Towns of Our Italian Ancestors Our ancestors whether they are Sbanos, Blumettis, Buccolos, Calimanos, Chiaffetellas are known as Arbëreshë, Albanians whosettledinItaly betweenthe 15th and 1 8thcenturies. They settled in the towns of San Paolo Albanese and San Costantino AlbaneselocatedintheprovinceofPotenzainthe Basilicata region of Italy and they emigratedtotheUnitedStatesinthe19thandearly 20th century. What follows is a short history of Albanians in Italy with a description of the regions where our ancestors lived. Please note that much of what follows is taken from an article written in 1964. While I believe the history portion is accurate I do notknowif the parts describingdress, culture and the amount of isolation of Albanian villages is as accurate today. Albanian History PriortotheOttomaninvasionofAlbania,allAlbanians were called Arbëreshë. After some 300,000peopleleftand settledinItaly,theseItalian-born Albanians continued to use the term Arbëresh whilst those in Albania called themselves Shqiptarë. The original settlers of the Italo-Albanian villages in southern Italy came from the eastern side of the Adriatic Sea. Albania is a small area on the Balkan Peninsula, occupying part of the Adriatic Coast. The ancestral home of the ItaloAlbanians has geographic characteristics similar totheir present habitatinsouthern Italy. About three-quarters of Albania is mountainous. The Dinaric Alps, which attain elevations of 12,000feet,occupythe northern and central parts of the country. The Pindus Mountains stretch from the central portionsouthwardintonorthernGreece.The country has asmall coastal plainwhichhas been unfit for settlement because of marshy conditions. These two mountain systems have formed a physical and cultural barrier for Albania. The valleys are steepsided, the valley floors extremely narrow. Except for the higher elevations of the two mountain systems, it can be said that the physical settings of the villages insouthernItaly arequitesimilar tothosein Albania. Eventhe climatic conditions andvegetationaresimilar.ThesoutheasternAdriatic region has a Mediterraneanclimate, with modifications as the distance from the coast or the elevation increases. The geographic distribution of the Arbëresh in the mid-Fifteenth century, at the beginning of our ancestor's migrations, was much more widespread. Even though the exact origins and numbers of all the migrations have not been accurately recorded, it may be that equal numbers or, even a majority of our Arbëresh ancestors moved to Italy from locations that were far beyond the present Albanian borders General Historyof Early Albania In ancient times, Albania was originallypart of an area known as Illyricum (also called Illyria), the same province visited by the Apostle Paul in the days of the early Christian church (Romans 15:19). The Illyrian were the earlist inhabitants of this region. They resided in the western area of the Balkans from modern Slovenia to approximately halfway through modern Greece. Somewhere between the 8th and 6th century B.C., the neighboring Greeks created a string of colonies along the borders of what would later become Albania. The Illyrians were greatly influenced by the more advanced Greeks and IllyriaduringStPaul’stime. began to grow politically and economically. The area became a valuable entrance to the Adriatic Sea and was taken over by the Romans in 229 B.C., who ruled for six centuries, influencing the Illyrians in art and Roman culture.When the Roman Empire fell, the area was divided and controlled by the Byzantine Empire from 535 to 1204 C.E. Throughout these occupations by others, the Illyrians retained their language and culture. During the 2nd century C.E., the geographer Ptolemy of the Albanoi Tribe, who inhabited what is now central Albania, referred to his tribe as Arbëri. Others began using the self-reference, until sometime during the 8th to 11th centuries, the name Illyria eventually became Arbëri, and finallyAlbania with the people being called Arbëreshë. Albaniatoday. Though now one nation in theory and feelings, Albanian lands were populated with small fiefdoms, ruled by independent feudal lords and tribal chiefs, making them easy prey for other empires. Additionally, the urban areas reached a high point of development in the latter part of the Middle Ages (1000 to 1500 C.E.). Foreign commerce flourished to a point that leading Albanian merchants had offices in Venice, Ragusa and Thessalonica. Their society grew exponentially in education, the arts and culture, economic and political development, and prosperity, making the country a further