Rare engraving/ This is how the Albanian flag was 540 years ago

"The Taking of Kruja by Mehmet II" is one of the engravings made by Jost Amman (1539-1591) that accompany Marin Barleti's work in volume III of the collection "Chronicles of the Turks" (Chronicorvm Tvrcicorvm) (1578) by Philippo Leonicero.

It is impressive how in the city that is burning and while the inhabitants are being slaughtered, in one of its towers the flag with the heraldic sign of the Kastriots, the black eagle with two heads, can still be seen flying, however sketched "in passing". Magnified, the mark leaves no room for doubt.

"The Taking of Kruja by Mehmet II" is one of the engravings made by Jost Amman (1539-1591) that accompany Marin Barleti's work in volume III of the collection "Chronicles of the Turks" (Chronicorvm Tvrcicorvm) (1578) by Philippo Leonicero.

It is impressive how in the city that is burning and while the inhabitants are being slaughtered, in one of its towers the flag with the heraldic sign of the Kastriots, the black eagle with two heads, can still be seen flying, however sketched "in passing". Magnified, the mark leaves no room for doubt.

(With the Albanian flag of 1478 around)

After the death of Skanderbeg, at the end of a resistance of more than a year of the garrison of Kruja, under the command of a Venetian (a Jacopo da Mosto, according to Romanini or a Piero Vettori, according to the Chronicle of Benedetto Dei), against a fierce siege , Kruja surrendered on June 15, 1478, starving.

During the handing over of the city, despite the conqueror's promise to let the inhabitants go free with their possessions, by order of the sultan it was done differently: the men were slaughtered, while the women and children were taken as slaves to be used in harems.

The exception was only a few rich people, who bought their lives by paying (Romanin, Storia documentata, IV, 379, ASV). Tursun-bey, the chronicler of Mehmet II, has thus "argued" this "punishment" of the defenders of the main fortress of Arbëria, Akça-Hisari, by the sultan: "The Father of Conquests had taken and subdued the entire territory of that fortress, as and had cut the roads through which the nozzles and the aids reach her from the land and the sea.

Until then, the accursed infidels were forced to eat dogs, cats and worms indiscriminately. Because the route taken in the case of the expedition against the fortress of Shkodra passed by, terrified by the possibility of an attack by the Ottoman army, the infidels agreed to surrender.

Por kur ishte e qartë se ata qenë dorëzuar ngaqë nuk kishin ç’të hanin, sulltan Mehmeti u shpreh i mendimit se mëshira nuk do të hynte aspak në punë. Ndaj dhe, si shpërblim për kokëfortësinë e tyre, mbështetur në fjalën që thotë se “fara është shkak për shtim”, të pafetë besëpakë vajtën t’i bënin shoqëri shpatës ndëshkimore dhe, për mrekulli të një aso shoqërie, skeletet e trupave të tyre u dyfishuan në numër” (Turgun-Beg, Târih-i ebül’feth, 169).

Për venedikasin Navagero komandanti i qytetit së toku me familjen u çuan skllevër në Kostandinopojë (Navagero, Storia, 1153).

Ndërsa, simbas gjenovezit Benedetto Dei: “U mor kështjella [e Krujës] më 5 të shtatorit dhe brenda ishte komandant dhe guvernator Piero Vettori, të cilit me urdhër të Turkut të Madh ia prenë të dyja duart…” (La Cronica dall anno 1400 all’ anno 1500, 87 verso).

Në “Shpalljen për pushtimin e Krujës”, lëshuar nga Mehmeti II fill mbas pushtimit të qytetit, ai nuk harronte të njoftonte: “Paskëtaj do të fillojë shkatërrimi i kishave, ndërtimi i medreseve, ndalimi i kambanave dhe prishja e ligjeve.

Brenda në zemrat e të pafeve, ku kishte bërë vend pabesia dhe mëkati, paskëtaj do të çelë burbuqja e besimit në një zot të vetëm…” (“Fetih-name-i Akçehisar”, nga “Burime osmane”, 382). Në qytetin e zbrazur u vendosën kolonë turq, ndërsa vetë qytetit iu ndërrua emri; deri në shek. XIX të krishterët do ta kishin të ndaluar, me ndëshkim vdekjeje, hyrjen natën në qytezë (Jire?ek, Albanien, 83). /Aurel Plasari