Voisava Kastrioti Explained

Voisava
Spouse:Gjon Kastrioti
Issue:Reposh Kastrioti
Stanisha Kastrioti
Kostandin Kastrioti
Mara Kastrioti
Gjergj Kastrioti
Jelena Kastrioti
Mamica Kastrioti
Angelina Kastrioti
Vlajka Kastrioti
Noble Family:Kastrioti (by marriage)
Birth Place:Polog, likely a reference to the Polog valley
Other Names:Jella (Gjela), Vojsava, Vojislava

Voisava was a noblewoman and wife of Gjon Kastrioti, an Albanian feudal lord from the House of Kastrioti. They had nine children together, one of whom was the Albanian national hero[1] Gjergj Kastrioti, better known as Skanderbeg.

Early life

The wife of Gjon Kastrioti is mentioned for the first time by Albanian authors Marin Barleti and Gjon Muzaka about 70–80 years after her death as Voisava. Both authors lived in the immediate generation after Skanderbeg's death and mention her origin as being in the Polog area. Barleti explicitly states that "Polog" stretched from the mountains of Mokra in Southern Albania, to Skopje.[2] It has also been argued that another Polog, closer to the town of Bitola in the plain of Pelagonia, may be the location of the Polog mentioned by Barleti. The only archival reference to her name is a notary act from the archives of the Republic of Ragusa dated July 10, 1439, which names Gjon Kastrioti's widow Jella.

Origin

The issue of the origin of Voisava has been a matter of debate among scholars. Based on a statement by Marin Barleti who described her father nobilissimus Tribalorum princeps (most noble prince of the Triballians) which was adopted in another form by Muzaka several theories have been proposed. As such, a number of scholars believe that Voisava was of South Slavic descent, while others propose that she came from the Albanian Muzaka family based on Gjon Muzaka's assertion that she was related to his family. A modern theory interprets the reference to a nobilissimus Tribalorum princepsas referring a Serbian origin and some modern scholars consider her as coming from the Branković dynasty. Although there are no primary or archival sources which connect Voisava to the Branković. Other scholars interpret the same statement to be referring to a Bulgarian background. The name Voisava is a feminine rendition of the Slavic name Vojislav from voj (war, struggle) and slava (fame, glory).[3] [4] The name was in use among Albanian nobility; Karl Thopia and Gjergj Arianiti both had daughters named Voisava, indicating that the name didn't have a particular ethnic affiliation in the region. In Barleti's work, Triballian is used as a synonym for Bulgarians.

Family

Voisava married the Albanian feudal landowner Gjon Kastrioti, who ruled in a region of Albania (dominus partium Albanie) which corresponds roughly to the areas between Mat and Dibër.[5] [6] The marriage happened likely around 1390. closely linked to Orthodoxy, as shown by the foundation of the so-called "Albanian Tower" (Serbian: Arbanaški pirg) in Hilandar and the monastic life of Gjon's son Reposh.[7] [8] She bore 9 children to Gjon, four sons and five daughters:

Early sources

The earliest works mentioning Voisava are:

In historiography

Sources

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Skanderbeg | Albanian hero. Encyclopedia Britannica. 13 January 2024 .
  2. Book: Barletius, Marinus. Historia De Vita Et Gestis Scanderbegi Epirotarvm Principis. 1508. 90v.
  3. JSTOR: The English Historical Review, Vol. 53, No. 209 (Jan., 1938), p. 129
  4. Book: Šimundić, Mate . Rječnik osobnih imena . . 1988 . 9788640100373 . Zagreb . 370 . hr . "VOISAVA".
  5. Web site: Ndreca . Ardian . Gjon Kastrioti në arkivat e murgjve serbë . exlibris.al . 2021 . Letra në fjalë përfundon me një fjali, e cila, e vetme, na tregon shumë. Të gjithë ata që kanë studjuar sadopak rusisht në Shqipërinë e dikurshme do të jenë krejtësisht në gjendje ta kuptojnë atë: Милостію божіею іоаннь кастріоть господинь албанскіи. Shqip mund ta përkthejmë kështu: «Falë hirit të Zotit, Gjon Kastrioti zot arbëror.»" (The letter in question ends with a sentence which, alone, tells us a lot. All those who have studied even a little bit of Russian in ex-[Comunist] Albania will be perfectly able to understand it: Милостію божіею іоаннь кастріоть господинь албанскіи. We can translate it ... as follows: "By the grace of God, Gjon Kastrioti, Albanian lord)"..
  6. Book: Korablev, B. . Actes de Chilandar II . 1915 . 561–562 . 6945 AM/1426 AD: Titre de donation de Jean Castriote d'Albanie et de ses fils: ...Милостію божіею іоаннь кастріоть господинь албанскіи (By the grace of God, Ioan Kastriot, Albanian lord)..
  7. Book: Schwarcz . Andreas . Soustal . Peter . Tcholakova . Antoaneta . Das mittelalterliche Bulgarien, Byzanz und Europa . 2014 . LIT Verlag Münster . 9783643505910 . 113 .
  8. Book: Šufflay . Milan . Srbi i Arbanasi: njihova simbioza u srednjem vijeku . 1925 . Seminar za arbanasku filologiju . 94–95 . U drugoj, bez datuma, iguman tog monastira prodaje pirg Sv. Gjurdja Ivanu Kastriotu i trima sinovima njegovim Repošu, Konstantinu i Djurdju za »šestdeset florina«. taj toranj Sv. Djurdja još danas nosi naziv »Arbanaski pirg«. Repoš... doista je pokopan u narteksu saborne crkve hilandarske. Natpis naziva ga »duks ilirski«..
  9. Book: Fischer . Bernd . A Concise History of Albania . Schmitt . O.J. . Cambridge University Press . 2022 . 9781107662186 . English . having donated a tower in the Serbian monastery [...] as a result, became known as the Albanian Tower..
  10. Book: Bogdanović . Dimitrije . Đurić . Vojislav J. . Medakovich . Dejan . Chilandar . 1997 . Monastery of Chilandar . 9788674131053 . 130 . Albanian tower still stands, though in ruined condition. While staying at Chilandar, one of his four sons, Reposh, died, and was buried in King Milutin's narthex, beside the north wall.
  11. Book: Dragić Kijuk . Predrag R. . Catena mundi: Srpska hronika na svetskim verigama . 1992 . Ibarske novosti . 9788663430709 . 299 .
  12. Book: Nicol, Donald M.. Theodore Spandounes: On the Origins of the Ottoman Emperors. 1997. Cambridge University Press. 978-0-521-58510-1. 96.
  13. Book: Johann Samuel Ersch. Allgemeine encyclopädie der wissenschaften und künste in alphabetischer folge von genannten schrifts bearbeitet und herausgegeben von J. S. Ersch und J. G. Gruber .... 1868. J. f. Gleditsch. 123. Angelina den Vladin Arianites KomnenoS, deS "Großen" Bruder.
  14. Book: Gopčević, Spiridon. Spiridon Gopčević. 1914. Geschichte von Montenegro und Albanien. F.A. Perthes. Gotha. 9968504. 29 March 2012. de. 460. Kastriota-->,Bezüglich der Strez herrscht Verwirrung. Hopf macht Ivo und Gojko BalSid zu Söhnen des Stefan Strez, welcher Vlajka Kastriota geheiratet hätte und Sohn des Gjuragj Balšić gewesen wäre, eines Bastards des Gjuragj I..
  15. Barletius, l. I, fo 2: "... Triballorum princeps"
  16. Book: Barletius. De vita, moribus ac rebus. 1537. 139–140.
    Barletius, l. V, fo. 62: "Superior Dibra montuosa est et aspera, ferax tarnen et Macedoniam tum ipsa loci vicinitate, tum similitudine morum contingens. Bulgari sive Tribali habitant"
  17. Book: Hahn, Johann Georg von. Reise durch die Gebiete von Drin und Wardar. 1867. de. 305. Skanderbeg's Mutter wird von dem Despoten einmal Visava Tribalda (*), ein andersmal Voisava Tripalda genannt, ...". (*)(Footnote 3) "Dieser Name mag vielleicth Anlass zu der sonderbaren Angabe des Barletius S. 4 gegeben haben, dass ihr Vater nobilissimus Tribalorum princeps gewesen sei." ["Tribalda" or "Tripalda" is a corruption or derivative from Barleti's quotation on Triballi].
  18. Book: Васил Николов Златарски. България през XIV и XV век: Лекционен курс. 2005. Изток-Запад. Иван Кастриот, храбър противник на турците, женен за Воислава, дъщерята на сръбския властител [daughter of a Serbian nobleman]. 9789543211722.
  19. Димитров, Страшимир: Георги Кастриоти-Скендербег и неговата освободителна борба, В: Г. Кастриоти Скендербег 1468-1968 г. София, сп. "Балкани", БАН, No2, 1970, стр. 11: "It is known that his mother, Voisava, was of Slavic-Bulgarian origin, "daughter of the lord of Polog, which is part of Macedonia and Bulgaria", says one anonymous Venetian chronicle..."
  20. News: Obituary: Harry Hodgkinson. James Pettifer. James Pettifer. 2008. The Independent. London, United Kingdom. 27 November 2010. throughout his life he fought for the Albanian cause and took up strong anti-Serb and anti-Bulgarian positions.
  21. Book: Hodgkinson, Harry. Scanderbeg: From Ottoman Captive to Albanian Hero. I. B. Tauris. 978-1-85043-941-7. 240. 24 December 2004.
  22. Skanderbeg verband mit Mara wahrscheinlich auch Verwandtschaft; denn Skanderbegs Mutter Voisava war wohl eine Branković.; Andreas Künzli. Rezension: Skanderbeg: Der neue Alexander auf dem Balkan. November 2009. 44. osteuropa. Skanderbegs Mutter Vojsava war eine Serbin aus der Dynastie Branković, also eine Slavin.. Osteuropa.ch. 13 June 2011. https://web.archive.org/web/20110707001154/http://www.osteuropa.ch/Rezensionen/Rez_Pustet_Skanderbeg.pdf. 7 July 2011. dead.
  23. Book: Robert Elsie. A Biographical Dictionary of Albanian History. 2012. I.B.Tauris. 978-1-78076-431-3. 76.