Here is a list of the rare books relating to the illustrious life and exploits of George Castrioti Scanderbeg, which are in possession of Patricia Nugee.
I. Marinus Barletius: Historia de vita et gestis Scanderbegi Epirotarum principis. Rome: impressum per B. V. [Bemardinus de Vitalibus,151O?]. CLIX leaves. Fo. The first edition of the primary source for the life and campaigns of Scanderbeg.. Barletius was an Albanian Catholic priest from Shkodër (Scutari), who f1ed from his native city to ltaly to escape Turkish rule after the siege of 1479. He was a young man at the time of Scanderbeg's death, and knew many of his allies and associates. In some ways more of a panegyric rather than an accurate biography, his work appeared in numerous editions in the main European languages.
2. Marinus Barletius: De vita, moribus ac rebus praecipue adversus Turcas, gestis, Georgii Castrioti... qui propter celeberrima facinora, Scanderbegus, hoc est, Alexander Magnus, cognominatus fuit... Argentorati: apud Cratonem Mylium, 1537. ccclxxi p. Fo. This edition of Barletius, edited by Caspar Hedio, and dedicated to Albert, Markgrave of Baden, claims to be the first edition of the Latin text published in Germany. This copy bears a MS. dedication by the publisher to Joachim Camerarius.
3. [Demetrius Francus]: Commentario de le cose de Turchi, et.del S. Georgio Scanderbeg, principe di Epyrro... [Venice: Bernardin Milanese?] 1541. 51 leaves. 8vo. Despite the title, this book consists only of the life of Scanderbeg..
4. Paolo Giovio: Commentarii delle cose de Turchi, di Paulo Giovio, et Andrea Gambini, con gli fatti, et la vita di Scanderbeg. Vinegia: in casa de' figliuoli di Aldo, 1541.36, 76, 52 leaves. 8vo. The works of both Giovio and Gambini had previously appeared separately in several editions, in ltalian & l.atin.
5. [Marinus Barletius]: Historia del magnanimo, et valoroso signor Georgio Castrioto, detto Scanderbego ...Dal latino... per Pietro Rocca. Venetia: per Francesco Rocca, 1560. 403 leaves. 8vo. Rocca's translation of Barletius first appeared in Venice in 1554.
6. [Marinus Barletius]: Historia del magnanimo, et valoroso signor Giorgio Castrioto, detto Scanderbego... Dal latino... per Pietro Rocca. Venetia: appresso Fabio & Agustin Zopini, 1580. 403. 8vo.
7. [Marinus Bar1etius]: Des aller streytt-barsten und theüresten Fürsten und Herren, Herrn Georgen Castrioten, genannt Scanderbeg... jetzt durch Joannem Pinicianun verteutscht. Franckfurt am Mayn: durch Weygand Han und Georg Raben, 1561. 319 leaves. 4to. ----- [2nd copy.] U.L.C.VIII. 16.57 Pinicianus' German translation appeared first in 1533.
8. Andrea Cambini: Two very notable commentaries. The one of the originall of the house of Ottomanno, written by Andrewe Cambine, and thother of the warres of the Turcke against George Scanderbeg...Translated oute of Italian... by John Shute. London: printed by Rouland Hall for Humfrey Toye, 1562. 100, 42 leaves. 4to. The translator admits that his style is not 'exquisite and curious', 'yet is the matter of importance, and to such as delite in martiall affaires, both pleasant and profitable'. The passage displayed refers to the League of Lezhë, 1444.
9. Scipione de Monti: Rime et versi in lode della ...Giovanna Castriota Carr., Duchessa di Nocera... Scritti in lingua toscana, latina, et spagnuola. Equense: appresso Gioseppe Cacchi, 1585. 222p. 4to. A collection of poems by many authors, in honour of Giovanna Castriota Carrafa, the daughter of Ferrante Castriota, described by a contemporary as 'di rarissima bellezza corporeale, e d'integrissima castità'. Ferrante was probably Scanderbeg's great-grandson. Many of the poems refer to Giovanna's illustrious ancestor.
10. Philippus Lonicerus: Chronicorum Turcicorum ...tomus I-III. Francoforti ad Moenum: Georgius Corvinus, impensis Sigismundi Feyrabendii. 1578. 3 vols in 2. Fo.. The third volume of this collection includes Marinus Barletius' life of Scanderbeg.
11. [Demetrius Francus]: Gli illustri et gloriosi gesti et vittoriose imprese, fatte contra Turchi, dal sign. D. Giorgio Castriotto, detto Scanderbeg. Novamente ristampati. Vinegia: presso Altabello Salicato, 1584. 87 leaves. 4to. Edited by Count Giovanni Maria Bonardo. The extract contains Lek Dukagjin's phrase 'Embetha' [modern. 'Embe ta', 'to horse!'], implying that no mercy should be shown to the defeated Turks at the siege of Kruja in 1467; one of the earliest examples of the Albanian language in print.
