User:Antidiskriminator/Drafts of articles/Albanian–Venetian War (1447–1448) for GAR

Reassessment

I believe there are serious problems with this article which are not easy to be fixed, caused by use of non-scholarly sources (Franco-Francioni-Hodgkinson source cocktail).

Franco-Francioni-Hodgkinson source cocktail

• Gennaro Francione was a writer also worked as an actor and director, theater, essayist and painter who is from the artistic point of view influenced by Hacker Art, art, Gothic Revival and the so-called cyber-culture.
• Harry Hodgkinson was a British writer, journalist, naval intelligence officer and expert on the Balkans who was appointed from 1985 to be a Chairman of the Anglo-Albanian Association and during his career supported the Albanian cause and took up strong anti-Serb and anti-Bulgarian positions
• Dhimitër Frëngu (1443-1525) - the primary source.

This sources are not written by historians and can not be reliable sources for this article, or any article about medieval history. Unfortunately, numerous articles with significant parts based solely on Franco-Francioni-Hodgkinson source cocktail are already written containing absurd details of medieval battles like Ottoman officers beginning to cry because of the way Skandrebeg spoke to them or Skanderbeg standing in doubt during the battle and then beginning to move toward Moisi who turned about and sped back.

GA criteria

I think that the article fails the following GA criteria:

• number 2 (Factually accurate and verifiable)
• number 3 (point a) it addresses the main aspects of the topic)
• number 4 Neutral: it represents viewpoints fairly and without bias, giving due weight to each

I think that the main reason for the above mentioned failures is because it heavily relies on non-scholarly sources (Franco-Francioni-Hodgkinson). This resulted with the following problems:

1. The article presents a tale about Irene Dushmani being a cause for the conflict between Leke Zaharia and Leke Dukagjin (invented by Marin Barleti) and also as an event which is important for the start of this war. It is not only factually inaccurate information which can not be verified by reliable sources, but also an unnecessary detail which makes this article not focused on the topic (GA criteria number 3)
2. The text about the murder of Lekë Zaharia and its consequences is factually inaccurate and can not be verified by reliable sources (GA criteria number 2):
   1. Who?. The person who killed Zaharia is not Lekë Dukagjini, like article says, but Nikola Dukagjin who was Zaharia's vassal.
   2. Why?. The article presents Irene Dushmani as the reason for this murder, although it is explained on the talk page that the reason was Nikola's desire to gain control over Dagnum.
   3. How?. The article says that Zaharia has been killed from an ambush. It is explained on the talk page that it is incorrect because Zaharia was killed in the battle.
   4. When?. The year of his murder is presented to be 1447 although it is explained on the talk page that it is a mistake and that original documents (not only Stefano Magno) and many contemporary historians clearly indicate that the year of death is 1444.
   5. "What towns Skanderbeg demanded after Zaharia's death?". The article says Dagnum, but the sources presented on the talk page explain that he demanded all all former Zaharia's towns (Dagnum, Sati, Gladri and Dušmani).
   6. Why Zaharia's mother handed the fortress over to Venetian Albania? The article says that she did it because "The death of Zaharia left his princedom with no successor." The referenced source (Fine) says that she did it because Zaharia's mother and population of the towns controlled by Lekë Zaharia were hostile toward the Skanderbeg's League of Lezha and preferred Venice to any local supporter of the League.
3. Participation of Serbian Despotate in this war is concealed - (GA criteria number 3 and 4). The lord of Serbian Despotate, who was also in dispute with Venice over the Principality of Zeta, had not only expressed his willingness to help Skanderbeg, but attacked numerous Venetian towns in action coordinated with Skanderbeg. This attack did not happen only in 1447, like someone said on the talk page, but in 1448 also (see the picture). It is absurd to present Ottoman participation on Venetian side in this war but to conceal participation of the Serbian Despotate on Skanderbeg's side against Venice. Sources:
   1. Schmitt, Oliver Jens (2001), Das venezianische Albanien (1392-1479) (in German), München: R. Oldenbourg Verlag GmbH München, ISBN 3-486-56569--9, Georg Branković, Stefan Crnojević und Skanderbeg erschienen mit starken heeren vor den venezianischen Stadten (Georg Branković, Stefan Crnojević and Skanderbeg appeared with a strong army before the Venetian cities) {{citation}}: |first2= missing |last2= (help); Cite has empty unknown parameter: |lay-date= (help); More than one of |author= and |last1= specified (help)CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
   2. Here is another source which support that fact. (quote: У борби против Млечана Скендербег је координирао своје акције са српским деспотом, са којим је и иначе одржавао пријатељске везе.... My translation: In his fight against Venetians Skanderbeg coordinated his actions with Serbian despot, with whom he kept friendly relationship. - p. 41, "Iz istorije Albanaca", Zavod za izdavanje udžbenika SR Srbije, 1969
4. The article should be expanded with more information about Skanderbeg's participation in the Siege of Svetigrad (1448) which is presented as part of this war (GA criteria number 3 and 4). It is against WP:NPOV to add to the infobox that Skanderbeg gained a couple of villages near Drin without clear explanation that he lost Svetigrad added into infobox.

Based on the above mentioned rationale I propose:

1. to remove all assertions which can be supported only by non-scholarly sources (like Barleti's tale about wedding of Irene Dushmani being a cause for the conflict between Leke Zaharia and Leke Dukagjin).
2. to resolve the above mentioned issues about Zaharia's murder and its consequences.
3. to expand the article by presenting information about participation of Serbian Despotate in this war
4. to expand the article by presenting information about loss of Svetigrad which should be added into the infobox

The above mentioned non-scholarly sources are major source (10 out of 12 references) for the most important section of the article, Battle of the River Drin and the Ottoman expedition which contains details of the battle which are usually not known in case of medieval battles (like Skanderbeg's instructions to his troops what should be their expectations).

I am afraid that the article should probably be reassessed if the above mentioned issues remain unresolved, since it obviously does not meet GA criteria (number 2 and number 3)? Comments are welcome.