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Heraldry, as a scholarly discipline that deals with the study and origin of various symbols and elements, emerged in Albania towards the end of the 13th century. Over time, it has evolved as an inseparable component of European heraldry, encompassing its advancements, shifts and accomplishments.
The earliest evidence in the usage of coats of arms can be traced to the formative period of the Principality of Arbanon, with the Gropa ruling family. This practice continued in uninterrupted succession across various medieval Albanian lineages and patronymic families, namely the Albani, Angeli, Arianiti, Balsa, Beçikemi, Dukagjini, Durazzo, Dushmani, Kastrioti, Matranga, Muzaka, Scura, Spani, Spata, Thopia, Zaharia, Zenevisi and numerous others.[1]
Medieval period
Ambiguitatem
| Coat of arms | Description |
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Coat of arms at the Abbey of Ndërfandina (????) Within the marble beam that held the gate of the monastic cell, at the old abbey of Ndërfandina in Gëziq, the Austrian consul in Shkodër, Theodor Ippen, unearthed an epigraphic inscription from the architrave of the Basilica along with a heraldic coat of arms which featured a stone-carved eagle, with one head and two wings outstretched in flight, clutching a ring on its beak.[2] In 1967, digging through the broken fragments which had been stored at the local museum of Rrëshen, researcher Dhimitër Shuteriqi became convinced that the pieces on the inscription formed the words DIMITRI and PROGON, in reference to the princes of the Progonate family of lords that ruled over the territory now known as the Principality of Arbanon.[3] The fragments discovered in Gëziq were transferred to the Archaeological Museum of Tirana in 1981, to be further examined by conservation specialist Koço Zheku. After meticulously reconstructing the eight pieces of marble, which collectively measured 1.6 meters in length, Zheku managed to decipher the inscription as follows:[4]
His conclusive work, refuting the earlier findings by Shuteriqi, was published in the scientific periodical "Iliria", issue nr.2, p. 219–225, year 1984. At the insistence of government officials, the inscription, unreadable in its entirety, was given a new interpretation by scholar of antiquity Injac Zamputi, reaffirming Shuteriqi's previously ambiguous claims.[5] |
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Coat of arms of Drivastum (????) Not far from the gates of the citadel of Drivastum, a hewn stone bearing a coat of arms was found by local peasants among the rubble and blocks of stone.
No inscription has been found to give clues as to whether the coat of arms belonged to a Venetian or an Albanian lord. One can only assume that the stone was immured in the gate and tumbled down when the wall collapsed. The coat of arms is one of the few remnants of value where once stood the medieval city of Drivastum.[6] |
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Tombstone relief at the Berat Citadel (????) First discovered by Austrian archaeologist Carl Patsch, details of the tombstone relief were published in the 1919 work titled "Archäologische Forschungen in Albanien und Montenegro" by Camillo Praschniker and Arnold Schober:[7]
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Coat of arms discovered in Maqellarë (????) During the agricultural activities of the early 1970s, a coat of arms intricately carved from marbled limestone, bearing a closed white hue akin to the marbles found in the Banisht quarry, was discovered in Maqellarë.
This coat of arms is speculatively linked to the Gropa family of feudal lords who ruled over the region from the 12th until the 14th century.[8] |
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Coat of arms at the Monastery of St. Antonius (15th century) Opposite the town of Alessio, above a hill on the right bank of the Drin river, stands the small Franciscan monastery of St. Antonius. Tradition of the Franciscan order alludes to the founding of this monastery being ascribed to its founder, Francis of Assisi, going back to the 13th century. At the entrance, embedded on the pavement, a tombstone decorated with a coat of arms was found, and later removed, placed alongside the interior wall. The coat of arms is surmounted by an inscription, which is, unfortunately, incomplete.[9] It reads:
The name of the person buried here is not clear from the inscription. The tombstone probably belongs to a Venetian lord, dating from the 15th century, since Alessio was Venetian property at the time.
In contemporary Albanian history, this coat of arms is speculatively attributed to one Anton Scura, a supposed patriarch of the noble Scura family, which held sway over the territories in nearby Delbnisht, present-day Kurbin. No reliable records of an Anton Scura from sources of antiquity have been found. |
Regnum Albaniæ
| Coat of arms | Description |
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Coat of arms of the Angevin dynasty (1292) Charles I d'Anjou, brother of King Louis IX of France, governed the Kingdom of Naples (and Sicily), during the 13th century. Following the Norman invasion, he extended his rule into Albania, capturing Dyrrhachium and bringing Albanian feudal lords under his control. The Despot of Epirus, who had nominal authority over this region, became his vassal. Charles (I) established the first Albanian kingdom, Regnum Albaniæ, and was declared its King in 1272.[10] The symbols in the Angevin coat of arms are attributed to his grandson and future heir, Philip I, Prince of Taranto.
