Principality of Valona
Encyclopedia
The Principality of Valona (1346–1417) was a medieval principality in Albania
, roughly encompassing the territories of the modern counties of Vlorë
(Valona), Fier
, and Berat
. Initially a vassal of the Serbian Empire
, it became an independent lordship after 1355 until conquered by the Ottoman Turks
in 1417.
, had been fought over repeatedly between the Byzantines
and various Italian powers in the 13th century. Finally conquered by Byzantium in ca. 1290, it was one of the chief imperial holdings in the Balkans. During the 1340s however, the Serbian ruler Stefan Dushan, taking advantage of a civil war
, took Albania from the Byzantines. Valona fell in late 1345 or early 1346, and Dushan placed his brother-in-law, John Asen
, brother of the Bulgarian Tsar Ivan Alexander
, in charge of Valona as his capital and Kanina
and Berat as his main fortresses. The extent of John's authority over this territory is unclear; it is not known whether he was limited to the rule of these fortified cities, or whether the various local chieftains of central Albania reported to him as a representative of Dushan.
John was granted the rank of Despot by Dushan, and went on to solidify his control over his new territory by portraying himself as the heir to the Despots of Epirus
. To that end, he married Anna Palaiologina, the widow of Despot John II Orsini
, adopted the trappings of the Byzantine court, took on the surname "Komnenos
" that was traditionally borne by the Epirote rulers, and signed his documents in Greek. After Dushan's death in 1355, the Despot John established himself as an independent lord. He maintained close relations with Venice
(whose citizen he became) and with Simeon Uroš
, ruler of Epirus in the south. Under his rule, Valona prospered through trade with Venice and the Republic of Ragusa
(mod. Dubrovnik
).
John died in 1363 from the plague, and was succeeded by Alexander, possibly his son, who ruled until ca. 1368. He continued his father's policies, maintaining close ties with Ragusa, whose citizenship he acquired. In 1372, John's unnamed daughter was married to Balša II
of the Serbo-Albanian House of Balšić
, who received Valona, Kanina, Berat and Himara as a dowry. Many of Valona's citizens fled to the island of Saseno
and asked for Venetian protection. Balša continued to expand his territory in the western Balkans, inheriting Zeta
in 1378 and conquering Dyrrhachium from Karl Thopia
soon after, whereupon he assumed the title "Duke of Albania", probably after the former Venetian province of the same name. Thopia called on the Ottomans
for help however, and Balša was killed in the Battle of Savra
near Berat in 1385. His widow recovered control of her patrimonial territory, and ruled it thereafter jointly with her daughter Ruđina. Berat however had already fallen to the Musachi clan, and their lordship was now confined to the area around Valona, with Kanina, Himara and the fort of Pyrgos.
The principality was now faced with the ever-increasing Ottoman threat; in 1386, Balša's widow offered to cede Valona to Venice in exchange for aid, but the Republic refused, since Valona alone without her hinterland was indefensible. Following the decisive Ottoman victory at the Battle of Kosovo
in 1389, the situation became yet more precarious. A similar offer in 1393 was also rejected by a Venice anxious not to antagonize the Ottomans, but another, more comprehensive proposal, followed two years later. Through the bishop of Albania, the widow offered to the handover of the entire principality in exchange for a life-long pension for her and her family of some 7,000 ducat
s drawn, from the principality's revenue (estimated at 9,000 ducats). Negotiations faltered after the widow's death in 1396. She was succeeded by Ruđina, who in 1391 had married Mrkša Žarković. Threatened by Ottoman expansion, both Balša's widow and Mrkša repeatedly offered to surrender Valona and their principality to the Venetians, but they refused or procrastinated. After Mrkša's death in 1415, he was briefly succeeded by his widow Ruđina, until the Ottomans took the city in 1417.
The Venetian bailo
at Constantinople
tried to obtain the return of the territory to Ruđina, who was a Venetian citizen, or alternatively purchase it for the Republic with up to 8,000 ducats, but nothing came of it. With the exception of a brief Venetian occupation in 1690–91, the region remained under Ottoman rule until the First Balkan War
and the establishment
of an independent Albanian state.
Albania
Albania , officially known as the Republic of Albania , is a country in Southeastern Europe, in the Balkans region. It is bordered by Montenegro to the northwest, Kosovo to the northeast, the Republic of Macedonia to the east and Greece to the south and southeast. It has a coast on the Adriatic Sea...
