19th century publications and history of Albanians and the Albanian language

Written by Petrit Latifi

When Prince Nikola Petrovic hired Albanians to protect his family in Tivar (Antivar)

“Prince Nikola temporarily brought his family to safety in Antivari, where he placed them, so to speak, under the protection of the Catholic Albanians.”¹

Skipetarian language is the old Pelasgian language

“… Skipetarian language is nothing other than the remainder of the old Pelasgian language .”²

19th century publication on Albanians (Schypetars)

“… Shypetars , insofar as one can call a people who lived in a country in Homer’s time autochthonous , are real autochthonous people who have lived in their country for 3000 years and helped the Macedonians to conquer the world …”³

“… Shypetare ) continued to exist . First pushed by Goths , then by Serbs , they also abandoned Bosnia , Herzegovina , Dalmatia and retreated further and further south to the Pelopones . The old Veneti ( Venetians ) were also …”⁴

“The Toxiden- Shypetare with their beautiful figures, 3000 in number, enliven this region of Albania.”⁵

“… Shypetare returned home with their loot (on May 11th), which of course Bozaris did not prevent them from doing. Modena Maurogenie, who had sworn to give her hand only to a free man, was also in Eubia, her …”⁶

“… Shypetars , who are united in Armatolis. Among the Gesgen and Meridites there are even many Roman Catholic Christians. But all of them, Muslims and Christians, are not very strict about religion, except that they are made up of…”⁷

“… Schypetar is now found raised in arms in Epirus and Romelia: Upper Albania has already passed to the acts of the most open rebellion, and the rebels are trying to restrict it to its true borders. And it is necessary, as we were saying …”⁸

“… Schypetar from the Erymanthus Mountains, his former childhood friend, with the crudest insults; he would have quickly devoured Ibrahim Bey, who was celebrating the enraged vizier’s failed hopes with a joyous festival, and …”⁹

“… Schypetar families lurk on the beach and plunder every ship that has been wrecked with the most impudent audacity; two hours away lies Vuono, a place also inhabited entirely by Christians, then the village of Drinades with …”¹⁰

An Albanian named Castriotto who was killed in Holland in 1786¹¹

“Castriotto, in fact, was transferred from the civil prison to the criminal prison. He was searched. He had on him a belt of subtle poisons and a poisoned stiletto. What a stroke of luck this seizure was! The impostor could no longer escape, even by death, Dutch justice. Oh disappointment! he escaped. A few days later, the prisoner was found lying on the ground, bleeding, killed. He had stoically opened his veins with his nails and the sting of a buckle. The bourgeois were stunned and cried treason. But the corpse remained, and the little ceremony customary in the case of suicide gave some satisfaction to their rage. The corpse was dragged on a hurdle through the streets of Amsterdam, hung by the feet from the gallows, thrown into the street; the bourgeois jeered at him, and everything was said about Castriotto. Only one person shed tears for the unfortunate Schypetar, a woman, the Duchess of Kingston. She always mourned the great Castriotto. He had been her last love: he was indeed a prince…”¹²

19th century texts on Albanians

“… Schypetar renowned for his bravery among the Toxides of the Devols mountains; and the body which suffered the most was that of Omer Briones, composed largely of Asiatics. The Souliotes, despite their reverses, had only to regret …”¹³

“… Schypetar is beautiful, athletically built, courageous, warlike, brave and proud, although noticeably boastful. The whites are beautiful, full of gentleness and only devoted to their domestic life, agriculture and …”¹⁴

“… Schypetar of the tribe of the Toxiden, Zalykos by name, known for his loyalty to Ali’s grandson Hussein, and once Toparch of Suli, fought most bravely against his own co-religionists in the army of the Selleids …”¹⁵

“… Schypetar converses occasionally with the Mires or good goddesses, and the mountaineer in the interior of Upper Albania believes, like the Servian, in supernatural prophetesses or Vyles; witches, though greatly feared, are well…”¹⁶

“… Schypetar . The names of the Illyrian tribes appear to be of Albanian origin ; the Parthini or Parthyni in Illyria , were the white or fair people , ( i barthe , ) and wholly distinct from the Parthians ; the Dassaretes were isolated …”¹⁷

“In normal life the Shypetar rises at daybreak and his first need is his pipe. Then the shepherd leads his flock to the pasture. The landowner goes hunting or settles quietly in the field while his wife and fine children work the field around him or harvest from it. Thus the obliging hands of the women and children or the flock or hunting and robbery provide the Shypetar with the main means of his food and needs. The Shypetar is already old at the age of forty-five and the usual life expectancy of the common man is not more than sixty years.”¹⁸

“When a boy reaches the age of manhood, he is forced among themselves to introduce the custom of tume among them to cut off his with long hair, they serve in the foreign service and have to be ceremonial, and for this occasion they must be recruited by recruiters or see a festive banquet at which the guests called buluckbachis.

The hosts of Moldavia and Wallachia, the Porta Egypto and the Satraps of Asia Minor often had Albanian troops at their expense. Venice often asked them for help from the Turks.

Albanians were also seen among the auxiliary troops that served France during the League under the flags of Henry IV and Charles Ill, King of Naples. a regiment known as that of the Macedonian royal which was made up of Albanians And even the Pope himself often took it into his service. The Mahometan schypetars, however, did not expatriate themselves except to join the Turks.”¹⁹

“… Arnautian Peloponnese, against those sandstone cliffs, the travelling population of Albanian origin was all over Hellas because of their desire for freedom. They wanted to protect the Andates, who had lost nets and fishing grounds because of the war…”²⁰

“What is passed off as “Greeks” in Epirus today are exclusively Skipetars (Tosks) and Zinzars (Mmen).”²¹

Albanians of 1365 in Ragusa

“… Albanian ethnic symbiosis had already been achieved. In 1365, for example, Ragusan citizenship was granted to Nicola Çacharia voivoda de Çenta, Andrea eius frater, Giue eius frater, Dimiter eius frater, Progon eius frater…”²²

Albanians of Cervenavoda

“… Voivode Michael mentions it, seems exaggerated, but there are other … Catholic and Orthodox Albanians who inhabited the town of Cervenavoda … Voivode Michael the Brave mentions 16,000 “souls”, adults and …”²³

Albanian bajraktars and leaders

“… Voivode of Kiri ; Hil Ndou , Bairaktar of Toplana ; Zef Pali , Bairaktar of Shllakut ; Maras Peci , Bairaktar of Temali ; Geg Gejka , Vojvoda of Shllaku . As representatives of the city , mountains and surroundings of Shkodra all …”²⁴

Albanians of Belgrad

“Arnaud Belgrade city in the Sands Avola of the Ottoman province of Rumili 11,500 among whom many are Arnautian and Greek merchants”²⁵

Albanian tribe of Rojajzi

“… Albanian tribe Rojajzi, which was at the forefront of the fight against the Christians, has now been pacified and the Albanians who had been gathered in Berana returned to their home villages on the 22nd. A summary investigation …”²⁶

Malisore tribes of Prokletije

“… of Malisor tribes in Prokletije. The head is covered with a loose white cap, similar to today’s Albanian kechet, and the feet are shod in opantas. All these elements reveal an unbroken continuity in the clothing of our highlanders from …”²⁷

References

19th century publications and history of Albanians and the Albanian language

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