Skanderbeg

Type Figure Region Albania Time c. 1405–1468 Also known as George Kastrioti

Skanderbeg (c. 1405–1468), an Albanian national hero and Kastrioti lord born George Kastrioti, served the Ottoman sultan before returning home in 144…

Timeline

c. 1405–1443Kastrioti lands (present-day central Albania) · AlbaniaBorn into an Albanian noble family, he was sent as a hostage to the sultan's court in his youth, received military training, and later held posts such as sanjak-bey, serving the Ottomans on Balkan battlefields.
1443–1444Lezhë · AlbaniaIn 1443 he broke with the Ottomans amid civil strife in the Kingdom of Hungary and recaptured his family's castle; in 1444 he convened the clans at Lezhë to form a league, was elected commander, and openly defied the sultan's authority.
1444–1468Krujë · AlbaniaUsing mountain fortresses such as Krujë as bases, he employed guerrilla tactics and diplomacy to repel repeated Ottoman sieges, seeking support from Venice, the papacy, and Hungary to sustain Albanian partial autonomy for over twenty years.

Sources

Encyclopaedia Britannica: Skanderbeg https://www.britannica.com/biography/Skanderbeg
Oliver Jens Schmitt, Skanderbeg: Der neue Alexander auf dem Balkan — Oliver Jens Schmitt (2009)