The Albanian-Anjou Conflict was a conflict between the Principality of Albania and The Anjou and their French allies, mainly over the city of Durres. After Karl Thopia's initial capture of Durres in 1367 the Angevins tried multiple times to re-gain the city with some attempts being successful. In 1383 Karl Thopia invaded and captured Durres for the last time which led to the end of the Angevin Kingdom of Albania.
| Albanian-Anjou Conflict | |||||||
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 Detail of icon of Karl Topia, made by Kostandin Shpataraku in the Ardenica Monastery in the 18th century. | |||||||
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| Belligerents | |||||||
 Principality of Albania | |||||||
| Commanders and leaders | |||||||
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Karl Thopia |
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| Strength | |||||||
| Unknown | Unknown | ||||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||||
| Unknown | Unknown | ||||||
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Background
editAfter the failure of the Eighth Crusade, Charles of Anjou returned his attention to Albania. He began contacting local Albanian leaders through local catholic clergy. Two local Catholic priests, namely Gjon from Durrës and Nicola from Arbanon, acted as negotiators between Charles of Anjou and the local noblemen. During 1271 they made several trips between Albania and Italy eventually succeeding in their mission.[5] On 21 February 1272,[6] a delegation of Albanian noblemen and citizens from Durrës made their way to Charles' court. Charles signed a treaty with them and was proclaimed King of Albania "by common consent of the bishops, counts, barons, soldiers and citizens" promising to protect them and to honor the privileges they had from Byzantine Empire.[7] The treaty declared the union between the Kingdom of Albania (Latin: Regnum Albanie) with the Kingdom of Sicily under King Charles of Anjou (Carolus I, dei gratia rex Siciliae et Albaniae).[5]
Charles of Anjou imposed a military rule on Kingdom of Albania. The autonomy and privileges promised in the treaty were "de facto" abolished and new taxes were imposed. Lands were confiscated in favor of Anjou nobles and Albanian nobles were excluded from their governmental tasks. In an attempt to enforce his rule and local loyalty, Charles I, took as hostages the sons of local noblemen. This created a general discontent in the country and several Albanian noblemen began contacting Byzantine Emperor Michael VIII who promised them, to acknowledge their old privileges.[8]
Thopia Revolt against the Anjou (1358)
editIn 1358, Karl revolted against the rule of the Anjou and managed to drive them out of Durrës from Epirus and Albania. He ruled most of modern central Albania from 1358 to 1388 and claimed the title of princeps Albaniae.[citation needed]
Karl Thopia's Invasions of Durrës
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Siege of Durrës (1362)
editSince 1362, Karl sought Durrës, which was in the possession of Duchess Joanna. The first, certainly still unsuccessful siege lasted from April 1362 until May 1363. Then, Thopia had to withdraw his troops, who were weakened by an epidemic disease.[citation needed]
Siege of Durrës (1368)
edit
Karl captured Durrës in 1368,[9] which was where the Angevins held out due to their Kingdom becoming smaller in size. After this Karl had plans to turn this important port into his residence. After the capture Joanna, Duchess of Durazzo and her husband Louis of Évreux immediately began planning the reconquest of not only Durazzo, but all the lands of the former Angevin Kingdom of Albania.[10] They were successful in gathering the support of Louis' brother Charles II the Bad the King of Navarre and Charles V King of France in this reconquest plan.[11][12]
The Durrës Expedition of 1378
editLouis of Évreux's final attempt to assert his claim to the Kingdom of Albania began in the early 1370s. In 1372, Enguerrand VII de Coucy led the recruitment of 500 lances and 500 mounted archers from Gascony to bolster the ranks of the Navarrese Company, a mercenary group composed mainly of soldiers from Navarre and Gascony. These troops were gathered to support the campaign aimed at conquering the Kingdom of Albania.[13][14]