12.(Marinus Barletius]: Chronica del esforçado principe y capitan Jorge Castrioto, rey de Epiro, o Albania... traduzida del lenguaje portugues... par Juan Ochoa de La Salde. Lisboa: [s.n.], 1588. 191 leaves. Fo. A Portuguese translation by Francisco de Andrade had been published in Lisbon in 1567.
13. [Marinus Barletius]: cronica del esforçado principe y capitan Jorge Castrioto, rey de Epiro, o Albania... traduzida de lengua portuguesa... por Juan Ochoa de La Salde. Madrid: por Luis Sanchez, a costa de Juan de Montoya, 1597. 207 leaves. Fo. .
14. [Marinus Barletius]: The historie of George Castriot, surnamed Scanderbeg, King of Albanie... By Jaques de Lavardin. Newly translated... by Z.I., Gentleman. London: imprinted for William Ponsonby, 1596. 498p. Fo. Lavardin 's translation of Barletius had first appeared in Paris in 1576. This English version was the work of Zachary Jones. Roll-tooled Oxford binding; signatures of Arthur Charlett & Henrietta Vanbrugh. .........[2nd copy] U.L.C. Syn:4.59.24
15. Jacques de Lavardin: Histoire de Georges Castriot, surnommé Scanderbeg, Roy d'Albanie. Paris: chez G. Chaudière, 1597. 447p. 8vo.
16. Jacques de Lavardin: Histoire de Georges Castriot, surnommé, Scanderbeg, Roy d'Albanie. ( + Chronologie turcique.) Franche-ville: pour Jean Arnauld, 1604. 447, 40p. 8vo.
17. Jiri Barthold Pontanus z Praitenberka: Scanderbegus. hoc est vita et res strenue feliciterq; gestae, Georgii Castrioti, Epiri regis... Hanoviae: typis Wechelianis, apud Claudium Marnium & hered. ]oan. Aubrii, 1609. 293p. 8vo.
18. Ritratti et elogii di capitani illustri ...descritti da Giulio Roscio [et al.]. Roma: ad instanza di Filippo de' Rossi, 1646. 404p. 4to. The portraits were engraved by Pompilio Totti.
19. George de Scudéry: Curia politiae: or, The apologies of severall princes, justifying to the world their most eminent actions... London: printed for Humphrey Moseley, 1654. 190p. Fo. Translated from French by Edward Wolley. Scanderg's apology is directed to the Sultan Amurat, for changing sides at the battle of Nis in 1443; Scudéry concludes that his action was not justified.
20. Jean de Bussières: Scanderbergus: poema... Lugduni: sumpt. Laurentii Anisson, &Joan. Bapt. Devenet, 1656-8. 283p. 12mo. A poem in Latin hexameters, in 8 books.
21. Jean de Bussières: Scanderbergus: poema... (+ Carmina varia.) Ed. emendatior. [Lyon]: sumpt. Guill. Barbier, Joannis Girin, & Franc. Comba, 1662.213, 68p.8vo. 22. [Henry Marsh]: A new survey of the Turkish Empire, history and government compleated. London: printed by J.B. for Samuel Bolton, 1664. 196, 96p. 8vo. A supplement to Marsh's 'New survey', published the previous year. Both parts reflect the interest in Turkish affairs caused by the renewed attacks on Austria and Hungary. .........A new survey of the Turkish Empire and government... London: printed for Henry Marsh, 1663. 108p. 12mo. U.L.C. T.6.27
23. The conduct and character of Count Nicholas Serini ...With his parallels Scanderbeg & Tamberlain... London: printed for Sam. Speed, 1664. 168p. 12mo. Preface signed: O.C. Count Miklos Zrinyi the younger (1620-1664) was a poet as well as a statesman and military leader. His early death was the result of injuries sustained in a boar hunt.
24. [Baron Samuel von Pufendorf]: Georgii Castriotae, Scanderbeg vulgo dicti, historia, compendio tradita. (S.I.: s.n.], 1684. 45p. 12mo. This tract is said to have been written at the request of KarI Ludwig, Elector Palatine, and ]ohann Philipp, Elector of Mainz.
25. Jean Nicolas Duponcet: Histoire de Scanderbeg roy d'Albanie. Paris: chez Jean Mariette, 1709. 590p. 12mo. Based on Barletius and other writers. Compare the portrait (which has been inserted) with that based on Van Vliet's etching.
