Skanderbeg was a figure in the history of Albania. Gjergj Kastrioti Skanderbeg ( 6 May 1405 &ndash 17 January 1468) ( Albanian: Gjergj Kastriot Skënderbeu, widely known as This article is about the country in southern Europe For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Albania topics. His weapons have been subjects of mythical adoration. According to legends his sword was so heavy that only his arm could wield. Reportedly, it was also so sharp that it could slice a man vertically from head to waist with little effort and cut a huge boulder in half with a single blow.
From all of Skanderbeg's belongings we are left with only four objects: two swords, one helmet and a prayer book. Currently the weapons (helmet and sword) are on display at the Kunsthistorisches Museum in Vienna after having passed though the hands of countless noblemen since the 15th century when they were first brought over to Italy from Albania by Skanderbeg’s wife, Donika Kastrioti. A helmet is a form of Protective gear worn on the head to protect it from injuries a variation of the hat The Kunsthistorisches Museum ( English: "Museum of Art History" in Vienna, housed in its festive palatial building on Ringstraße, crowned Vienna ( in Wien; see also other names) is the Capital of Austria, and is also one of the nine States of Austria. Nobility is a government-privileged title which may be either hereditary (see Hereditary titles) or for a lifetime Italy (Italia officially the Italian Republic, (Repubblica Italiana is located on the Italian Peninsula in Southern Europe, and on the two largest The prayer book is archived at the Shelley Publishing House in Chelsea, London. Chelsea is an area of south-west London, England, bounded to the south by the River Thames, where its frontage runs from Chelsea Bridge along
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The Swords
According to Dhimiter Frengu, an official and friend-in-arms of Skanderbeg, the first sword was curved (In the original Italian: una schimitarra storta), with a sharp edge and elegantly made of Damascened steel. Damascus steel is a hot- forged Steel used in Middle Eastern Swordmaking from about 1100 to 1700 AD There are also accounts which relate that at one point he kept two swords sheathed in the same scabbard. A scabbard is a Sheath for holding a Sword or other large blade Frengu then adds, rather colourfully, that Skanderbeg brought a master sword-maker over from Italy, who produced three better swords for him. One of them, "that could cut through steel," he sent it as a present to the Ottoman Sultan
It is also known that in Skanderbeg's last visit to the Holy See, Pope Paul II presented the Albanian hero with a sword and a cap (It: una spada ed un capello). The Ottoman Empire (1299–1923 ( Old Ottoman Turkish: دولتْ علیّه عثمانیّه Devlet-i Âliye-yi Osmâniyye, Late Ottoman and Modern Turkish Sultan (سلطان is an Islamic title with several historical meanings The Holy See is the episcopal jurisdiction of the Bishop of Rome, commonly known as the Pope, and is the preeminent Episcopal see of the Roman Catholic Pope Paul II ( February 23, 1417 &ndash July 26, 1471) born Pietro Barbo, was Pope from 1464 until his death in 1471
The straight sword, which lay at the Museum of Ambras along with the helmet, is double-edged. The blade is dressed in gold. It is 85. 5 centimeters long, 5. A centimetre ( American spelling: centimeter, symbol cm) is a unit of Length in the Metric system, equal to one hundredth 7 cm wide, and weighs 1. 3 kilograms. Its scabbard is made of leather. According to Faik Konica, who viewed the sword at the beginning of the 20th century, there were still stains of blood on the blade. Faik Konitza (Faik Konica March 15 1875 – December 15 1942 was one of the greatest figures of Albanian culture in the early decades of the twentieth century
On the other hand, the curved sword, including the hilt, measures 121 cm in length and weighs 3. The hilt (sometimes called the haft) of a Sword is its handle consisting of a guard, grip and pommel. 2 kg. This sword is fashioned after Ottoman styles of the time, and just as Dhimiter Frengu reported five centuries earlier, is a damascene steel, highly ornamented. There is an inscription in Turkish, which according to Faik Konica is not correct. The inscription reads: (Libehadur Allah Iskander beg – Champion of God, Skanderbeg). Still, according to Fraik Konica, only the blade belongs to the original sword held by Skanderbeg. The hilt, dressed in silver, and the velvet scabbard belong to a subsequent time. Silver (ˈsɪlvɚ is a Chemical element with the symbol " Ag " (argentum from the Ancient Greek: ἀργήντος - argēntos gen Velvet is a type of tufted fabric in which the cut threads are very evenly distributed with a short dense pile giving it a distinct feel A scabbard is a Sheath for holding a Sword or other large blade Both swords were reproduced in Vienna, for exclusive display in Tirana.
Of these two swords, the one which Skanderbeg used in times of war could have been the curved one. The straight sword was rather short for his tall frame, whereas the other one afforded the flexibility required for cavalry charges and the fighting style of the day. In addition, having been trained in Turkey, and having learned there his skills in martial arts, it is more likely that he would have been more comfortable with that sword.
