Written originally by Sami Flamuri.

The Middle Ages is one of the least researched and published issues in the history of the Albanian people, and this has to do in particular in the relations with the neighbors in the specific case with Cërnojeviqe. The fact that Shtjefën Gjuraziut (Stefan Černojeviqi) also participated in the Albanian Treaty of Lezha on March 2, 1444, proves that we were dealing with reports of the time to fight the common enemy. However, this issue should not be dealt with in neighborly relations, but also in family relations, because the sister of Gjergj Kastriot-Skënderbeu Mara was married to Shtjefë Gjuraziu (Stefanica Černojevići), who at his time was the prince of Zeta, (Zenta) with center in Zhablak in the northern part of Shkodër lake where we still have his castle today.

And these family relationships have continued until the existence of this principality, which then moved to a new environment in 1482, founding the new city known as Cetinje. This city even has as its founder Ivan, known as Ivan Beg, the son of Mara and Shtjefni, otherwise the grandson of Skenderbeg, who also had his wife from the Aryanite family, where his son is also named Skanderbeg Černojević just for fun. of our national hero.

However, there are few who know where the grave of Mara Kastriot and her husband Stejfën Stefanica Černojević exists. My twin Naim Flamuri managed to discover her burial place in 2008 and it is located in the Kom Monastery, near Zhablak, on the shores of Lake Shkodra. The publication of such news years ago has caused a stir in the wider opinion, and has even influenced a considerable number of curious persons and also various tourists to visit such an environment. And last year we were lucky enough to record it even though it is strictly prohibited with the research group Gazmend Çitaku and the photographer Gëzim Mavriq.

It remains to be researched further in relation to the relations between these families with princely authority in the Middle Ages as well as in the Albanian-Montenegro relations for the relevant time, which in some way have reflected even after and even to our days. For those who do not know, we confess that Gjon Bdek Buzuku, the compiler of the ecclesiastical Mass of liturgies, was from Ulcinj.

John Buz-Uku means “the one who lives by the Ulqin”, i.e. by the water, but it can also be Buz-Uku, Buz-Ulku, Buz-Ujku, as happens not infrequently in Albanian word formations. It is known that the Buna river, which we mentioned before, has the old name “Bujana”, so the name itself clarifies its course, while in the dictionary of the German pilgrim Arnold von Harfi in 1497, the word “water” in the dialect of Ulcinj is pronounced “oh”, so Bojana.

We leave the rest to real linguists to delve deeper into this topic. But for us, the fact that the ulku is the wolf, which Çabej breaks down so clearly, is clear. But even the noble Balashays have not wasted their money on their coat of arms, flags and royal coat of arms. It is understood that it is not about the wolves that roam the mountains, but it also symbolizes the metaphor “SEA WOLF”. Lupi di mare Dulcignotti – are known in world literature, as the country had excellent sailors.

I have the honor to reveal for the first time the fact that in 1464 Duke Gulio Antonio repopulated the municipality of Silvi in ​​the Abruzzo region with Ulcinac, (Dulcignotti), which also led to the cult of Saint Leo IX, Pope 1049-1054 (Lion-martyr ) and is an important part of the war against the Ottomans.

Even the medieval king of the Albanians, who had his throne seat in Ulqin, Gjergj Stres Balsha, A.D. 1385-1403 AD, was buried in Ulqin. In the middle of 1405, the Signoria (Venice) managed to conquer the three cities of the Principality of Balshaj, Ulcinj, Tivar, and Buduen (Budva today).

Now we come to another story that I, Naim, son of Flagur, will tell, because fate had saved me both the narration and the experience of this discovery. But we have already written about the mystery of twins. Indeed, the discovery was mine, but the desire, the attraction, the drive and the drive towards that place was two-fold, from both of them.

As for the joy and emotion, it has been shared. I’m sorry, Sami, that I’m writing now for you too, but I’m writing it in the form of a letter that I’m sending to inform him. If this does not correspond to the tand image, the news, the messenger, just like in the canon of Leka, there is no fault. It happened like this… At the end of the city, near the current lighthouse of the castle, there is the church of Saint Mria, and there is also a grave with a plaque on which these words are written:

“HIJACET – ZORZI BALSCHA ET SUI ERD
HERE LIES GEORGE BALSHA AND HIS DESCENDANTS”

It is known that Skënderbeu, the head of Albanians, had close ties with Balshaj and Ulqin, since the time when his father, Gjoni, had married his daughter, Jella, to Gjergj Balsha, who had his own tower there. Nothing is a coincidence, thank God. In order to be consistent with timing and divine inspiration, I must add that great fortune wanted me to discover the tomb of Skanderbeg’s other sister during a not-for-accidental research visit.

