Liberation of Krujë (1443)
| Liberation of Krujë (1443) Çlirimi i Krujës | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Part of Skanderbeg's rebellion and the Albanian-Ottoman Wars | |||||||||
| |||||||||
| Belligerents | |||||||||
| Albanian defectors from the Ottoman Army | Ottoman Empire Ottoman Empire | ||||||||
| Commanders and leaders | |||||||||
|
Skanderbeg Hamza Kastrioti | Ottoman Empire Zabel Pasha | ||||||||
| Units involved | |||||||||
| Skanderbeg's Unit | Ottoman Empire Garrison of Krujë | ||||||||
| Strength | |||||||||
| 300 troops | Ottoman Empire Unknown | ||||||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||||||
| Minimal | Ottoman Empire All killed | ||||||||
The Liberation of Krujë (Albanian: Çlirimi i Krujës) was an event that happened on 28 November 1443. It marks the start of Skanderbeg's rebellion and is an important event in Albanian history.
Background
[edit ]According to Chalcocondyles, "Weary after Hunyadi forced the Ottomans to retreat in the Balkans in 1443, the old lords hurried on all sides to regain possession of their fathers' fields".[1] One of them was Gjergj Kastrioti Skanderbeg, who deserted the Ottoman army along with his nephew Hamza Kastrioti and 300 Albanians, which were placed on the left flank of the Ottoman army, but retreated without engaging Hunyadi.[2] [3]
Battle
[edit ]On 28 November 1443, Skanderbeg's 300 soldiers reached the city of Krujë. Skanderbeg hid his soldiers in the woods as Hamza Kastrioti made his way to the entrance of the castle, handing over a forged letter from the Sultan to its leader, Zabel Pasha, which stated that Skanderbeg was to be appointed the new ruler of the castle.
After Zabel Pasha left the castle, Skanderbeg entered it together with his 300 Albanian soldiers.[4] When it became nighttime, the Albanian forces attacked the Ottoman guards, picking them off one-by-one. The remaining Ottoman guards asked for mercy, leading to Skanderbeg asking for an ultimatum, in which the Ottomans were to leave the city. However, some of them didn't accept and charged at the Albanian soldiers, but they were quickly killed. Skanderbeg let the remaining Ottomans escape, however, as soon as they left the castle walls, they were killed by mobs of Albanian civilians, with no Ottoman guard being left alive.[5] [6]
After the end of the clash, Skanderbeg gave a speech where he stated:[7]
I did not bring you freedom, I found it here among you. As soon as I set foot here, as soon as you heard my name, all of you came to me faster, as if your fathers, brothers and sons had risen from the graves, as if God himself had descended from heaven.
Aftermath
[edit ]After liberating Krujë, Skanderbeg, together with the help of the Dibran forces led by Moisi Golemi, captured many other Albanian castles that were under the rule of the Ottomans, one of the most crucial ones being the castle of Svetigrad.[8] On 2 March 1444, the regional Albanian chieftains and nobles united against the Ottoman Empire and established the League of Lezhë.[9]
References
[edit ]- ^ İnalcık, Halil (1995), From empire to republic : essays on Ottoman and Turkish social history, Istanbul: Isis Press, p. 88, ISBN 978-975-428-080-7, OCLC 34985150 , retrieved 4 January 2012,
Comme nous le dit Chalcocondy- las après la retraite des Ottomans dans les Balkans en 1443 devant l'Hunyade, les anciens seigneurs se dépêchèrent de tous les côtés à rentrer en possession des domaines de leurs pères....(As Chalcocondyles tells us, "Weary after Hunyadi forced the Ottomans to retreat in the Balkans in 1443, the old lords hurried on all sides to regain possession of their fathers' fields".)
- ^ Encyclopaedia of the Muslim World, Ed. Taru Bahl, M.H. Syed, (Anmol Publications, 2003), 45.
- ^ Dialogue, Volume 5, Issues 17-20. Dijalog. 1996. p. 78. Retrieved 27 March 2012.
Posle bitke kod Pirota, Skenderbeg zajedno sa sinovcem Hamzom, sinom svog starijeg brata Staniše ...
- ^ "Çlirimi i Krujës nga Skënderbeu, 1443 (Nëntori i Parë)". inforculture.info.
- ^ Barleti, Marin. Historia e Skënderbeut. ISBN 9789992799536.
- ^ Kristo, Frashëri (2002). Skënderbeu, jeta dhe vepra. Toena. ISBN 978-99927-1-627-4.
- ^ Agron, Shala (2018). "Fjalimi i Skënderbeut!?". telegrafi.com.
- ^ "Fjalimi i Gjergj Kastriotit pas çlirimit të Krujës". botasot.info. 17 January 2020.
- ^ Noli 1947, p. 36