Armorial of Albania

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PÀTRON TRÀNTI SŁÀDIGNÀO
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VSOÑIÀFIERI MEM̃TOð FÀMVLOTOIð
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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]

Blazon: The coat of arms measures 49 cm in height and 47 cm in length, forming an almost square. It features three stars with a small, somewhat indistinct ornament in the center, which is no longer clearly recognizable. The shape of the shield is unevenly curvy.

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]

Blazon: A tombstone walled in is displayed above the right apse of the small church, immediately to the left, behind the gate to the upper town. Measuring at a height of approximately 0'70" and a width of 0'45", it is crafted from grey-blue limestone, with fractures at the top. Within a recessed field, a downturned wreath surrounds an erased inscription.

Blazon: Featuring a slightly compressed circular design with diameters measuring 63.5 cm and 62 cm, it boasts a thickness of 8 cm. While the rear surface is intended for plastering, the front is meticulously treated for visibility. The central focal point of the coat of arms presents a raised relief depiction of a two-headed eagle, standing 21 cm tall and 19.5 cm wide. The eagle is encircled by four molded plastic strips, each measuring 4.3 cm in height and 5.3 cm in width, which seem to symbolize stylized snakes. The entire coat of arms is enclosed by a plastic border, measuring 3.5–4 cm in width and 0.4–0.5 cm in height.

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]

It reads:

SEPVLIVRA..
ANTONIO SO...
CVMEREDES SVO.
Sepu[lt]u[ra]..
Antonio So...
cum ere[d]es suo.

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.

Blazon: The coat of arms, measuring 850x152x150 mm in size, features a lion rampant (or possibly a panther) raised on two hind legs. In the upper right corner is displayed a lily. Two cords dangle from the sides, ending with a lily at each end.

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.

The symbols in the Angevin coat of arms are attributed to his grandson and future heir, Philip I, Prince of Taranto.

Blazon: Azure, a bend Argent running across six fleurs-de-lis Or, a label Gules.

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.

Blazon: The shield, presumed to be Or, displays an eagle Sable with wings spread wide, cradled by an angel. The helm, affixed to a crest, Or within, Sable without, is raised at both ends and bound by a ribbon, surmounted by a crowned eagle.

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]

Blazon: Argent, a tower embattled of three turrets, surmounted by a crowned bicephalous eagle Sable, all within a crest coronet of the same.

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]

...from Venetiis, fifteen papal gold ducats in gold, for the value of nine bottons of gold and certain fringes which he gave, to be placed on a certain coat of cream-shaven zetanine, that our lord Pope recently ordered to be gifted to the great lord Johanni Cernovich of Albania, who helped defend the besieged city of Scutari from the Turks –

Ibid., fol. 182 r°.

1475. 4 February.

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]

Their coat of arms is depicted in the 17th century Fojnica Armorial, alongside that of the Kastrioti. It features a mantle Gules that unfolds into the form of a shield, centered by a crowned double-headed eagle Sable.^[19]

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.

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]

Blazon: A mantle Gules, enfolded, accentuated by an eight-pointed star Argent, atop, a castle Azure, ornamented with a crown Or, resting upon which a canine head Sable, protruding its tongue Gules, under a banner with the inscription BAOXICHC.

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]

Blazon: The coat of arms consists of a shield, placed crookedly on the lower right corner and split lengthways; the right side is quartered, bearing corresponding symbols: a disk bisected by two diameters converging at right angles, flanked by two crosses above and below; the left side of the shield showing a field sown with lilies, across which a diagonal strip runs from right to left.

The shield is surmounted by a tournament helm, from where helm covers hang on both sides, ornamented with lilies. On the helm, rests a rectangle cushion on which a lion, protruding its tongue, sits upright, crowned with three ostrich feathers.

Three lines are inscribed on the upper left corner and two more a little further down, engraved in old greek, as follows:

ετουτα τα σηฟαδια αυΟεντου ฟεΥα ........ Καρλα Θοπηα.
English translation: These are the symbols of the great Karl Thopia.

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]

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 [sq], 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]

Surrounding the seal, the inscription in a circular motion reads: GEORGIVS CASTRIOTVS SCENDARBIGO. Positioned symmetrically above the eagle's arms are the letters: D AL (DOMINVS ALBANIAE), signifying "Lord of Albania," the noble title of Skanderbeg.

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]

Blazon: Gules, a shield couched, charged with a crowned bicephaleous eagle displayed Sable, surmounted by a triangular pile Azure, thereon a hexagram Or.

First mentioned in "Breve Memoria De Li Discendenti De. Nostra Casa Musachi", republished in 1873 by Karl Hopf, the family coat of arms is described in pages 278–279:^[35]

The emblem of our dynasts since ancient times has been a flowing fountain which drifts in two streams, on opposite ends. This fountain of Epirus, for which many authors have written about, douses a lit torch while sparking an unflamed one. As you know, we have cherished this fountain ever since old times for undertakings and ceremonies. Later, our family adopted the two-headed eagle, crowned with a star in the center. The emblem of your mother's – who comes from the Dukagjini line of nobility – is a white eagle.

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.^[36]

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.

