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By:
Shaban Maxharraj
- March 20 2025 22: 17
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When talking about the history of Albanians, it is usually associated with the mountain. But Ylber Hysa's book proves another side. It brings facts that the sea had a great importance in the life of the Albanians, and to elaborate on it, it opens the archives related to Kotor, today in Montenegro. A not very ordinary inauguration, a conversation with the prominent Swiss historian Oliver Schmitt, has brought details from the book that, among other things, "sails" in Venetian Albania, in Kotor also brings data on Albanian nobles, stops in Ulcinj before continuing to Venice.
There are a number of reasons why the maritime history of the Albanians has not been sufficiently clarified. The claims of the South Slavs and the history written under the tutelage of Enver are among them. Centered on Kotor as a very important medieval port, historian Ylber Hysa extends the threads of the maritime history of the Albanians to other parts of the Adriatic.
Through the book “Kotor and the Albanians” with the subtitle “The Forgotten Adriatic Connection”, Hysa sheds light on Venetian Arbërija, to which Kotor also belonged. The monograph brings together data on Arbërija families who played a major role in the life of this important center. It was not only about skilled sailors, but also about people whose contribution from the economy affected culture, religious life and even scholars.
The book's promotion on Wednesday evening was done through a conversation with University of Vienna professor and member of the Austrian Academy of Sciences, Oliver Schmitt. He is a reviewer of the book.
Schmitt started the conversation with a question, as he said, atypical for historians: Why Kotor, for what reasons?
Hysa, who has also served as Kosovo's ambassador to Montenegro, has indicated that Kotor is part of his long-term project for Albanians and others, and is an attempt to overcome a cliché and stereotype that has mainly been built by neighbors about Albanians.
According to Hysa, very little is known about the connection between the Bay of Kotor and Albanians.
"The geographical connection between Kotor and the Albanians has been realized in many segments. In the military segment, there is still an island called Stradioti nearby today. The Stradioti were a well-known light cavalry formation used by Venice and almost 80 percent of them are Albanians," said Hysa.
While talking about his book, Hysa said that there are other dimensions that affect trade when it comes to Albanians and Kotor. According to him, at that time Albania was much more vibrant and had more harbors than it does today.
It has also shown that a large number of Albanian clerics have had quite a role.
"When we talk about the clergy, it is a key moment. In this regard, it is the inauguration of the Kotor Cathedral in 1166, which is still an inevitable part of the image of Kotor today. Two of the three apses are consecrated by two Albanian bishops. This happens at a time when Kotor is part of Byzantium," said Hysa.
Oliver Svhmitt begins his review of the book with the sentence: “Albanian history is also maritime history.” In the promotion, he said that it is about the maritime or coastal dimension of Albanian history.
"How can this book be positioned in the tradition of Albanian historiography and beyond. You mean in the tradition of Adriatic historiography? Where do you see the position of your book?" - said Schmitt.
Hysa initially mentioned two aristocratic families that have left many traces in the Bay of Kotor and in Venice – Bronza and Ballović – who were Venetian ship captains for several generations.
"The Ballovic and Bronza are naval dynasties. Another very interesting dynasty in the Bay of Kotor is the Vulovic Arbanasovic who until recently kept the name Arbanasovic. These are at least four generations with 55 different officers who have sailed all the way to Japan and left their mark," said Hysa.
He also gave great importance to Kotor in terms of communication. He said that Venice maintained its mail all the way to Istanbul through Kotor. While explaining the influence of the Arbër factor in Kotor, he also gave examples.
For Schmitt, the idea that Albania is primarily a mountainous country is also a product of Enverist historiography which described Albania as a mountainous country and, from a maritime perspective, is more limited.
Meanwhile, Hysa said that he thinks it is an established stereotype of southern Slavs that the mountain belongs to Albanians.
Hysa's book covers the history of Kotor from the inauguration of the Cathedral in 1166 to the end of Venetian Kotor in 1797. Hysa's study delves into the depths of northern Albania in the Adriatic and also on the other side, in the mountainous part.
