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The League of Lezhë, also commonly referred to as the Albanian League, was a military and diplomatic alliance of the Albanian aristocracy, created in the city of Lezhë on 2 March 1444. The League of Lezhë is considered the first unified independent Albanian country in the Medieval age, with Skanderbeg as leader of the regional Albanian chieftains and nobles united against the Ottoman Empire. Skanderbeg was proclaimed "Chief of the League of the Albanian People," while Skanderbeg always signed himself as "DominusAlbaniae".
The siege of Berat took place in July 1455 when the Albanian army of Skanderbeg attempted to capture the fortress in the Albanian city of Berat, which was held by Ottoman forces. The attempt resulted in a failure when an Ottoman relief army arrived and routed the besieging forces.
The Battle of Albulena, also known as the Battle of Ujëbardha, was fought on 2 September 1457 between Albanian forces led by Skanderbeg and an Ottoman army under Isak bey Evrenoz and Skanderbeg's nephew, Hamza Kastrioti.
Gjergj Kastrioti, commonly known as Skanderbeg, was an Albanian feudal lord and military commander who led a rebellion against the Ottoman Empire in what is today Albania, North Macedonia, Greece, Kosovo, Montenegro, and Serbia.
The Battle of Torvioll, also known as the Battle of Lower Dibra, was fought on 29 June 1444 on the Plain of Torvioll, in what is now Albania. Gjergj Kastrioti Skanderbeg was an Ottoman Albanian general who decided to return to his homeland and take the reins of a new Albanian league against the Ottoman Empire. He and 300 other Albanians who fought in the Battle of Niš deserted the Ottoman Army and made their way to Krujë, which quickly fell due to subversion. He then formed the League of Lezhë, a confederation of Albanian princes united in war against the Ottoman Empire. Realising the threat, Murad II sent one of his most experienced generals, Ali Pasha, to crush the new state with a force of 25,000 men.
The Principality of Kastrioti was one of the Albanian principalities during the Late Middle Ages. It was formed by Pal Kastrioti who ruled it until 1407, after which his son, Gjon Kastrioti ruled until his death in 1437 and then ruled by the national hero of Albania, Skanderbeg.
The Battle of Vajkal or Battle of Valkal was fought in April of 1465 between the Albanian forces of Skanderbeg and an Ottoman army under Ballaban Pasha, an Ottoman commander of Albanian origin. Ballaban Badera, the new Ottoman sanjakbey of the Sanjak of Ohrid, was sent by Sultan Mehmed II to attack Albanian forces. The Albanians were ultimately victorious, but both sides suffered heavy losses. Some of Skanderbeg's officers were captured by the fleeing Ottomans and were then summarily executed.
The Second Battle of Oranik took place during the spring of 1456 in the plains of Oranik. Moisi Arianit Golemi, lord of Debar, and one of Skanderbeg's officers, deserted to the Ottomans following the defeat at Berat in 1455. Golemi set off from Adrianople with an army to capture Albania but was swiftly defeated by Skanderbeg's smaller forces.
The First Battle of Mokra took place on October 10, 1445, near mountain Mokra. It was an Ottoman retaliation to a message sent by Skanderbeg to Murad II. The Albanian forces under Skanderbeg defeated the Ottoman forces under Firuz Pasha. It was the second major Albanian victory over the Ottoman Empire.
The Albanian–Venetian War of 1447–48 was waged between Venetian and Ottoman forces against the Albanians under George Kastrioti Skanderbeg. The war was the result of a dispute between the Republic and the Dukagjini family over the possession of the Dagnum fortress. Skanderbeg, then ally of the Dukagjini family, moved against several Venetian held towns along the Albanian coastline, in order to pressure the Venetians into restoring Dagnum. In response, the Republic sent a local force to relieve the besieged fortress of Dagnum, and urged the Ottoman Empire to send an expeditionary force into Albania. At that time the Ottomans were already besieging the fortress of Svetigrad, stretching Skanderbeg's efforts thin.
The First Battle of Oranik took place during the Albanian-Venetian War of 1447-1448, when the Republic of Venice allied with the Ottoman Empire against the League of Lezhë. The Albanian forces under Skanderbeg defeated the Ottoman army led by Mustafa Pasha during a battle that took place near Oranik of Upper Dibra, and two months later, peace was established between Albania and Venice.
The Battle of Polog was the result of an Albanian incursion into Ottoman territory. Aided by Alfonso the Magnanimous, the Albanian leader Skanderbeg made plans to recapture Svetigrad, which had been lost in 1448. His strategy involved launching an invasion of Macedonia to devastate the country surrounding Svetigrad and to lure the garrison into a trap. While implementing this, he was stopped in the fields of Polog near Tetovo by a force which was planning to invade Albania led by his old friend Ibrahim Pasha. The force was quickly destroyed and Skanderbeg's army proceeded its looting before returning to Debar.