In the monograph by Rosario Jurlaro titled "I Musachi despoti d'Epiro: in Puglia a salvamento", the coat of arms can be described as follows:^[37]

Blazon: A central 'heart' motif, featuring a flowing fountain on both ends, accompanied by a torch. The 'heart' crest is enclosed within a larger embattled crest, surmounted by a helm facing forward.

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.^[38]

The family coat of arms is featured in the compendium "Insignia Venetorum nobilium II (BSB Cod.icon. 272)" from the mid-16th century:^[40]

Blazon: Azure, a bicephalous eagle Sable, centered within.

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:

Blazon: A wooden baluster embellished with a floral bouquet, accompanied by a dexter horse rampant and a sinister lion rampant guardant.

The Suma family solidified its power through an alliance with the Balichien family, an ancient and prominent house originally known as Kanina, which gained fame during the time of Skanderbeg.

They held dominion over chifliks such as Bussanti, Saccoli, Barbalussi, Buzigierbeni, Giubani, Genoçi, Trumsi, Diacondita, Pulagni, parts of Sfaccia, Marcouichi, and much of Albania from the Drino River, extending into the Alps in Plava, Gjakova, and Bihor.^[41]

The coat of arms of the dalmatian branch of the family^[42] is depicted in the 1873 catalog titled "Wappenbuch des Königreichs Dalmatien" by Carl Georg Friedrich Heyer von Rosenfeld.^[43]

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.^[44]

The family's heraldic achievement is depicted in the 1980 monograph titled "La casa dei Gjomarkaj", published in Palermo by Maria Greco.^[45]

Blazon: An isotoxal octagon featuring a bicaphelous eagle Sable, illuminated by radiant lines emanating from within.

Naum obtained the fief of Moroda near Arad and in 1839 received citizenship rights. The Derra, whose linguistic surname means pigs in Albanian, were linked through marriage with the Sina and Popovics-Mocsonyi families.^[46]

Blazon: Quartererd. 1° and 4°, Argent, a caduceus in pale; 2° and 3°, Azure, a ship under full sail Argent on natural waves, sailing to dexter in the 2° and to sinister in the 3°. Crest: On a helmet affronté Argent, crowned Or with four grilles of the same, tarred three-quarters to dexter, with lambrequins [tinctures unspecified].

Their adopted coat of arms is described as follows:^[47]

Blazon: Per pale, dexter, Or, an eagle displayed upon a field of sand; sinister, Gules, a tower Argent, crenellated and pierced with an open door and two windows, settled on a natural rocky terrace; in base, Vert, three wavy and conjoined fesses, all within a bordure Argent, the outer fesses narrower, the central fess Azure and broader, charged with a crescent Argent between two mullets of six points Or. The shield is surmounted by a helm Argent, crowned Or, with five bars of the same, in perspective, adorned with mantling Azure and Argent to the right, and Gules and Argent to the left.

Blazon: The coat of arms is quartered, hatched with vertical and horizontal lines, bisected by a slanted chevronny bend running across; a shield as its centerpiece featuring a double-headed eagle, crowned on each side; bursting over large ground, on opposite quadrants, a knight in armor dons an iron helm embellished with three ostrich feathers, raising his right hand, holding a sword with a cross handle, and his left one, holding the reins of the white horse; the whole surmounted by a royal crown.

On February 24, 1819, Isak Gyra (b.1782 – d. September 17, 1831), son of Demetrio-Anastase, who owned the estate of Hauskirchen, was elevated to the rank of Lord in the States of Upper Austria by Emperor Francis I. One of Isak’s daughters, Katerina, married Simon-Georg Sina, a prominent merchant of Aromanian origin.

The latter generation of the family moved away from trade to managing their estates in Austria and Hungary, which led to a decline in their fortunes. Some members married into prominent Orthodox families, including the Barons Duka of Kadar, the Dadany of Gyulvesz, and the Ratz von Ehrenstädten, all of whom held estates in southern Hungary and had been ennobled at the end of the 18th century. The Gyra family became extinct around the time of World War I, though they remained active on the Board of Directors of the Orthodox Church in Vienna until then.^[50]

Blazon: Quartered. At 1° sinople with an annulet Argent, at 2° Azure with a sheaf of wheat, Or: at 3° Azure with a house and a church au naturel resting on a terrace of sinople; at 4° Or, with a sailing ship sailing on an Azure sea. Two crests: 1 as for the coat of arms of 1792, and 2, the sheaf of wheat. Lambrequins of sinople and Argent, and of Azure and Or.

After the fall of La Serenìssima, 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.^[51]

French chronicler Casimiro Freschot in his work "The Values of Venetian Nobility" sheds light on this family:^[52]

Durazzo in Albania, famed for Cicero's exile, who met with officious support there, is known as the ancestral birthplace of this House. Migrating to the Island shortly after its foundation, while enjoying the Tribunate, they consistently held a respected position among the nobles. The family remained within the Patriciate in 1297, with Antonio Cocco commanding galleys in the Levant army under the Principality of Pietro Ziani; as Francesco, held supreme command of the fleet.

The family coat of arms can be described as follows:

Blazon: Per fess, Or and Argent, three bars Azure.

