Alessio Span

Alessio Spani or Lekë Shpani (1442-1495) was an Albanian nobleman. A member of the family of Spani, which ruled Drivast, in the mid-15th century he settled in Venice and served as a diplomat of the republic in the Ottoman Empire.

A member of the Spani family he claimed that he was descended from several imperial Byzantine families. In Gjon Muzaka's 1510 work Breve memoria de li discendenti de nostra casa Musachi he is mentioned as a descendant of Emperor Theodosius, although it is unclear to whom it refers as there were three Byzantine emperors named Theodosius. The Byzantine author Andreas Angelos Komnenos mentions Alexios III Angelos as his great-great-great grandfather in his work Constitutio Ordinis Constantiniani Equestris. According to that account his father was Michael, Duke of Drivast and his mother Helena Span. The surname Span or Spani probably derives from the Greek word spanos (beardless).

In Muzaka's work Miliza Brankovic, daughter of Djuradj Brankovic is mentioned as his wife. Span's progeny included: Demetrio, Costantino, Adrianna, Angela, Demetria and Lucia Span. Karl Hopf has also included another son named Alessandro.

Span's activities were closely related to the Venetian ones in Albania. Gabriel Trivisano, proveditor of Venice in Albania, includes Span in the group of the Albanian nobles that were favourable to Venice and informed him about the political conditions in Albania. Span played an important role as an intermediary during the peace negotiations between Venice and the Ottoman Empire represented by Mahmud Pasha in the late 1460s. For his services he received a stipend of 200 ducats per year and eventually incorporated a castle mentioned as Chiro into the Venetian area of control (Venetian Albania).

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