Kastrioti

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The Kastrioti dynasty originally hailed from the Mati region, situated in North Albania. Gjon Kastrioti, father of Skanderbeg, migrated to the citadel of Kruja, where he was proclaimed prince of the city and the region surrounding it. Gjergj Kastrioti (youngest son of Gjon) was the most famous member of the Kastrioti's, today he is considered the greatest Albanian hero. He united and defended the Albanians for 25 years against the Ottoman Empire. He was even titled "Defender of Christianity" by Pope Alfonso himself. He devoted his life into fighting for the Albanian identity and the Catholic faith. The word Kastrioti derives from the Latin castrum[1][2].

[edit] Members of the Kastrioti

  • Gjergj Kastrioti - greatest Albanian hero to ever exist.
  • Stanisha Kastrioti - brother of Gjergj
  • Gjon Kastrioti II - son of Gjergj Kastrioti (Skenderbeg)
  • Branilo Hamza Kastrioti - nephew of Gjergj Kastrioti (son of Stanisha), raised Ottoman, later converted to Christianity.
  • Drekali Kastrioti - founder of the Kuci tribe in Montenegro. He is also said to be the son of Gjon Kastrioti II.

[edit] References

  1. ^ castle Look up castle at Dictionary.com late O.E. castel, from O.N.Fr. castel, from L. castellum "fortified village," dim. of castrum "fort;" cognate with O.Ir. cather, Welsh caer "town" (and perhaps related to castrare "cut off"). This word had come to O.E. as ceaster and formed the -caster and -chester in place names. Sp. alcazar "castle" is from Ar. al-qasr, from L. castrum. The move in chess is recorded under this name from 1656. In early bibles, castle was used to translate Gk. kome "village," causing much confusion. Castile the medieval Sp. kingdom, is from L. castellum, with reference to the many forts there during the Moorish wars. Castles in Spain translated a 14c. Fr. term (the imaginary castles sometimes stood in Asia or Albania) and probably reflects the hopes of landless knights to establish themselves abroad. http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?term=castle
  2. ^ According to Julius Pokorny, Indogermanisches Etymologisches Woerterbuch, page 586 under kes- (palatal k), Oscan castrous (genitive case) and Umbrian castruo, kastruvuf (nominative case) have the same original meaning as castrum, which was an estate, or tract of land. Not enough is known of Oscan and Umbrian culture to understand whether the word was a military reservation in their cultures, allowing the possibility that the Romans took their military practices partially or wholly from elsewhere or developed them, or some combination.