Siege of Krujë (1450)

Coordinates: 41°31′N 19°48′E / 41.517°N 19.800°E / 41.517; 19.800
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This article is about the first siege of Krujë. For other events, see Siege of Krujë.

41°31′N 19°48′E / 41.517°N 19.800°E / 41.517; 19.800

First siege of Krujë
Part of Albanian–Ottoman Wars (1432–1479)
Rrethimi i pare I krujes 1449-50
The first siege of Krujë by Jost Amman (1578)
Date14 May 1450[1] – 23 November 1450[2]
Location
Krujë, Albania
Result Albanian victory
Belligerents
League of Lezhë Ottoman Empire
Commanders and leaders
Vrana Konti
 Murad II
Prince Mehmed
Strength
8,000 men, a quarter of which was infantry;[3] 1,500[4] to 4,000[5] garrisoned in Krujë under the command of Vrana Konti[5] 100,000[1][6]–400,000[7]
10–30 cannons[8][9]
Casualties and losses
1,000 casualties[10] 20,000–40,000 casualties during the siege,[11] Many more casualties as Murad escaped from Albania[12]

The first siege of Krujë occurred in 1450 when an

Sultan Murad II's army. By September, the Ottoman camp was in disarray as morale sank and disease ran rampant. The Ottoman army acknowledged that the castle of Krujë would not fall by strength of arms, lifted the siege, and made its way to Edirne. Soon thereafter, in the winter of 1450–51, Murad died in Edirne and was succeeded by his son, Mehmed II
.

Campaigns of 1448 and early 1450

Further information:
Siege of Svetigrad (1448)

After several failed invasions of Albania by Ottoman captains,

Gjergj Arianit to desert Skandebeg's cause.[19]

Prelude

Albanian morale before the siege

The morale of the Albanians sank after the losses in the previous years. When the Turks began marching towards Krujë on April 5, 1450,

St. George handing him a flaming sword to "destroy the enemies of true religion (Christianity)."[21] This speech, along with many other visions of the clergy, raised Albanians' morale, motivating them to fight.[5]

Albanian dispositions and preparations

Before the siege began, Skanderbeg exited Krujë with 8,000 men—among whom were many Slavs, Italians, Frenchmen, and Germans.

Fushë Krujë

Ottoman dispositions and preparations

Murad reached Krujë on May 14 with approximately 100,000 of his best soldiers (60,000 of which was cavalry[25]). Murad proposed to Vrana that he should hand over the fortress, but Vrana refused.[1] After receiving the refusal, Murad set his army to cast ten cannons, one of which could fire rocks weighing 400 pounds and another 200 pounds.[8][9][26] Despite the firepower, the Turkish firing positions were at a disadvantage, since Krujë "was almost part of the mountain which it had been built." The cannons could fire two or three times a day and were not accurate.[9] Two large and four smaller guns were placed on the Tirana side, and the remainder were aimed at the main gateway.[8][9]

Siege

Janissaries
during a siege

First phase

Murad fired on Krujë for four days until a breach was finally made. The Sultan believed that he had the advantage and ordered his troops through the walls. The garrison managed to push the assault back, thus gaining time to repair the walls.[8] Murad, fearing a counterattack from Skanderbeg, sent a scouting patrol towards the surrounding mountains to watch for an attack. Skanderbeg still managed to lead, at dusk, a raid on the Turkish encampment, killing several hundred men, capturing and destroying Turkish supplies, and almost losing his own life. When Skanderbeg returned to his men, his "shield was so battered that its shape was scarce to be discerned." The raid cost Skanderbeg ten dead and even more wounded. The assault continued, however, with the guns sounding from time to time. The defenders were not facing great difficulty, however. Sixty of them sallied forth to do whatever damage they could, and those at the walls repelled all attempts to enter. The main weight of the attack had come from the Tirana side, where the Turkish losses had been heavy.[27]

Second phase

Moisi Arianit Golemi

When the second assault began, the Turks tried to break through the gate with their lances. After heavy casualties, the attackers retreated, and Murad held for the next two days a council of all his generals. An immediate precaution was to guard the camp against another surprise attack, which was responded to by placing a force of men under the command of Prince Mehmed, where the first attack had taken place.

Ishëm River, until they turned back to Krujë.[28]

While Skanderbeg had been away, a large Ottoman assault was made on Krujë from the Tirana side, but inadvertent friendly fire from the Turks forced them to call off the assault. The Ottomans then attempted to mine the fortress but could not succeed since the fortress had been built on rock. Since the food supplies were beginning to run out, the Turks received provisions from Venice, as did the Albanians.[10][29] The Turkish attacks had made no headway, and the Ottoman army had lost many dead or wounded, whereas Skanderbeg's force had lost 1,000 men thus far. Moisi Golemi and Tanush Thopia raised a couple thousand more, and the force was split between the three, making attacks on the Turkish camp easier. Skanderbeg began to move towards the camp as the Turks had assembled 8,000 men, which began to move towards him. Skanderbeg slowly retired while Moisi and Tanush broke into the camp. The Turkish force sent against Skanderbeg was lured towards the foothills, and the next morning (July 25), they were surrounded and completely destroyed.[10][30] The next day, Skanderbeg was seen above the rocks of Krujë, in conference with Vrana Konti, surprising Murad.[31]