The Helmet
Skanderbeg’s helmet is made of white metal, adorned with a strip dressed in gold. Gold (ˈɡoʊld is a Chemical element with the symbol Au (from its Latin name aurum) and Atomic number 79 On its top lies the head of a horned goat made of bronze, also dressed in gold. A horn is a pointed projection of the Skin on the head of various Mammals consisting of a covering of horn ( Keratin and other Proteins The domestic goat ( Capra aegagrus hircus) is a subspecies of goat Domesticated from the Wild goat of Southwest Asia and Eastern Europe The bottom part bears a copper strip adorned with a monogram separated by rosettes * IN * PE * RA * TO * RE * BT *, which means: Jhezus Nazarenus * Principi Emathie * Regi Albaniae * Terrori Osmanorum * Regi Epirotarum * Benedictat Te (Jesus Nazarene Blesses Thee [Skanderbeg], Prince of Mat, King of Albania, Terror of the Ottomans, King of Epirus). Copper (ˈkɒpɚ is a Chemical element with the symbol Cu (cuprum and Atomic number 29 A monogram is a motif made by overlapping or combining two or more letters or other Graphemes to form one Symbol. Jesus of Nazareth (7–2 BC / BCE —26–36 AD / CE) Prince, from the Latin root Princeps, is a general term for a Monarch, for a member of a monarch's or former monarch's family and is a The District of Mat (Rrethi i Matit is one of the thirty-six Districts of Albania. The Ottoman Empire (1299–1923 ( Old Ottoman Turkish: دولتْ علیّه عثمانیّه Devlet-i Âliye-yi Osmâniyye, Late Ottoman and Modern Turkish Epirus (from Ionic Greek Ήπειρος - Ēpeiros, Doric Greek: Ἅπειρος - Apeiros, in Albanian It is thought that the copper strip with the monogram is the work of the descendants of Skanderbeg and was placed there by them, as Skanderbeg never held any other title but “Lord of Albania” (Dominus Albaniae) (It should be said however that the correct Latin translation of Regi is Kingdom since it is Rex that refers to King. Thus the inscriptions on the helmet may refer to the unsettled name by which Albania was known at the time, as a means to identify Skanderbeg's leadership over all Albanians across regional denominative identifications. Gjergj Kastrioti Skanderbeg ( 6 May 1405 &ndash 17 January 1468) ( Albanian: Gjergj Kastriot Skënderbeu, widely known as Contemporary sources show that 14th century Albanians were invariably identified as a tribal peoples, with no state of their own. Thus, depending on where they lived - North or South, in the plains or in the mountains, and to which civilization they subscribed to - we have Turkish: Arnaut, Greek: Arbanas, Arbanensis, Italian: Albanian, Epirotarum, Albanensis, Albanian: Arber, Arberesh, Epirotas. Arbëreshë are an ethnic community living in Italy, especially the regions of Calabria and Sicily. [1])
The first element which commands attention is the meaning and symbolism of the horned goat on the helmet. It is difficult to assess with certainty what the horned goat might signify. It might be explained by the cult of the wild goat, the symbol of the “zana” or goddess "Diana". Note: Dhi-ana; Lady of the Goats in Albanian. The 'Z', 'D', 'Th' shift is vey common like Zeus, Deus, Theos. There are signs indicating that the cult of the wild goat is very ancient. The Roman writer and historian of the I-II century A. Ancient Rome was a Civilization that grew out of a small agricultural community founded on the Italian Peninsula as early as the 10th century BC D. , S. Suetom Tanquilli (De Vita Caesarum, L. II, 12, 94. ) writes that the Roman Emperor Augustus, after putting down the Illyrian revolt of Bato, cut a coin bearing the head of a horned goat to celebrate the victory. The Roman Emperor was the ruler of the Roman State during the imperial period (starting at about 27 BC Augustus ( Latin: IMPERATOR·CAESAR·DIVI·FILIVS·AVGVSTVS September 23 63 BC – August 19 AD 14) born Gaius Octavius Thurinus, was
There is another possible explanation with serious historical ramifications. According to a report by historian Shefqet Pllana, Sami Frasheri in his Kamus-al-Alam maintains that the wording "Dhu lKarnejn" (owner of the two horns) was an appellative attributed to Alexander the Great of Macedon, the very name which Skanderbeg bore in the Islamic form. Sami Frashëri ( Turkish: Şemseddin Sami Bey born June 1, 1850, Frashër,Kolonje Albania &ndash June 18, 1904 Alexander the Great ( or, Mégas Aléxandros; July 20 356 BC June 10 or June 11 323 BC also known as Alexander III of Macedon (el Ἀλέξανδρος Γ' Macedon or Macedonia ( Greek grc Μακεδονία grc-Latn Makedonía) was the name of a kingdom centered in the northern-most This second explanation may be the truer, since the theory of the Macedonian-Albanian and Epirot-Albanian continuance is strong not only among Albanians but among all the peoples of Europe. This opinion agrees with the work of Marin Barleti who writes: “When the people saw all those young and brave men around Skanderbeg, then it was not hard to believe that the armies of [Sultan] Murat were so defeated by the Albanians. Marin Barleti ( Latin: Marinus Barletius, Italian: Marino Barlezio; c Murat is a Turkish name It comes from the Arabic Murad with the Turks having adopted the softer front-of-mouth 'T' sound rather than the more guttural back-of-mouth 'D' Indeed, the times when the star of Macedon shone brilliantly had returned, just as they seemed in those long forgotten times of Pyrrhus and Alexander. Pyrrhus (318-272 BC ( Greek: Πύρρος Aιακιδης Pyrros Aiakides was one of the most successful ancient Greek generals of the Hellenistic "
At the request of the pre-WWII Albanian government, an identical copy of the helmet of Skanderbeg lies now in the National Museum of Tirana, Albania. The copy was manufactured by a talented Austrian master in 1937.
