Description

The life and deeds of the Albanian hero Gjergj Kastrioti, known as Skanderbeg (1405-1468), the leader of the resistance against the Ottoman invasion of Albania and the Balkans, has long fascinated historians and the general public from his time to the present day. In his biography of Skanderbeg, the Albanian humanist historian Demetrio Franco (1443-1525) offers the earliest and most accurate account of Skanderbeg's deeds, recounting his life from the tender age of eight, when he was taken from his family home in Kruja (Albania) as a hostage to be raised in the sultan's palace in Constantinople, to his desertion from the sultan's army and return to his parental properties in Albania, up to his death in 1467 at the age of sixty-three doing so, Franco provides us with a vivid account of the historical realities of the Balkans in the fifteenth-century, including the fascinating process of Albania's consolidation as a separate geographical space with distinctive territory, language, customs, and characteristics.

Azeta Kola teaches Global Works and Society in the Liberal Studies program at New York University with a special focus on Antiquity, the Middle Ages, and the Early Modern World. Her research on the nature of the Early Modern Empire with a special interest in the Venetian Stato da Mar, the Ottoman Empire, and their legacies in the Western Balkans has been supported by a Fulbright IIE Fellowship, The Gladys Krieble Delmas Foundation, and an American Association of University Women Fellowship. 

168 pp.
ISBN: 978-0-7727-1170-0
Published: 2025 

Contents

Acknowledgements

Introduction

Principles Used in the Translation

The Illustrious and Glorious Deeds

Dedication by Giovan Maria Bonardo

Poem

The Table

The Illustrious and Glorious Deeds

Skanderbeg's Battles

Gazetteer

Glossary

Illustrations

Cited Works

Index

Praise

Skanderbeg is one of the larger-than-life characters of Mediterranean history. Azeta Kola's lively and accessible translation makes available for the first time in English one of the earliest accounts of his life. More than just a narrative, Franco's account provides a revealing window into life in late medieval Albania and the complex realities of the Balkan frontier during the expansion of Ottoman power into the region. — Eric R. Dursteler, Brigham Young University

Franco's engaging narratice of Skanderbeg's life presents a nuanced image of fifteenth-century Mediterranean valour and cultural exchange. Kola's masterful edition and translation helps to shed light on Albania's enduring legacy as a crucible of resistance and cultural synthesis while reaffirming the nation's pivotal role in bridging Eastern and Western traditions. — Lidia Radi, University of Richmond

This translation of Franco's life of Skanderbeg strikes an impressive balance between portraying Albania as a borderland within the larger Mediterranean world and a place with a distinct local culture fiercely defended by its inhabitants. An invaluable resource for scholars and students, it would fit seamlessly into courses on the later crusades, religious conflict and co-existence, and the Global Renaissance. — Monique O'Connell, Wake Forest University