The coat of arms is described as follows:

Blazon: Argent, a crowned escutcheon hatched perpendicularly, charged with a human face blindfolded.

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...",^[59] 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).^[60]

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.

Blazon: Within a scroll oval shield, a crowned double-headed eagle displayed, carrying an additional shield, bearing an angel raising a palm frond; the circlet around the shield bears the inscription: DEVS EST TOTI OPERIS AC MVNDI PRÆSVL DOMINIO REGITAE E NICHIL MICHI DEERIT; the whole surmounted by an angel proper, crowned, dexter hand grasping a palm frond, sinister hand holding a globus cruciger.

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)^[61]

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.^[62]

Located in the north-western part of the parish cemetery in Lewiczyn, an obelisk carved in sandstone, in the form of a Doric column, rises, topped with an urn, partially covered by a spire, decorated in a vine garland. Above the epitaph inscription that describes the names of Antoni Krutta (d.1812) and that of his daughter, Eliza – married to general Wojciech Piotr Bedliński – there are two precisely carved coats of arms.

A faction of the family later settled in Cattaro and by 1449, gained a seat at the local council.^[64]

Their coat of arms is described as follows:

Blazon: Per fess hatched with horizontal lines, a dexter closed rock pigeon, atop a bend charged with dots, beneath two six-pointed stars, likewise charged with dots; surmounted by a shield bearing a cross pattée, welded on the left side, crowned by a coronet adorned with three ostrich feathers; the whole surrounded by an ermine filigree.

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:^[65]

The Messi would follow, as Sufflay suspects, forming a tribe in the Middle Ages (Mesha?); certainly a «sevastus Petrus Messia» or «Misie» appears among the Albanian dynasts or «barons» in negotiations with the Kingdom of Naples in 1272 and 1274; numerous «Mesia, Messa, Messi» are mentioned in the Scutarino Land Registry of 1416–17; a Petri Mexa of Scutari is remembered in 1445 and a Vucha Messi figures in 1614 as head of the village of Muriqi near Scutari; the old oponomastics among historians and chroniclers sometimes present us with a region called Mysia, corresponding to Matja and the region of Croja, and by them connected to the ancient toponym of Moesia but with very little foundation indeed, nevertheless, this sheds light on the name of that sebastus first mentioned above; for the others, the comparison with the toponym of Mesi near Scutari, already known in 1416–17 ("villa clamada Messi"), is valid.

Blazon: The coat of arms features a scudo-shaped design, within which rests a double-headed eagle Or, adorned with royal crowns on each head, set against a background Azure; on the lower half, three five-leafed rosettes Sable, set against a background Or. Above the heraldic image, from the left, a one-headed eagle Sable, standing on a headwear Sable, with outstretched wings and an open beak, distinguished by a thin tongue Gules; from the right, a canine Argent, standing on a headwear Sable, clenching on a bone, a banner Argent with the inscription FATIS•CEDO• (Latin: Fate yielded), hovering above; the whole, decorated with florals Gules Azure Or.^[66]

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.^[67]

Blazon: Encompassing a semi-round shield, a landscape Vert with a base composed of three steps is displayed. Ascending from the landscape stands a large tower with a vaulted entrance Argent, set against a backdrop Azure. Positioned atop the tower's parapet, three turrets are shown, of which the central one is the tallest and crenelated, each tower having two sealed windows, all rendered Argent. The shield is surmounted by a regal crown.

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:^[69]

The old White Castles bestowed their names upon the Kingdom:
Renewing the wealth of the Kingdom of Castriotes akin to thieves of old,
Slightly nourished the King and his grandfather's realm:
Undoubtedly, white was a perilous color.

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:^[70]

Blazon: A lion rampant Gules, with feathered tail and tongue, standing on one hind leg, with forepaws raised, all within a semi-round shield Argent.

Both illustrations are found in the 1873 catalog titled "Wappenbuch des Königreichs Dalmatien" by Carl Georg Friedrich Heyer von Rosenfeld.^[71]

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":^[75]

SPANORUM IN ALBANIA STEMMA

The anonymous author of the deeds of the great Scanderbego, is of the constant opinion among the Albanians, that the Spaniorum derived their origin from Hispania, and to that extent from the family of the great Theodosii.

Andreas Spanus, duke and count of Drivastensis, married Agnete Arianitæ, the daughter of Comnenus.

The coat of arms of the Spani is described as follows:

Blazon: Per fess, Argent and Azure, Chief: an arm vested Gules, brandishing a sword Argent hilted Or; Base: Azure, three roses in full bloom Gules, arranged 2 by 1.

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.^[77] 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.^[78]

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 La Serenìssima.^[81]

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.

Blazon (1): A bird close Sable, resting upon a helm, surmounted by bovine horns; a fess embellished with perpendicular lines, displaying in the upper half a bird close Sable and in the lower half a tower crenelated with three battlements and a tall entryway.

Blazon (2): A bicephaleous eagle displayed Sable, within a curved shield, surmounted by a dexter-facing helm, wings elevated and addorsed.

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.

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.

Blazon: A bendy shield, affixed to a helm welded sinister, displaying a cross pattée, enveloped by wing-shaped leaves, crowned with three pine cones in bloom.