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Feudal lords
| Coat of arms | Description |
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 .svg){kind=small} .svg){kind=small} .svg){kind=small}  Clockwise: Pilika's models (14th century and later); Petronio's model (1680); Fojnica's model (17th century) |
Coats of arms of the Dukagjini (14th century) The Dukagjini were a noble Albanian family of feudal lords that ruled parts of northern Albania and western Kosovo throughout the 14th and 15th centuries. A branch of the family fled Ottoman rule and settled in the Venetian-controlled city of Capodistria, joining other Albanian nobility, the Borisi, Bruni and Bruti.[11] Their extensive lineage is documented in Prospero Petronio's manuscript titled "Memorie istoriche sacre e profane dell'Istria e sua metropoli (1680–1681)", which traces the family's roots to Iginus Comnenus, of the Arianiti Comneni clan.[12] Lek Dukagjini, a strong tribal chieftain, gained prominence for his work The Kanun, a set of traditional customary laws that regulated clan relations between the highlanders of northern Albania. His nephew, Giovanni, son of Demetrio, became castellan lord of San Servolo. Other members of the family gradually integrated into Ottoman suzerainty, finding their way to Istanbul where they would achieve high ranks, beginning with Dukaginzade Ahmed Pasha who served as Grand Vizier of the Ottoman Empire from 1514 to 1515 CE. His son, Dukaginzade Mehmed Pasha, went on to great feats of his own, becoming governor of Egypt from 1554 to 1556 CE. The city of Aleppo even has a Mosque complex bearing his name. Dukaginzade Yahya Bey, a warrior-poet, or sâhib-i seyf ü kalem (master of the sword and pen), took part in key battles, including Chaldiran in 1514, the Ottoman-Mamluk War in 1516–1517 CE, and the Siege of Szigetvár in 1566 CE. Yahya Bey was celebrated as a prolific diwan poet during his lifetime. The earliest artistic depiction of the Dukagjini coat of arms was discovered in a 14th-century manuscript, later featured in a correspondence article by scholar of antiquity Dhimtri Pilika, titled "Shqiponja Arbërore si Simbol i Dukagjinëve", published in issue nr.6 (7th annual edition) of the monthly socio-political and literary arts periodical YLLI.[13] A somewhat comparable coat of arms is also found in a colored miniature dating from the 17th century Fojnica Armorial.
Pilika's article presents an alternate coat of arms, derived from a marble carving found in the residence of Demetrio Lecca, one of the last family heirs, who served as lieutenant general in the Neapolitan Army. Arbëresh poet Girolamo de Rada (1814 † 1903) dedicated his 1836 work “Il Milosào” to him. The Bulletin of Central Archaeological Studies "Sylva Mala", published a similar illustration of the coat of arms in its 8th annual edition (1987).[14]
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Coat of arms of the Cernovichio (14th century) The Cernovichio were a noble family of feudal lords that ruled over the territory in what is now southern Montenegro and northern Albania, during the 14th century. They formed blood ties through marriage with several prominent Albanian families of the time, namely the Zaharia, Kastrioti, Arianiti, Thopia and Zaguri. Historian Demetrio Franco mentions them along the same line as other Albanian nobility, the Dukagjini, Spani and Dushmani, in his 1584 work titled "Gli Illustri et gloriosi gesti, et vittoriose imprese fatte contra Turchi; dal Sign. Giorgio Castriotto detto Scanderbego.[15] The Cernovichio are referred to as a family from Albania in the 1780 biographical dictionary titled "Dizionario Storico-Portatile di Tutte Le Venete Patrizie Famiglie", published in Venetia by Giuseppe Bettinelli.[16] Eugène Müntz writes in "Les Arts à la cour des Papes pendant le XVe et le XVIe siécle", published in 1878, the following:[17]
In the 11th annual edition of the genealogy journal "Rivista del Collegio Araldico," published in Rome in 1913, a segment of the family who had migrated to Venetia are recognized as medieval Albanian princes.[18]
In modern literature, the ethnogenesis of the Cernovichio remains unclear. They were seemingly of a mixed Albanian-Slavic lineage, with the later generations of the family embracing a more Slavic identity. |
