Skanderbeg, George Kastrioti

George Kastrioti Skanderbeg (1405 –1468), widely known as Skanderbeg was a 15th-century Albanian nobleman. Sultan Murad II took him hostage in 1423 and he fought for the Ottoman Empire during the next twenty years. In 1443, he deserted and became the ruler of Krujë.

In 1444, he organized local leaders, uniting their forces for war against the Ottomans. Skanderbeg’s first victory against the Ottomans in the same year marked the beginning of more than 20 years of war with the Ottomans. Skanderbeg’s forces achieved more than 20 victories in the field and withstood three sieges of his capital, Krujë. Skanderbeg is considered today a commanding figure not only in the national consciousness of Albanians but also of 15th-century European history. He had already achieved a reputation as a hero in his own time. The failure of most European nations to give him support against the Ottomans meant that none of Skanderbeg’s victories permanently hindered the Ottomans from invading the Western Balkans.

A copy of the statue of Skanderbeg by Janaq Paco (1968) in Krujë   is in Pristina (Kosovo).