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.^[85] Luigi Giura designed the first suspension bridge in continental Europe, in 1832, and briefly served as Minister of Public Works in Garibaldi's government, alongside other Arbëresh luminaries, Francesco Crispi and Pasquale Scura. Metropolitan archbishop Pjetër Gjura managed the Archdiocese of Tirana–Durrës from 1929 until 1939.^[86]

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.^[87]

Blazon: Per fess, Or and Azure, a goat rampant Argent standing on its hind legs.

On March 1, 1431, Hieronymus Albanensis was the first of the Albanese family to enter the list of titular nobility. The influence of this family and others, led to the naming of a street in the city called “Calle Albanese”, situated between today's Kettejeva and Santorijeva streets, along the garden of the Servite Monastery, which later became Koper's maternity hospital.^[88]

Blazon: Per pale Azure and Gules, a lion rampant Or, armed and langued Argent, holding in its sinister paw a sword of the same.

Johann Siebmacher classifies the Borisi as counts of Albania in his «grosses und allgemeines Wappenbuch», republished in 1857.^[89]

The family eventually settled in Capodistria, where they gained admission to the Major Council on May 1, 1620, with Bernardo having served as general marshal, commanding the troops of the Prince of Transylvania and Moravia. By 1725, they were listed in the Istrian nobility register, bearing the title of Count. The Borisi also produced skilled diplomats. Marc’Antonio achieved the rank of grand dragoman at the Sublime Porte in 1594. Giacinto held the position of secretary to the general captains of the sea, in 1690.

Among the wealthiest families in Istria, they held the castle of Loc in Carniola, and subsequently acquired the fief of Fontane, between Parenzo and Rovigno, which included the localities of Acquadizza, Monte Pighera, and Scoglio Riviera.

By the end of the eighteenth century, Count Pietro held the civic office of superintendent of Via Dolfina, the road connecting Capodistria to Trieste, a vital communication route between Venetian and Austrian territories.^[90]

Some members of the family also made significant contributions to Italian theater, notably Carlo, an actor known for his performances in Venetian dialect. Captain Ferdinando managed the Trieste shipping company "Tripcovich" in 1915. The last heir of the Borisi family name, Giuseppe, passed away in the late 1960s.

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.^[91]

Blazon: The family coat of arms, with tinctures often depicted in Gules and Argent, features a quintessential chevrony bend, found in bas-relief on the facade of their 16th century manor.^[92]

Messer Traiano was a Conservator (one of the three city councillors), who had his residence, today known as Palazzo Alicorni, erected in Borgo, not far from Piazza del Popolo, at the beginning of the sixteenth century. He left behind two sons, Giovanni Battista and Fabius, who were both appointed knights by the Pope. On July 3, 1584, Giovanni sold the palace to the French cardinal Matteo Contarelli, Datario of Pope Gregory XIII (r. 1572–85). The lineage ended at the dawn of the 20th century with Francesco, the last male heir of Traiano.

The family coat of arms is featured in Stemmario Cremosano, dating from the 17th century:

Blazon: Azure, a unicorn couchant Argent, resting on a hay stock Or, over a mound Vert.

Its most famous patron, Giovanni Francesco Albani (Pope Clement XI) was crowned head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 23 November 1700 until his death on 19 March 1721.

Other notable members included Orazio Albani (1717 † 1792), who became prince of Soriano al Cimino and was recognized within the Neapolitan patriciate of Seggio di Portanova. Gian Francesco Albani (Rome, 1720 † therein, 1803), great-grandson of Pope Clement XI, held various ecclesiastical offices and in 1747 was appointed cardinal.

The symbols in the family's coat of arms were acceded to the papal coat of arms, later found in the engraving work of Filippo Juvarra (c.1722), after designs by Francesco Fontana.^[93]

Blazon: Azure, a fess Or, accompanied in chief by a mullet of the same, and in base by a mount with three peaks Vert.

The sculpted image of the papal coat of arms is found at the Cortile del Belvedere in the Vatican and the Fontana del Pantheon in Rome.

One notable heir, Giovanni Matranga, was under the services of King Martino, from whom he obtained in compensation the territory of Morgana and the office of royal provisioner in the city of Castrogiovanni, wherein his lineage was consolidated by 1391. His son, Giacomo, would later acquire the fiefdom of Mantica, as evidenced from a medieval epitaph on his tomb, located in the church of S. Caterina of the said city. The family lineage met its end with Giacomo III around 1513.^[95]

The Matranga coat of arms is described as follows:^[96]

Blazon: A shield Vert, featuring a sinister arm embowed, while grasping a sword Argent in pale, with a crescent of the same in dexter chief.

Steffano served as cardinal and archbishop of Genoa for almost three decades. Giacomo was appointed ambassador in the Viennese court. Marcello ceded the island of Corsica to the Kingdom of France, in the Treaty of Versailles. The Durazzos resided at Villa Lo Scoglietto.

