A century of war - the Dukagjini in the 15th century

The long 15th century marks one of the most significant periods in the history of the Dukagjini family. This is the time of Pal Dukagjini, dubbed by historians as "the most honorable person of Albania" and of Lekë III Dukagjini remembered throughout Albanian lands as the codifier of customary laws known as the “Kanun of Leka”. The 15th century is also a time of great struggles. Many Dukagjini fought in the Great Wars of the Mediterranean which involved the Ottoman and Venetian expansion against Albania. In 1444, the Dukagjini were pivotal in the foundation of the League of Lezhë, the first unified Albanian state with Gjergj Kastrioti Skanderbeg as its leader.

The first Dukagjini we have information about in the 15th century are those of the line of Gjergj Dukagjini (cousin of Tanush i Madh). He held the villages of Kakarriq and Balldren near Lezha under Venetian overlordship. He had a troop of 100 men-in-arms and 40 horsemen who were patrolling the borderlands with the Ottomans. He died in 1409 and was inherited by his three sons: Nikollë, Gjergj and Tanush. Of the three, Nikollë is the one who was most active in the political events of Albania. He raised his banner in the rebellion of 1430-1432 against the Ottomans, recaptured the castle of Dejë (Dagnum) and drove them out of Dukagjini lands in northern Albania. When the rebellion was partially defeated, he came to an agreement with the Venetians: he recognized Venetian high suzerainty and they agreed to send troops to his aid if the Ottomans attacked Dejë. By 1435, the Venetians had reached a secret agreement with the Ottomans, first cut all ties to Nikollë, and then attacked him and delivered the castle to the Ottomans. The Venetian betrayal directly fueled the stance of Lekë III Dukagjini when he retook Dejë from the Venetians 20 years later.

In 1444, Nikollë Dukagjini and his cousin Pal (father of Lekë III) were founding noblemen of the League of Lezhë. From 1444 to his death in 1452-1454, Nikollë fought in many battles against the Ottomans. In the Albanian-Venetian War of 1447, he besieged Venetian-held Dejë. As the Ottomans were mounting another attack against the League, the siege stopped. The Venetians agreed to return all Dukagjini territory south of Dejë and the status of the castle remained undetermined. Nikollë had two sons Gjergj and Draga. His personal domains lay in the area of Zadrima. Both of his sons died by 1462. Gjergj had a son who later became an active commander in the Venetian army.

Another branch in this turbulent period had settled in Venetian Shkodra and had become an urban merchant house. The Venetians tried to create a loyal Dukagjini faction from this branch but as archival documents show there were many disputes between them and the family. The two brothers Andrea and Gjon (a Catholic priest), sons of Pal (d. ~1393) had rented property outside the city which the Venetians wanted to take back and give to foreign traders. Their brother, Tanush i Vogël defended the city of Shkodra in 1428 against an Ottoman siege and handed out much of his wealth to provide arms to the citizens who defended it. A year later, a coalition between Stefano Balsha Maramonte, Koja Zaharia and Tanush Dukagjini attacked and took Drisht which was held by the Serbian despotate. As these military successes were considered a threat to Venetian rule, the Venetian Senate first sought to find assassins which would kill Tanush for 500 ducats and afterwards tried to bribe him to betray his allies. All of these plans failed as the Ottomans advanced and all regained territory was quickly taken over by them in 1430. Tanush i Vogël like many Dukagjini who lost their lands settled in Shkodra in 1430. Many from this branch died fighting in the siege of Shkodra in 1478. In 1481, Gjon Dhimitër Dukagjini (Giovanni Ducaini) bought the castle of San Servolo and other territories in Istria (modern Slovenia) and resettled there. The last Ducaini, as they became known, died in 1606-1609. One of their members, Pomponio Ducaini appears as vice-governor of Capodistria (Koper) in Slovenia in 1550.

