Ottoman Albania refers to a period in Albanian history from the Ottoman conquest in the late 15th century to the Albanian declaration of Independence and official secession from the Ottoman Empire in 1912. The Ottomans first entered Albania in 1385 upon the invitation of the Albanian noble Karl Thopia to suppress the forces of the noble Balša II during the battle of Savra. They had some previous influence in some Albanian regions after the battle of Savra in 1385 but not direct control. The Ottomans placed garrisons throughout southern Albania by 1420s and established formal jurisdiction in central Albania by 1431. Even though The Ottomans claimed rule of all Albanian lands, most Albanian ethnic territories were still governed by medieval Albanian nobility who were free of Ottoman rule. The Sanjak of Albania was established in 1420 or 1430 controlling mostly central Albania, while Ottoman rule became more consolidated in 1481, after the fall of Shkodra and League of Lezhe with the country being mostly free in the period of 1443–1481. Albanians revolted again in 1481 but the Ottomans finally controlled Albania by 1488.
Ali Pasha or Ali Pasha of Tepelena, commonly known as Ali Pasha of Ioannina, was an Albanian ruler who served as Ottoman pasha of the Pashalik of Yanina, a large part of western Rumelia, which under his rule acquired a high degree of autonomy and even managed to stay de facto independent. The capital of the Pashalik was Ioannina, which along with Tepelena were Ali's headquarters. Conceiving his territory in increasingly independent terms, Ali Pasha's correspondence and foreign Western correspondence frequently refer to the territories under Ali's control as "Albania", which by Ali's definition included central and southern Albania, and parts of mainland Greece; in particular, most of the district of Epirus and the western parts of Thessaly and Macedonia. He managed to stretch his control over the sanjaks of Yanina, Delvina, Vlora and Berat, Elbasan, Ohrid and Monastir, Görice, and Tirhala. Ali was granted the Sanjak of Tirhala in 1787, and he delegated in 1788 its government to his second born Veli Pasha, who also became Pasha of the Morea Eyalet in 1807. Ali's eldest son Muhtar Pasha was granted the Sanjak of Karli-Eli and the Sanjak of Eğriboz in 1792, stretching for the first time Ali's control down to Livadia and the Gulf of Corinth, except Attica. Muhtar Pasha also became governor of the Sanjak of Ohrid in 1796–7 and of the Sanjak of Vlora and Berat in 1810.
Alemdar Mustafa Pasha was an Ottoman military commander and grand vizier.
Kara Mahmud Pasha was a hereditary Ottoman Albanian governor (mutasarrıf) of the Pashalik of Scutari and de jure ruler of Albania. He belonged to the Ottoman Albanian Bushati family.
Ibrahim Bushati or Ibrahim Bushat Pasha was a noble of the Bushati family in Ottoman controlled Albania near the city of Shkodër. Brother of Kara Mahmud Bushati, the Ottoman appointed governor of Shkodër, Albania. During his rule in Shkodra, Ibrahim was appointed Beylebey of Rumelia in 1805 and took part in the attempt to crush the First Serbian Uprising under Karađorđe Petrović after the Battle of Ivankovac. Ibrahim Bushati is also known to have aided Ali Pasha on various occasions. In fact Ali Pasha's two sons Muktar Pasha and Veil Pasha are known to have served under the command of Ibrahim Bushati in 1806.
Mustafa Pasha Bushatli, called Ishkodrali, was a semi-independent Albanian Ottoman statesman, the last hereditary governor of the Pashalik of Scutari. In 1810 he succeeded Ibrahim Bushati and ruled Shkodër until 1831.
The Bushati were a prominent Ottoman-Albanian family that ruled the Pashalik of Scutari from 1757 to 1831.
The Pashalik of Scutari, Iskodra, or Shkodra (1757–1831), was an autonomous and de facto independent pashalik created by the Buşatlı family from the previous Sanjak of Scutari, which was situated around the city of Shkodër in modern-day Albania and large majority of modern-day Montenegro. At its peak during the reign of Kara Mahmud Bushati the pashalik encompassed much of Albania, most of Kosovo, western Macedonia, southeastern Serbia and most of Montenegro. Up to 1830 the Pashalik of Shkodra controlled most of the above lands including Southern Montenegro.
Mehmed Pasha Bushati was the governor of the Pashalik of Scutari and founder of the Bushatli dynasty of Shkodër
The Albanian Pashaliks were three semi-independent pashaliks ruled by Albanian pashas from 1760 to 1831 and covering the territory of modern Albania, Kosovo, most of Montenegro, southern Serbia, western North Macedonia and most of mainland Greece. The degree of independence of these pashaliks varied over time, from semi-autonomous to de facto independent.