Blazon: The ancestral crest of the Durazzo is frequently rendered upon a 17th century escutcheon of the scroll variant. Set against a field Azure, and embellished by bands Argent Gules, with a trine of fleurs-de-lis Or, arranged in succession.^[98]

Blazon: The insignia Gules to the left features the cross potent of Saint Elena surrounded by two 8-pointed stars Argent – an heraldic image borrowed by Emperor Constantine – when he departed Rome and travelled through Dyrrachium to reside in Constantinople. Below the fess shield, a crowned porcupine Or, is displayed in dexter position, the whole a gift by his Majesty King Louis XII of France, who had invested Bua with the honorary title Count de Rocha-Seccha and Aquino (MDV).

The insignia Azure to the right, with the eagle Or displayed in dexter position, belongs to the Despot of Argyrokastron, whose realm bears the symbols of the House of Bua.

The wavy insignia Azure and Or, on the lower left, which highlights the coat of arms of the Duke of Milan, was a gift by Lord Ludovico Sforza who himself had invested Bua with the military title Captain of the Leggeri Cavalry (MCCCCLXXXXVIIII).

The insignia Mur of four reptiles (bisse) Vert with a hand holding them as one, was worn in antiquity by Pyrrhus of Epirus and all those who were of his true lineage.

As the centerpiece, a trefoil Azure shows a crowned griffin Or with a pearl on its chest and a diamond in hand. A gift by his Majesty Emperor Maximilian I, who had invested Bua with the predicated title Count of Ilaz and Suave.

Tarentum in the times of Magna Graecia was famous for the glory of its armies, in their plight against the Lucanians, the Bruttians, the Samnites, the Messapians and the Sallentini, all under Roman command. To counter this existential threat, the Tarentinians and their allies requested military aid from the Epirotes, led by King Pyrrhus, who arrived with an army of more than 25,000 soldiers.

The subsequent waves of Albanian migration did not boast of the remnants of such prodigious antiquity and were of a later origin, emerging in times gone by. Therefore, we are inclined to believe that the introduction of their language to this region should be attributed towards the first half of the 16th century, more specifically to the year 1530... when, many noble families of Albania, having abandoned their homeland to escape Ottoman tyranny, migrated to Apulia, under the protection of the catholic king Ferranto of Aragon and his successor. Among these families were the Basta, from which came the famous warrior, leader of armies and valiant writer of learned works, Georgio Basta, a branch of whose family came to settle here and held dominion over several fiefdoms such as San Martino, Monteparano, Civitella.. etc.^[100]

The coat of arms of Albania Sallentina is depicted in an 1803 atlas, conceived in the form of a seal by Canon Giuseppe Pacelli of Manduria, whose name is inscribed in the outer circlet of the oval base.

Blazon: A crowned bicephalous eagle within an oval shield, bearing the inscription: IOSEPHUS CANONICUS PACELLI MANDURIENSIS. Other elements include an eight-pointed star or a sun at the top; a smaller oval shield centered over the eagle's chest, displaying two turrets (or seats) parted by a river.

Listed in the Barons of Terra del Lavoro in 1239, they obtained numerous privileges and fiefdoms, including Cantalupo, Montagano, Oppido, Palma, Roccaguadagna, Santangelo, among others.

Their family coat of arms is depicted in the 1876 biographical work titled "Memorie delle Famiglie Nobili delle Province Meridionali d'Italia (vol.3)" by Count Berardo Candida-Gonzaga.^[101]

Blazon: Per fess Argent and Azure, a bicephalous eagle displayed Sable; below, a lion rampant Or, charged on its head with a four-pointed label of the same; in base Gules, a bend Or from which three bendlets of the same issue.

Blazon: The shield is parted, in the first Argent, a dexter arm proper holding a bundle of wheat Or; in the second Azure, a balance Or placed fesswise between two mullets of the same.

Nicola Staffa, as head of the colony of seven families, among them: the Candreva, Fionda, Gliossi, Manes, Musacchio, and Scuragreco, founded the calabrian town of Falconara Albanese.^[104]

Blazon: Or, of roe deer Gules, charged with three mullets Argent, each of six rays.

Blazon: The rich decorative elements bear the distinctive mark of the engraver lita. The coat of arms features at the top a royal crown, holding in place a scepter and a sword, in a chiasmic pattern. Beneath it, a shield capped with a fleur-de-lis displays a crowned bison's head centered within, symmetrically flanked by a sun in splendour to the left and a crescent moon face to the right. Cyrillic lettering encircle each side.

Prince Vasile Lupu traces his roots to the lesser-known Coci family, who had settled in Wallachia in the early 16th century, having migrated there from the Albanian settlement of Arbanasi, according to some sources.^{[106][107][108]}

The coat of arms is accompanied by the following poem:

A noteworthy member of this family, influential writer and feminist Elena Ghica (pen name: Dora d'Istria) emblematized the Albanian national cause during the Renaissance period. Another family scion, Albert Ghica, a pretender to the Albanian throne, garnered recognition for his involvement during the Congress of Trieste and for providing monetary support to the Albanian Colony of Bucharest. The family coat of arms is described as follows:

Blazon: The quartered shield (likely marked during the reign of Alexandru II Ghica) is secured by a barred helm, seen from afront and surmounted by a princely bonnet of three ostrich feathers; the upper half features six pairs of pointed spearheads, resembling teardrops; the lower left quadrant displays an eagle with wings expanded and lowered, grasping a cross on its beak while resting upon a branch; the opposite side depicts a bison's head in profile – the whole enveloped under a cloak, lined in ermine and adorned with pompoms.