enticement to others, as well as each other. The fiefdoms constantly quarreled. Rival families fought. In 1385, some principal Albanian clans opened the door to the Ottomans by swearing fealty to the Turks in exchange for protection against the other fiefdoms. Thus, from the 11th through the 14th centuries, many of our ancestors moved southward, out of their ancient homelands and into what is now Greece. They moved mostly in tribal groups, sometimes numbering 10,000 to 12,000 people. They traveled with their herds of livestock, packed with all of their worldly possessions, and protected always by each tribe’s fierce young warriors of the “military brotherhoods”. These young warriors facilitated the movement south and peaceful settlement in the new lands. The warriors were the favored mercenaries of the Serbian despots, as well as the Frankish, Catalan, Italian and Byzantine feudal lords of western Greece — all of whom actively recruited the warriors for their armies and gave them lands in their various Greek domains. In early 15th century, Sultan Murad II launched a major Ottoman onslaught in the Balkans. He allowed the conquered Albanian feudal lords and clan chiefs to maintain their positions and property; however, they had to pay tribute and provide the Ottoman army with auxiliary troops. They also were required to send their sons to be raised in the Turkish court, a customary practice during the Middle Ages to ensure the loyalty of conquered rulers. Georgio Castriota — The Heroic Skanderbeg One of these sons was Georgio Castriota (born 1405 in Krujë), whose name has many different spellings throughout history — George, Gjergj, Giorgio, Castriota, Kastrioti, Castrioti, Castriot, and Kastriot. His father John, an Albanian nobleman, Lord of Mat, Krujë, Mirditë and Dibër in middle Albania, sent his four sons to Istanbul in 1421, where they trained in the Corps of Janissaries. At the age of 16 Georgio’s bearing and good looks got him noticed almost immediately, but it was his courage and daring that got the Sultan Murad II’s admiration. A very intelligent young man, Georgio learned to speak Turkish, Greek, the Slavic language, Italian and some accounts say Arabic. He didn’t just train in the art of warfare — he studied it, learning everything there was to know about the available weaponry of the time, defensive and offensive battle strategies, horsemanship, and being a leader of men. He also converted to Islam from Christianity. His three brothers were killed at an early age, but Georgio survived to become one of the Sultan’s favorite generals. He led many battles for the Ottoman Empire and was awarded for his military victories with the title “Amavutlu Iskander Bey” (Skanderbeg, meaning “Lord Alexander, the Albanian” in Turkish, comparing his military brilliance Hisfamily’scoatof to that of Alexander the Great). arms.Noticethe double-headedeagle onthehelmet. Sometime before 1443, his father sent emissaries to meet with Skanderbeg in Adrianople, transmitting his father’s greetings and delivering presents. They had long discussions on the poor conditions of Albania, the cruelty of the Ottoman rulers, and the misery and wretchedness the occupied people endured. The emissaries also told Skanderbeg of the hundreds of innocent Albanians the Turks had killed, beheading most of them. Realizing his destiny was with his own people, Skanderbeg could not simply leave Adrianople for Albania. Though loved and admired by the Turks, including the Sultan, they were suspicious and guarded him well. So, he bided his time and waited for an opportunity to present itself. In 1442, Skanderbeg’s father died, opening the door for the Sultan Murad II to take over the Castriota region ruled by his father. Skanderbeg’s homeland was given to an Albanian renegade named Hassan Bey, who put the entire principality under the rule of the Ottomans. In the Spring of 1443, the Ottomans were in a battle against the Hungarians in Nis in present day Serbia. The Skanderbegusedthedouble- headedeaglefromthefamily Sultan’s armies were defeated with the Hungarians coatofarmsashisstandard. continuing their march to take more land for their Empire. The Sultan Murad II sent an army under the joint command of Kareman Beu and Skanderbeg, ordering them to stop the Hungarian advancement and hold them back, until the Sultan, himself, could join the battle with greater and more organized forces. This was the opportunity for which Skanderbeg had been waiting. Instead of directing the soldiers to fight the Hungarians on November 4, 1443, he ordered them to retreat, leading to a complete withdrawal