Skanderbeg: Albania’s national hero

As a young man growing up in the central Albanian town of Kruja during the 15th century, Skanderbeg was invited to the Sultan’s court where he went on to attend Ottoman military school. Excelling in his studies, he was later awarded the Turkish name Iskander Bey, or Lord Alexander.

After graduation, Skanderbeg became a distinguished officer in the Sultan’s army. He fought in several Ottoman military campaigns in Asia Minor as well as in Europe against the Greeks, Serbs and Hungarians. Distinguishing himself in these campaigns, Skanderbeg was promoted to the rank of General, and later Sultan Murat II elevated him to the position of General Governor of the Central Albanian Provinces.

In 1443, while sent to fight the Hungarians in present day Serbia, Skanderbeg abandoned the Ottoman Army and headed home to capture Kruja. Raising the Albanian flag above the castle, he addressed friends, family and countrymen, saying, "I have not brought you liberty. I found it here, among you."

Skanderbeg united the Albanian principalities in 1444 and, deploying forces that rarely exceeded 20,000 in strength, fought off and defeated the Ottoman Army over the next 25 years. The Ottoman Empire tried to recapture Kruja twenty-four times, but each time Skanderbeg led the Albanians to victory.

Skanderbeg’s triumphs attracted the attention of Venice, Naples and the Papal State.

Worrying over the threat of Ottoman expansion across the Adriatic, the leaders of these three Italian states saw in Skanderbeg hope for the preservation of the last Christian bridgehead in the Balkans. They provided him with money, supplies and troops. Alfonso the Magnanimous, the Aragone King of Naples, became Skanderbeg’s most consistent and influential supporter.

When Constantinople fell in 1453, Pope Pius II tried to organize another crusade against the Ottoman Empire. Part of this plan was to give as much aid as possible to Skanderbeg.

In 1468, Skanderbeg died of natural causes in Lezha. His soldiers resisted the Ottoman Army for another twelve years.

Skanderbeg’s name is celebrated, not only in Albania, but in other parts of Europe as well. Inspired by his heroism, numerous poets and composers have memorialized him in song and verse, including the 16th century French poet Pierre de Ronsard, and Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. The Italian composer Vivaldi wrote an opera entitled Skanderbeg.

As Albania’s national hero, Skanderbeg’s image can be found across Albania. The most impressive monuments are those located in the square bearing his name in Tirana, and the museum dedicated to him within the walls of Kruja castle.