By 1376, Louis had also enlisted four companies of knights from Navarre to reinforce his claim.[15] Most of the soldiers in the Navarrese Company were recruited between 1375 and 1376 from Navarre and Gascony. They were paid 30 florins of Aragon per month, with the enrollment records preserved in the Cámara de Comptos archives in Pampeluna.[16][17]
The Navarrese and Gascon soldiers made thorough preparations for the invasion of Albania, but details about the broader expedition are scarce.[18] Louis received significant support from his brother, Charles II of Navarre, who provided men-at-arms, as well as financial backing of 50,000 ducats from Charles V of France.[19][20][21] The Navarrese Company was commanded by four leaders: Pedro de la Saga and Mahiot de Coquerel, both chamberlains of the Navarrese king; John de Urtubia; and Garro (or Guarro), who is noted as a squire.[22] The campaign for Durrës started in the midsummer of 1376, with Louis and the Navarrese Company successfully capturing the city, thereby reestablishing the Kingdom of Albania.[23][24]
Siege of Durrës (1383)
editAfter the death of Louis of Évreux in 1376 Durrës remained under the control of Joanna and her second husband Robert IV of Artois for a few years until Thopia invaded again in 1383, leading to the final disestablishment of the Angevin Kingdom of Albania.[25][26][27]
Aftermath
editThe Anjou would never return to Albania after the destruction of the Angevin Kingdom of Albania although many members of the Anjou dynasty would still make claims over Albania. Karl Thopia would rule over the regions of Durrës, Kruja, Peqin, Elbasan, Mokra and Gora, that is, along both sides of the Via Egnatia as far east as Lake Ohrid.[citation needed]
References
edit- ^ Setton, Kenneth (April 2013). Catalan domination of Athens, 1311–1388. Variorum. p. 126. ISBN 978-1-2586-6391-9.
...King Charles II of Navarre took a great interest in the venture: his Majesty himself informed the royal bailie of Tudela, in 1375, of his intention to supply a hundred men at arms to aid his brother's enterprise on the Adriatic (ayuda de cient hombres darmas á neustras despensas)...
- ^ Setton, Kenneth. A History of the Crusades: The fourteenth and fifteenth centuries, edited by Harry W. Hazard. University of Wisconsin Press. p. 215. ISBN 978-0-2990-6670-3.
...Louis received much assistance from his royal brother of Navarre and from Charles V of France. ...
- ^ Baker, Julian (2021). Coinage and Money in Medieval Greece 1200-1430. Brill. p. 223. ISBN 978-9-0044-3434-9.
...The kingdom of France also intervened during the important attempt by one of its vassals, Louis of Evreux, to re-take Durazzo for the Angevins in the later 1360s, with a loan of 50,000 ducats...
- ^ Setton, Kenneth (April 2013). Catalan domination of Athens, 1311–1388. Variorum. p. 126. ISBN 978-1-2586-6391-9.
...Many more than a thousand Gascons and Navarrese were embarked at Tortosa between February of 1375 and June of 1376 (other forces had preceded them); of their part in the recovery of Durazzo from the Albanians, unfortunately we know nothing; all we know is that Don Luis of Evreux, with his stalwart assistance, succeeded in his undertaking and lost his life in the success...
- ^ a b Anamali & Prifti (2002), p. 207.
- ^ Ducellier (1999), p. 793.
- ^ Nicol (2010), p. 15.
- ^ Anamali & Prifti (2002), pp. 208–210.
- ^ J. M. Hussey. The Cambridge medieval history. Volume IV. Part I, The Byzantine empire. Byzantium and its neighbours. University Press. p. 419. ISBN 978-0-5210-4535-3.
...In 1368, however, Albania , together with Durazzo, had fallen to the Albanian lord Charles Topia, who took the title of king...
- ^ Setton, Kenneth. A History of the Crusades: The fourteenth and fifteenth centuries, edited by Harry W. Hazard. University of Wisconsin Press. p. 215. ISBN 978-0-2990-6670-3.
...In 1368 the kingdom of Albania, together with the city of Durazzo, had fallen to the Albanian lord Charles Topia, and Louis of Évreux was faced with no inconsiderable task if he would give effect to his right to rule over the "kingdom" he had thought to possess through his marriage to the heiress Joanna...
