| Mat District | |
| Other Name: | Rrethi i Matit |
| Type: | d |
| Map: | Mat District.svg |
| Seat: | Burrel |
| Dissolved: | 2000 |
| Population Total: | 61,906 |
| Population As Of: | 2001 |
| Area Total Km2: | 1028 |
Mat District was one of the 36 districts of Albania, which were dissolved in July 2000 and replaced by 12 newly created counties. It had a population of 61,906 in 2001, and an area of .[1] It was named after the river Mat, which flows through the district. Its capital was the town of Burrel. Its territory is now part of Dibër County: the municipalities of Mat and Klos.
The district consisted of the following municipalities:[2]
Mat is believed to be one of the oldest Albanian settlements, most likely as old as the 2nd-5th century AD.[3] At the beginning of the 15th century the Lord of Matja was Gjon Kastrioti, father of Skanderbeg.[4] When Skanderbeg began his rebellion against Ottomans he also became the lord of Mat and some other territories as well.[5] A synod of Catholic archdiocese was held in Matja in 1462 by Pal Egnelli known for his baptismal formula.[6]
| Name | Portrait | Birth and death | Reign started | Reign ended | Marriages | Succession right | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Zogu Pasha[Zogu the Great] | ? | ? | ? | Unknown wife | |||
| 2 | 'Abdu'llah Bey Zogolli | ? | ? | ? | Unknown wife | son of Zogu Pasha | ||
| 3 | Ahmad Bey Zogolli | ? | ? | ? | Unknown wife | son of 'Abdu'llah Bey Zogolli | ||
| 4 | Mahmud Pasha Zogolli | ? | ? | ? | Unknown wife[4 childs] | son of Ahmad Bey Zogolli | ||
| 5 | Xhelal Pasha Zogolli | ? | ? | ? | Ruhijé Hanem[4 childs] | son of Mahmud Pasha Zogolli | ||
| 6 | Riza Zogolli | ? | ? | ? | Never married | son of Xhelal Pasha Zogolli | ||
| 7 | Xhemal Pasha Zogu | 1860Castle Burgajet (Albania) – 1911 | ? | 1911 | Zenja Malika Khanum1880 [1 child] 1887 [8 childs] | brother of Riza Zogolli | ||
| 8 | Zog I | 8 October 1895Burgajet Castle (Ottoman Empire) – 9 April 1961 (aged 65) | 1911 | 9 April 1961 | Countess Geraldine Apponyi de Nagy-ApponyiApril 1938 [1 child] | Son of Xhemal Pasha Zogu | ||
| 9 | Leka I | 5 April 1939Tirana – 30 November 2011 (aged 72) | 9 April 1961 | 30 November 2011 | Susan Cullen-Ward1975 [1 child] | Son ofZog I | ||
| 10 | Leka II | 26 March 1982Johannesburg (South Africa) (age 34) | 30 November 2011 | Present | Elia Zaharia2016 | Son ofLeka I |
. John Musachi. John Musachi. Early Albania: A Reader of Historical Texts, 11th-17th Centuries. 26 July 2013. 2003. Otto Harrassowitz Verlag. 978-3-447-04783-8. 53. Later, Lord Scanderbeg became not only Lord of Mat but also Lord of Kruja, of Dibra and of Birina, i.e. of Randisia, Tomorista, Misia and the Gjonem country down to the sea..
. Robert Elsie. Robert Elsie. A Biographical Dictionary of Albanian History. 25 July 2013. 24 December 2012. I.B.Tauris. 978-1-78076-431-3. 13. On his return to Durrës in 1462, Paulus Angelus held a synod in Matja to reorganise his archdiocese. In this connection he is remembered as the author of the baptismal formula he introduced in Albanian, one of the rare records of the Albanian.