Skanderbeg's expedition Skanderbeg's Italian expedition

map of republic of ragusa

a venetian ambassador on way constantinople reported skanderbeg had assembled 1,000 cavalry , 2,000 infantry along several papal , neapolitan ships @ capo-di-lachi (albanian: kepi lagjit) near modern-day kavajë. still awaiting supply of grain , 2 neapolitan ships, however, continued wait. on 21–22 august 1461, 4 galleys sent ferdinand arrived. boarded thereafter did not send entire force directly apulia. sent gjokë balsha (who had returned italy) 500 cavalry , 1,000 infantry besieged ferdinand, whereas skanderbeg himself went ragusa convince rectors there give him needed funds. balsha s men landed in barletta on 24 august 1461. angevin forces, among whom giovanni orsini, feared skanderbeg himself leader of force, lifted siege of barletta immediately. balsha informed ferdinand skanderbeg arrive after voyage ragusa. ferdinand felt skanderbeg s personal involvement essential , began worry when did not come in 2 days, balsha had promised.

skanderbeg reached ragusa on 24 august 1461 along pal engjëlli, archbishop of durrës. men stayed on ships anchored in harbor while went city. due papal pressure, ragusans had reconsidered skanderbeg s requests. fame visible when walked through city-gates , population poured streets see him. had been greeted ceremony , tour of city inspecting walls , weaponry. received financial sum had come for. men supplied food coming campaign. popularity allowed him well-kept ragusans largest albanian community outside of albania present. on 29 august 1461, skanderbeg set off apulia, storm forced him anchor off dalmatian island. on 3 september 1461, skanderbeg reached barletta.

skanderbeg in italy

skanderbeg disembarking in italy - engraving jost amman 1587

even though lifted siege of barletta upon seeing skanderbeg s approaching men week before, angevin forces remained active. once skanderbeg arrived, ferdinand put him in command of fortress of barletta whereas king himself went ariano irpino. once left in command of fortress, skanderbeg moved against ferdinand s rivals. among them giovanni orsini, jean d anjou (the duke of calabria), piccinino, , francesco del balzo. had stationed in andria, albanian assaults continued. albanian cavalry s light armament, swift horses , loose ranks allowed them overcome more heavily armed italian cavalry, fought in tight formations. in 1 of operations, albanian warrior captured alois minutulo, lord of castle of monte sant angelo imprisoned in fortress of barletta. 3 years later, ferdinand present skanderbeg castle token of gratitude.

ferdinand s opponents, under piccinino s main command, tried open battle skanderbeg, due combined strength of albanian , neapolitan forces, withdrew andrian fields acquaviva delle fonti. news of piccinino s retreat reached venice sent message francisco sforza. skanderbeg marched taranto, giovanni orsini prince. orsini tried again dissuade skanderbeg marching against him, ferdinand wary of orsini s faithfulness, skanderbeg continued raiding orsini s territory. split army 3 parts, 1 under moisi arianit golemi, other under vladan gjurica, , last under command. led attacks against ferdinand s enemies in 3 directions without halt, thoroughly exhausting them. during month of october, skanderbeg continued pillage orisini s territory bases @ barletta , andria since angevins not present; ferdinand meanwhile mopped in calabria, recaptured cosenza , castrovillari. @ point, orsini asked skanderbeg truce albanian rejected. on 27 october, skanderbeg reported had captured town of gisualdo. piccinino asked skanderbeg discontinue campaign skanderbeg exuberantly accepted, believing peace near.

the castle of monte sant angelo in 20th-century photograph

piccinino, however, did not seek maintain agreement 1 of deserters reported. upon learning this, skanderbeg decided open battle piccinino s men. after feeding men , preparing horses, skanderbeg set off moonlight angevin camp. found place empty, however, since 1 of piccinino s men had informed piccinino on albanians intentions. skanderbeg returned barletta reinforced ferdinand , men. split army two, 1 under alessandro sforza s command, other under his, , approached troia. jean d anjou , piccinino stationed in lucera, however, 8 miles troia. knowing battle come between troia , lucera, skanderbeg set out night capture seggiano, mountain lying between 2 cities, stationed of men protect it. thence, men find refuge in case of defeat. piccinino had same objective in mind , set out capture mountain, instead met skanderbeg s men. kept men in order coming battle. next day, 2 armies met. battle lasted until dusk, jean s men suffered serious defeat , forced flee. piccinino retreated campaigns. went northwards joined sigismondo malatesta , 200 of men launch assaults on papal state.

skanderbeg s next task recapture trani, second important point in apulia, aside barletta. succeeded in capturing commander of garrison, fuscia de foxa, had rebelled against ferdinand. fuscia outside walls of trani sixteen men when skanderbeg saw him , surrounded him , tried convince him abandon orsini, whereby fuscia refused pecuniary reasons. on morning of 28 december 1461, fuscia s pleas, gracciani, vice-commander of garrison, surrendered trani. both fuscia , gracciani, however, refused hand on garrison s munitions. skanderbeg threatened imprison them if did not surrender asked to, forcing 2 hand on trani s stores. after weeks of marauding, skanderbeg , aragonese colleagues joined alessandro sforza s men. yielded of fortresses had recaptured ferdinand.