George Arianites
| Gjergj Arianiti | |
|---|---|
Bust of Gjergj Arianit found in Librazhd
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| Spouses | Maria Muzaka Pietrina Francone |
| Issue | |
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Full name
George Aryaniti Thopia Comneni
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| Noble family | Arianiti |
| Father | Komnen Arianiti |
| Born | 1383 |
| Died | 1461 |
| Occupation | 1423—27 or 1433: hostage at Ottoman court 1433—35: Leader of the revolt against Ottomans 1444—50: Member of the League of Lezhë 1451—?: Napolitan vassal |
Gjergj Arianiti or George Aryaniti (1383–1462) was an Albanian lord who led several campaigns against the Ottoman Empire. He was father of Donika, the wife of Scanderbeg, as well as great uncle of Moisi Arianit Golemi. Gjergj Arianiti is enumerated in Albanian folk tellings. Gjergj Arianiti was Skanderbeg's ally within League of Lezhë only for a short period of time because he abandoned their alliance after the defeat in Berat in 1450.Robert Elsie emphasizes that Arianiti was often Skanderbeg's rival who allied with the Kingdom of Naples in 1446, left his alliance with Skanderbeg by 1449 and allied with Venice in 1456.
His name is most commonly known in the Albanian form, Gjergj Arianiti, in English George Aryaniti or George Aryaniti. His full name in English is spelled George Aryaniti Thopia Comneni in Fan Noli's translated work. He calls himself "Komninovic" in a letter to the king of Naples. His name appears in Slavic form as "Golem Arianit Komnenovic" (Golemi Arenit Cominovich), and a 1452 document referring to him as "Golemi Arenit Comninovich de Albania". The word golem is Slavic and means "large". Another form of his surname, Haryanites, was used in a French document of the Charles VII era.
His father was Komnen Arianiti, whose domains were in the vicinity of Durrës (in partibus Durrachii). Gjergj was the oldest of three sons, his two brothers being Muzaka and Vladan.
He married Maria Muzaka, and from this he acquired a territory from Mallakastra to Vlorë. His territories eventually reached northwards to Debar. The center of his dominions were located between Librazhd and Elbasan. Since 1423 he fell under Ottoman suzerainty and probably resided at the sultan's palace as hostage to secure loyalty of his tribesmen. In 1427 he returned to Albania.
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