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Coat of arms of the Balsa (14th century) The Balsa were a medieval dynasty of sovereigns that held ownership over the region around the east shore of Lake Scutari. In 1362, Balsa the Elder bequeathed to his sons the territory of Zeta and the coast from Budua down to Antivari, extending to Scutari, which would later become their capital. Efforts to expand south were met with opposition by the Thopia (1364), a noble family from Central Albania, who were related to the Balsa (Karl Thopia had wed Vojsava, a daughter of Balsa the Elder). Balsa II, "Sovereign of Albania", acquired Avlona and Berat by way of marriage. The Thopia eventually defeated him at the Battle of Savra in 1385. Georgio II had to relinquish his main territory, Scutari, to Venetia in 1396, unable to withstand the Ottoman incursions and the continuous internal friction. In Du Cange's work, the Balsa are described as nobles of Albania.[20] Johann Siebmacher classifies them as Albanian under the Dulcigno list of families, in his catalog of coats of arms, (vol.4) reissued in 1873.[21] The Balsa coat of arms is depicted in successive order, after those of the Kastrioti and Cernovichio, in the 17th century Fojnica Armorial.[22]
Several theories have come about regarding the origin of the Balsa family. Authors like Malcolm and Ćirković consider them as being of Albanian stock.[23][24] Bartl leans towards a probable Serbian origin.[25] Šufflay and Skok favor a Vlach line of descent of the said family, a theory supported by Serbian historian Milena Gecić.[26][27] |
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Coat of arms of the Thopia (1381) Consul General Georg v. Hahn, mentions in his work "Albanesische Studien" (p. 119) that in the monastery of St. John Vladimir, near Elbasan, an old stone was found, embedded within the church's outer wall, depicting a coat of arms, identified by an inscription as belonging to Karl Thopia.[28]
Karl Thopia ruled much of Central Albania, encompassing the area between the Mat and Shkumbin rivers from 1359 to 1387. His father, Andrea, had wed the illegitimate daughter of Robert of Anjou, king of Naples. For this reason, he incorporated the Anjou symbols, featuring lilies, into his coat of arms, visible on the left side. The bendlet traversing the field is the symbol of bastardy according to heraldic tradition.[29] |
 .svg){kind=small}   Clockwise: Official seal (1466); Du Cange's model (1680); Fojnica's model (17th century); Venetian and Neapolitan models (16th century); Schirò's model, in color (1904) |
Coats of arms of the Kastrioti (1451–1904) The coat of arms of Skanderbeg with the double-headed eagle appears for the first time in a book of greetings given to Skanderbeg by Alfonso V, King of Naples, on the occasion of the signing of the Treaty of Gaeta on 26 March 1451.[30] It was handed over by the king's protonotary, Arnaldo Fonoleda, to the ambassadors of Skanderbeg who signed this treaty, Bishop Stefan of Kruja and Father Nikola Berguci. The representative symbol of the state of Skanderbeg appears again in a Venetian catalog of coats of arms in 1463, when Gjon Kastrioti II, Skanderbeg's son, received the title "Noble of the Republic". The red and black colors in the coat of arms are mentioned in Marin Barleti's "The history of the life and deeds of Scanderbeg, Prince of Epirus" (Latin: Historia de vita et gestis Scanderbegi Epirotarvm principis), page XV, published in 1508 – «nā rubea uexilla nigris/& bicipitibus distincta aquilis (id gētis insigne erat) gerebat Scanderbegus».[31] The usage of the same colors is later reaffirmed in Giammaria Biemmi's work "The History of Giorgio Castrioto Scander begh" (Latin: Istoria di Giorgio Castrioto detto Scander begh) who quotes the Antivarino of Bar in page 22, published in 1756 – «L'insegna di Scander begh era un' aquila negra distincta in due teste sopra campo rosso».[32] Monthly publication "Ylli" magazine, in its 3rd annual edition, issue no.11, dated November 1962, published an article (p. 26–27) by Dhimitri Pilika , a noted scholar of pelasgian antiquity, titled "Searching for "ALBANICA" through foreign archives and libraries...". The article references the official seal of Skanderbeg being discovered in Prague, Czechoslovakia, in 1961, by the widow of Stanislav Kostka Neumann, a czech writer and expert in Albanian studies. It was part of the materials belonging to slovak philologist Pavel Jozef Šafárik, who in turn had acquired them from the Ragusa Archives. Dating back to the year 1466, the seal is portrayed as such:[33]