- ^ Setton, Kenneth. A History of the Crusades: The fourteenth and fifteenth centuries, edited by Harry W. Hazard. University of Wisconsin Press. p. 215. ISBN 978-0-2990-6670-3.
...Louis received much assistance from his royal brother of Navarre and from Charles V of France. ...
- ^ Rodd, Rennell. The Princes of Achaia and the Chronicles of Morea: A Study of Greece in the Middle Ages, Volume 2. Forgotten Books. p. 292. ISBN 978-0-6561-3237-9.
...when there is evidence that a supreme effort was made to re-establish his ascendency in Albania with the support of his brother the King of Navarre...
- ^ Luttrell, Anthony. The Hospitallers of Rhodes and Their Mediterranean World. the University of Michigan. p. 127. ISBN 978-0-8607-8307-7.
...la procura per un accordo con il capitano francese Eguerrand de Coucy circa il reclutamento di 500 lancee e 500 archerii per la conquista del totum Regnum Albanie, firse nel quadro di una crociata papale. Questa contrattazione non approdo a nulla, ma nel tardo 1375 ed al principio del 1376 Carlos di Navarra, a seguito della richiesta del fratello louis, stava...
- ^ Setton, Kenneth (April 2013). Catalan domination of Athens, 1311–1388. Variorum. p. 125. ISBN 978-1-2586-6391-9.
...To add to the numbers of the reconstituted Navarrese Company, it would appear, very active recruiting was begun for Don Luis in 1372 by a condottiere named Ingeram de Coucy, who contracted to enlist in Gascony a force of five hundred lances and five hundred mounted archers for service in distant Albania. Although this was undoubtedly the largest single recruitment, it formed neither the important nucleus nor the bulk of the forces hired by Don Luis for the reconquest of his wife's domains...
- ^ John V. A. Fine (jr.), John Van Antwerp Fine (1994). The Late Medieval Balkans A Critical Survey from the Late Twelfth Century to the Ottoman Conquest. University of Michigan Press. p. 384. ISBN 978-0-4720-8260-5.
...Interested in realizing these rights, Louis hired four companies of knights from Navarre, who are usually referred to as the Navarrese Company, and took Durazzo, probably in 1376. ...
- ^ Setton, Kenneth (April 2013). Catalan domination of Athens, 1311–1388. Variorum. p. 125. ISBN 978-1-2586-6391-9.
...the principal leaders and troops of the Navarrese Company of later fame were largely recruited in 1375 and 1376, and passed directly from Navarre to Albania without being reorganized and outfitted in Naples, where Don Luis' chief head quarters were, and where his wife resided. Mercenaries were enlisted from lands to the north and south of the Pyrenees, especially, however, from among the Gascons, and month after month the agents of Don Luis enlisted knights in his service, and groups were registered of four, ten, thirty, and fifty men, each man to receive thirty florins of Aragon a month. Almost a score of names of military contractors have come down to us, for example, in the enrolment lists of 1375-1376, persevered in the Archives of the Cámara de Comptos in Pampeluna (vol. 152, fol. 18), and published by Rubió y Lluch...
- ^ Setton, Kenneth (April 2013). Catalan domination of Athens, 1311–1388. Variorum. p. 126. ISBN 978-1-2586-6391-9.
...Many more than a thousand Gascons and Navarrese were embarked at Tortosa between February of 1375 and June of 1376 (other forces had preceded them); of their part in the recovery of Durazzo from the Albanians, unfortunately we know nothing; all we know is that Don Luis of Evreux, with his stalwart assistance, succeeded in his undertaking and lost his life in the success...
- ^ Setton, Kenneth. A History of the Crusades: The fourteenth and fifteenth centuries, edited by Harry W. Hazard. University of Wisconsin Press. p. 215. ISBN 978-0-2990-6670-3.
