians; Marin Barleti calls it a "general council". Scholars disagree about its nature: some see it as the beginning of an Albanian state, others as a loose military alliance in which each lord kept his own domains. The alliance soon began to fragment, and by around 1450 it was mainly the core around Skanderbeg and Arianiti that continued.

Skanderbeg's greatness needs no exaggeration. What the documents say is enough: 25 years of resistance against an empire.

The main battles

• Torvioll (1444): his forces defeated an Ottoman army under Ali Pasha, with an attack from behind by hidden cavalry.
• The first siege of Krujë (1450): Sultan Murad II himself besieged the city, defended by Vrana Konti, but withdrew in October.
• The second siege (1466–1467): Sultan Mehmed II besieged Krujë and left Ballaban Pasha there; the siege was broken in April 1467.

The allies

In 1451, by the Treaty of Gaeta, Skanderbeg recognised the sovereignty of King Alfonso V of Aragon and Naples in exchange for military aid, while remaining independent in practice. In 1460–1461 he landed in Italy to help King Ferdinand I of Naples against his rivals.

His death

Skanderbeg died on 17 January 1468, aged about 62, and was buried in the church of St Nicholas in Lezhë. After his death the resistance continued under Lekë Dukagjini until the fall of Shkodër in 1479.

The sources and the legend

His best-known biography is that of Marin Barleti, published around 1508–1510. It is a precious source, but some of its claims do not match the documents of the time, so today's historians compare it with other Venetian, Ragusan and Ottoman sources. We can do the same as readers: love Skanderbeg without believing every tale.