The image of the seal graces the surface of the purple carpet inside the reception hall of the Prime Minister's office. A widely adopted variation of the coat of arms comes from an illustration found in Giuseppe Schirò's 1904 book "Gli Albanesi e la Questione Balkanica".[34]
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Coat of arms of the Muzaka (1476–1514) In 1336, Andrea II Muzaka gained recognition as Despot of his dominion by the Kingdom of Naples. In acknowledgment of this, King Robert of Anjou entrusted his nephew, Prince Luigi, to perform the act of recognition, which extended to the inclusion of the nobleman's coat of arms on the chancellery seal.[35] The earliest artistic depiction of the Muzaka coat of arms, belonging in all probability to Teodoro, Lord of Crepacore and Galesano, can be found in bas-relief on the residence wall of Palazzo Argentina, located in San Giovanni street, Francavilla Fontana, province of Salentina. First mentioned by Rosario Jurlaro in his work "I Musachi despoti d'Epiro: in Puglia a salvamento", the coat of arms can be described as follows:[36]
The same author speculatively attributes the symbols on the right shield of the armorial, carved from stone and found inside the Church of Santa Maria della Misericordia in Mesagne, to the Muzaka family.[37] |
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Coats of arms of the Arianiti Comneni (1550) Constantino Arianiti, better known as Constantinus Cominatus, was born around 1456, the son of Georgio Arianiti, an Albanian feudal lord, ruler of Cermenica, Mochino and Spatenia, who greatly contributed in the wars against the Ottomans. Georgio formed blood ties through marriage with the Kastrioti, Dukagjini and Cernovichio, although, there are no reliable accounts connecting his family to that of the Byzantine Komnenoi. Georgio Arianiti died circa 1463 and soon his possessions were taken hold by the Ottomans. His wife and sons found refuge on lands that belonged to Venetia, who in turn, recognized them as patrician dignitaries. Constantino aprenticed at the papal court in Rome, where he became an apostolic prothonotary. Later he married Francesca of Montferrat, who came from a side branch of the house of Palaiologos, which brought him several castles as dowry. Self-styled Duke of Achaea and Prince of Macedon, Constantino aspired to become leader of the Balkan Christians in the impending crusade against the Ottoman armies and even planned to assemble a fleet, which never set sail. In 1514, Pope Leo X appointed him governor of Fano, near Ancona, on the Adriatic coast.[38] The family coat of arms is featured in the compendium "Insignia Venetorum nobilium II (BSB Cod.icon. 272)" from the mid-16th century:[39]
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Coat of arms of the Toptani (1760) The Toptani were a wealthy land-owning family in Central Albania who ruled over the area in and around Tirana for the better part of the 19th century. Originally from Krujë, they would become one of the most powerful and influential families in all of Albania. Prominent members included Abdi and Murad, both signatories of the Declaration of Independence, the former having served as Minister of Finances in the Provisional Government and the latter being a distinguished sculptor and poet. Murad married into the Frashëri household a woman by the name of Asije, niece of Naim Frashëri. His brother, Refik, was chairman of the patriotic club "Bashkimi" and a participating delegate at the Congress of Manastir. Their father, Said (Seremedin Seid), was an intellectual in his own right, being a founding member of the Istanbul Committee, which advocated for an autonomous Albanian region within the Ottoman Empire. Essad Pasha served as Prime Minister and his brother Gani Bey was an Ottoman officer and adjutant of Sultan Abdülhamid II. Fuad served as mayor of Tirana. Sadije married Xhemal Pasha of the Zogolli clan, inherently becoming queen mother to the future King of Albania, Zog I. The family coat of arms appears in a scanned document from the 18th century and can be described as follows:
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Insignia of the Gjonmarkaj (19th century) The Gjonmarkaj were, until April 7, 1939, and the advent of Communism, the rulers of Mirdita. Hailing from the Dukagjini clan, one of the oldest and most powerful families of Albanian nobility, their ancestral tree diverged into three main branches: Prenk Pasha, Lleshi i Zi and Prenk Markola. Being inherent custodians of the Kanun, they commanded respect primarily as arbiters and administrators of justice, rather than rulers in the traditional sense. Prenk Bib Doda, from the Prenk Pasha branch, served as Minister of Foreign Affairs in Turhan Përmeti's government. Unfortunately, he left no heir and with his passing, that branch of the Gjonmarkaj died out altogether. The lineage of Lleshi i Zi continued through Kapidan Marka Gjoni, the leader of Mirdita's self-government, and his son Gjon Marka Gjoni. Major Prenk Gjonmarkaj, from Prenk Markola's branch, held the post of Deputy Minister of the Interior during the war.[40] The family's heraldic achievement is depicted in the 1980 monograph titled "La casa dei Gjomarkaj", published in Palermo by Maria Greco.[41]
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Albanian nobility
Austria–Hungary
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Coat of arms of the Skenderlics (1792) The Skenderlics were an Albanian family of merchants, established in Hungary during the 18th century. Their adopted coat of arms is described as follows:[42]
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Italian States
Serenisima
| Coat of arms | Description |
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Coat of arms of the Cocco (17th century) The Cocco were a Venetian patrician family, originally from Durazzo in Albania. Members of the Consilium, they faced exclusion from the Maggior Consiglio of 1297. Other family members held important ecclesiastical positions in the Stato da Màr. In 1565, Gaetano Cocco founded the Cocco College in Padua. After the fall of the Serenissima, their nobility received recognition from the imperial Habsburg government through Sovereign Resolutions on 11 November 1817. Their coat of arms is featured in a Florentine manuscript from the first half of the 17th century. The finely drawn illustration is followed by a detailed history of family events.[43] French chronicler Casimiro Freschot in his work "The Values of Venetian Nobility" sheds light on this family:[44]
The family coat of arms can be described as follows:
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Coat of arms of the Zaguri (1786) The Zaguri were a noble Albanian family[45][46][47][48] that settled in Venetia from Cattaro around 1646. Its progenitor, Trifone Zaguri, had excelled during the Ottoman-Venetian War. Another family patron, Pietro I Antonio (1733-1806) was a distinguished poet, senator and architect, who designed and financed the façade of the Church of San Maurizio.[49] Marco Zaguri served as bishop of Ceneda and Vicenza from 1777 until his passing in 1810. The family resided at Palazzo Zaguri, now a cultural center, converted into an exhibition space with temporary art shows. The coat of arms is described as follows:
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Albania Vèneta
| Coat of arms | Description |
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 1551 model   Querini's replica |
Coats of arms of the Angelo Flavio Comneno (1551–1680) For the Angeli family, their fabricated lineage purportedly linking them to the Byzantine imperial houses of the Angelos and Comnenos, for nearly two centuries served as a source of income, along with a variety of privileges that included land ownership and opoulos support from the Holy See.[50] Andrea (II) bolstered the family's claims to the Byzantine throne by publishing in 1551 his fictional antiquarian work "Genealogia d'imperatori romani et constantinopolitani et de regi prencipi et signori che da Isatio Angelo & Vespasiano...",[51] thereon, earning the approval of Pope Paul III. Despite a slew of papal bulls and documents recognizing their imperial lineage and granting them titles such as "Counts of Drivasto" and "Dukes of Durazzo", doubts persisted over their authenticity. As it was later revealed, the Angelis had resorted to forging rescripts in favor of their fictional ancestors, erroneously dating them to 1293, instead of the accurate period which coincided with Emperor Michael VIII Palaiologos' reign (1261–1282).[52] The legend of the Sacred Military Constantinian Order of Saint George arose in the latter half of 16th century Venice with this very family, whose descendants would for decades successfully exploit their "Byzantine myth", publishing fantastic literature on the history of the Order, awarding European aristocrats and granting them diplomas for priories and commanders in Cilicia, Cappadocia, Hierapolis and other exotic lands in exchange for money.
