Skanderbeg - Gjergj Kastrioti Skanderbeg

A national hero in Albanian history. He was from the Kastrioti family in Kanina, and his mother was the daughter of a powerful Serbian man. When his father's castle was occupied by the Turks, he was sent as a hostage to Constantinople (now Istanbul) at the age of 11, where he became a Muslim and was given the Turkish name Iskander. The Albanians later gave him the title of Bey and, with a slight change in pronunciation, called him Skanderbeg. He was assigned to the Turkish army in the Sanjak and fought against Venice and Serbia, but in 1443, when he heard of an Albanian uprising against the Turks, he decided to fight for the freedom of his people. He converted to Christianity, married the daughter of a powerful Albanian chief, and rallied the chiefs to fight against the Turks. Montenegro, Venice, Naples, and the Pope also supported him. In 1466, the Turkish Emperor Muhammad II personally led a large army to attack Skanderbeg, who was at a disadvantage and travelled to Rome to ask for help, dying in the Venetian town of Alessio on his way home.

[Kido Tsuyoshi]

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

アルバニア史上の民族英雄。カニナのカストリオティ家の出身で、母はセルビア人有力者の娘。父の居城がトルコに占領され、11歳で人質としてコンスタンティノープル（現イスタンブール）に送られ、イスラム教徒になり、トルコ名イスカンデルを与えられた。アルバニア人たちはのちに彼にベイの称号をつけ、音を多少変えてスカンデルベグとよんだ。サンジャクのトルコ軍に配属され、ベネチアやセルビアと戦ったが、1443年アルバニア人の対トルコ蜂起(ほうき)の報に接し、民族の自由のために戦う決意をした。キリスト教に改宗し、アルバニアの有力首長の娘を妻に迎え、首長たちを結集してトルコと戦った。モンテネグロ、ベネチア、ナポリ、ローマ教皇も彼を支援した。トルコ皇帝ムハンマド2世は1466年自ら大軍を率いてスカンデルベグを攻撃、劣勢の後者は支援を求めにローマを訪れ、帰国途上ベネチア領アレッシオで死去した。

［木戸　蓊］

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