Gojko Balšić

Gojko Balšić or Gojko Balsha (Serbian: Гојко Балшић, Albanian: Gojko Balsha,[2] Latin: Coico Balsa; fl. 1444) and his brothers George Strez and John were the lords of Misia, a coastal area from the White Drin towards the Adriatic. The brothers were members of the house of Balšić, which earlier held the Lordship of Zeta. They participated in founding the League of Lezhë, an alliance led by their maternal uncle Gjergj Kastrioti Skanderbeg. Gojko supported Skanderbeg until the latter's death in 1468, and then continued to fight against the Ottomans within Venetian forces.

Gojko Balšić
Lord of Misia[1]
Coat of arms
Diedafter 1468
Noble familyBalšić
SpouseKomnina Arianiti
Issue
Maria of Muro
FatherPavle Balšić
MotherJela Kastrioti
OccupationMember of the League of Lezhë (1444-?)

Family

There are two views of his genealogy. According to Gjon Muzaka and Karl Hopf, Ivan (John, Gjon) and Gojko Strez Balšić were in fact children of Vlajka Kastrioti and Stefan Strez who was a son of Đurađ Balšić, an illegitimate child of Đurađ I Balšić.[3][4] According to Fan Noli, Gojko had two brothers (George Strez and Ivan), both children of Jela Kastrioti[5] and Pavle Balšić. Both views confirm that Gojko was Skanderbeg's nephew.[5][6]

Gojko married Komnina, a daughter of Gjergj Arianiti.[7] According to Gjon Muzaka, they had two sons and one daughter, Maria. The sons died in Hungary.[8] Muzaka stated that Maria married the Count of Muro and had two daughters, Beatrice and Isabel. Beatrice, married Prince Ferdinand Orsino, Duke of Gravina while Isabel, married Lord Louis of Gesualdo, Count of Conza.[8]

Biography

Gojko and his brothers were lords of Misia, a coastal area from the White Drin towards the Adriatic.[1] The three Balšić brothers joined the League of Lezhë, an alliance formed by their maternal uncle Skanderbeg, after meeting in the St. Nicholas Church in Lezhë on March 2, 1444. The members included Lekë Zaharia, Peter Spani, Lekë Dushmani, Andrea Thopia, Gjergj Arianiti, Theodor Musachi, Stefan Crnojević, and their subjects.[A] Skanderbeg was elected its leader, and commander in chief of its armed forces numbering a total of 8,000 warriors.[9][10]

Gojko's brother George cancelled his support to Skanderbeg after a while, while Gojko and John supported Skanderbeg until his death in 1468.[5] After Skanderbeg's death Gojko and John Balšić together with Leke, Progon and Nicholas Dukagjini, continued to fight for Venice.[11]

Annotations
  1. ^
    League of Lezhe:[12][13][14]

References
  1. Gopčević 1914, pp. 74-75: "in Misia"
  2. Turcica. Association pour le développement des études turques. 1999. p. 298. Retrieved 14 May 2012.
  3. Gopčević 1914, p. 460
    Bezüglich der Strez herrscht Verwirrung. Hopf macht Ivo und Gojko BalSid zu Söhnen des Stefan Strez, welcher Vlajka Kastriota geheiratet hätte und Sohn des Gjuragj Balšić gewesen wäre, eines Bastards des Gjuragj I.
  4. Musachi 1515, texts 16-18 Archived September 10, 2010, at the Wayback Machine
    To the fourth sister, Lady Vlaica, who was married to Lord Balsha, was born John and Coico Balsha.
  5. Noli 1947, p. 208
    Scanderbeg had three Balsha nephews from his sister Yella. Of these only George Stresi Balsha betrayed him, while the two others, John and Gioka, served him loyally to the end
  6. Spandouginos-Nicol, p. 96: "Iella, who married Paul Balša"
  7. Slijepčević 1983, p. 40: "Комнина за Гојка.Балшића"
  8. John Musachi (1515), Brief Chronicle on the Descendants of our Musachi Dynasty Archived September 10, 2010, at the Wayback Machine
  9. Fox, Robert (1993), The inner sea: the Mediterranean and its people, Alfred A. Knopf, p. 195
  10. Vlora, Ekrem Bey (1956), The Ruling Families of Albania in the pre-Ottoman Period in: Contributions to the History of Turkish Rule in Albania: an Historical Sketch, archived from the original on 2011-11-24
  11. Schmitt 2001, p. 297
    die Skanderbegs Personlichkeit gelassen hatte, nicht zu füllen. Deshalb muste Venedig wie in den Jahrzehnten vor Skanderbeg mit einer Vielzahl von Adligen zusammenarbeiten; neben Leka, Progon und Nikola Dukagjin gehörten zu dieser Schicht auch Comino Araniti, wohl derselbe, der 1466 Durazzo überfallen hatte; die Söhne von Juani Stexi, di Johann Balsha, Machthaber zwischen Alessio und Kruja; Gojko Balsha und seine söhne der woiwode Jaran um Kruja (1477), und auch der mit seinem Erbe überforderte Johann Kastriota.
  12. Noli 1947, p. 36
  13. Božić 1979, p. 364
    Никола Дукађин убио је Леку Закарију. Према млетачком хроничару Стефану Мању убио га је "у битки" као његов вазал. Мада Барлеције погрешно наводи да је убиство извршио Лека Дукађин
  14. 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
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