Theodor Corona Musachi

Theodor Corona Musachi
Lord of Berat
after 1393 — 1417
Detail Titles and styles Lord
Noble family	Muzaka family
Father	Andrew Molosachi
Born	before 1396
Died	1449 Berat, Ottoman Empire
Occupation	feudal lord

Theodor Corona Musachi or Teodor III Muzaka (Albanian: Theodhor Koronë Muzaka) was 14th and 15th century nobleman from Albania who led 1437–38 revolt against the Ottomans and was one of the founders of the League of Lezhë in 1444^[A].

Family

Theodor Corona Musachi was а member of the Muzaka family whose domains extended till Kastoria (in modern day Greece) at the end of the 14th and beginning of the 15th century. According to Gjon Muzaka (not completely reliable primary source) parents of Theodor Corona Musachi had three sons (Gjin, Theodor and Stoya) and two daughters (Comita and Kyranna).

Muzaka explained that Theodor inherited control over Berat from his father Andrea Muzaka III. It is unknown when Muzaka family began to control Berat. Father of Theodor Corona Musachi, Andrea Muzaka III, is mentioned in 1389 and in 1393 not as lord of Berat, but as an honorable citizen.^[1] Muzaka family was in conflict with Prince Marko. Before 1396 (the year of Marko's death) Corona Musachi was probably a young man who participated in this conflict, which explains why he is commemorated in Serbian and south Slavic epic poetry as Korun, Marko's enemy.^[2]

At the end of 1411, Niketa Thopia suffered a heavy defeat from the forces of Theodor Corona Musachi during one skirmish. This event was recorded in a Venetian source composed on 29 February 1412.^[3] He himself was held prisoner and with the intervention of the Ragusan Republic was released in 1413, but only after conceding some territories around the Shkumbin river to the Muzaka family.

In 1417 Berat was captured by the Ottoman Empire.

Revolt

In 1437—38, while sanjakbey of the Sanjak of Albania was Theodor's son Jakub Bey,^[4] Theodor Korona Muzaka revolted in the region of Berat. This revolt was, like previous Albanian Revolt of 1432–1436, suppressed by the Ottomans.^[5] There are claims that information about Muzaka's 1437—38 revolt is not supported by contemporary sources.^[6] Jakub Bey was recorded to be on the position of the sanjakbey of the Sanjak of Albania in 1442.^[7]

League of Lezhë

The League of Lezhë was founded by:^[8]

• Lekë Zaharia (lord of Sati and Dagnum) and his vassals Pal Dukagjin and Nicholas Dukagjini
• Peter Spani (lord of the mountains behind Drivast)
• Lekë Dushmani (lord of Pult)
• George Strez Balšić with Ivan and Gojko Balšić
• Andrea Thopia and his nephew Tanush
• Gjergj Arianiti
• Theodor Corona Musachi
• Stefan Crnojević (lord of Upper Zeta) and his sons

Notes

Footnotes

1. ^ Oliver Schmitt does not mention Musachi as one of the founders of the league.^[9]

References

1. Studia Albanica. Académie des sciences de la République Populaire d'Albanie, Institut d'histoire, Institut de linguistique et littérature. 1988. p. 90. Nous ne savons pas quand ce Theodore Korona Muzaka devint le dominateur de Berat. Son père, Andrea III Muzaka, est mentionné en 1389 et en 1393 non pas comme dominateur de Berat, mais comme l'un des honorables citoyens de
2. Studia Albanica (in French). Académie des sciences de la République Populaire d'Albanie, Institut d'histoire, Institut de linguistique et littérature. 1988. p. 90. Il est possible que Theodore Korona Muzaka alt ete un jeune homme avant la mort de Marko Krali (1396) et qu'il ait participe dans les combats contre lui. Cest ainsi qu'on peut expliquer pourquoi il est entre avec le nom Korun Kesexhia
3. Studia Albanica. L'Institut. 1989. p. 90. Dans un autre acte vénitien du 29 février 1412, il est dit que le seigneur de Berat, Teodor Korona Muzaka a emprisonné Niketë Topia. (Historijski Arhiv u Dubrovniku. Reformationes XXXIV! 162v).
4. Historia e Shqipërisë: përgatitur nga një kolektiv punonjësish shkencorë të sektorëve të historisë së kohës së lashtë dhe të kohës së mesme, Volume 1. Instituti i Historisë dhe i Gjuhësise. 1959. p. 268. Pasi u larguan ushtritë turke të Rumelisë, shpërtheu aty nga viti 1437-1438 një kryengritje tjetër në rrethin e Beratit, e krye- suar nga Theodhor Korona Muzaka, biri i të cilit, Jakup Beu, ishte në atë kohë sanxhakbeu i sanxhakut të Shqipërisë
5. Frashëri 1964, p. 65
6. Instituti i Historisë (Akademia e Shkencave e RPS të Shqipërisë) (1970). Studime historike, Volume 7. Akademia e Shkencave, Instituti i Historisë.
7. Türk Tarih Kongresi: Kongrenin çalişmaları, kongreye sunulan tebliğler. Kenan Matbaası. 1994. p. 1693. Yerli Hristiyan beylerden birisi olan Teodor Muzaka'nın oğlu Yakup Bey, İslâma geçerken, Osmanlı yönetimi kadrosu içine sokulmuş ve 1442 yılının dolaylarında Arvanid sancak beyi makamına kadar çıkmayı başarmıştır.3 Adı geçen sancağın
8. Noli 1947, p. 36
9. Schmitt 2001, p. 297: "Nikola und Paul Dukagjin, Leka Zaharia von Dagno, Peter Span, Herr der Berge hinter Drivasto, Georg Strez Balsha sowie Johann und Gojko Balsha, die sich zwischen Kruja und Alessio festgesetzt hatten, die Dushman von Klein-Polatum sowie Stefan (Stefanica) Crnojevic, der Herr der Oberzeta"

Sources

• Noli, Fan Stilian (1947), George Castrioti Scanderbeg (1405-1468), International Universities Press, OCLC 732882
• Božić, Ivan (1979), Nemirno pomorje XV veka (in Serbo-Croatian), Beograd: Srpska književna zadruga, OCLC 5845972
• Frashëri, Kristo (1964). The history of Albania: a brief survey. Retrieved 31 July 2012.
• Schmitt, Oliver Jens (2001), Das venezianische Albanien (1392-1479) (in German), München: R. Oldenbourg Verlag GmbH München, ISBN 3-486-56569-9
• Gopčević, Spiridon (1914). Geschichte von Montenegro und Albanien (in German). Gotha: F.A. Perthes. OCLC 9968504. Retrieved 29 March 2012.
• Musachi, John (1515). "Brief Chronicle on the Descendants of our Musachi Dynasty". Retrieved 29 November 2011.