Stojkovski: There is no scholarly basis for the Albanian origin of Skanderbeg

Professor at the Department of History, Faculty of Philosophy in Novi Sad, Boris Stojkovski, says that Kosovo Albanians have no scholarly historical foundation for claiming Skanderbeg and that this is just another example of historical falsification.

“A lot about this is problematic. First of all, the exact date, day, and year of birth of Djordje Kastriot (Skanderbeg) have not been precisely determined in academic research. According to some assumptions, he might have been about 16 years old when he went to the Janissaries or when he first received a position in the Enderun in Edirne. From that, the year of his birth is inferred. Some details can be found in the writings of his most well-known biographer, Marin Barleti, but even the year of birth is highly uncertain. A precise date is entirely out of the question,” says Stojkovski.

He explains that the second problem is that Skanderbeg practically never had contact with the territory of today’s Kosovo.

“His father governed those areas, from Ljes to Prizren, the far south and southwest of Metohija. However, no direct connection with the territory of Kosovo and Metohija can be drawn,” the historian emphasizes.

The third major uncertainty, he says, concerns Skanderbeg’s ethnic origin.

“Skanderbeg was not Albanian. It is possible that in the area ruled by the Kastriots there were Albanians and Vlachs, probably Greeks as well, but there were certainly many Slavs, primarily Serbs,” Stojkovski says, adding that it has been established that Skanderbeg’s parents were Serbian.

“Djordje  Kastriot, called Skanderbeg, was the son of Ivan and Vojisava. His father, Ivan Kastriot, was the lord of the area from Ljes to Prizren. His sons were named Djordje, Repos, Stanisa, and Konstantin. Ivan changed his faith, for which contemporary sources criticized him, but the Kastriot family was deeply connected to Hilandar Monastery. Ivan built the Arbanasi Tower there, and Stanisa was even buried in Hilandar. This clearly testifies to their strong ties to the Orthodox faith,” the professor from the Faculty of Philosophy in Novi Sad highlights.

He adds that upon converting to Islam, Djordje took the name Skander, inspired by Alexander the Great.

Stojkovski links the claims by Albanian historians about Skanderbeg’s origin to a broader trend of “historical falsification.”

“This falsification of history, from alleged Illyrian-Dardanian origins, through Skanderbeg, to countless other claims, is entirely logical and natural, especially considering that Skanderbeg has been seen as an Albanian national hero since the late 19th century, which coincides with the relatively young rise of Albanian nationalism and the formation of the Albanian nation in general,” Stojkovski stresses.

He adds that, for this reason, Skanderbeg's figure served Albanians as a symbolic rallying point.

“In that context, we know Albin Kurti’s policy regarding the unification of territories where Albanians form a relative majority, so-called Greater Albania. And only through that lens can this, from a purely academic point of view, complete absurdity be understood,” Stojkovski concludes.