, roughly encompassing the territories of the modern counties of Vlorë
Vlorë County
The County of Vlorë is one of the 12 counties of Albania. It consists of the districts Delvinë, Sarandë and Vlorë and its capital is Vlorë. As of January 1, 2010 the population of the Vlore District was estimated to be 211,773....
(Valona), Fier
Fier County
The County of Fier is one of the 12 counties of Albania. It consists of the districts of Fier, Lushnjë and Mallakastër and its capital is Fier.Fier's western edge is the shoreline of the Adriatic Sea. On land, it borders the following counties:...
, and Berat
Berat County
The County of Berat is one of the 12 counties of Albania. It consists of the districts Berat, Kuçovë, and Skrapar; its capital is Berat.The main cities are Berat city proper,Kucove,Polican,Ura Vajgurore, Corovode and Bogove. Berat is a UNESCO World Heritage Site covering an area of and a buffer...
. Initially a vassal of the Serbian Empire
Serbian Empire
The Serbian Empire was a short-lived medieval empire in the Balkans that emerged from the Serbian Kingdom. Stephen Uroš IV Dušan was crowned Emperor of Serbs and Greeks on 16 April, 1346, a title signifying a successorship to the Eastern Roman Empire...
, it became an independent lordship after 1355 until conquered by the Ottoman Turks
Ottoman Empire
The Ottoman EmpireIt was usually referred to as the "Ottoman Empire", the "Turkish Empire", the "Ottoman Caliphate" or more commonly "Turkey" by its contemporaries...
in 1417.
History
The strategically important city of Valona, on the coast of AlbaniaAlbania
Albania , officially known as the Republic of Albania , is a country in Southeastern Europe, in the Balkans region. It is bordered by Montenegro to the northwest, Kosovo to the northeast, the Republic of Macedonia to the east and Greece to the south and southeast. It has a coast on the Adriatic Sea...
, had been fought over repeatedly between the Byzantines
Byzantine Empire
The Byzantine Empire was the Eastern Roman Empire during the periods of Late Antiquity and the Middle Ages, centred on the capital of Constantinople. Known simply as the Roman Empire or Romania to its inhabitants and neighbours, the Empire was the direct continuation of the Ancient Roman State...
and various Italian powers in the 13th century. Finally conquered by Byzantium in ca. 1290, it was one of the chief imperial holdings in the Balkans. During the 1340s however, the Serbian ruler Stefan Dushan, taking advantage of a civil war
Byzantine civil war of 1341–1347
The Byzantine civil war of 1341–1347 was a conflict between supporters of designated regent John VI Kantakouzenos and guardians acting for John V Palaiologos, Emperor Andronikos III's nine-year-old son, in the persons of the Empress-dowager Anna of Savoy, the Patriarch of Constantinople John XIV...
, took Albania from the Byzantines. Valona fell in late 1345 or early 1346, and Dushan placed his brother-in-law, John Asen
John Komnenos Asen
John Komnenos Asen was the ruler of the Principality of Valona from circa 1345 to 1363, initially as a Serbian vassal and after 1355 as a largely independent lord. Descended from high-ranking Bulgarian nobility, John was a brother of both Tsar Ivan Alexander of Bulgaria and Helena of Bulgaria, the...
, brother of the Bulgarian Tsar Ivan Alexander
Ivan Alexander of Bulgaria
Ivan Alexander , also known as John Alexander, ruled as Emperor of Bulgaria from 1331 to 1371, during the Second Bulgarian Empire. The date of his birth is unknown. He died on February 17, 1371. The long reign of Ivan Alexander is considered a transitional period in Bulgarian medieval history...
, in charge of Valona as his capital and Kanina
Kaninë Castle
Kaninë Castle is a castle in the village Kaninë near Vlorë, in southwestern Albania.-History:This castle was built in the village with the same name which is about 6 km from Vlorë. The castle rises on the side of the Shushica Mountain, about 380 meters above the sea level. The castle was built on...
and Berat as his main fortresses. The extent of John's authority over this territory is unclear; it is not known whether he was limited to the rule of these fortified cities, or whether the various local chieftains of central Albania reported to him as a representative of Dushan.
John was granted the rank of Despot by Dushan, and went on to solidify his control over his new territory by portraying himself as the heir to the Despots of Epirus
Despotate of Epirus
The Despotate or Principality of Epirus was one of the Byzantine Greek successor states of the Byzantine Empire that emerged in the aftermath of the Fourth Crusade in 1204. It claimed to be the legitimate successor of the Byzantine Empire, along with the Empire of Nicaea, and the Empire of Trebizond...
