TRENDEAtlas of the Sultans · Wars, battles and treaties
Revolt · 1443
George Kastrioti (Skanderbeg), raised in Ottoman service, deserted the army during the battle of Niš (1443), rose in revolt and took Krujë (Akçahisar). On 1 March 1444, at the meeting of Lezhë held under Venetian protection, he allied with the other Albanian lords and returned to Christianity; Ottoman sources call him “İskender the Traitor”. For years he held out in the mountains against the campaigns of Murad II and Mehmed II. He died on 17 January 1468 at Venetian Lezhë and lives on in Albanian folklore as a national hero.
| Date | 1443 – 17 January 1468 |
|---|---|
| Location | Albania (Akçahisar / Krujë) |
| Result | Skanderbeg resisted until his death; afterwards the Ottomans drove the Venetians, who claimed his inheritance, out of Albania |
| Belligerents | Ottoman state | Skanderbeg and the Albanian lords (League of Lezhë) Venice (supporter) |
|---|---|---|
| Commanders | Murad II Mehmed II | Skanderbeg (George Kastrioti) |
Took place during the reign of Murad II (1421–1444). Murad II
The atlas records this territorial change for the year:
By the atlas's calculation the Ottoman lands covered about 664,000 km² in 1443; at the start of Murad II's reign they measured 593,000 km², at its end 664,000 km².
During Murad II (1421–1444) the atlas records 4 regions gained and 1 region lost.
Regions gained: Teke–Hamid (Antalya–Isparta–Burdur) (1423), Germiyan (Kütahya–Afyon–Uşak) (1429), Thessaloniki–Chalkidiki–Mount Athos (1430), Ioannina (Epirus) (1430).
Regions lost: Northern Albania (Krujë–Shkodër) (1443).
He restored Ottoman rule after the Interregnum: Thessalonica was taken, Germiyan joined and the Eastern Roman Empire (Byzantium) again paid tribute. In 1444, after the peace of Edirne–Szeged, he abdicated and withdrew to Manisa; recalled to lead the army at Varna, he returned to the throne in 1446.
Areas are land area computed from the atlas's region data; see Method and sources.
Source: TDV Encyclopedia of Islam, “İskender Bey” (Turkish); text written for the atlas.