Medieval coats of arms
Throughout the course of history, the earliest evidence on the usage of coats of arms by local overlords in present-day Albania can be traced back to the 13th century with the Principality of Arbanon and its ruler, Demetrio Progoni.[citation needed]
Comparatively, other noble families of the early medieval period followed suit, most notably the Gropa, Skuraj, Jonima, Dukagjini, Arianiti and continuing with the Balsha, Thopia, Muzaka, Spata, to conclude with the Kastrioti, whose symbols are still in use today.
| Coat of arms | Description |
|---|---|
| Coat of Arms of the Principality of Arbanon (1215) The sculpted image of the coat of arms of the Principality of Arbanon (Albanian: Principata e Arbërit) was discovered in a stone engraving on the ruins of the church of St. Mary of Interfanda (Albanian: Kisha e Shën Mërisë të Ndërfandës) in Gëziq.[1] Along with it was found the epigraphic inscription of the architrave of the Basilica of St. Mary of Interfanda. On the marble beam, which held the gate of the monastic cell, the Austro-Hungarian consul in Shkodër, Theodor Ippen, discovered in 1907 an inscription in Latin and next to it an heraldic coat of arms, which represented an eagle carved in stone. In 1981, the fragments found in Gëziq were brought to the Archaeological Museum of Tirana, where conservation specialist Koço Zheku was able to piece them together and decipher the inscription to some extent as follows:[2]
The eagle is presented with one head and two wings open ready for flight. In the beak it wears a ring, which is the symbol of power. The dimensions of the coat of arms are 280x445x150 mm. It weighs 3 kg and is preserved in good physical condition.[3] | |
| Coat of Arms of the Statutes of Scutari (1330–1469) The original document of the Statutes of Scutari is written on parchment and contains 40 pages; at the top it represents the coat of arms of the city of Scutari (modern day Shkodër). The coat of arms has a scuda-shaped emblem, which bears a double-headed eagle with royal crowns on both heads, with a blue field, while at the bottom in an ocher field there are three five-leafed rosettes in black. Above the heraldic coat of arms is the figure of a one-headed eagle with open wings and an open beak where a thin red tongue is distinguished.[4] Interpretation: above the double-headed eagle, on the left is seen a proud vulture, which seems to symbolize the affluent past of the city, while on the right a craving dog seems pleased with the receiving bone, which from scholarly opinion, metaphorizes the subjugated state of Scutari after the Ottoman conquest.[5] | |
| Coat of Arms of Karl Thopia (1381) Above a limestone on the southern wall of the monastery of St. John Vladimir (14th century) in Elbasan was found the coat of arms of Karl Thopia. Carved by stone master Dhimitër Shpati, it measures 0.98x0.68 meters in size and bears in old greek the inscription:
A lowered shield on a mantel displays on the left side a large cross. In the four spaces created by the cross, there are twenty additional crosses, four of which are enclosed in a circle. On the right side, which is divided by a sloping line, is shown the image of 8 carved lilies which symbolize the French throne of the Anjouan dynasty. A horizontal line shows the digit 1000, while three vertical lines give the digit 300 (each of 100). The eight carved lilies show the number 80, while a small vertical line shows the number 1. All together give the number 1381, which correlates with the year of the founding of the monastery. Above the shield is displayed an ionized helmet, divided by a cross. At the top of the helmet a lion is standing on its hind legs and wearing a crown adorned with three ostrich feathers. This coat of arms is thought to have been the original tombstone that was placed over the grave site of Karl Thopia.[6] | |
| Coat of Arms of the Skuraj family (14th century) The Skuraj family (known in other forms as Sgura or Zguraj) was one of the most prominent feudal families that ruled during the period of the Principality of Arbanon. Their political and administrative center was in Delbnisht, east of present-day Kurbin. During the 14th century, the patriarch of this family, Anton Skura, symbolized his power with a heraldic coat of arms. The coat of arms, that measures 850x152x150 mm in size, represents a panther(?) raised on two hind legs. On the right upper corner is displayed a lily. Two ropes hang from the sides, ending with a lily at each end. Above the coat of arms is found an inscription, engraved in capital latin letters, which appears incomplete as it is damaged. It says:
The coat of arms was found in a tombstone, which bears the name of Anton Skura, on the outer walls of the church of Our Lady of Anunciation, in Kodër-Marlekaj, Lezhë. It is currently on exhibit at the medieval pavillion of the National History Museum, in Tirana.[7] | |
| Coat of Arms of the House of Kastrioti (1451–1904) The coat of arms of Skanderbeg with the double-headed eagle appears for the first time in a book of greetings given to Skanderbeg by Alfonso V, King of Naples, on the occasion of the signing of the Treaty of Gaeta on 26 March 1451.[8] It was handed over by the king's protonotary, Arnaldo Fonoleda, to the ambassadors of Skanderbeg who signed this treaty, Bishop Stefan of Kruja and Father Nikola Berguci. The representative symbol of the state of Skanderbeg appears again in a Venetian catalog of coats of arms in 1463, when Gjon Kastrioti II, Skanderbeg's son, received the title "Noble of the Republic". The colors in the coat of arms are mentioned for the first time 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».[9] The usage of the same colors is later mentioned 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».[10] The most widely adopted variation of the coat of arms is an illustration found in Giuseppe Schirò's 1904 book "Gli Albanesi e la Questione Balkanica".[11] The defining elements of the coat of arms are a red lightly bordered shield, in the form of a couché, a blue spherical triangle, a golden hexagram and the crowned black double-headed eagle. | |
| Symbols of Ali Pasha Tepelena (1807) A gold medallion attributed to Ali Pasha features a small hole drilled at the top for placement of a sewn loop which is tied at the center, upended in the shape of a trefoil, in colors green-red-green, with a wear hook. Ø 29 mm, 7.0 g of m. Listed at the Künker auction house in Berlin, it is thought to have been commissioned in 1807 by Albanian warlord Ali Pasha who ruled independently large parts of Western Rumelia. Contrary to Ottoman tradition, the medallion shows in one side the portrait of a woman – Queen [Vassiliki] Hanim – in oriental adornment. Milled on the opposite side, the encircled crescent moon with its star (defining symbols of the Ottoman Empire) – similar in shape to the type found in byzantine coins, surrounded by decorative lines, can be theorized as the heraldic image used by Ali Pasha himself.[12] In several portrayals by contemporary painters of his time (see: Friedel, Dupré, Cartwright), Ali Pasha is seen wearing the crown taj of the Bektashi Order with whom he was affiliated with. The taj (Albanian: taxhi) may have been the inspiration behind the crown in Doepler's coat of arms. An authentic taj worn by Ali Pasha, was included in the National History Museum's fund in 1981, inventory no. 339. It has a height of 18.5 cm and a diameter of 20 cm and appears to be badly damaged.[13] |
