The siege of Shkodra : Albania's courageous stand against Ottoman conquest, 1478

The Siege Of Shkodra Is A Book Written By A Shkodran Priest, Marin Barleti (also Known As Marinus Barletius), About The Ottoman Siege Of Shkodra In 1478, Led Personally By Mehmed Ii, And About The Joint Resistance Of The Albanians And The Venetians. The Book Also Discusses The Ottoman Siege Of Shkodra In 1474. The Book Was Originally Published In 1504, In Latin, As De Obsidione Scodrensi. Barleti Was An Eyewitness Of The Events. The English Version Was Published In Albania By Onufri Publishing House In 2012, Coinciding With The 100th Anniversary Of Albania's Declaration Of Independence. The Work Was Translated By David Hosaflook And Includes Translations Of Buda's Introduction And Notes, Merula's The War Of Shkodra, And Becikemi's Panegyric. It Also Includes Accounts Of The Siege Of Shkodra From Early Ottoman Historians, New Scholarly Notes, The Historical Context By Prof. David Abulafia, New Maps Based On The Information In The Book, And Appendixes Including Barleti's Chronology Of Battle Events. - Wikipedia. The Historical Context Of The Siege Of Shkodra / By David Abulafia -- Original Albanian Introduction / By Aleks Buda -- The Seige Of Shkodra / By Marin Barleti -- Prefatory Note To The Doge Of Venice -- Book One -- Book Two -- Book Three -- The War Of Shkodra / By George Merula -- A Panegyric To The Venetian Senate / By Marin Beçikemi -- Ottoman Chronicles On The Siege -- Appendixes. Marin Barleti ; Translated And Edited By David Hosaflook ; With The Historical Context By David Abufalia ; The Original [1967] Albanian Introduction By Aleks Buda; The War Of Shkodra By George Merula ; A Panegyric To The Venetian Senate By Marin Beçikemi And Accounts Of The Siege From Early Ottoman Chronicles.. [david Hosaflook's] Translation Is Based Primarily On The 1962 Albanian Translation [rrethimi I Shkodrës. Tiranë : Botim I Universitetit Shtetëror] Of The 1504 Latin Original....--page Xxii. The Original Albanian Edition Of This Volume Contains Three Supplemental Works That Have Been Translated And Included Here As Well.--page Xxiii. Originally Published In Latin As De Obsidione Scodrensi, 1504--title Page Verso. Includes Bibliographical References (pages 277-285) And Index. Translated Into English From Albanian And Compared With The Original Latin. The first English translation of an eyewitness account of the Ottoman sieges of Shkodra (Albania) in 1474 and 1478-79, written by a besieged Shkodran citizen who fought in the battles and would later become a priest in Italy. The book is considered both history and literature, written in classical Latin in 1504 for a Western audience concerned about the advance of the Ottomans into the heart of Europe. It is considered by scholars to be a seminal source of history providing significant details about the Balkans, the Ottoman Empire, the Republic of Venice, the Albanians, Sultan Mehmed II "The Conqueror," religious conflict, late-medieval siege tactics, and the development of weaponry. Though the account is history, it unfolds as a gripping story with all the human drama and pathos that accompanies warfare. Inside are rousing speeches, intense battle scenes, passionate prayers, and counsel for future generations. Barleti and his contemporaries considered Shkodra to be the shield of Europe (indeed this was the final great battle before the Ottomans attacked Otronto in 1480). Barleti's work comprises only 50% of the work, as this edition includes supplemental material such as a foreword by Prof. David Abulafia, Prof. Aleks Buda's historical introduction, "The War of Shkodra" ("Bellum Scodrense") by George Merula, a panegyric to the Venetian Senate by Marin Beçikemi, passages from Ottoman chroniclers about the siege (A. Pashazade, Tursun, Kivami, Idris-i Bidlisi, K. Pashazade), and new maps and historical commentary by translator-editor David Hosaflook.