Final phase

After Vrana had returned to the castle, a pasha was chosen to have a conference with Vrana, bringing him many rich presents. The pasha tried to convince the count that Murad would be a more suitable master than Skanderbeg was and that the siege was almost over, but Vrana refused to surrender. As a result, a fresh Ottoman assault began.[31] Meanwhile, Murad sent an envoy trying to convince Skanderbeg to capitulate by offering 10,000 crowns annually. Skanderbeg also refused replying: "Nay if Murad did divide with me and make me co-partner with all his empire, I would never suffer the name of Albania to be stained and blemished with this blot of disgrace and infamy."[citation needed] The assault continued, and the Albanian positions seemed desperate. On October 14, Skanderbeg offered Krujë to the Venetians, threatening to capitulate the fortress to the Turks if they did not accept it. After Murad lifted the siege on October 26, because of the arriving winter, the Venetians replied to Skanderbeg's offer rejecting it and offered to help Skanderbeg to harmonize his relationship with Ottomans.[26][32][33]

Aftermath

Skanderbeg's helmet on display in Vienna

The siege cost 20,000 Ottoman casualties and over 1,000 Albanian casualties.

Hungary, and Burgundy.[38] Skanderbeg then became a vassal of Alfonso V, on March 26, 1451, by the Treaty of Gaeta, gaining much needed men and supplies from the crown of Aragon.[36]

According to legend, one night during the siege, Skanderbeg sent out a herd of goats with a candle on each of the goats' horns. The encamped Turks believed it to be an Albanian attack and made a movement against the herd. When the Turks advanced far enough, Skanderbeg launched an attack against the force, destroying it. After the siege was lifted, Skanderbeg commemorated his victory by designing a helmet with the head of a goat on it, as a reference to his "ingenious tactics" used that night.[30]

Legacy

The Siege by Albanian writer Ismail Kadare.[41]

See also

  • Second Siege of Krujë
  • Third Siege of Krujë
  • Fourth Siege of Krujë

References

  1. ^ a b c d Francione p. 88.
  2. ^ Hodgkinson p. 115.
  3. ^ a b Hodkinson p. 107.
  4. ^ Setton p. 100.
  5. ^ a b c d Francione p. 87.
  6. ^ name="Hodgkinson107">Hodkinson p. 107.
  7. ^ Ahmeti, Prof. Dr. Musa. "AKTI DIPLOMATIK I VITIT 1451 I DALUR NGA KANCELARIA E SKENDERBUT- JO AUTOGRAF – SI BURIM I RËNDËSISHËM PËR DIPLOMACINË E SKENDERBEUT". Significatis domino comitis comune quisto anno passato lo Imperatore Turchio con quartocento milia turchi si anno tenuto obisdiati una Tera la quale se clama Croya delle petrinecie de Albania
  8. ^ a b c d Francione p. 89.
  9. ^ a b c d Hodgkinson p. 109.
  10. ^ a b c Hodgkinson p. 112.
  11. ^ T. Jacques p. 548.
  12. ^ Francione p. 94.
  13. ISBN 978-0-674-98392-2
    .
  14. ^ Francione p. 77.
  15. ^ Hodgkinson p. 95.
  16. ^ Hodgkinson p. 102.
  17. ^ Francione p. 80.
  18. ^ Francione p. 81.
  19. ^ Francione pp. 82–83.
  20. ^ Francione p. 85.
  21. ^ Francione p. 86.
  22. ^ Setton p. 101.
  23. ISBN 978-0-691-01078-6
    , ... including many Slavs, Italians, Frenchmen and Germans.
  24. ^ Hodgkinson p. 108.
  25. ^ Gibbon p. 465
  26. ^ a b Setton p. 101.
  27. ^ Hodgkinson p. 110.
  28. ^ Hodgkinson p. 111.
  29. ^ Francione p. 91
  30. ^ a b Francione p. 90.
  31. ^ a b Hodgkinson p. 113.
  32. ^ Hodgkinson p. 114.
  33. ^ Francione p. 92.
  34. ^ Historia de vita et gestis Scanderbegi Epirotarum principis by Marin Barleti.
  35. ^ Gibbon p. 465, note 42.
  36. ^ a b Housley p. 90.
  37. ^ Francione p. 93.
  38. ^ Setton p. 102.
  39. ^ Histori' e Skënderbeut, by Naim Frashëri.
  40. ^ The Great Warrior Skanderbeg. Perf. Akaki Khorava, Besa Imami, and Adivie Alibali. New Albania, 1953. Film.
  41. ISBN 978-0-8021-4475-1
    .

Sources

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