of the Ottoman army. Skanderbeg withdrew with 300 Albanian horsemen, who had previously served under him and marched towards their native land. They first made their way to Dibër, where their arrival Theremains of the castle today. surprised the Albanian people. Here was the famous Skanderbeg in Albania with a small Albanian force. Great rejoicing spread throughout the region. Skanderbeg and his troops moved on to his home of Krujë, on the western face of Mt. Dajti, and captured it by handing the Governor of Krujë a letter with the forged signature of the Sultan Murad II, granting Skanderbeg control of the territory. After taking his father’s castle, Skanderbeg renounced Islam and the Sultan, proclaiming himself the avenger of his family and country, while re-embracing his Catholic faith. Above the castle, he raised his standard that later became the flag of Albania, saying to his people, “I have not brought you liberty. I found it here, among you!” Skanderbeg united all of the Albanian princes under his command at the town of Lezhë in 1444. The princes furnished Skanderbeg, now the Prince of Albania, with men and resources. Even though his forces seldom exceeded 20,000 men Skanderbeg built fortresses and organized a mobile defense force that would force the Ottomans to disperse their troops during battle, leaving the Ottomans vulnerable in the mountainous terrain to the hit-and-run tactics of guerrilla warfare. Skanderbeg fought against the Turks, repelling 13 Ottoman invasions, until his death in 1468. AndronikeArianite. Through all of this warfare, Skanderbeg married Andronike Arianite, daughter of George Arianite, an ally to Skanderbeg. Upon his death, his son, John Castriota, succeeded him to the throne and kept up his resistance to the Ottoman expansion for another 12 years. Skanderbeg left a legacy as a national hero of the Albanian people, a source of national pride; and his fame reached far into Europe and Asia. His helmet and sword are still on display in a Vienna museum in Austria. The helmet bears goat horns — legend says it was because Skanderbeg could climb rocks like a goat to set up ambushes against the Turks. The castle in Krujë now has the Skanderbeg Museum at its side, with many other monuments and museums raised in his honor across Albania. In 2006, Albanian President Alfred Moisiu and Cardinal Adam Maida unveiled a bronze statue of Skanderbeg in Rochester Hills, Michigan, at the Albanian St. Paul Church. Even a palace in Rome, where he resided from 1465 to 1466, is still named for him. TheSkanderbeg Museumstandsnext towhatremainsofhis father’scastle,circled inred. The First Migration — 1448 After Skanderbeg’s success in taking back the Krujë region from the Ottoman Empire, he caught the notice and admiration of the Papacy, the Republic of Venice, and the Kingdom of Naples, all of which were threatened by the expansion of the Ottoman Empire by Sultan Murad II (in his second reign as Sultan). They provided Skanderbeg with monetary resources and supplies, as well as occasional troops. Bythetimeofthismapin1494,the OttomanandHungarianEmpireshadall buttakenoverwhatwasAlbaniaandwhat wasleftwasprotectedbyVenice. In 1448, Alphonse I of Aragon, the King of Naples and one of Skanderbeg’s strongest supporters, was dealing with a rebellion of certain barons in the rural areas of his kingdom in southern Italy. Finding his military resources insufficient to put down the uprising, he called upon his ally for assistance. Skanderbeg responded by sending a detachment of Albanian troops, commanded by General Demetrios Reres and his sons George and Basil. The Albanian warriors were accompanied by their wives and families, another common practice during the Middle Ages. Reres and his troops quickly suppressed the rebellion and restored order back to Alphonse, who rewarded Demetrios Reres for his service to Naples by appointing him Governor of Calabria. The Albanian troops received tracts of land to settle in the mountainous area of the province of Catanzaro. The 12 towns were: Amato Andali Arietta Caraffa d’ Catanzaro Carfizzi Gizzeria Marcedusa Pallagorio San Nicola Dell’Alto Vena Zagarise Zangarona In 1450, Alphonse sent George and Basil Reres and their troops to Sicily, where he also reigned as king. He wanted them garrisoned there to fight against a possible rebellion and invasion. They, along with some of the other Albanian leaders, troops and their families, established military camps that eventually became four new villages: Mezzoiuso Palazzo Adriano Contessa Entellina Piana dei Greci (now called Piana degli Albanesi) Back in