...In 1372 very active recruiting added to the numbers of the new Navarrese Company, but the chief contingents and most important leaders were engaged in 1375 and 1376, and they passed, for the most part, directly from Navarre to Albania. Extensive preparations were made for the expedition, and almost a score of names of military contractors have come down to us in the enrolment lists of 1375-1376. Of the details of Louis's Albanian expedition little is known...
- ^ Setton, Kenneth (April 2013). Catalan domination of Athens, 1311–1388. Variorum. p. 126. ISBN 978-1-2586-6391-9.
...King Charles II of Navarre took a great interest in the venture: his Majesty himself informed the royal bailie of Tudela, in 1375, of his intention to supply a hundred men at arms to aid his brother's enterprise on the Adriatic (ayuda de cient hombres darmas á neustras despensas)...
- ^ Setton, Kenneth. A History of the Crusades: The fourteenth and fifteenth centuries, edited by Harry W. Hazard. University of Wisconsin Press. p. 215. ISBN 978-0-2990-6670-3.
...Louis received much assistance from his royal brother of Navarre and from Charles V of France. ...
- ^ Baker, Julian (2021). Coinage and Money in Medieval Greece 1200-1430. Brill. p. 223. ISBN 978-9-0044-3434-9.
...The kingdom of France also intervened during the important attempt by one of its vassals, Louis of Evreux, to re-take Durazzo for the Angevins in the later 1360s, with a loan of 50,000 ducats...
- ^ J. M. Hussey. The Cambridge medieval history. Volume IV. Part I, The Byzantine empire. Byzantium and its neighbours. University Press. p. 419. ISBN 978-0-5210-4535-3.
...These leaders were Pedro de la Saga and Mahiot de Coquerel, both chamberlains of the Navarrese king, and Juan de Urtubia and a certain Garro or Guarro, called squires in the documents...
- ^ Setton, Kenneth. A History of the Crusades: The fourteenth and fifteenth centuries, edited by Harry W. Hazard. University of Wisconsin Press. p. 216. ISBN 978-0-2990-6670-3.
...but Durazzo was apparently occupied in the midsummer of 1376...
- ^ John V. A. Fine (jr.), John Van Antwerp Fine (1994). The Late Medieval Balkans A Critical Survey from the Late Twelfth Century to the Ottoman Conquest. University of Michigan Press. p. 384. ISBN 978-0-4720-8260-5.
...and took Durazzo, probably in 1376...
- ^ John V. A. Fine (jr.), John Van Antwerp Fine (1994). The Late Medieval Balkans A Critical Survey from the Late Twelfth Century to the Ottoman Conquest. University of Michigan Press. p. 384. ISBN 978-0-4720-8260-5.
...The Angevins retained Durazzo for a time, for in 1379 Joanna's new husband, Robert of Artois, is found issuing to Dubrovnik a charter pertaining to Durazzo. Karlo Thopia, who held the territory both north and south of the city, soon, probably in 1383, regained possession of Durazzo...
- ^ Setton, Kenneth (April 2013). Catalan domination of Athens, 1311–1388. Variorum. p. 128. ISBN 978-1-2586-6391-9.
...For Joanna of Durazzo and her second husband, Robert of Artois, still held the city in 1379...
- ^ Baker, Julian (2021). Coinage and Money in Medieval Greece 1200-1430. Brill. p. 361. ISBN 978-9-0044-3434-9.
...The Navarrese then handed over the town to Robert of Artois, Joanna of Durazzo's second husband...
Sources
edit- Anamali, Skënder; Prifti, Kristaq (2002). Historia e popullit shqiptar në katër vëllime (in Albanian). Botimet Toena. ISBN 978-99927-1-622-9.
- Ducellier, Alain (1999). "Albania, Serbia and Bulgaria". In Abulafia, David (ed.). The New Cambridge Medieval History, Volume 5, c.1198–c.1300. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. pp. 779–795. ISBN 978-1-13905573-4.
- Nicol, Donald MacGillivray (2010), The Despotate of Epiros 1267–1479: A Contribution to the History of Greece in the Middle Ages, Cambridge University Press, ISBN 978-0-521-13089-9