The coat of arms shown here is a reproduction from a lithograph found in the 1873 book "Gli Albanesi in Rumenia", which chronicles the history of the Ghica family.^[109] A later variant of the coat of arms is portrayed in a painting by George Demetrescu Mirea.

Blazon: The family's heraldic achievement features two lions rampant as supporters, each standing on their hind legs and facing one another, with a perpendicular sword held aloft. Unfortunately, details regarding the tinctures of the blazon remain unknown.

An illustration of their coat of arms is first encountered alongside that of the Kastrioti in Du Cange's 1680 publication "Historia Byzantina duplici commentario illustrata: Prior familias ... Imperatorum Constantinopol. ... complectitur alter descriptionem urbis Constantinopolis",^[110] and later featured in a work by Giffart in 1729.

Du Cange, in his other work, titled "Illyricvm Vetvs & Novum Sive Historia", gives a brief profile of the Boccali family:^[111]

BOCCALIORUM FAMILIA
We shall describe here the noble family of the Boccalii in Albania, because from them came Constantinus Boccalus, or Boccali, who was given by Francis I., King of the Franks, to serve the military of St. Michaelis. Nicolaus Boccalius, the father of this man, was driven out by the Turks, who were his dissidents, and with his whole family, condescended to the Veneti, in whose armies he served for a long time. He married Catharinam, the sister of Arianitæ Comneni. Constantinius Boccalius received the parson of Comnenus, Captain General of the Holy See.

As far as we know from our forefathers, the Albanians who later built Piana de' Albanesi in Sicilia, moved there from Scutari. Those fiefdoms at that time belonged to the Archdiocese of Monreale – and for all Janni Barbati, Pietro Bua, Giorgio Gulemi, Janni Skiro, Jaani Macca.

Later we find the Barbati family name recorded in a catalog of coats of arms, having served as Stratioti in Parga, at the time under Venetian rule. From the chronicles of Archduke Ludwig Salvator, published in 1907, the city numbered over 90 Albanian speaking families.^[114]

Blazon: A shield Or surmounted by a royal crown Or, Gules and Argent; standing within an armoured knight Argent, holding on his hand dexter a mace Argent.

In his study Araldica Arbëreshe, Luigi Taibi suggests that the Barbati may have descended from the Gashi tribe, in the highlands of Gjakova.

The seaside village of Barbati, in southern Greece, is named after the noble Barbati family, who led a group of Peloponnesian refugees from Nafplio and Monemvasia to settle on Corfu's northeastern coast in 1571.

Following the conquest of Albania by the Ottoman Turks, the Dusmani family appears to have taken refuge in Athens, of which, as we know, the indigenous population still identifies as Albanian today. Around the middle of the 17th century, we find a Georgio Dusmani as Primate of Athens, who in 1686 was sent as Ambassador by the Athenians to negotiate with Venetian Admiral, Morosini, in order to implore him to spare the city and to correct the indemnity that was to be paid to Venice. When the misfortunes of the war brought about the loss of the city, Georgio took refuge with his family and wealth, in Gastouni, in the Peloponnese.

On December 3, 1701, Doge Alvise II Mocenigo of Venice signed a decree at the Ducal Palace, granting the title of Count to Dusman Dusmani and Giovanni Dusmani, the two sons of the late Knight Georgio Dusmani. This title, along with its associated rights, privileges, and prerogatives, was conferred upon them and their legitimate male descendants in perpetuity.

Dusman Dusmani distinguished himself at the battle of Lepanto in 1715. One of his sons, Francesco, was Ephor of Zante and his title of Count was confirmed in 1750. Another son, Spiridon, settled in Corfu and was registered in the Golden Book of Nobility with his two male heirs, in May 1779 as Foreign Nobles, i.e.^[116]

The family coat of arms is depicted in the first edition of Eugène Rizo Rangabè's "Livre d'Or De La Noblesse Ionienne – Corfou" (p. 97):

Blazon: Within the shield, two vambraced arms Argent, the hands exposed, clasping a sword, raised upright; above, a high crown.

Historian G. P. Loverdo writes:

"As mentioned at the beginning of this chapter, several families from Modon and Coron settled in Kefalonia after these cities fell to the Ottomans. The Venetians employed them as Stratioti, mounted soldiers tasked with defending the island's coastline from frequent Turkish raids, which often resulted in the capture of inhabitants and the plundering of their possessions. The Venetian Lordship granted these Stradioti families stable assets, in addition to a sum of money, to sustain themselves and their horses. Among the families that originated from them and still exist on the island are the Blessas, along with others that have since become extinct."

Cosma Chielmi distinguished himself in 1479 during the defense of Magne, refusing to acknowledge the transfer of the province to Venice under the peace treaty signed that year by Sultan Mehmed II.

Other members of this family excelled in various Venetian wars, serving in Nauplie, Lepanto, Dalmatia, and beyond.