The biggest and best known branch in the 15th century is that of Pal, son of Tanush i Madh. All present-day Dukagjini are his descendants. Pal’s father Tanush died when he was young and Pal was raised in the court of Gjon Kastrioti, Skanderbeg’s father as Kastrioti’s biographers inform us. Pal was also a member of the League of Lezhë and was a commander in 1444 in the battle of Torvioll against the Ottomans. In the plain of Torvioll, 15,000 Albanians defeated 40,000 Ottoman troops. When Pal died, he was mourned across Albania. A biographer, G. Biemmi writes that when he died, Skanderbeg said that if Albania had lords so capable and as good of heart as Pal, then soon it would be one of the most thriving places in the world. Parts of his domains were likely in today’s Kosovo in the area known as Rrafshi i Dukagjinit. Pal had four sons: Lekë III, Gjergj, Nikollë, Progon. Progon doesn't appear in sources and it's unknown if he had heirs. Gjergj was married to Helena Arianiti. He had at least one son and one daughter. His son, Nikollë converted to Islam and was known in the Ottoman Empire as Ahmed Bey. Gjergj's daughter, Vella was married to a Kuka, a clan related to the Kastrioti. This branch of the Kuka converted to Islam and Gjergj's grandson was known as Vesi Bey.

Pal’s third son, Nikollë is mentioned as fighting alongside Lekë III in 1481 against the Ottomans. Marin Barleti writes that he was an unbreakable warrior who in military prowess surpassed the deeds of Pal and all of his ancestors. He further notes that in Prizren a memorial to his deeds had been erected on which the broken shield of an enemy soldier had been placed. According to Barleti, Nikollë had struck the shield with such strength that the shield broke and its bearer’s arm was rendered useless in battle. Barleti ends his description of Nikollë by writing that he diverged from the main story of his work (History and Deeds of Skanderbeg) so that the deeds of another great man may not be lost in the forgetfulness brought by time and the silence caused by ungratefulness.

Lekë III is undoubtedly one of the most important figures in the history of Albania and in the history of the Dukagjini family. When the League was formed in 1444 he must have been young and doesn’t appear in its early battles. We learn about Lekë III extensively in relation to the events of 1456 in the castle of Dejë. About 20 years before these events, Nikollë Dukagjini had been betrayed by the Venetians and the castle passed to the Ottomans which in turn gave it again to the Venetians at some point per another agreement they signed. This event was not forgotten by the Dukagjini. The Venetians tried to keep Lekë close to them but it seems that in secret he was plotting for revenge. In the autumn of 1456, in a surprising night attack Lekë took Dejë. Most soldiers were killed in the battle including the Venetian castellan’s son. Lekë beheaded the Venetian castellan, de Forluxijs after the battle and cut the right arm of his Albanian vassal, Basil Ungrej. Then he sent the family of de Forluxijs during the night to Shkodra to notify the Venetian command that he had defeated them and had retaken the castle of his ancestors. Immediately, the Venetians placed a bounty for Lekë in all their lands to gather mercenaries to regain the castle, which they regained by 1458. Between 1459-1463, Lekë’s relations with Skanderbeg involved several disputes but later they reconciled and Lekë succeeded him at the head of the Albanian resistance. He must have died around 1481, when with his brother Nikollë they mounted another rebellion against the Ottomans.

Lekë had two sons: Niccolo (Kolë) and Stefano who settled in Italy. Stefano lived in Marche, central Italy. He had two sons Paulo and Lecca. A Francesco Ducaginni who was a military captain in Rome in 1571, must be one of his descendants. Another Ducaginni from this branch, Pompeo son Geronimo is mentioned in Penne, Abruzzo in 1600.

Niccolo was married to Yela Arianiti and had two sons: Lecca and Progon. They launched an attack against Ottoman territory at the end of the 15th century, but eventually reached an agreement and converted to Islam. Lecca became known as Mahmud and must have died not long after. He may be the same Lecca who was married in Italy to Pantafilea Arianiti with whom he had three children: Niccolo, Maria and Francesca. Alternatively, this Lecca could have belonged to the line of Stefano.

Progon had a long career in the Ottoman army and administration. After his conversion, he became widely known as Dukaginzade Ahmed Pasha. His contemporaries mention him as the ‘Great Pasha’. Dukaginzade Ahmed Pasha was sanjakbey of Ankara, beylerbey of Anatolia, vizier and lastly Grand Vizier of the Empire in 1514-1515. He was one of the generals who led the Ottoman campaign in Iran and was victorious in the battle of Chaldiran in 1515. Shortly afterwards he was executed by Sultan Selim I. He was married to the Ottoman Princess Gevherşah Sultan, grand-daughter of Sultan Bayezid II. His heir was Dukaginzade Mehmed Pasha, governor of Egypt. The Dukaginzade branch are his direct descendants.