26. Antoine Teissier: Abrégé de la vie de divers princes. Amsterdam: [s.n.], 1710. 228p. 12mo.
27. [- Chevilly]: Scanderberg, ou, Les aventures du prince d'Albanie. Paris: chez Charles-Jean-Baptiste Delespine et Gregoire-Antoine Dupuis, 1732. 2 vols. 12mo.
28. Giovanni Maria Biemmi: lstoria di Giorgio Castrioto, detto Scander-begh. Brescia: dalle stampe di Giam-Batista Bossino, 1742. 502p. 8vo. Although published at a comparatively late date, Biemmi's'work has been one of the primary sources for the history of Scanderbeg, because he claims to have used a printed account of 1480 by an anonymous Albanian. SubsequentIy this book, allegedly printed by Ratdolt in Venice, has completely disappeared. Though accepted as genuine by Bishop Fan Noli in his 1947 biography of Scanderbeg, modern research has suggested that the work is a literary forgery by Biemmi. 29. Thomas Whincop: Scanderbeg: or, Love and liberty. A tragedy. To whïch are added, A list of alI the dramatic authors... London: printed for W. Reeve, 1747. xix, 320p. 8vo. The bulk of this volume, published 17 years after the author's death, is taken up by his list of English dramatists and their plays. Whincop's 'Scanderbeg' was never performed; it was closely based on Mlle de La Roche Guilhem's 'Le grand Scanderberg' of 1688.
30. Lorenzo Ignacio Thiulen: Dialoghi nel regno de' morti: Dialogo primo fra Giorgio Castrioto, altrimenti detto Scanderbeg, re d'Albania, e d'Epiro, e l'imperatore romano Carlo Magno... [Etc.] Rome: presso Pietro Manna. 1832. 5 parts. Thiulen (1746-1833), a native of Sweden, was at one time a member of the Society of Jesus. His collection of 48 dialogues appeared first at Bologna. 1816-1820.
32. Antonio Zoncada: Scanderbeg: storia albanese del secolo XV. Milano: Giacomo Agnelli. 1874. ix, 498p. Zoncada (1813-1887), described 'poligrafo infaticabile', was Professor of ltalian literature at the University of Pavia.
33. Plutarch: The lives of the noble Grecians & Romans... And now... are further added the lives of twenty selected eminent persons... out of... Andrew Thevet. London: printed by Abraham Miller, sold by William Lee, 1657. 1031, 76p. Fo. The account of Scanderbeg comes from 'Les vrais portraits et vies des hommes illustres'.
34. Francesco Sansovino: Gli' annali overo le vite de' principi et signori della casa Othomana. Venetia: appresso Jacopo Sansovino, 1570. 134leaves. 4to.
35. Nicolao Granucci: L'eremita... con un breve compendio de' fatti più notabili de' Turchi... La vita del Tamburlano, di.Scanderbeg... Lucca: appresso Vince Busdraghi, 1569. 170 leaves. 8vo. This curious work was composed in gratitude to the monks of the Monastero de' Frati Camaldolesi, one of whom had cured the author of a leg wound.
36. Franciscus Blanchus: Dictionarium Latino Epiroticum... Romae: typis Sacr. Congr. de Propag. Fide. 1635. 222p. 8vo. The first Albanian dictionary, compiled by Blanchus (Bardhi), containing a Latin-Albanian vocabulary, a short grammar and phrases. Blanchus adopted three new characters to represent Albanian sounds. MAGGS BROS. LTD., LONDON 15 -= ORD BINDING
[ 10] LA V ARDIN (Jacques de). The Historie of George Castriot, surnamed Scanderbeg, King of Albanie. Containing his famous actes, his noble deedes of Armes, and memorable victories against the Turkes, for the Faith of Christe. Newly translated out of French into English by z. I. Gentleman. First English Edition. Folio [Size 11! by 8 inches]. Fine Oxford binding in con- temporary case; double panel roll-tooled in blind on the sides, surrounding a central rectangle made up with the same rol1. (Joints repaired at the head and tail, late seventeenth century label, ties missing). London: [R. Field] for William Ponsonby, 1596. [,150 STC 15318. The roll is Oldham -"English Blind Stamped Bindings", No.872. Gibson -"Early Oxford Bindings", plate 39, ro1119. The endpapers have been taken from a church history, c. 1500, of Continental printing, and carry the signature "Henrietta Vanbrugh, bought ApriI1734". Henrietta was the wife of the dramatist and architect Sir John Vanbrugh whom she survived by fifty years. Shortly before his marriage on 14 Jan. 1719 Sir John, in a letter to the Duke of Newcastle, after cursing the coldness of the winter remarked: "I have almost a mind to marry to keep myself warm", Lady Mary Wortley Montagu gives a vivacious, if somewhat spiteful, account of the wooing. La Vardin acknowledges that most of this work is taken from that of M. Barleti published at Rome about 1508.
