| Mjeda family | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Current region | Northern Albania and Kosovo |
| Place of origin | Mjedë |
| Members | |
| Connected families | Kryeziu family Bushati family |
The Mjeda family (Italian: Miedia), is a noble Albanian family which played a prominent role in the history of Albania and Kosovo in the 19th and early 20th century.
The progenitor of the Mjeda family is Bardhi Kryeziu. The Kryeziu are one of three branches of the Buzëzezë (Bucceseos), a feudal Albanian aristocratic clan, which held the Byzantine title of Sebastos since the 11th century. [1] Milan Šufflay writes of Savasto Tanusius Bessossia (1274), as being one of the leading Albanian noblemen of the 13th century. [2] The two other branches of the clan are the Bushati and the Buzuku. The clan’s territories included part of the Zadrima plain, the Pukë highlands, and the port of Shëngjin along with the coast up to Velipojë. [3] The coat of arms of the Buzëzezë was the single-headed eagle. [4]
The Kryeziu branch was established in the 14th century and inherited the Lordship of Pukë. In the 15th century, Pal Ziu (Kryeziu), also known as Paolo Zenta, had the Catholic church constructed in Pukë, owned a castle near the town, and, according to Marin Barleti, was a relative of Lekë Dukagjini. [5]
A branch of the Kryeziu family settled in Gjakovë at the beginning of the 17th century, and became beys soon after. At the beginning of the 18th century, another branch of the Kryeziu settled from Pukë to the village of Bardhet, which subsequently took the name of Kryezi. During the 18th and 19th centuries this branch governed the Pukë region, in accordance with the traditional laws of the Kanun of Pukë. The Ottoman administration recognized their ancient privileges and nobility of medieval origin, with their only obligation being to guard the Vau-Dejës - Kukës route. [6]
Having settled in Shkodër from the village of Kryezi in the Pukë region, Bardhi Kryeziu took the surname Mjeda from the village near Shkodër where the family held lands. The Mjeda family today consists of two branches: Prizren and Shkodër. In Prizren they were the leading Catholic family, having the noble title of effendi, and were engaged in trade between the Italian peninsula, Constantinople, and the Balkans.
Over the centuries, members of the family were merchants, landowners, clerics, and political leaders. Today, they live mainly in Albania and Croatia.
Gjergj Fishta was an Albanian Franciscan friar, poet, educator, politician, rilindas, translator and writer. He is regarded as one of the most influential Albanian writers of the 20th century due to his epic masterpiece Lahuta e Malcís and the editor of two of the most authoritative magazines after Albania's independence, Posta e Shypniës and Hylli i Dritës.
Sulejman Vokshi, also known as Sul Vokshi, was an Albanian military commander and a leader of the League of Prizren. As a member of the central committee of the league, particularly as the head of the finances commission, Vokshi was also an important leader of the organization's military branch and an officer of its military staff.
Bedri Pejani was 20th century Albanian politician. During World War II, he was one of the founders of the Second League of Prizren.
Riza Kryeziu (1847-1917), known as Riza Bey Gjakova, was an Albanian nationalist figure and guerrilla fighter, an influential bey in the Gjakova region, then part of the Vilayet of Kosovo, Ottoman Empire, and one of the activists of Albanian national movements of early 20th century.
The Congress of Manastir was an academic conference held in the city of Manastir from November 14 to 22, 1908, with the goal of standardizing the Albanian alphabet. November 22 is now a commemorative day in Albania, Kosovo and North Macedonia, as well as among the Albanian diaspora, known as Alphabet Day. Prior to the Congress, the Albanian language was represented by a combination of six or more distinct alphabets, plus a number of sub-variants.
Thaçi is a historical Albanian tribe (fis) and region in Pukë, Northern Albania. The ancestors of the Thaçi tribe are said to have migrated from Muriqan in Ana Malit. The Thaçi are often referred to as courageous and smart people by the neighboring tribes due to their supposed qualities of slyness and deception.
Mic Sokoli was an Albanian nationalist figure and guerrilla fighter from the Highlands of Gjakova. He was a noted guerrilla leader during the years of the League of Prizren and took part in the fighting in Gjakova against Mehmet Ali Pasha. He fought in the Battle of Nokshiq against the Montenegrins. He is remembered by Albanians for an act of heroism in April 1881, in which he sacrificed himself by pressing his body against the mouth of an Ottoman cannon.
The Cinematography in Kosovo in the Albanian language began its activities after the foundation of Kosovafilm, which produced short films, documentaries, cartoons and later feature films. Since 2008, the central authority for cinematography in Kosovo has been Kosova’s Cinematography Center (KCC) though there are numerous independent film companies active in Kosovo. Before Kosovafilm, there were no fully Kosovan films.
Theatre in Kosovo like the culture of Kosovo is a dual tradition.
The Kryeziu family was notably powerful and influential in Gjakova and other parts of Dukagjin during the 19th and 20th century. They were part of the Ottoman cast.
Qazim Begolli was an Albanian nationalist and activist of the Kachak movement of 20th century.
Gashi is an Albanian surname and the name of one of the major historical tribes of northern Albania. It is a historical tribal region situated in the Highlands of Gjakova. The Gashi tribe is known to follow the Kanuni i Malësisë së Madhë, a variant of the Kanun. They were known among the mountain tribes for their wisdom.
The Albanian Literary Commission, also known as the Literary Commission of Shkodër, was a scholarly committee established in Shkodër, north Albania in 1916. It gathered major personalities of Albanian literature and writing of the time, and was formed with the aim of defining a fixed literary standard and orthographic rules for the Albanian language which were lacking at the time, in order to encourage the publication of schooltexts.
The Second Congress of Manastir was an Albanian congress held on 2–3 April 1910 in Manastir, back then Ottoman Empire, today's Bitola in the Republic of North Macedonia. It dealt with the challenges that the Albanian language and schools faced at the time within the context of the empire, and the platform to overcome them.
Jakup Ferri was an Albanian fighter from Plav-Gusinje who served as a local leader in the League of Prizren's resistance during the Principality of Montenegro's attempt to subjugate his homeland in 1879. He was distinguished in the Battle of Novšiće, where he died.
Gjonaj is a village in Prizren municipality, Kosovo. The village lies within the Has region.
The Jesuits in Albania refers to the Jesuits and Jesuit missions in Albania.
Botushë is a village in the municipality of Gjakova, District of Gjakova, southwest Kosovo. It is located near the border with Albania and is part of the Highlands of Gjakova. It is inhabited exclusively by Albanians.
Zhabel is a village in the Dushkaja subregion in the Gjakova municipality of Kosovo. It is inhabited exclusively by Albanians.