In 1542, Lazzaro Chielmi, Captain of the Stratioti, was appointed Commander-in-Chief of the Venetian forces on the island of Kefalonia. He settled there permanently after marrying and receiving the village of Chielmata as a stronghold. In 1593, Lazzaro was inscribed in the Golden Book of Kefalonian Nobility and held a seat on the "Major Council" of the island's nobles.

In the latter half of the 18th century, Nicolò Chielmi was appointed Admiral-Commander of the Black Sea Fleet, with the family's nobility recognized by a decree of Empress Catherine the Great. The Holy See granted him the right to fly the Vexillum of the Holy Land on his ship, and this emblem was incorporated into the Chielmi family coat of arms:^[118]

Blazon: Argent, a cross potent purpure.

In modern times, the Chielmi became known primarily as long-term traders.

The Center for Sicilian Philological and Linguistic Studies in its 3rd volume bulletin, published in 1955 explains the toponym of the Chielmi name as follows:

...names under the surname of «Chelmi» or «Chielmi» from 1513 to 1564; currently there are many toponymic traces of this name: there is a Helmi in the district of Theth, one in Gallata of Kurbin, and one in the district of Mendraka near Mollas, Elbasan; there are also three Helmas, near Tirana, Kavaja and in Malakastra, and a Helmes near Vlusha of Skrapar...

After the conquest of the island by the Ottoman Turks, the Calenzi took refuge in Zante (1670), where they obtained fiefdoms and were inscribed in the Golden Book of Nobility of the island, in 1735.

Rangabè ambiguously describes them as a Byzantine family from Constantinople, even while acknowledging in the biographical passage of his work "Livre d'Or De La Noblesse Ionienne – Zante" the following: several villages inhabited by Albanians with the name Calenzi are found in Attica, Drimopolis and Zante (notary J. Sturion, 1516).^[119] This contradiction is further complicated by the author's failure to provide any sources supporting his claim of a Byzantine origin.

French historian François Pouqueville considers the Calenzi to be of Albanian stock. Raffaele Patitucci, in his extract "Casati Albanesi in Calabria e Sicilia", published in 1989, notes that a branch of the Calenzi family settled in the Arbëreshë community of San Demetrio Corone.^[120]

After the fall of the city, the Combothecra migrated to Kefalonia, where they were granted pensions and large estates, while continuing to serve in the Venetian military, consequently earning great distinction in various conflicts throughout the 16th century.

In 1593, the family was inscribed in the Golden Book of Nobility, with several members serving on the island’s Major Council. Later we find them as navigators and captains of the sea.^[121]

Contemporary Turkish historians note that he remained close to his heritage and would give those of Albanian stock preference to high-level positions within the empire.^[122]

The coat of arms attributed to his namesake can be found in the engraving work by Giacomo Franco, published in Venetia in 1596, and currently on display at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City.^[123]

Köprülüzade Ahmed Pasha led the Ottoman Army in the Austro-Turkish War of 1663–64 and succeeded in destroying Novi Zrin in the northern part of the Kingdom of Croatia after nearly a month-long siege. Later on he would capture Candia (present-day Heraklion) from the Republic of Veneto in 1669, during the Cretan War.^[125]

His coat of arms is depicted in the engraving work by Nicolas de Larmessin, dated from 1690 and published in the Gallica Digital Library.

Blazon: A mantle Gules embellished with fringes Or is surmounted by a regal crown. The arrangement of six tugs in the form of saltire indicates the rank of Khedive. Inside a circular charge Azure, a crescent Argent, emblematic of Islam and three stars Argent representing Egypt, Sudan and Nubia, all constituent elements of the lesser coat of arms.

The coat of arms took a slightly different form during subsequent periods of the reign. Altered once again towards the conclusion of Khedive Abbas Hilmi Il's rule, coinciding with Egypt's transition to a Sultanate. The final revision was implemented during King Fuad I's reign, when he proclaimed Egypt a kingdom on 15 March 1922.^[126]

Blazon: An escutcheon, depicted within a plain quadrangle field, bears the coat of arms of the Angeli family. It portrays a celestial being wearing a coronet atop its head, kneeling in dexter position, with the right hand upraised, clasping a palm frond. A cross with scanty decorations is lodged above.

Georgio Lapazaia was an apostolic prothonotary, mathematician and musician of Albanian stock, offspring of Danush and Maruccia, whom arrived in Monopoli from Durazzo after the fall of Constantinople. In 1508, he attained the title of sub-diaconate, eventually becoming Canon of the Monopoli Cathedral. Culturally versed in the Quadrivium, in 1532, Lapazaia composed an Antiphonary of processional nature, blending Gregorian chants with his own monophonic compositions. In 1542, he published a seminal treatise on Arithmetic and Geometry that saw numerous reprints until the late Eighteenth century.^[146]

Blazon: Lapazaia's coat of arms is artistically depicted in several of his works, as part of a larger frontispiece ensamble, showcasing a three-arched bridge with an eight-pointed star in the foreground, enclosed within a shield which is set on a larger scroll shield, topped by the apostolic prothonotary's hat, accompanied by two tassellated strings, each with six knots, hanging from either side of the twisted bow.