Albania, Skanderbeg’s citadel of Krujë was becoming the scene of one of Europe’s most gigantic struggles. In May of 1450, Murad II (second reign) and 100,000 men were marching from Constantinople toward Krujë. The goal was to completely crush and end Skanderbeg and his Albanian army. The plan was to storm the citadel, hold it, and use it as a central command center, while conquering the countryside of Krujë. Skanderbeg had only 17,500 able, armed and ready troops; since Reres and a full detachment were in Italy. Skanderbeg was outnumbered five to one by the Sultan. Dividing his troops into three battle groups, he left 1,500 provisioned troops in the citadel, itself, under the command of Count Uran.While Uran withstood the siege at the citadel, Skanderbeg used the two remaining groups of 8,000 men each to battle the Ottomans. He commanded one group that would nip at the Ottoman army, once it camped below Krujë. The other group of 8,000 was broken into small bands of guerilla warriors, who would ambush, raid and snipe at the Ottoman caravan on the cumbersome trek to Krujë. After 4½ months, with an estimated loss of 20,000 men, and the onslaught of a hostile winter, Murad II retreated to his Empire, knowing his men would mutiny under the hostile weather. Skanderbeg and his troops had defeated the Ottoman army. With this success, Alphonse took Skanderbeg under his protection as vassal in 1451, giving the Prince of Albania more monetary support, as well as troops, military equipment, and a sanctuary for himself and his family if ever needed. This also opened the door further for future Albanian migrations into Italy. With support from four consecutive popes (Popes Nicholas V, Calixtus III, Pius II, and Paul II) of the Papal States, Skanderbeg now was considered an active defender of the Christian cause in the Balkans. After the fall of Constantinople in 1453 to Sultan Mehmed II, Pius II considered Skanderbeg’s battles against the Ottomans so important that he blessed Skanderbeg naming him Athleta Christi (Athlete of Christ) and promised to organize a crusade against the Turks with Skanderbeg as the generalissimo of the Christian armies. The Pope also promised to personally come to Albania and officiallycrown him King of Albania, Macedonia and Rumeli (the Turkish designation of Thrace and Romania) Up until 1455, Sultan Mehmed II concentrated on conquering the last of the Byzantine Empire in SultanMehmedII,afterconquering Constantinople. Europe and Asia Minor. Then, he returned his attention to the Albanians and Skanderbeg. At the Siege of Berat, located south of Krujë, Skanderbeg lost 5,000 of his men, which was 40-50 percent of his mobile forces. Though Skanderbeg was out scouting and not present during the siege, it was his worse defeat throughout his military career. In 1457, just like Murad II, Sultan Mehmed II set out to destroy the Albanian armies and Skanderbeg and conquer Albania for the Ottoman Empire. The Ottoman army marched with an estimated 70,000 men, commanded by Isa beg Evrenoz (the only commander to have ever defeated Skanderbeg in battle) and Hamza Castriota, Skanderbeg’s nephew. The Ottomans destroyed, plundered and murdered as much as they could during their march toward Krujë. They camped at the Ujebardhë field, halfway between Lezhë and Krujë. Having eluded the enemy for months, Skanderbeg and his forces of less than 15,000 men attacked and utterly destroyed the Ottomans at Ujebardhë. Throughout these battles that brought devastation, the land could no longer be cultivated, complete tribes were wiped out, and whole villages burned to the ground. With no hope for the future, Albanians were migrating away from Albania. They resettled in the Pindus range of western Greece, spanning down to Thessaly and along both sides of the Gulf of Corinth. Albanian villages also totally surrounded the city of Athens and dotted all parts of the Peloponnese, the southern most region of the Greek peninsula. Gothic and Slavic invasions from the north had led to migrations of Albanians to Greece as early as the 8th century. The Ottoman invasions encouraged more extensive migrations of Christian Albanians. Many Albanian colonies had been established in Greece by the latter half of the 14th century. Coming from “Arvanian” they called themselves Arvanites. The Byzantine historian Contecus noted that feuds between Byzantine nobles and Latin Princes after the 4th Crusade (1202-1204) had devastated the Greek countryside but the Arvanite newcomers settled in barren regions, felled forests and made the soil suitable for tilling. It is believed that at one