. To that end, he married Anna Palaiologina, the widow of Despot John II Orsini
John II Orsini
John II Orsini, also John Komnenos Doukas or Comnenus Ducas , was count palatine of Cephalonia from 1323 to 1324 and Despot of Epirus from 1323 to 1335....
, adopted the trappings of the Byzantine court, took on the surname "Komnenos
Komnenos
Komnenós or Comnenus was the name of a ruling family of the Eastern Roman Empire , who halted the political decline of the Empire from c.1081 to c.1185.-Origins:...
" that was traditionally borne by the Epirote rulers, and signed his documents in Greek. After Dushan's death in 1355, the Despot John established himself as an independent lord. He maintained close relations with Venice
Republic of Venice
The Republic of Venice or Venetian Republic was a state originating from the city of Venice in Northeastern Italy. It existed for over a millennium, from the late 7th century until 1797. It was formally known as the Most Serene Republic of Venice and is often referred to as La Serenissima, in...
(whose citizen he became) and with Simeon Uroš
Simeon Uroš
Simeon Uroš Nemanjić, nicknamed Siniša , also known in Greek as Symeōn Ouresēs Palaiologos , was the Despot of Epirus from 1359 to 1366, and of Thessaly from 1359 until his death in 1370. He governed Epirus and Acarnania under his half-brother Emperor Dušan the Mighty Simeon Uroš Nemanjić,...
, ruler of Epirus in the south. Under his rule, Valona prospered through trade with Venice and the Republic of Ragusa
Republic of Ragusa
The Republic of Ragusa or Republic of Dubrovnik was a maritime republic centered on the city of Dubrovnik in Dalmatia , that existed from 1358 to 1808...
(mod. Dubrovnik
Dubrovnik
Dubrovnik is a Croatian city on the Adriatic Sea coast, positioned at the terminal end of the Isthmus of Dubrovnik. It is one of the most prominent tourist destinations on the Adriatic, a seaport and the centre of Dubrovnik-Neretva county. Its total population is 42,641...
).
John died in 1363 from the plague, and was succeeded by Alexander, possibly his son, who ruled until ca. 1368. He continued his father's policies, maintaining close ties with Ragusa, whose citizenship he acquired. In 1372, John's unnamed daughter was married to Balša II
Balša II
Balša II Balšić was a 14th-century nobleman, the Lord of Zeta from 1378 to 1385. He managed to expand his borders towards the south; defeating the Albanian Duke Karl Thopia....
of the Serbo-Albanian House of Balšić
House of Balšic
The Balšić was a noble house that ruled Zeta and the coastlands , from 1362 to 1421, during the fall of the Serbian Empire. Balša, the eponymous founder, was a petty nobleman that held only one village during the rule of Emperor Dušan the Mighty The Balšić was a noble house that ruled Zeta and...
, who received Valona, Kanina, Berat and Himara as a dowry. Many of Valona's citizens fled to the island of Saseno
Sazan Island
-Fauna of Sazan:Sazan Island contains 7 species of amphibians of which 3 are rare species. The island contains 15 species of reptiles of which 13 are rare species. Some of these amphibian and reptile species include the:* Blue-throated Keeled Lizard...
and asked for Venetian protection. Balša continued to expand his territory in the western Balkans, inheriting Zeta
Principality of Zeta
Zeta was a medieval state, which territory encompassed parts of present-day Montenegro and Northernwestern Albania. From 1360. to 1421. Zeta was independent state administered by local noble family Balšić. From 1185. to 1360. and from 1421. - 1451, Zeta was province of medieval Serbia...
in 1378 and conquering Dyrrhachium from Karl Thopia
Karl Thopia
Karl Topia was one of the powerful feudal princes and warlord, who between them ruled Albania from the middle of the 14th century until the Ottoman conquest. To the Roman Curia, Karl maintained usually good relations, therefore that could do...
soon after, whereupon he assumed the title "Duke of Albania", probably after the former Venetian province of the same name. Thopia called on the Ottomans
Ottoman Empire
The Ottoman EmpireIt was usually referred to as the "Ottoman Empire", the "Turkish Empire", the "Ottoman Caliphate" or more commonly "Turkey" by its contemporaries...
for help however, and Balša was killed in the Battle of Savra
Battle of Savra
The Battle of the Saurian Field was fought on 18 September 1385 between Ottoman and much smaller Serbian forces. The Ottomans were victorious and most of the local Serbian and Albanian lords became vassals....
near Berat in 1385. His widow recovered control of her patrimonial territory, and ruled it thereafter jointly with her daughter Ruđina. Berat however had already fallen to the Musachi clan, and their lordship was now confined to the area around Valona, with Kanina, Himara and the fort of Pyrgos.
