Peter Spani (League of Lezhë)

Peter Spani
Noble family	Spani
Father	Marin Spani

Peter Spani (Albanian: Pjetër Spani, Serbian: Petar Span/Петар Спан; fl. 1430–1457) was a Catholic Albanian nobleman and Venetian pronoier in the first half of 15th century. His family domains included several villages around Shkodër (Scutari) and Drisht (Drivasto). He ruled over Shala, Shosh, Nikaj-Mërtur (Lekbibaj) and Pult; the whole region under the Ottomans took his name, Petrişpan-ili (literally, "dominions of Pjetër Shpani"). Between 1444 and 1450 he was a member of the League of Lezhë.

The Spani family held several villages around Shkodër (Scutari) and Drisht (Drivasto) in the first half of the 15th century. The family was of Greek origin. The surname Span or Spani probably derives from the Greek word spanos (beardless). Peter's father Marin is mentioned in 1409 as already dead. Since he did not have any sons, Petar emphasized that he will be inherited by his nephew Marin, a son of his brother Brajko. Petar's brother Stefan Span was lord of village Podgora.

Peter Spani attended a meeting of several noblemen from Albania held in Lezhë in March 1444 when they allied themselves into a League of Lezhë. The League of Lezhë was founded by:

In 1451 after Alfonso signed the Treaty of Gaeta with Skanderbeg, he signed similar treaties with Peter Spani and other chieftains from Albania: Gjergj Arianiti, Ghin Musachi, George Stresi Balsha, Pal III Dukagjini, Thopia Musachi, Peter of Himara, Simon Zanebisha and Carlo Toco. Gjon Muzaka's chronicle mentions that he survived the war and lived to an advanced age. In the early subdivisions of Albania during the Ottoman era the region formerly ruled by Pjetër Spani was known in Ottoman Turkish as Petrishpani or Ishpani. From 1430 to 1456 Spani is also often mentioned in the archives of the Republic of Ragusa.

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