Bogdani is the author of Cuneus Prophetarum, published in Padua in 1685, considered the first prose work of substance written originally in Gheg. It features a frontispiece showing the image of himself kneeling down for a prayer, next to an altar with an episcopal coat of arms.^[147]

Blazon: The coat of arms is centered by a shield, featuring a bend, in the form of a ladder, extending from the lower left to the upper right, adorned with a six-pointed star at the top, its lower end tapering into a tail. On the bottom, three mountain peaks emerge, crowned by a rose in bloom. Encircling the whole, a twisted bow, within which two angels hold an archbishop's hat (galero), with two tasselated strings, each with six knots and extending outward on both sides of the bow. In the backdrop, a simple cross is positioned behind an axe. The entire coat of arms is enclosed within a large scroll shield.

Blazon: The coat of arms is composed of an oval scroll escutcheon, split by a dotted horizontal bend, on top of which rests a six-pointed star, while on the bottom lay three mountain peaks; confined by a galero with tassellated strings, uptied by six knots; the whole suspended from a lance, attached to a mantling, bearing the following inscription:

Albania, which two centuries ago mourned the departure of its most famous sons, Heroes who had defended it against the Barbarians until then, will now... be partly consoled by remembering that among those famous Warriors, were Filippo and Giorgio of the noble Lazii family... they were called Albani, from the provinces of which they had come, and then transmitted this new surname to their Illustrious posterity among whom shines so brightly in our Lazio...

The Arbëresh Seminary of Palermo, under the guidance of Father Guzzetta, set up the first ideological laboratory for exploring their Albanian national past, within an Arbëresh context. Its activities were further elaborated by Guzzetta's successors, Paolo Parrino and Nicola Chetta.^[149]

The coat of arms is found on the cover page of the 1757 work titled "Regole del Seminario italo-greco albanese di Palermo approvate dalla santità di nostro signore papa Benedetto XIV", published by the Sacra Congregatio de Propaganda Fide.

Blazon: The heraldic image of the Xaverian College features a fully feathered double-headed eagle as the primary charge. The central crest, formatted as a shield with a wedged top and a lobed base, displays the emblem of the Jesuits, consisting of a monogram with the letters IHS encircled by a radiant sun; adjacent, a portrait depiction of Francis Xavier; beneath, a tower that held symbolic significance to the municipality of Shkodër; an elongated ribbon bearing the inscription "FOR GOD FOR FATHERLAND AND PROGRESS" hovers in the background.

Preserved inside the Archives of the Bishopric of Hvar, the seal is made of copper. It has an oval shape with two poles that are slightly depressed, measuring 62x37x2x11 mm in size. On the side circle, in the form of a strip, is engraved in Latin with Gothic graphemes, the following text:^[151]

ºSºPERºDIºZºAPLICE SED ISºGRAºEPIºSAPIENSIS

which reads as:

S[IGILLIUM] PE[T]R[I] D[E]I Z[ACCARIAE] [ET] AP[OSTO]LIC[A]E SEDIS GRA[TIAE] EPI[SCOPUS] SAPAIENSIS
English translation: Seal of Bishop Pjetër Zaharia, with the will of the Holy See, soon Bishop of Sapa.

The administration or commissariat was thirty-first in line of establishment and fell under the direct jurisdiction of the Superior General. Its five monasteries at Sebasta, Lezhë, Rubik, Memli and Kep Redoni housed over forty Franciscan monks.

In 1488, Pope Innocent VIII had turned St. Mary's Benedictine monastery at Kep Redoni (Caporedoni) over to the Franciscan's Dalmatian Province. The monastery later became the center of the Albanian Franciscan Province from 1713 to 1727.^[152]

The Albanian Franciscan Administration possessed its own seal, still preserved today, bearing the inscription: "Sigilum commissarii Macedoniae Ordinis Minorum Regula Observancie" with AGB at the top and SB at the bottom. The seal depicts the Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin Mary in the center and an image of Saint Blaise at the bottom.

His Episcopal seal is preserved in the collection of Shtjefën Gjeçovi, borrowed for publication from Theodor Ippen, the Austrian consul in Shkodër, who had published it in his monograph in Vienna.^[153] The seal representing the coat of arms has the following inscription in Latin: SIG•FR•NICOLAI•MECA•EPS•STEPHA•ET•BE

From the left of the oval arch, a hand holding a seedling with three roses, to the right a dove in sinister position.

Thallóczy himself amalgamated traditional Albanian elements like the eagle, the wolf and the red and black colors with prevailing oriental religious symbols of the era, such as the crescent moon and the horse's tail, symbols of the Ottoman Empire, uniformly embraced by the nominal Muslim majority of Albanians.

Ultimately, the Austro-Hungarian foreign ministry objected to its publication due to concerns about the potential impact it would have on its political interests in the region, which was to maintain the current status quo.^[154]

In their programmatic document dated May 27, 1920, the society expressed its commitment "...out of love for the flourishing of the Albanian nation...".

Its coat of arms bore the motto “Working for our Fatherland”.

Interestingly, the same coat of arms was adopted by the parish and members of the “Rozafat” society for various activities, including theatrical performances, carnival celebrations, and musical events.”^[156]