A later rendition of the coat of arms attributed to their namesake is in fact associated with the noble Querini family, as depicted in the 1671 work by Jacopo Zabarella, titled "Il Galba, overo Historia della sereniss. fameglia Quirina..." (p. 58)[53] |
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Coat of arms of the Crutta (1830) The last kings of Poland were represented at the Sublime Porte by the Albanian lineage of the Crutta, whose genealogy in all likelihood goes back farther than the diploma of «amplissima nobilitas», issued to them at the beginning of the 17th century by La Serenissima, while they were still serving as stratiotis in Antivari (Dulcigno), on the coast of the Adriatic. The Crutta brothers, Pierre and Antonio, entered the services of King Stanisław Poniatowski, after he had reorganized his diplomatic mission in the Levant. Together, they founded the Polish Oriental School of Istanbul and took part in the Kościuszko Uprising. The council meeting of 1775, in Warsaw, acknowledged their Venetian nobility and also granted them Polish nobility, that is to say... nativeness. Polyglots and men of letters, the Cruttas left behind several manuscripts related to philology. At the end of a very long and active career, after having survived the era of division within Poland and the Napoleonic Wars, Antonio Crutta passed away at the castle of Lewiczyn, in the home of his son-in-law, Count Bedlinski. His white marble tomb, decorated with the Venetian coat of arms of his family, survived with its Latin epitaph.[54]
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Coat of arms of the Mexa (1873) The Mexa were an Albanian family of merchants from Scutari.[55] The widow of one Petri Mexa is documented in the land registry of 1445, claiming property formerly endowed to her which had been granted to Vito Jonima, in compensation for his dwellings expropriated to build the barbican at the main entrance of the Mexa family stronghold. A faction of the family later settled in Cattaro and by 1449, gained a seat at the local council.[56] Their coat of arms is described as follows:
Giuseppe Valentini in his work "Sviluppi Onomastico–Toponomastici Tribali Delle Comunità Albanesi in Sicilia" published in 1955, attempts to establish a connection between the Mexa family of Dalmatia and the Messi tribe of Scutari that later settled in Sicilia:[57]
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Coat of arms of the Statutes of Scutari (1330–1469) The original manuscript of the Statutes of Scutari is inscribed on parchment and contains 40 pages. Positioned at the uppermost part is depicted the coat of arms of the city of Scutari.
An interpretation of the symbolism reveals a proud vulture, signifying the city's affluent past. The craving canine appears content with the bone it receives — a metaphorical representation of Scutari's subjugated state following the Ottoman conquest.[59] |
.svg) Ritter's model .svg) Galvani's model |
Coat of arms of Venetian Albania (1701–1884) A printed brochure presented in Cyrillic characters, from the work of Hristofor Žefarović, portrays the heraldic symbol of Albania in detail:[60]
This illustration was in fact borrowed from an earlier work by Paulo Ritter, published in 1701, and found at the University of Bologna archives, with the Latin inscription as follows:[61]
F.A.Galvani in his work "Il Re D'Armi di Sebenico", published in Venetia in 1884, presents a different variation of the coat of arms, depicting a red lion, described as such by Casimiro Freschot:[62]
Both illustrations are found in the 1873 catalog titled "Wappenbuch des Königreichs Dalmatien" by Carl Georg Friedrich Heyer von Rosenfeld.[63] |
Dalmatia
| Coat of arms | Description |
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Coat of arms of the Spani (14th century) The Spani were a noble Albanian family that emerged during the 14th century. Involved in trade, they gradually became major landowners.[64][65] A prominent member of this family was Nicolaus Spani who served as bishop in the island of Cursola (1673–1707).[66] Of possible Spanish lineage, as their name would suggest, a brief profile of their family origin is given in Du Cange's "Illyricvm Vetvs & Novum Sive Historia":[67]
The coat of arms of the Spani is described as follows:
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Coat of arms of the Luccari (1873) The Luccari migrated from Alessio to Ragusa in 914, mentioned in archival records as hailing from Lasia di Slabia. Konstantin Jireček notes the prevalence of the family name but provides no clarity on their origin.[68] In the antiquarian work "La Storia di Ravgia", reprinted in 1903, the Luccari are mentioned in page six as a family from Alessio in Albania.[69] Noteworthy members included Stefano de Lucaris, a Ragusan nobleman witnessing a power of attorney in 1407, and Giacomo, son of chronicler Pietro Luccari, who published a significant treatise in 1605, shedding light on Ragusa's history and its connection to Albanian events, including those involving Skanderbeg. Of particular interest is the reference to an obscure medieval author by the name of Angiolo di Drivasto, whom, alongside Marino di Scutaro, are cited by Luccari detailing an event in 1435 which recounts the expulsion of the Turks from Arbanon by Andrea Thopia.[70] |
.svg) Model 1 .svg) Model 2 |
Coats of arms of the Scura (1873) The name Scura is toponymically linked to the region between present-day Tirana and Durrës, documented by Marin Barleti as Scuria.[71] In 1294, Progron of Sgouro is mentioned as the restorer of the church of the Virgin Peribleptos in Ohrid. Marco Scura became archbishop of Durazzo in 1652.[72] The Dalmatian branch of the family likely originated from Dulcigno, as declared by Zuane, son of Zorzi, in a debt confession dated July 6, 1568. Geronima, daughter of Niccolo Scura and widow of captain Pietro of Cattaro, settled in Iadera in 1594. Reverend Dimitri was buried at the Lazzaretto on October 9, 1649. Georgio Scura, companion in arms of Michele Crutta, served as governor of the Epirotic fleet at the Battle of Candia, under the banner of the Serenissima.[73] A different branch of the family settled in Calabria, in the provincial town of Vaccarizzo Albanese. From here came Pasquale Scura, a prominent lawyer and attorney general who was appointed Minister of Grace and Justice in 1860 by then dictator Giuseppe Garibaldi. A narrow street located in the historic spanish quarter of Napoli bears his name. The Scura family coat of arms, in two illustrations, is depicted in Friedrich Heyer von Rosenfeld's "Wappenbuch des Königreichs Dalmatien", published in 1873.
The symbol of a lion rampant, found on a tombstone at the Monastery of St. Antonious in 1907 by Austrian consul Theodor Ippen, is speculatively attributed to the Scura and later included in the flag and coat of arms of Tirana. |
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Coat of arms of the Sorgo (1873) The Sorgo were one of the oldest noble families in Ragusa, mentioned in Serafino Razzi's 1595 work titled "La Storia di Ravgia" as a family from Redoni in Albania.[74] Legend has it that they derived their family name from having imported a large quantity of sorghum to Ragusa in times of famine, at the end of the 13th century. Aggregated to the sovereign patriciate in 1272, and later listed in the Gotha Almanac, they provided the Republic with several high ranking state officials and accomplished prose writers between the 14th and 15th centuries. Their nobility was recognized by the House of Habsburg in 1817, although the main branch became extinct by the late 19th century. The family coat of arms is featured in Friedrich Heyer von Rosenfeld's "Wappenbuch des Königreichs Dalmatien", published in 1873.
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Coat of arms of the Jura (1884) The Jura (Gjura) noble family were a branch of the princely Cernovichio family, well-documented in historical records for their extensive Albanian lineage[75] through matrimonial alliances with the Zaharia, Kastrioti, Arianiti, Thopia and Zaguri clans.[76] The Jura established their administrative center in and around the settlement of Gjuraj, in the rugged Scutari highlands. Following the Ottoman occupation of Albania, a faction of this family migrated to Sebenico, Dalmatia and later to Potenza, at the time part of the Neapolitan Republic. One notable member was Arbëresh poet Domenico di Giura (1801–1882) whose work Vjerrsha was republished by Ernest Koliqi in the 1964 edition of the magazine "Shejzat", issue no. 11–12, p. 505.[77] Also worthy of mention was the metropolitan archbishop Pjetër Gjura, who managed the Archdiocese of Tirana–Durrës from 1929 until 1939.[78] The family's coat of arms is elegantly depicted in a colored illustration found in the work by F. A. Galvani, titled "Il Re d'Armi di Sebenico" (Vol.1), published in 1884.[79]
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Istria
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Coat of arms of the Brati (16th century) The Brati were a noble Albanian family who settled in Capodistria during the 13th century, later attaining the prestigious title of Count, until their lineage ended in 1848. One Alberico Brati held the castle of S. Giorgio from 1251 until 1269, as a pledge from the patriarch Gregorio di Montelongo. By 1300, they were granted the estate of Trebezze as a fief from the Patriarch of Aquileia. Around 1338, the Brati came into possession of the castle of Sipar, eventually relinquishing it to the Rota of Momiano. In 1505, the family received the investiture of the fiefdoms of Covedo and Cristoiano from Bishop Bartolomeo Assonica. Paolo Brancaino, of the late Giovanni Brati, renounced the fiefdom of Castelli near San Servolo in 1539, placing it in the hands of the bishop of Trieste, Pietro Bonomo. Aggregated to the Noble Council on 28 April 1423, they were included in the Register of Nobles on 1 March 1431 with Gaspar de Bratis, as cited by Manzuoli (1611). Sardo Brati practiced typographic art with Panfilo Castaldi in 1461, while Michele served as mayor of Capodistria in 1491. The last family heir, Giovanni Antonio, a lawyer, married Maria Simonetti and was added to the Noble Council on 10 January 1802.[80]
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