Principalities and Society in Middle Age Albania

Principalities and Society in Medieval Albania

When the Serbian tsar Dusan died in 1355, Albania was recaptured by Albanian nobles, who formed independant principalities. The Zenebishajs ruled over Southern Albania, the Loshas and later the Shpatas over the Despotat of Arta, until it was taken over by the Zenebishajs in 1411.

Between the rivers Shkumbin and Mat in Central Albania was the principality of the Topias; Karl Topia was called „lord of Arbër (or Albanon)“.

Northern Albania including Kosovo was ruled by the Balshajs, who later conquered territories from Tivar down to Vlora. In 1385 they were defeated by a Turkish army – the prelude of a long history of struggles and half a millennium of Ottoman domination, with consequences that can still be felt today.

At that time Albania was divided into two economical zones: on the one hand, there were the fertile plains and fields near the sea, where feudalizm was dominant and where the farmers‘ villages were permanent and subject to feudal lords. In the mountain zones, on the other hand, the main economical activity was the breeding of livestock. The mountains were the realm of free villagers, and only late feudalizm took place there.

From the XIV^th century on, the village chiefs from these zones or „heads of the mountaineers“ expanded their power to the surrounding lowlands and towns. Thus the Skurajs took over the Tirana region and the Muzakajs the lands from Korça in the East until the coastal plains in the West, which today are still called „Myzeqe“.

In Late Middle Age, the Albanian towns expanded considerably. In order to escape taxes and forced labour, many farmers left their village and settled down in the nearest town. Many inhabitants cultivated land at the surroundings of the town, whereas others were craftsmen organized in „schools“ or „brotherhoods“. Albanians were well known for their skill of working with precious metals. Intensification of trade within Albania and with its neighbours led to the formation of a class of merchants. The main products for exportation were salt and wheat.

Secular medieval architecture is characterized in Albania, too, by castles and fortifications. The larger castles were the seat of a feudal lord, the smaller ones protected places of importance for trade and transport. Byzantine sacral architecture at that time belonged to the „Paleolog Renaissance“, with quadrangular churches built in a beautiful combination of natural stones and bricks. Catholic churches were Romanic with only limited influences of the Gothic style.

During Middle Age, most people were analphabets. Reading and writing was characteristical of the clergy. The cathedrals had schools that were also frequented by laymen. The monasteries were the places where manuscripts and codexes were written and copied. Famous examples are the Purple Codex (VI^thcentury) and the Golden Codex (X^th century), both from the Berat monastery.

The texts written and copied by the monks were mostly religious, but included also historical chronicles. They were written in Latin and Greek, which were the languages used for official documents, and in Italian, which was the language used for trade. The first document in the Albanian language was the Baptism Formula written by the Bishop of Durrës, Pal Engjëlli, in 1462.