Zaharia family

Noble family from Albania

Zaharia family

Current region| Albania
Members| Nicholas Zakarija, Koja Zaharia, Lekë Zaharia, Pjetër Zaharia
Estate(s)| Budva, Dagnum, Sati, Gladri and Dushmani

14th and 15th century nobility

The Zaharia family was an Albanian noble family, most prominent during the 14th and 15th century.

## History[edit]

### Nicholas Zakarija[edit]

The Zaharia family is mentioned for the first time in the 14th century.[1] A certain Nicholas Zakarija is first mentioned in 1385 as a Balšić family commander and governor of Budva in 1363.[2] After more than twenty years of loyalty, Nicholas Zakarija revolted in 1386 and became ruler of Budva. However, by 1389 Đurađ II Balšić had recaptured the city.[2]

The name of Nicholas Zaharia appears in the form of Nikola Sakat in many original Venetian and Ragusan documents (as governor of Budva in 1383, influential person in Zeta in 1386 and lord of Dagnum during a period of cooperation with Balšić family).[3][4][5] That is a basis for some concluding that that Nicholas Zaharia and Nikola Sakat are the same person, who is related to Koja Zaharia.[6]

Komnen Arianiti of Arianiti family married the daughter of Nicholas Zaharia Sakati, ruler of Budva. They had three sons (Gjergj, Muzaka, and Vladan), and one daughter who married Pal Dukagjini.[7]

### Koja Zaharia[edit]

In 1396, due to a favorable political situation, Koja Zaharija captured the castle of Dagnum and declared himself a vassal of the Ottomans. In 1412 or at the beginning of 1413, in his second marriage, Balša III married Bolja, a daughter of Koja Zaharia.[8] In 1415 their only son and the only male descendant of the Balša family died.[9] Koja maintained the control of the region until his death.

### Lekë Zaharia[edit]

Upon the death of Koja Zaharija, control of the region was passed to his only son, Lekë Zaharia. According to Marin Barleti, in 1445, during the wedding ceremony of Skanderbeg's sister Mamica Kastrioti, Lekë Zaharia 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 of this murder.

Original Venetian documents show that this murder happened in 1444.[10] According to Venetian chronicler Stefano Magno, it was Nicholas Dukagjin, Zaharia's vassal, who killed Lekë Zaharia in battle, not Lekë Dukagjin, as stated by Marin Barleti.[11] Stefano Magno also stated that, before he died, Lekë Zaharia expressed the wish that his properties should be handed over to Venetian Republic.[12]

### Bozha Zaharia[edit]

Bozha Zaharia, an Albanian nobleman who also was member of Zaharia family, died in the fire which devastated Venetian Scutari in October 1448.[13]

### After the extinction of the family[edit]

Having left no heirs, the fortress of Dagnum was claimed by Skanderbeg in the name of League of Lezhë, in which Lekë Zaharia had been a participant. However, his mother surrendered the castle to the Venice Republic. This events triggered the two-year-long Albanian–Venetian War (1447–1448). In the end the castle of Dagnum remained in Venetian hands toward an annual tribute to Skanderbeg.[14]

### Religious affiliation[edit]

According to Eqrem Vlora, some members of the Zaharia family were initially Eastern Orthodox Christians, only converting to Roman Catholicism in 1414, after which they disappeared from history.[15]

## Family tree[edit]

| | | Koja Zaharia| | | | Boža|

|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|

| | |
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| | | | | | | | |
| | Balša III
Petar Pavlović or Petar Vojsalić| | Bolja| | Lekë Zaharia| | Daughter (unknown name)| | Đurašević| | |
| |
| | | | | | | | | | | | |
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| | | | | | | | | | | | |
| | | | Koja| | | | | Dorothea| | | | Helen

## See also[edit]

* Pjetër Zakaria (13??–1414), member of the family, bishop of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Sapë and of Dagnum
* Elia, Crown Princess of Albania (née Zaharia in 1983), wife of Leka, Crown Prince of Albania

