Medieval History.---After the division of the Roman empire,
the lands inhabited by the Albanian race became provinces of
the Byzantine empire; northern Albania from Scutari to Berat
formed the thema or province of Dyrrachium (Durazzo,
Albanian Dourtz), southern Albania and Epirus the thema of
Nikopolis. The country was overrun by the Goths in the 4th
and 5th centuries, but reconquered by Justinian in 535. In 640
northern Albania was invaded by the Serbo-Croats; it continued
with interruptions under Servian rule till 1360. In 861 the
Bulgarians conquered the southern portion of the country and
Epirus as far as Khimara; under their powerful tsar Simeon
(893-927), who defeated the Servians, they established their
rule on the Adriatic littoral, except at Durazzo, which remained
Ilyzantine, and colonized these regions in great numbers. A
new Bulgarian dynasty, that of Shishman, was founded at Ochrida
after the death of Simeon. Shishman's son Samuel (976-1014)
captured Durazzo; he extended his sway over a great part of
the Balkan Peninsula, but was eventually defeated in 1014 by
the emperor Basil II., who put out the eyes of 15,000 Bulgarian
prisoners. Southern Albania and Epirus fell once more
under Byzantine rule, which, however, was shaken by numerous
revolts. In 1081 the Normans under Robert Guiscard possessed
themselves of Durazzo; Guiscard,s son Bohemund defeated the
Greeks in several battles and again (1107) laid siege to
Durazzo, which had been surrendered to them by treachery;
failing to take the city, he retired to Italy in 1109.
Southern Albania and Epirus remained under Byzantine domination
till 1204, when, after the capture of Constantinople by the
crusaders, Michael Comnenus, a member of the imperial family,
withdrew to Epirus and founded an independent sovereignty
known as the Despotate of Epirus at Iannina; his realm
included the whole of southern Albania, Acarnania and
Aetolia. The despotate of Epirus was held by the Comnenus
family till 1318, and by princes of the house of Orsini till
1358. Meanwhile Durazzo, with Berat and Central Albania, had
passed into the hands of the Sicilian kings of the house of
Anjou, who ruled these regions, which they styled the "Kingdom
of Albania," from 1271 to 1368, maintaining a constant warfare
with the Byzantine emperors. The Servians again installed
themselves in Upper Albania about 1180, and the provinces of
Scutari and Prizren were ruled by kings of the house of Nemanya
till 1360; Stefan Dushan (1331-1358), the greatest of these
monarchs, included all Albania in his extensive but short-lived
empire, and took the title of 1mperotor Romaniae Slavoniae
et Albaniae (emperor of the Greeks, Slavs and Albanians).
Period of Native Rule.---After the death of Dushan and the
break-up of the Servian empire, a new epoch began when Albania
fell under the rule of chieftains more or less of native
origin. A portion of Upper Albania was ruled by the Balsha
dynasty (1366-1421), which, though apparently Servian by
descent, assimilated itself with its Albanian subjects
and embraced the faith of Pome. Alessio and a tract of
the interior in the direction of Ipek was governed by the
Dukajin. The northern portion of the "kingdom of Albania,"
including Durazzo and Kroia, was ruled by the family of
Thopia (1359-1392) and afterwards by that of Lastriota, to
which Scanderbeg belonged; the southern portion with Berat,
by the Musaki (1368--1476). In the middle of the 14th century
a great migration of Albanians from the mountainous districts
of the north took place, under the chiefs Jin Bua Spata and
Peter Liosha; they advanced southwards as far as Acarnania and
Aetolia (1358), occupied the greater portion of the despotate of
Epirus, and took Iannina and Arta. In the latter half of the
century large colonies of Tosks were planted in the Morea by the
despots of Mistra, and in Attica and Boeotia by Luke Nerio of
Athens. As the power of the Balshas declined, the Venetians
towards the close of the 14th century established themselves at
Scutari, Budua, Antivari and elsewhere in northern Albania.
The preceding is an extract from the article Albania, from the 1911 edition of an encyclopedia. It is out of copyright here in the U.S. and is in the public domain. You may copy, download, print and distribute this work as you see fit.
Every effort has been made to present this text accurately and cleanly, but no guarantees are made against errors. Neither Melissa Snell nor About may be held liable for any problems you experience with the text version or with any electronic form of this document.
