Tom Plezha was an Albanian leader chosen at the Convention of Mat to negotiate with the Pope an alliance against the Ottoman Empire.
Tom Plezha held the title Captain serving the Republic of Venice. He took part in the Battle of Lepanto in 1571 and was taken prisoner of war by Ottomans. After gaining freedom, he decided to not serve Venetians again and joined Albanian leaders in organization of Albanian revolts against the Ottoman Empire. [1] He participated in the Convention of Mat which was organized on November 7, 1594 by Albanian leaders. [2] [3] The convention decided that help should be sought from the Pope, and the trusted and experienced leaders Tom Plezha, Mark Gjini and Nikollë Mekajshi were chosen to undertake the negotiations. [3]
There is a street in Tirana named after Tom Plezha in memory of his contribution to the Albanian struggle for independence. [4] The street is called “Rruga Tom Plezha” in the Astir neighbourhood.
Veleçik is a mountain located in the Albanian Alps, within the boundaries of Malësia e Madhe municipality, reaching a height of 1,727 m (5,666 ft).
Valamara is a massif located in eastern Albania. Converging on the borders between Korçë, Gramsh, and Pogradec municipalities, it rises at a height of 2,373 m (7,785 ft). The northern boundary is marked by Guri i Topit 2,125 m (6,972 ft) and the southern limit by Lenie.
Dejë is a mountain located in the municipality of Mat, in northeastern Albania. Elevating at a height of 2,244 m (7,362 ft), it is bounded by the Burrel basin in the west and Maja e Runjës in the east. Qafëmurrë in the southeast separates it from Mali i Balgjajt, while the valley of Zall Gjoçaj, the left branch of the Uraka river in the north, separates it from the karst plateau of Valmura.
Mali i Lopës is a mountain located in east-central Albania, on the border between Dibër and Mat municipalities. Its highest peak, Maja e Dhoksit, reaches a height of 2,012 m (6,601 ft). It is surrounded by the valleys of Zalli i Bulqizës to the north, Zalli i Okshtunit to the east, Kaptina e Martaneshit to the south, and the upper valley of Mat to the west.
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.
Nikollë Bardhi (1551–1617) was an Albanian prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He played a key role in the Albanian struggle against the Ottoman Empire.
Ali Manaj is an Albanian politician. He served as Chairman of the Assembly of the Republic of Albania from February 11, 1976, to December 25, 1978.
Alush bey Frakulla was an Albanian leader, known for his role in the uprisings of 1835 and 1837. During the latter, he was captured together with 150 of his men and was punished with hard labor in Ottoman prisons, where he died in unknown date.
Trebeshinë is a massif situated on the border between Përmet and Tepelenë municipalities, in southern Albania.
Sotir Kolea (1872-1945) was an Albanian folklorist, diplomat and activist of the Albanian National Awakening. Along with Thoma Kacori he has been labeled as the Last of the Rilindas.
Vito Kapo was an Albanian politician who served as Minister of the Light Industry. She was the wife of Hysni Kapo, a member of the Politburo of the Party of Labour of Albania, and a sister of the Albanian World War II hero Alqi Kondi. She was also the President of the Union of Albanian Women for nearly thirty years. Kapo was born in September 1922 in Zagori, Gjirokaster District. She died in February 2020 in Tirane at the age of 97.
Lambros Tzavelas was a Souliot leader. Lambros Tzavelas was famous for his role in the Souliot struggles against Ali Pasha, the Pasha of Yanina. Tzavelas was born in Souli.
Niko Qafzezi was an agronomist and pedagogue from Albania.
Radohina is a massif situated in the Albanian Alps, within the boundaries of Shkodër municipality. Its main peak, Maja e Radohinës, reaches a height of 2,568 m (8,425 ft).
The Convention of Mat was organized on 7 November 1594 by Albanian leaders fighting against the Ottoman Empire. Mat was chosen as the place of the meeting due to its role in Albanian revolts of the 16th century. The aim was a better organization of the revolts to achieve independence from the Ottoman Empire. The convention decided that help should be sought from the Pope, and for negotiations were chosen Tom Plezha, Mark Gjini and Nikollë Mekajshi. However, the Pope refused to give help, claiming that it was not the right time to fight the Ottoman Empire. Another decision of Albanian leaders was to not let the Republic of Venice know about their plans as the latter did not want to open a new conflict with the Ottomans. The news came out and Venetians managed to divide the organizers of the convention between themselves. In the following two years, Albanian leaders continued their work to get help from Christian powers, taking heart from geopolitical circumstances. In 1596, 10,000 men marched towards Vlora in hope of receiving arms from Spain but the arms sent were confiscated by Venetians. The events damaged the relations between Albanian leaders and Christian powers but did not weaken the efforts for independence.
Mark Gjini was an Albanian leader chosen at the Convention of Mat to negotiate with the Pope an alliance against the Ottoman Empire.
Skanderbeg Mountains, also known as Vargmalet Perëndimore, are a prominent mountain range situated in the northwestern section of the Central Mountain Region of Albania. The range stretches approximately 100 km (62 mi), making it the longest in the country. It extends from the Gjadër river valley in the northwest to the Shkumbin river valley in the southeast; and from the trough of Mat in the east, to the plains between Lezhë, Tirana and Lower Shkodër in the west.
Spinarica or Spinarizza was a medieval city on the mouth of Vjosa river in southern Albania. It was an important center of trade, a status boosted by its strategic location. During its existence the city was ruled by the Byzantines, Venetians, Angevins, the Hohenstaufen dynasty and finally by the Ottomans. The exact reasons for Spinarica's decline are not known, though at the same period several important cities throughout Albania were abandoned due to socioeconomic issues caused by the Ottomans. The once prosperous city has been located by some scholars in the area of today's Zvërnec north of Vlorë.
The Battle of Përmet or Battle of Kuqarit was a battle of the Albanian Resistance of World War II against the Italian Fascists. The battle took place in 1943 near Kuqari.
Shufada was a medieval trade port in northern Albania. It was near the mouth of a river, with academics proposing Mat, Ishëm and Erzen. It was at the time one among a string of ports in Albania that enjoyed prosperity and economic significance until being abandoned at the start of the Ottoman period. A 1420 commercial treaty between Gjon Kastrioti and the Republic of Ragusa shows that Shufada was the main customs port for the former's domains.