Skanderbeg, you may not know the name, but you need to know the story. One of the greatest
generals to ever live, this mighty Albanian commander inspired a nation on its knees to
resist an overwhelming enemy, to fight back and to never give up. The victories he won
and the ideals he represented changed the course of history forever. How did he do it?
Let’s find out together, right now. Born in 1405 into a hostile world, Skanderbeg
was the son of Gjon Kastrioti, a prince of Emathia, one of the provinces of Albania.
At this time, Albania was under the control of the Ottoman Empire and its overlord, Sultan
Murad the second. As a method of ensuring the continued loyalty of the Albanians, the
ottomans would regularly kidnap the young sons of royal families and raise them in Turkey,
indoctrinating them into the Muslim faith and teaching them to forget their heritage,
breeding allegiance only to the ottomans. As such, Skanderbeg at the tender age of 3
was ripped from his family and sent to live in Turkey.
As he grew, he quickly forgot his homeland, receiving a strong education in the Turkish
court and eventually being enlisted into the Turkish military. Here he flourished, quickly
standing out and advancing through the ranks. He proved his skill on the battlefields of
Asia minor and eastern Europe, fighting for the Ottomans. Having been taken so young,
this life was all he really knew, his homeland and true heritage a distant and faded memory.
He continued to conquer in the name of the Ottomans, and was eventually granted a governorship
in Albania but remained loyal to the Sultan, despite being invited to join several failed
revolution attempts. But in 1443, everything changed. Whether he
had been hiding his true intentions this entire time, waiting for the right moment to strike,
or instead something triggered a sudden shift, we will never know.
Ordered by the Sultan to attack Hungarian forces commanded by Janos Hunyadi, a revered
general known as the white knight, Skanderbeg suddenly abandoned the battle and fled with
a small contingent of soldiers. Some accounts suggest a secret meeting with
Janos Hunyadi the night before the battle had taken place, others that the Christian
crusades against the rising tide of Islam in Europe had inspired him. Whatever the case,
it was a point of no return and the start of his legacy as a hero.
Heading directly to Albania under the guise of his rank in the ottoman army with a letter
of command from the Sultan still in his possession, he entered the castle of Kruje and that night,
massacred the Turkish forces stationed there, seizing the castle for himself and proclaiming
“I have not brought you liberty, I found it here, among you”.
He was shortly elected commander in chief of the Albanian army with the support of many,
but not all, of the princes. He formed a small army of around 10 to 15 thousand men and prepared
to stand against the inevitable backlash of the mighty ottoman empire.
Predictably the Sultan was enraged by this betrayal and immediately amassed a huge force
to invade Albania. Despite being significantly outnumbered, Skanderbeg won a great victory
by utilising guerrilla tactics and his superior knowledge of the terrain to harass the larger
force. A second army was sent and this was also defeated. Skanderbegs legend grew with
every victory, each one a rare example of success in halting the expansion of the ottomans
into mainland Europe. All told, he defeated the ottomans in battle
an incredible 24 times, always outnumbered, always outsmarting them. Forced to fight enemies
on all fronts following a short war with previously allied Venice, Skanderbeg managed to hold
off the Ottoman forces continuously and reclaim Albania.
Perhaps his most famous victory however came in 1450 and the siege of Kruje. Facing a force
of 100 thousand ottomans led by the Sultan himself, Skanderbeg left a garrison of only
1500 men to hold the castle, taking the rest of his small force and harassing the camps
and supply caravans of their mighty enemy. Ottoman attempts to take the castle were continuously
thwarted and they were eventually forced to retreat, losing 20 thousand men during the
siege itself and many more as they fled. The victory was heralded across Europe and
sealed the legacy of Skanderbeg as one of the greatest Generals to ever live.
But it had taken everything they had to resist this time, and despite winning a glorious
victory Skanderbeg was left depleted. He gathered allies to help him, in particular King Alfonso
the fifth of Aragon. Several years of relative peace followed until,
as was inevitable, the ottomans returned, this time led by the new Sultan and son of
Murad, Mehmed the second, looking to succeed where his father had failed. Once more, grossly
outnumbered, Skanderbeg was victorious and sent this new threat running from Albanian
lands. War would continue throughout the rest of
his life, taking him to many countries across Europe but always, he defended Albania successfully
from the Ottomans. He died eventually at the age of 62 from malaria, his passing mourned
across Europe with great sadness. Whilst in the centuries following his death,
the ottoman empire did eventually expand, his endless victories are credited to this
day as hugely significant in halting their expansion into Europe, changing the course
of history and many empires forever. He is remembered worldwide as a military genius,
a great leader and an inspiration to fight for what you believe in.
To never give up, to defend your family, your home, and that no matter the overwhelming
odds against you, to remember that there is always hope.