Battle of Kosovo
The Battle of Kosovo took place on St. Vitus' Day, June 15, 1389, between the army led by Serbian Prince Lazar Hrebeljanović, and the invading army of the Ottoman Empire under the leadership of Sultan Murad I...
in 1389, the situation became yet more precarious. A similar offer in 1393 was also rejected by a Venice anxious not to antagonize the Ottomans, but another, more comprehensive proposal, followed two years later. Through the bishop of Albania, the widow offered to the handover of the entire principality in exchange for a life-long pension for her and her family of some 7,000 ducat
Ducat
The ducat is a gold coin that was used as a trade coin throughout Europe before World War I. Its weight is 3.4909 grams of .986 gold, which is 0.1107 troy ounce, actual gold weight...
s drawn, from the principality's revenue (estimated at 9,000 ducats). Negotiations faltered after the widow's death in 1396. She was succeeded by Ruđina, who in 1391 had married Mrkša Žarković. Threatened by Ottoman expansion, both Balša's widow and Mrkša repeatedly offered to surrender Valona and their principality to the Venetians, but they refused or procrastinated. After Mrkša's death in 1415, he was briefly succeeded by his widow Ruđina, until the Ottomans took the city in 1417.
The Venetian bailo
Baylo
A bailo, also spelled baylo, was a diplomat who oversaw the affairs of the Venetians in Constantinople, and was a permanent fixture in Constantinople around 1454...
at Constantinople
Constantinople
Constantinople was the capital of the Roman, Eastern Roman, Byzantine, Latin, and Ottoman Empires. Throughout most of the Middle Ages, Constantinople was Europe's largest and wealthiest city.-Names:...
tried to obtain the return of the territory to Ruđina, who was a Venetian citizen, or alternatively purchase it for the Republic with up to 8,000 ducats, but nothing came of it. With the exception of a brief Venetian occupation in 1690–91, the region remained under Ottoman rule until the First Balkan War
First Balkan War
The First Balkan War, which lasted from October 1912 to May 1913, pitted the Balkan League against the Ottoman Empire. The combined armies of the Balkan states overcame the numerically inferior and strategically disadvantaged Ottoman armies and achieved rapid success...
and the establishment
Albanian Declaration of Independence
The Albanian Declaration of Independence is the declaration of independence of the Albanian Vilayet from the Ottoman Empire. Albania was proclaimed independent in Vlorë on November 28, 1912.-Background:...
of an independent Albanian state.
Rulers
- John Komnenos AsenJohn Komnenos AsenJohn Komnenos Asen was the ruler of the Principality of Valona from circa 1345 to 1363, initially as a Serbian vassal and after 1355 as a largely independent lord. Descended from high-ranking Bulgarian nobility, John was a brother of both Tsar Ivan Alexander of Bulgaria and Helena of Bulgaria, the...
(1346–1363), Despot - Alexander Komnenos Asen (1363–1368), Lord of Valona and Kanina
- NN. Komnena Asanina (1368–1396), with
- Balša II BalšićBalša IIBalša II Balšić was a 14th-century nobleman, the Lord of Zeta from 1378 to 1385. He managed to expand his borders towards the south; defeating the Albanian Duke Karl Thopia....
(1372–1385), Lord of Valona and Kanina, and eventually Duke of Albania
- Balša II Balšić
- Ruđina Balšić (1396–1417), with
- Mrkša Žarković (1396–1414), variously styled dominus Avlonae (LatinLatinLatin is an Italic language originally spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. It, along with most European languages, is a descendant of the ancient Proto-Indo-European language. Although it is considered a dead language, a number of scholars and members of the Christian clergy speak it fluently, and...
: "lord of Valona"), (GreekGreek languageGreek is an independent branch of the Indo-European family of languages. Native to the southern Balkans, it has the longest documented history of any Indo-European language, spanning 34 centuries of written records. Its writing system has been the Greek alphabet for the majority of its history;...
: "lord of Kanina") or Ré di Serbia (ItalianItalian languageItalian is a Romance language spoken mainly in Europe: Italy, Switzerland, San Marino, Vatican City, by minorities in Malta, Monaco, Croatia, Slovenia, France, Libya, Eritrea, and Somalia, and by immigrant communities in the Americas and Australia...
: "King of Serbia")
- Mrkša Žarković (1396–1414), variously styled dominus Avlonae (Latin