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Gjergj Kastrioti – Skënderbeu 1405 - 1468
Gjergj (Albanian: George) Kastrioti was born in Kruja, Albania in the year 1405. His father, lord of Middle Albania, Gjon Kastrioti, was obliged by the Ottomans to pay tribute to its Empire. To assure the fidelity of local rulers, the Sultan would take the lords’ sons as hostage and raise them in his court. Gjergj Kastrioti attended military school in the Ottoman Empire and was named “Iskander Bey”, Turkish for “Lord Alexandre.”
He was distinguished as one of the best officers in several Ottoman campaigns both in Asia Minor and in Europe. The Sultan appointed him General for his efforts. He even fought against Greeks, Serbs and Hungarians, and some sources says that he used to maintain secret links with Raguse, Venice, Vladislas of Hungary and Alphonse V of Naples. Sultan Murat II gave him the title “Vali” which made him the General Governor of some provinces in central Albania. Although he was respected everywhere, he missed his country.
In 1443, during the battle against the Hungarians of Hunyadi in Nish (in present day Serbia), he abandoned the Ottoman Army and captured Kruja, his father's seat in middle Albania. Above the castle he rose the Albanian flag, a red flag with the black double‑headed eagle, the present‑day Albanian flag, and pronounced to his countrymen the famous words: "I have not brought you liberty, I found it here, among you". He managed to unite all Albanian princes at the town of Lezha (League of Lezha, 1444) and united them under his command to fight against the Turks.
During the next 25 years he fought, with forces rarely exceeding 20,000 against the most powerful army of the time and defeated it consistently. In 1450 Sultan Murad II himself led the Turkish army against Skënderbeu. He died on the way back to his empire after his defeat. On two other occasions, in 1466 and 1467, Mehmed II, the conqueror of Constantinople, led the Turkish army against Skënderbeu and he too failed. The Ottoman Empire attempted to conquer Kruja 24 times and failed all 24 of them.
Skënderbeu's military successes evoked a good deal of interest and admiration of the Papal state, Venice and Naples, themselves threatened by the growing Ottoman power across the Adriatic. The Albanian warrior played his hand with a good deal of political and diplomatic skill in his dealings with the three Italian states. Hoping to strengthen and expand the last Christian bridgehead in the Balkans, they provided Skënderbeu with money, supplies and occasionally with troops. One of his most powerful and consistent supporters was Alfonso the Magnanimous (1416‑1458), the Aragone king of Naples, who decided to take Skënderbeu under his protection as vassal in 1451, shortly after the latter had scored his second victory against Murad II. In addition to financial assistance, the King of Naples undertook to supply the Albanian leader with troops, military equipment as well as with sanctuary for himself and his family if such a need should arise. As an active defender of the Christian cause in the Balkans, Skënderbeu was also closely involved with the politics of four Popes, one of them being Pius II (1458‑1464) or Aeneas Sylvius Piccolomini, the Renaissance humanist, writer and diplomat.
Profoundly shaken by the fall of Constantinople in 1453, Pius II tried to organize a new crusade against the Turks; consequently he did his best to come to Skënderbeu's aid, as two of his predecessors Nicholas V and Calixtus III, had done before him. This policy was continued by his successor, Paul II,(1464‑1473). They gave him the title “Athleta Christi.”
For a quarter of a century he and his country prevented Turks from invading Catholic Western Europe. After his death from natural causes in 1468 in Lezha, his soldiers resisted the Turks for the next 12 years. In 1480 Albania was finally conquered by the Ottoman Empire. When the Turks found the grave of Skënderbeu in Saint Nicholas church of Lezha, they opened it and held his bones like talismans for luck. In 1480 the Turks invaded Italy and conquered the City of Otranto.
Skënderbeu's posthumous renown was by no means confined to his own country. Voltaire thought the Byzantine Empire would have survived had it possessed a leader of his quality. A number of poets and composers have also drawn inspiration from his military career. The French sixteenth‑century poet Ronsard wrote a poem about him and so did the nineteenth‑century American poet Longfellow. Antonio Vivaldi, too, composed an opera entitled Scanderbeg.
Skënderbeu today is the National Hero of Albania. Many museums and monuments are raised in his honor around Albania, and among them the Museum of Skënderbeu in his famous castle in Kruja.
Bibliography:
Noli, Fan S.: George Castrioti Scanderbeg, New York, 1947
Logoreci, Anton: The Albanians, London, 1977.