The Long Journey of the Weapons
The helmet and swords have a dark and confusing history. After the death of Skanderbeg, they were taken to Italy by Skanderbeg’s wife Donika and his son Gjoni. Who inherited them after their death is unknown. The weapons reappeared in the last decade of the 16th century. A decade is a period of 10 Years (since 1594 a factor of 10 difference between two numbers, or sometimes a set or a group of ten (since 1451 In 1590, the helmet and the two swords did not belong to the same owner. The helmet and one sword were under the ownership of Count Eolfang of Sturnbeng. A count is a Nobleman in European countries The word count comes from French comte, itself from Latin The other sword lay in the inventory of the Arms Museum of the Archduke Karl of Styria, son of the German Holy Roman Emperor in Gratz, Austria (they appear in the inventory of 30 October 1590). KARL (1051 FM) is a Radio station broadcasting a Country music format Styria (Steiermark is a state or Bundesland, located in the southeast of Austria. Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany ( ˈbʊndəsʁepuˌbliːk ˈdɔʏtʃlant is a Country in Central Europe. An emperor (from the Latin " Imperator " is a (male Monarch, usually the sovereign ruler of an Empire or another type of The person who brought the weapons together was the son of the Emperor and brother of Karl, archduke Ferdinand of Tyrol, who, acting under the advice of his Chancellor Jacob Schrenk von Gotzing, bought the weapons and brought them under the same roof. The title of Archduke (feminine Archduchess) ( German: Erzherzog, feminine -also spousal- form Erzherzogin) denotes a rank above Duke Tyrol is a region in Western Central Europe, which included the present day Austrian state of Tyrol (consisting of North Tyrol and East Chancellor or chancellour (archaic ( Latin: cancellarius) is an official Title used in countries whose civilization has arisen Later, this prince erected the Museum of Ambras, near Tyrol, which he filled with all sorts of war-related material, as well as paintings and portraits of celebrities of that age. Prince, from the Latin root Princeps, is a general term for a Monarch, for a member of a monarch's or former monarch's family and is a Tyrol is a region in Western Central Europe, which included the present day Austrian state of Tyrol (consisting of North Tyrol and East In 1806 the weapons were transferred to the Imperial Museum in Vienna, still apart from each other. Vienna ( in Wien; see also other names) is the Capital of Austria, and is also one of the nine States of Austria. The helmet and the straight sword were placed in the Maximilian Hall (hall XXV, no. Maximilian, Maximillian, or Maximiliaan (sometimes Maximilia) is a name of Latin origin meaning "greatest 71 & 92 respectively), whereas the curved sword found its way to the Karl V Hall (hall XXVII, no. 345). The weapons were separated by the curators of the museum, who were uncertain whether or not the swords indeed belonged to Skanderbeg. After the Second World War, the doubts evaporated. On the eve of Skanderbeg’s 500th anniversary, the arms were reunited, not only in the same hall, but in the same display window of the Kunsthistorisches Museum in Wien. The Kunsthistorisches Museum ( English: "Museum of Art History" in Vienna, housed in its festive palatial building on Ringstraße, crowned Vienna ( in Wien; see also other names) is the Capital of Austria, and is also one of the nine States of Austria.
Sources
Material translated and edited from the original Albanian by navisliburnia.
Kristo Frasheri, Skenderbeu: Jeta dhe Vepra (Tirane: Botimet Toena, 2002), 258-263
For a condensed version please refer to http://www.forumishqiptar.com/showpost.php?p=817387&postcount=10
References
- ^ Jens-Schmitt, Oliver. "Arberia Vendike (1392-1479)" [Das Venezianische Albanien (1392-1479)]. Tirane: K&B, 2007. 63-85.
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