Vrana, historically known as Vrana Konti was an Albanian military leader who was distinguished in the Albanian-Turkish Wars as one of the commanders of Gjergj Kastrioti Skanderbeg, of whom he was one of the closest councillors. He probably belonged to the class of small lords who were tied to the Kastrioti family and possibly belonged to a common lineage (fis) with them. In his youth, he fought as a mercenary in the armies of Alfonso the Magnanimous. The term conte ("count") with which he became known in historical accounts didn't refer to an actual title he held, but to his status as a figure of importance.
Skanderbeg's Macedonian campaign was a preemptive campaign into the Ottoman Empire in Macedonia by Skanderbeg to defeat three Ottoman armies which had been prepared for the joint-invasion of Albania. From 1461 to 1462, Skanderbeg campaigned in Italy to protect his ally, Ferdinand I, from being overrun by the Angevin dynasty which claimed the Kingdom of Naples. Before setting out for Italy, Skanderbeg forged a truce with Sultan Mehmed II. Upon returning to Albania after securing Ferdinand, the Venetians became hostile to Skanderbeg and a sort of undeclared war took place. Mehmed saw an opportunity to attack Skanderbeg and sent three armies in one year. All three were defeated by Skanderbeg, however, in August 1462.
On August 1465, Ballaban Badera, a sanjakbey of the Sanjak of Ohrid who was an Albanian-born janissary launched his fourth but largest campaign against Skanderbeg. He was defeated in both battles of Ohrid and Vajkal the year before. Ballaban had previously inflicted severe casualties on Skanderbeg's forces and soon received high favor from Mehmet II. He soon appointed Ballaban and Jakup Arnauti—both Albanian peasants by birth—to lead a joint-campaign against Skanderbeg's forces. According to some scholars, this act of inclusion by the Sultan was a promotion of a social revolution within Albania to wean forces away from Skanderbeg.
The Ottoman invasion of Albania in 1452 was a campaign by the newly acceded Ottoman sultan Mehmed II against Skanderbeg, the chief of the League of Lezhë. Shortly after the first siege of Krujë, Murad II died in Edirne, and was succeeded by his son Mehmed II. Mehmed ordered nearly annual invasions of Albania which often resulted in multiple battles in one year. The first of these expeditions was sent in 1452 under the dual command of Hamza Pasha and Tahip Pasha, with an army of approximately 25,000 men.
The Second Battle of Mokra took place on 7 July 1462, just before Skanderbeg's Macedonian campaign. Sultan Mehmed II had emerged victorious from his recent campaigns, adding large tracts of land to his empire. He was confident enough to send a new force into Albania to weaken the Albanian forces. So he sent an army under Sinan bey to complete the task. Skanderbeg was prepared and moved towards the Albanian border. The armies came close to Mokra, where Skanderbeg had positioned his forces on a mountain dominating the landscape. When the Ottoman forces got close enough, the Albanians ambushed them and they were routed. Skanderbeg then plundered the region, sharing the spoils with his men.
The Battle of Ohrid took place on 14 or 15 September 1464 between Albanian ruler Skanderbeg's forces and Ottoman forces. A crusade against Sultan Mehmed II had been planned by Pope Pius II with Skanderbeg as one of its main leaders. The battle near Ohrid occurred as a result of an Albanian incursion into Ottoman territory. The Ottomans stationed in the area were assaulted by Skanderbeg's men and 1,000 Venetian soldiers under Cimarosto. The Ottomans were lured out of their protections in Ohrid and ambushed by the Albanian cavalry. Skanderbeg won the resulting battle and his men earned 40,000 ducats after captured Ottoman officers were ransomed. Pius II died before the planned crusade began, however, forcing Skanderbeg to fight his battles virtually alone.
The Battle of Meçad took place in July 1465 between Skanderbeg's Albanian forces and Ballaban Badera's Ottoman forces. Skanderbeg had been leading a war against the Ottoman Empire for over two decades and Ballaban Badera was an Ottoman captain of Albanian origin who had been recruited through the devşirme system. Ballaban planned to catch Skanderbeg's camp in a surprise when he was away. Skanderbeg had been warned of the stratagem, however, and surrounded the Ottoman camp instead. When Ballaban ordered his army out, the Albanians ambushed and routed them. Ballaban returned a month later and the month afterwards, but was defeated both times.
Skanderbeg's rebellion was an almost 25-year long anti-Ottoman rebellion led by the Albanian military commander Skanderbeg in what is today Albania and its neighboring countries. It was a rare successful instance of resistance by Christians during the 15th century and through his leadership led Albanians in guerrilla warfare against the Ottomans.
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