Do you remember, brother Sam, how many times we had tried to discover this grave or gather facts about this lady from what you said and what you gave. So we were blown away by time and that grave should be where she lived, but that’s all. We knew that she was married in Montenegro.

Her name was Mara Kastriota (Kastrioti) and she was the eldest among the sisters. According to knowledge, she was married to the chief lord of Zeta (Montenegro), Stefanica Černojević (Juraziu), who participated in the “Assembly of Lezha” in A.D. 1444, as a nobleman that he was. Shtjefni or Stefanica also had Albanian blood from his mother, because his mother came from the tribe of Kojë Zaharis. I found her and her husband’s grave well preserved there by the Shkodra lake, on the island of Kom, near their castle in Zhabjak.

It was miraculously kept in a small monastery. Maybe God himself was protecting him, because I didn’t give up on human care. It was made of carved marble slabs, which were decorated with rosettes that came one row after the other. The rosettes covered her long body, while the inscription written in Old Slavonic stands out on the plaque of “Our Lady Mary”:

Who was Ivan Crnojevic?

But who was Ivan Crnojevic? Ivan was the son of Stefan Černojević (or Shtjefën Gjuraziu) and of Skenderbeu’s sister, Mara Kastriot. He also had two other brothers, Andrin, known by the nickname: “Albanian brave” and Bozhidar. Zeta that they ruled at that time was known as Albanian territory.

What does Zeta mean in Slavic?

An interesting fact is that the name Zeta itself has a meaning only in the Albanian language, where the people of Malsore still say “ZET” for the word Xetë today, it is known as the hottest place in Montenegro. In the Slavic language, this name does not correspond to anything because in their language they say; “Vruće”.

Černojevics and “Gjurashi” or “Gjura i Zi” (Black George)

In 1404, we see the mention of Černojevics under the name Gjurashi or Gjura i Zi (Black George), which the Slavs translated as “son of the black” and it becomes Černojevic. Many researchers try to identify the Črnojevics as Vlachs, perhaps Albanians, but, knowing the surroundings where they lived and acted as well as the great friendship and cooperation they had with Skënderbeu and Lekë Dukagjin, Koja Zahar could very easily be put concluding that they were none other than Albanians.

Ivan, the grandson of Skanderbeg, ruled from 1465-1490, who had the daughter of Gjergj Araniti as his wife and called himself Lord of Zeta, but he is better known as the founder of today’s Montenegro (Stara Crna Gora)and the city of Cetina or in the Albanian language as “CETIN 1st edition. Black pine, borage. Cetin e zez harmoç. Cetina forest. Mountain with Cetina is surprising. Cetina still has the boriga pine today.“

After the expulsion of Ivan Bey, from his residence in Zhablak, on the lake of Shkodra, he decided to build the monastery in Četina, which he just formed in 1482, fulfilling the oath he made a few years ago in Loreto that he would restore the lands of conquered will cost Virigjiresha. It is worth mentioning that it had nothing to do with the fanaticism of the Orthodox Church. Whether ecclesiastical or racial, Zeta was a place of debate. He was subordinate to the archbishop of Tivar and therefore part of the Patriarchate of Rome. But there was also an orthodox metropolitan of Zeta.

The founder of the first printing house

Something that I think is worth mentioning about the Černojevićs, or Gjurazinj in Albanian, is that Ivan’s son, Gjurgje, is the founder of the first printing house in these parts. While Ivan’s other son, Stanisha Černojević (1457-1528) with the conversion in Islam, he took the name of his famous uncle Skenderbeg and won the title of Sanjak Bey, where he became the ruler of Sanjak of Malazia, from 1514-1528. It is said that Mahmud Pasha of Bushatllinje is also descended from Skanderbeg Černojevic.

In 1499, the Černojević family finally left the historical scene and for a period of 200 years, lying between the Černojević River and the Kotor Gorge, it stagnated as a state (Montenegro) and this family is not mentioned at all in history.

References

https://ul-info.com/sami-flamuri-varri-i-mares-cernojeviqet-dhe-shqiptaret-ne-mesjete/

1. Spring Bogdani Balshajt The war of the principality of Balshaj and other Albanian rulers against Venice in the first 20 years of the XV century p.83
2. Koha e Shega Naim and Sami Flamuri p.183
3. https://gazmendcitaku.wordpress.com/…/cetina-qytet-i-themel…
   Skanderbeg/
4. For tribes, laws and customs of the Balkans M.E. DURHAM p.53