The Extent to Which Skanderbeg's Diplomatic and Military Skills Prevented the Ottomans from Taking over Albania
To what extent did Skanderbeg’s diplomatic and military skills prevent the Ottomans from taking over Albania?
Extended Essay
Ms. S. Shimens
May 2012
Word Count: 3987
Abstract
George Kastrioti, also known as Skanderbeg, was a 15th century Albanian leader. Born in 1405 to the noble Kastrioti family, he was raised in a village in Dibra. As a young child, he was taken hostage by Sultan Murad II and as a result, he fought for the Ottoman Empire as a General. In one of his battles, he deserted the Ottomans and became the ruler of Kruje. However, there is wide debate over how influential Skanderbeg’s diplomatic and military skills were in protecting the Albanian people, which raises the research question: To what extent did Skanderbeg’s diplomatic and military skills prevent the Ottomans from taking over Albania? Although Skanderbeg’s victories and losses during his time of protecting Albania are well documented, it is still unclear as to the extent of Skanderbeg’s diplomatic and military skills in preventing Ottoman rule over Albania. Much of what we know about Skanderbeg comes from the museum that is located in Kruje castle, containing art compositions, stone and wood engravings, and maps that portray Skanderbeg’s life against the Ottomans. In this essay, I propose that both Skanderbeg’s diplomatic and military skills were successful in preventing the Ottomans from taking over Albania to a large extent, as many different techniques within each category were used. His diplomatic skills were crucial in defending Albania since he required a vast amount of men to help against the Ottoman attacks; he showed his diplomacy skills through family and armies in order to maintain connections with powerful allies. His military skills were also important, and he portrayed these skills through his tactics, and through his morale boosting techniques. Word Count: 264
Table of
Extended Essay
Ms. S. Shimens
May 2012
Word Count: 3987
Abstract
George Kastrioti, also known as Skanderbeg, was a 15th century Albanian leader. Born in 1405 to the noble Kastrioti family, he was raised in a village in Dibra. As a young child, he was taken hostage by Sultan Murad II and as a result, he fought for the Ottoman Empire as a General. In one of his battles, he deserted the Ottomans and became the ruler of Kruje. However, there is wide debate over how influential Skanderbeg’s diplomatic and military skills were in protecting the Albanian people, which raises the research question: To what extent did Skanderbeg’s diplomatic and military skills prevent the Ottomans from taking over Albania? Although Skanderbeg’s victories and losses during his time of protecting Albania are well documented, it is still unclear as to the extent of Skanderbeg’s diplomatic and military skills in preventing Ottoman rule over Albania. Much of what we know about Skanderbeg comes from the museum that is located in Kruje castle, containing art compositions, stone and wood engravings, and maps that portray Skanderbeg’s life against the Ottomans. In this essay, I propose that both Skanderbeg’s diplomatic and military skills were successful in preventing the Ottomans from taking over Albania to a large extent, as many different techniques within each category were used. His diplomatic skills were crucial in defending Albania since he required a vast amount of men to help against the Ottoman attacks; he showed his diplomacy skills through family and armies in order to maintain connections with powerful allies. His military skills were also important, and he portrayed these skills through his tactics, and through his morale boosting techniques. Word Count: 264
Table of
Bibliography: Fitzhenry, James. George Kastrioti Skanderbeg “Iskander” http://www.roman-catholic-saints.com/skanderbeg.html. Accessed: December 20th, 2011 Hodgkinson, Harry Scanderbeg: From Ottoman Captive to Albanian Hero History of War. Gjergj Kastrioti Skanderbeg (1405-1468) http://www.historyofwar.org/articles/people_skanderbeg.html Accessed: December 19th, 2011 Islami and Frashëri, Historia ë Shqipërisë Malcom, Noel., Kosovo: A Short History. London: Macmillan Publishers Ltd, 1998 Noli, Fan Stylian, George Castrioti Scanderbeg (1405 – 1468) [1] Harry Hodgkinson, Scanderbeg: From Ottoman Captive to Albanian Hero ( U.S.A: I.B Tauris, 2005), 1 The origin of this book is from the United States, written by the author Harry Hodgkinson in 2005 [2] Harry Hodgkinson, Scanderbeg: From Ottoman Captive to Albanian Hero (U.S.A: I.B Tauris, 2005), 40. [3] Fan Stylian Noli, George Castrioti Scanderbeg (1405 – 1468). New York: International Universities Press, 1947, 35. [6] Fan Stylian Noli, George Castrioti Scanderbeg (1405 – 1468). New York: International Universities Press, 1947, 67 [7] Ibid, 35. [8] Noel Malcom, Kosovo: A Short History. London: Macmillan Publishers Ltd, 1998, 189 [9] Harry Hodgkinson, Scanderbeg: From Ottoman Captive to Albanian Hero ( U.S.A: I.B Tauris, 2005), 90. [12] Fitzhenry, James. George Kastrioti Skanderbeg “Iskander” http://www.roman-catholic-saints.com/skanderbeg.html. Accessed: December 20th, 2011 [13] Harry Hodgkinson, Scanderbeg: From Ottoman Captive to Albanian Hero ( U.S.A: I.B Tauris, 2005), 72. [15] Harry Hodgkinson, Scanderbeg: From Ottoman Captive to Albanian Hero ( U.S.A: I.B Tauris, 2005), 109. [18] History of War. Gjergj Kastrioti Skanderbeg (1405-1468) http://www.historyofwar.org/articles/people_skanderbeg.html. Accessed: December 19th, 2011 [19] Noel Malcom, Kosovo: A Short History [20] Fan Stylian Noli, George Castrioti Scanderbeg (1405 – 1468). New York: International Universities Press, 1947, 61.