time over half the population of the lower Peloponnesus or Morea were Albanians. The Second Migration — 1462 The second Albanian migration to southern Italy was similar to the first. Alphonse I of Aragon died in 1458. His son, Ferdinand, succeeded him to the throne. His succession was opposed in Naples by the rural feudal barons, who began a revolt in the Province of Lecce in 1461. This time, however, the barons got military assistance from France. With the backing of Pope Pius II, Ferdinand appealed to Skanderbeg for assistance in suppressing the rebellion, as his father before him had done. Skanderbeg came to Ferdinand’s literal rescue at Barletta, where the Franco-rebel armies had Ferdinand entrapped. Skanderbeg’s army was made up of an estimated 7,200 infantry and 2,200 cavalry troops, all seasoned, well-chosen men who were accustomed to victory. Ferdinand appointed Skanderbeg as commander of both the Albanian and Italian troops. After two decisive battles, the rebels were defeated and the revolt broken. In gratitude, Ferdinand granted the Albanian troops land near the city of Taranto in the region of Apulia. They established villages in the low, rolling landscape to the east of Taranto. The villages were: Carosino Faggiano Fragagnano Monteiasi Monteneosola Monteparano Rocaforzata San Crispieri San Giorgio Ionico San Marzano Ferdinand also awarded Skanderbeg large tracts of land in Foggia near San Giovanni Rotondo, the title Duke of San Pietro, and the village of Troia as a future “haven”, where his family could flee should the Turks overrun Albania. Hearing that Sultan Mehmed II was invading an area near Albania, Skanderbeg announced to Ferdinand that he intended to return to his homeland. The King expressed his gratitude in front of his entire court. Afterwards, he gave Skanderbeg additional gifts of land, including the cities of Trani, Monte Gargan, and San Giovanni Rotondo in Puglia. Upon returning to Albania, he found his government unstable with local Albanian rulers cooperating with the Ottomans against him. In 1464, Skanderbeg battled and defeated Ballaban Badera, an Albanian renegade. Though Badera did not win the battle, he did capture a large number of Albanian army commanders, some of Albanian’s bravest, a few noblemen, Skanderbeg’s nephew, Muzaka of Angelina, and other army captains, who were sent immediately to Sultan Mehmed II in Istanbul where they were tortured as Skanderbeg’s offered ransom and prisoner exchange were denied. In 1466, Mehmed II personally led an army to lay siege to Krujë, defended by a garrison of 4,400 men. The sultan failed and returned to Istanbul, though he left 40,000 men to continue the battle, building a castle in central Albania to support the siege. Skanderbeg, leaving the sultan frustrated at his inability to subdue the Albanians, broke the second siege. A few months later in 1467, Mehmed II led the largest armyof its time to besiege Krujë for a third time.While a contingent pinned down the city and its forces, Ottoman armies surrounded the whole country, effectively cutting off Skanderbeg’s supply routes and limiting his mobility. The Ottomans had gained a foothold in Albania. Skanderbeg moved to the coastal city of the Venetian- controlled Lezhë for safety. It was here that he was bitten by a malarial mosquito from a nearby swamp, fell ill with malaria, and died on January 17, 1468, just as the Albanian army defeated the Ottoman force in Shkodër. He was buried in the cemetery of Saint Nicholas church in Lezhë. Though defeated, Mehmed II reportedly shouted, “Asia and Europe are mine at last.Woe to Christendom! She has lost her sword and shield.” In 1480, the Turks found his grave and opened it. They used his bones as talismans for luck, hoping that the bones of such a great military leader would make them braver and stronger. Skanderbeg’s will left the protection of the fortified cities in Albania to Venice. His wife and family fled to Italy, where one of his daughters married into the nobility of Naples to become Princess Bisagnato. Her influence paved the way for acceptance of the Albanian refugee resettlement. There now were constant migrations of Albanians to southern Italy to escape the ravages of war. The Third Migration — The Fall of Albania, 1468 to 1492 Though Skanderbeg’s son, John Castriota, continued the resistance against the Turks for another 12 years after his father’s death, the cohesive union of fiefdoms and tribal chiefs faltered and splintered. There were only moderate successes and no great victories. Unfortunately, Skanderbeg was one of the best military commanders, both