Henry Skene, Esq., on the Albanians, 315 



mentioned by Cantacuzenus,* as having aided Andronicus 

 Palaeologus, in his struggle with his grandfather, in 1327, 

 and as having submitted to him, in number about 12,000, 

 w^hen he, being then sole emperor, made an incursion in II- 

 lyrian Macedonia against some rebels of their race. The 

 historian says, that it was in Thessaly ; but it is more pro- 

 bable that his knowledge of geography was deficient, than 

 that the Albanians were ever to be found in Thessaly. The 

 same emperor took advantage of the death of the despot 

 John, in the year 1338, and the minority of his son Nicepho- 

 rus, to revenge himself on the Albanians, for their frequent 

 attacks on his towns, and to overthrow the despotate.t In 

 this he was reinforced by a body of Asiatic Turks, which 

 was the first appearance in Epirus of the future lords of the 

 country. Two Albanian chiefs, named Balza and Spata, be- 

 came formidable to the Byzantine empire about this period, 

 as is related by the historian Chalcocondylas. Towards the 

 commencement of the fifteenth century, the Albanians came 

 under the rule of a sovereign from the west of Europe in the 

 person of Charles Tocco, who was made despot by the Em- 

 peror Manuel Palaeologus. He was one of the Frank princes 

 of the Ionian Islands, and he took the independent possession 

 of Epirus Proper and Acarnania from them.| The Turks 

 now commenced their invasion of Albania, although the first 

 battle which had been fought against them, dated as far 

 back as the year 1383. It took place near Berot, and the Al- 

 banians were totally routed by the army of the Sultan Murat 

 the First, their general, the only son of Balza, being killed 

 on the occasion. By the year 1431 they were nearly sub- 

 dued by the Turks, although their total reduction was warded 

 off for some years longer by the brave Scanderbeg and his 

 father-in-law Arianita Topia. Their last struggle was the 

 siege of Scodra, which was described by a native and eye- 

 witness, Marinus Barletius, in a Latin publication, dated at 

 Venice, 1504. The defence was conducted by a Venetian 

 general, and the attack by Mahomet the Second himself. 



* Ducange, Hist, de Constantinople, lib. i., c. 55. 

 t Cantacuzenus, lib. ii., c. 32. 

 X Lib. iv., p. 112, 113. 