The First Ottoman–Venetian War was fought between the Republic of Venice with its allies and the Ottoman Empire from 1463 to 1479. Fought shortly after the capture of Constantinople and the remnants of the Byzantine Empire by the Ottomans, it resulted in the loss of several Venetian holdings in Albania and Greece, most importantly the island of Negroponte (Euboea), which had been a Venetian protectorate for centuries. The war also saw the rapid expansion of the Ottoman navy, which became able to challenge the Venetians and the Knights Hospitaller for supremacy in the Aegean Sea. In the closing years of the war, however, the Republic managed to recoup its losses by the de facto acquisition of the Crusader Kingdom of Cyprus.
The Sanjak of Scutari or Sanjak of Shkodra was one of the sanjaks of the Ottoman Empire. It was established after the Ottoman Empire acquired Shkodra after the siege of Shkodra in 1478–9. It was part of the Eyalet of Rumelia until 1867, when it became a part, together with the Sanjak of Skopje, of the newly established Scutari Vilayet. In 1912 and the beginning of 1913 it was occupied by members of the Balkan League during the First Balkan War. In 1914 the territory of Sanjak of Scutari became a part of the Principality of Albania, established on the basis of the peace contract signed during the London Conference in 1913.
The siege of Shkodra took place from May 1478 to April 1479 as a confrontation between the Ottoman Empire and the Venetians together with the League of Lezhe and other Albanians at Shkodra and its Rozafa Castle during the First Ottoman-Venetian War (1463–1479). Ottoman historian Franz Babinger called the siege "one of the most remarkable episodes in the struggle between the West and the Crescent". A small force of approximately 1,600 Albanian and Italian men and a much smaller number of women faced a massive Ottoman force containing artillery cast on site and an army reported to have been as many as 350,000 in number. The campaign was so important to Mehmed the Conqueror that he came personally to ensure triumph. After nineteen days of bombarding the castle walls, the Ottomans launched five successive general attacks which all ended in victory for the besieged. With dwindling resources, Mehmed attacked and defeated the smaller surrounding fortresses of Žabljak Crnojevića, Drisht, and Lezha, left a siege force to starve Shkodra into surrender, and returned to Constantinople. On January 25, 1479, Venice and Constantinople signed a peace agreement that ceded Shkodra to the Ottoman Empire. The defenders of the citadel emigrated to Venice, whereas many Albanians from the region retreated into the mountains. Shkodra then became a seat of the newly established Ottoman sanjak, the Sanjak of Scutari. The Ottomans held the city until Montenegro captured it in April 1913, after a six-month siege.
Battle of Martinići was the battle between Montenegro and Pashalik of Scutari which took place on the outskirts of the village Martinići, near Spuž, Montenegro.
The Çapanoğlu dynasty, also Cebbarzâdeler, Çaparzâdeler and Çaparoğulları, is Turkish dynasty that originates in the 17th-century Ottoman Empire and was once one of the most prominent Ottoman families. They became one of the most powerful dynasties in the empire in the 18th century.
The Canikli family or Canikli dynasty was a prominent Ottoman family. The family had a notable feud with the Çapanoğlu, with whom they clashed for supremacy in Anatolia.
The Sanjak of Durrës was one of the sanjaks of the Ottoman Empire. It was named for its capital Durrës and was also known as the Sanjak of Durazzo from its capital's Italian name. The sanjak was composed of the kazas of Durrës, Tirana, Shijak, Kavajë, and Krujë. The Sanjak of Durrës formed the southern half of the Vilayet of Scutari. The northern half was the Sanjak of Scutari. Durrës Sanjak also bordered the sanjaks of Manastir and Dibra to its northeast and the sanjak of Elbasan to the east and south. Its western border was the Adriatic Sea. Its terrain is generally flat and plain. Only the eastern parts of the kazas of Tirana and Kavajë were mountainous.
The First Scutari-Berat War was a military conflict between the Pashalik of Scutari under Mehmed Pasha Bushati against the Pashalik of Berat under Ahmet Kurt Pasha, who fought over the Sanjak of Durrës.
The Scuatri invasion of Montenegro, was a military campaign launched by Kara Mahmud Pasha, the head of the Pashalik of Scutari, against the Prince-Bishopric of Montenegro, as well as the Montenegrin tribes of Old Montenegro, Paštrovići and Brda. The campaign also included the capture of Spuž, a castle which was administered by the Bosnian Pasha, Ibrahim Pasha of Spuž.
The Second Scutari-Berat War was a military invasion launched by Mustafa Pasha of the Pashalik of Scutari against the Pashalik of Berat under Ahmet Kurt Pasha.
