Ethnicity Albanian | ||
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Name origin and meaning Castle-dweller (from the Latin castrum via the Greek word κάστρο) | ||
The House of Kastrioti (Albanian: Dera e Kastriotit) was an Albanian royal and noble family active in the 14th and 15th centuries as the rulers of the Principality of Kastrioti. The first Kastrioti mentioned in historical documents was a kephale of Kanina in 1368. At the beginning of the 15th century the family controlled the region around Debar (modern westernmost Macedonia and easternmost Albania) at the end of the 14th and the beginning of the 15th century. The most notable member was Skanderbeg, a magnate and general, regarded an Albanian national hero. After the fall of the Principality and Skanderbeg's death in 1468 the Kastrioti family gave their allegiance to the Kingdom of Naples and were given control over the Duchy of San Pietro in Galatina and the County of Soleto in the Province of Lecce, Italy, where a maternal branch of the family still exists today as part of the Sanseverino family.
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Origins
Kastrioti, who was a kephale of Kanina in 1368, was the first member of the Kastrioti family mentioned in historical documents. In the 14th century, Kastrioti family was one of the less powerful noble families in Albania, whose power and influence was far less than those of Thopia, Dukagjini, Balšići or Arianiti.
According to Kabashi, the Kastrioti were first mentioned in 1394. Kabashi explains that Turkish sources say that the family originated from Kastrat in north Albania. According to Malcolm, they originate from western Kosovo. According to several historians, their surname has its origin in the Greek word kastro (κάστρο; "castle"; also Latin castrum).
Elevation to nobility
The Kastrioti, unlike the Thopia and the Arianiti, did not have a long history as nobility. The first nobleman was either Pal Kastrioti, the lord of Sinë and Lower Gardi (Gardhi i Poshtëm), or a Kastrioti, who was the kephale of Kanina in 1368.
Pal Kastrioti had three sons: Konstantin, Alexius and Gjon Kastrioti who was Skanderbeg's father. Aleksa Kastrioti controlled three villages. Konstantin Kastrioti was protovestiar of Sina (Serina) near Durrazo. According to Venetian document discovered by Karl Hopf his title was Lord of Cerüja castle (Latin: dominus Serinae).
Pal held a small area of Sinja (in Arras) and Lower Gardi (Unknown location). His son, John (Gjon) Kastrioti († 1437), became the lord of Matia (Mat). He managed to expand his territory but was ultimately subdued by the invading Ottomans. The most notable member was George Kastrioti Skanderbeg (1405–1468), declared an Albanian national hero, renowned in Albanian folklore for his fight against the Ottoman forces.
Titles
The list of titles used by Kastrioti family are: