Lekë Zaharia

Lekë Zaharia (? – 1444), was an Albanian nobleman from Zaharia family. He was the only son of his father Koja Zaharia and mother Bosa who also had one daughter, Bolja, who named her son Koja after her father.[1][2]

Lekë Zaharia
Lord of Sati and Dagnum
Reign?—1444
HereditaryBosa (or Boša)
Full name
Lekë Zaharia Altisferi
Died1444
Noble familyZaharia family
FatherKoja Zaharia
MotherBosa

League of Lezhë

In 1444 he was one of the founders of League of Lezhë[3] which included some other members of Albanian nobility:

  1. Lekë Zaharia (lord of Sati and Dagnum) and his vassals Pal Dukagjin and Nikolla Dukagjini
  2. Pjetër Spani
  3. Lekë Dushmani
  4. Gjergj Stres Balsha with John and Gojko Balsha
  5. Andrea Thopia with nis nephew Tanush Thopia
  6. Gjergj Arianiti Thopia Comneni
  7. Theodor Korona Muzaka
  8. Stefan Crnojević with his sons

Leke's murder

According to Marin Barleti , in 1445 during the ceremony of the marriage of Skanderbeg sister Mamica Kastrioti, he had a dispute with Lekë Dukagjini. The reason of this dispute was a woman named Irene Dushmani, the heir of Dushmani family. She seemed to prefer Zaharia, while this was not accepted by Dukagjini. A skirmish happened and Lekë Dukagjini remained wounded, saved only by the intervention of Vrana Konti. Two years later, in 1447, Lekë Zaharia was killed in an ambush and Lekë Dukagjini was accused for this murder.

Original Venetian documents show that this murder happened in 1444.[4] According to Venetian chronicler Stefano Magno it was Nicholas Dukagjin, Zaharia's vassal, who killed Lekë Zaharia in the battle, not Lekë as stated by Marin Barleti.[5] Stefano Magno also stated that, before he died, Lekë Zaharia expressed his wish that his properties should be handed over to Venetian Republic.[6]

Aftermath

Having left no heirs, the fortress of Dagnum was claimed from Skanderbeg in the name of League of Lezhë, whose Lekë Zaharia was a participant. However, his mother surrendered the castle to the Venice Republic. This events triggered the Albanian Venetian war which lasted two years. In the end the castle of Dagnum remained in Venetian hands toward an annual tribute to Skanderbeg.[7]

Family tree
Koja ZahariaBoža
Balša III
Petar Pavlović or Petar Vojsalić		BoljaLeke ZahariaDaughter (unknown name)Đurašević
Kojadaughter1daughter2

References
  1. Ostrogorsky, George (1951), Pronija : prilog istoriji feudalizma u Vizantiji i u juznoslovenskim zemljama (in Serbo-Croatian), Belgrade: Serbian Academy of Science and Arts, p. 172, OCLC 162891544, retrieved 20 January 2012, ...које је био посадио Која Захарија, па чак и сама његова удовица Боса. Још је занимљивије да се удовица Боса,...
  2. Božić, Ivan (1979), Nemirno pomorje XV veka (in Serbian), Beograd: Srpska književna zadruga, p. 364, OCLC 5845972, Члановима породице Леке Закарије — мајци Боши, сестри Бољи и његовом сестрићу Који... pp. 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"
  3. Gjergj Kastrioti Skënderbeu, 1405-1468 Volume 4 of (Vepra të plota) / Fan S(tylian) Noli, Fan Stylian Noli Author Fan Stylian Noli Publisher Naim Frashëri, 1967 p. 84
  4. Schmitt, Oliver Jens (2001), Das venezianische Albanien (1392-1479), München: R. Oldenbourg Verlag GmbH München, p. 300, ISBN 3-486-56569--9, In ein Aktenstück von Januar 1445 inseriert ist eine Urkunde des Skutariner Grafen Francesco Querini vom 18. Septembar 1443, in der Lekas witwe Bozha, seiner Tochter Bolja und derren sohnchen Koja einge Dorfer aus Lekas baština und eine pension...
  5. Božić, Ivan (1979), Nemirno pomorje XV veka (in Serbian), Beograd: Srpska književna zadruga, p. 364, OCLC 5845972, 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
  6. Božić, Ivan (1979), Nemirno pomorje XV veka (in Serbian), Beograd: Srpska književna zadruga, p. 364, OCLC 5845972, Према причању Стефана Мања, и сам Лека Захарија је, пре но што ће умрети, изразио жељу да се његови поседи предају Млечанима.
  7. Gjergj Kastrioti Skënderbeu, 1405-1468 Volume 4 of (Vepra të plota) / Fan S(tylian) Noli, Fan Stylian Noli Author Fan Stylian Noli Publisher Naim Frashëri, 1967 p. 90-92
Regnal titles
Preceded by
Koja Zaharia		 Lord of Sati and Dagnum
before 1442–1444		 Succeeded by
Bosa (or Boša) Zaharia
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