## References[edit]

1. ^ Anamali 2002, p. 268.
2. ^ a b Fine 1994, p. 392.
3. ^ Istorija Crne Gore (2): Od kraja XII do kraja XV vijeka. Red. za istoriju Crne Gore. 1970. pp. 42, 51–. "почетком 1383... заповједник Будве Никола Сакат...наводно испољили жељу да Ђурђа II Страцимировића лише власти Никола и Андреја Сакат, па их је зетски господар по савету Дукађина, казнио...Никола Сакат помиње се у одлукама дубровчког Малог вијећа крајем марта 1386 год. као утицајна личност у Зети..." [Google translation: at the beginning of 1383 ... the commander of Budva Nikola Sakat ... allegedly expressed a wish to deprive Đurđe II Stracimirović of power Nikola and Andrej Sakat, so the lord of Zeta, on the advice of Dukađin, punished them ... Nikola Sakat is mentioned in the decisions of the Dubrovnik Small Council at the end of March 1386 as an influential person in Zeta ...]
4. ^ Albanološki institut u Prištini (1968), pp. 123-124, quote: "...je taj isti Nikola Sakat bio ne samo gospodar Budve već i čitave teritorije koju sada drži gospodin Koja, što znači gospodar Danja i okoline, zatim da je bio verni i odani sluga mletački. Valjda se po predaji Skadra 1386 zatekao na njihovoj teritoriji i pokazao gotovost da podrži njihovu politiku" [... that same Nikola Sakat was not only the master of Budva, but also of the entire territory now held by Lord Koja, which means the master of Dagnum and its surroundings, then that he was a faithful and loyal servant of Venice. Apparently, after the surrender of Shkodra in 1386, he found himself on their territory and showed readiness to support their policy.]
5. ^ Božić (1979), p. 214, quote: "Једна одлука млетачког Сената из 1417. године говори да је тај исти Никола Сакат био не само господар Будве..." [One decision of the Venetian Senate from 1417 says that the same Nikola Sakat was not only the master of Budva ...]
6. ^ Albanološki institut u Prištini (1968), p. 124, quote: "... upućivali bi na zaključak da je i sam Koja Zakarija pripadao istoj porodici" [they would point to the conclusion that Koja Zakarija himself belonged to the same family]
7. ^ Anamali 2002, pp. 255–257.
8. ^ Albanološki institut u Prištini (1968), p. 125, quote: "Poznato je takođe da se Balša III krajem 1412 ili početkom 1413 godine oženio u drugom braku ćerkom Koe Zaharije" [It is also known that Balsha III at the end of 1412 or the beginning of 1413 married in a second marriage the daughter of Koja Zacharija]
9. ^ Spremić 2004, pp. 73–108. Quote: "ускоро је дочекао велику несрећу: 1415. умро му је син јединац. Тако је Јелена сахранила унука, а династија Балшића остала је без мушког наследника" [He soon had a great misfortune: in 1415 his only son died. That is how Jelena buried her granddaughter, and the Balšić dynasty was left without a male heir.]
10. ^ Schmitt (300), p. 300, quote: "In einem Aktenstück von Januar 1445 inseriert ist eine Urkunde des Skutariner Grafen Francesco Querini vom 18. September 1443, in der Lekas Witwe Bozha, seiner Tochter Bolja und deren Söhnchen Koja einge Dörfer aus Lekas Baština und eine Pension..." [A document from January 1445 contains the text of a document issued by Count Francesco Querini of Scutari, dated 18 September 1443, in which Leka's widow Bozha [verb missing; granted?] his daughter Bolja and her son Koja villages from Lekas Baština and a pension...}]
11. ^ Božić (1979), p. 364, quote: "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" [Google translation: Nikola Dukadjin killed Leka Zakaria. According to the Venetian chronicler Stefano Magno, he killed him "in battle" as his vassal. Although Barleti erroneously states that the murder was committed by Leka Dukadjin]
12. ^ Božić (1979), p. 364, quote: "Према причању Стефана Мања, и сам Лека Захарија је, пре но што ће умрети, изразио жељу да се његови поседи предају Млечанима." [According to Stefano Magno, Leka Zaharija himself, before he died, expressed his desire for his estates to be handed over to the Venetians.]
13. ^ Schmitt (2001), p. 304, quote: "[...] wenige Tage später verwüstete ein Brand die Stadt Skutari; unter den Opfern befand sich auch Bozha Zaharia." [... a few days later a fire ravaged the city of Scutari (Shkodër); Bozha Zaharia was among the victims.]
14. ^ Noli 1967, pp. 90–92.
15. ^ Vlora (1956), quote: "10. The Zacharias. This name refers to the Zacharias who were Lords of Danjo in the fourteenth century. Originally Orthodox, they converted to the Roman Catholic Church in 1414 and subsequently disappeared from history."

## Bibliography[edit]

* Albanološki institut u Prištini (1968), Gjurmime albanologjike [Albanological Research], Volumes 7-8 (in Serbian), Priština: Filozofski fakultet u Prištini. Katedra za albanologiju, retrieved 29 January 2012
* Anamali, Skënder (2002), Historia e popullit shqiptar në katër vëllime [The history of the Albanian people in four volumes] (in Albanian), vol. I, Botimet Toena, OCLC 52411919
* Božić, Ivan (1979), Nemirno pomorje XV veka [The Troubled Seas of the 15th Century] (in Serbian), Beograd: Srpska književna zadruga, OCLC 5845972
* Fine, John Van Antwerp Jr. (1994) [1987]. The Late Medieval Balkans: A Critical Survey from the Late Twelfth Century to the Ottoman Conquest. Ann Arbor, Michigan: University of Michigan Press. p. 392\. ISBN 0-472-08260-4. Retrieved 9 August 2021.
* Noli, Fan Stylian (1967). "Gjergj Kastrioti Skënderbeu, 1405-1468 [Skanderbeg (1405-1468)]". Vepra të plota [Complete Works] (in Albanian). Vol. 4\. Naim Frashëri Publishing House. pp. 90–92.
* Schmitt, Oliver Jens (2001), Das venezianische Albanien (1392-1479) [Venetian Albania (1392-1479)], München: R. Oldenbourg Verlag, ISBN 3-486-56569--9 Text not available online as of August 2021.
* Spremić, Momčilo (2004), Ćulibrk, Jovan (ed.), Crkvene prilike u Zeti u doba Nikona Jerusalimca [The Situation of the Church in Zeta in the Time of Nikon of Jerusalem] (in Serbian), Cetinje, Belgrade: Svetigora, Publikum, pp. 73–108
* Vlora, Ekrem Bey (1956). Robert Elsie (ed.). "The Ruling Families of Albania in the pre-Ottoman Period". Retrieved 23 January 2012.

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