Kastrioti family

House of Kastrioti

Reconstruction of the coat of arms of the House of Kastrioti
Ethnicity	Albanian
Current region	San Pietro in Galatina and the County of Soleto in the Province of Lecce, Italy
Members	Gjon Kastrioti, George Kastrioti, Hamza Kastrioti, Gjon Kastrioti II
Name origin and meaning	Castle-dweller (from the Greek name Καστριώτης/ Kastriotis)

The House of Kastrioti (Albanian: Dera e Kastriotit) was an Albanian royal and noble family active in the 14th and 15th centuries as the rulers of the Principality of Kastrioti. The first Kastrioti mentioned in historical documents was a kephale of Kanina in 1368. At the beginning of the 15th century the family controlled the region around Debar (modern westernmost Macedonia and easternmost Albania) at the end of the 14th and the beginning of the 15th century. The most notable member was Skanderbeg, a magnate and general, regarded an Albanian national hero. After the fall of the Principality and Skanderbeg's death in 1468 the Kastrioti family gave their allegiance to the Kingdom of Naples and were given control over the Duchy of San Pietro in Galatina and the County of Soleto in the Province of Lecce, Italy, where a maternal branch of the family still exists today as part of the Sanseverino family.

Kastrioti, who was a kephale of Kanina in 1368, was the first member of the Kastrioti family mentioned in historical documents. In the 14th century, Kastrioti family was one of the less powerful noble families in Albania, whose power and influence was far less than those of Thopia, Dukagjini, Balšići or Arianiti.

According to Kabashi, the Kastrioti were first mentioned in 1394. Kabashi explains that Turkish sources say that the family originated from Kastrat in north Albania. According to Malcolm, they originate from western Kosovo. According to several historians, their surname has its origin in the Greek word kastro (; "castle"; also Latin castrum).