Summary: The 1626 Venetian payroll list of sailors and officers—long interpreted as evidence of Montenegrin mercenaries—actually documents ethnic Albanians serving in the Venetian navy. While Yugoslav historians like Gligor Stanojević argued that “Albanesi” meant Montenegrins, the linguistic and geographic evidence proves otherwise. The soldiers’ names (Gjin, Prenk, Kola, Gega, Leka, Spata, Progoni, Mida, Suma) and places of origin (Shkodër, Lezhë, Ulcinj, Krujë, Bojana, Zadrima, Rodoni) are unmistakably Albanian. The list includes both Catholic and Muslim Albanians, reflecting the multi-confessional character of early modern Albania. Venetian records consistently used “Albanese” ethnically, not geographically—confirming that these were true Albanians, not Slavs.

Introduction

In the historiography of the former Yugoslavia, it has long been claimed that the “Albanians” (Albanesi) serving on Venetian armed barges in the early 17th century were in fact Montenegrins from the coastal hinterland. This position was articulated most famously by Gligor Stanojević in his 1971 article “Jedan platni spisak mornara i oficira mletačkih naoružanih barki iz 1626. godine” (Istorijski zapisi, vol. 24, pp. 363–372).

Yet a close linguistic, geographic, and ethnographic analysis of the 1626 payroll list itself reveals the opposite. The soldiers and sailors registered as Albanesi were overwhelmingly ethnic Albanians — drawn from the Albanian-speaking regions of Shkodër, Lezhë, Ulcinj, Kruja, Zadrima, and Bojana — not Slavic “Montenegrins.”

This article reexamines Stanojević’s document and reconstructs the historical and linguistic evidence showing that the so-called “Venetian Albanians” were truly Albanians in ethnicity, language, and identity.

The Venetian “Militia Albanese”

Throughout the 16th and 17th centuries, the Republic of Venice maintained specialized military and naval units known as the Militia Albanese or Compagnie d’Albanesi — “Albanian Companies.” These troops were recruited from Venetian Albania (Albania Veneta), a province extending from Kotor (Cattaro) to Lezhë (Alessio).

Venetian administrative and naval records consistently use the term Albanese ethnically, not merely geographically. “Albanian” meant a soldier of Albanian speech and origin — whether Catholic or Muslim — serving under Venetian command.

The payroll list from November 1626, preserved in the Archivio di Stato di Venezia (series Provveditore generale in Dalmazia et Albania, filza 440), is the most complete surviving register of these men. It names 9 companies (compagnie) with over 450 officers and sailors, their fathers’ names, places of origin, and pay.

Stanojević’s interpretation

In his 1971 commentary, Stanojević concluded that most men listed as Albanesi were “in fact Montenegrins,” arguing that they hailed from “Crna Gora and the present Montenegrin coast.” This interpretation must be understood in its Yugoslav nationalist context. At the time, it was ideologically inconvenient to emphasize a strong Albanian presence along the Adriatic coast — particularly in regions such as Ulcinj, Mrkojevići, Paštrovići, Spič, and Bar, which 20th-century Montenegro claimed as “Slavic.”

However, in the early 1600s there was no Montenegrin ethnic identity in the modern sense, and these areas were ethnographically and linguistically Albanian or bilingual. Venetian sources themselves never use the word Montenegrino — they consistently say Albanese.

Onomastic evidence: The names are Albanian

A careful linguistic reading of the 1626 list demonstrates overwhelmingly Albanian onomastics — personal names, surnames, and toponyms.

Here are some representative examples:

Venetianized Form (1626)	Albanian Form	Type	Region
Giez Gini	Gjin Gini	Given + Surname	Shkodër
Prenz Suma	Prenk Suma	Patronymic	Shkodër
Colla Scura	Kola Skura	Surname	Lezhë
Pema Spata	Pjetër Shpata	Family of Shpata	Epirus–Venetian Albania
Lecha Progoni	Lek Progoni	Noble lineage	Kruja
Gegha Mida	Gega Mida	Family name	Shkodër
Peppa Laci	Pepa Leçi	Family name	Shkodër
Lorenzo da Croia	Lorenc nga Kruja	Toponymic	Krujë
Paulo da Scutari	Pal nga Shkodra	Toponymic	Shkodër
Meemet da Alessio	Mehmet nga Lezha	Muslim Albanian	Lezhë
Assan da Clementi	Hasan nga Kelmendi	Tribal origin	Northern Albania
Prenz da Boiana	Prenk nga Bojana	Toponymic	Bojana delta
Colla Dallessio	Kola nga Lezha	Toponymic	Lezhë
Doda da Blinista	Doda nga Blinishti	Toponymic	Lezhë region
Gegha Pessa	Gega Pesha	Family name	Shkodër
Nica Leciari	Nikça Leçiari	Surname	Shkodër
Ossain d’Antivari	Hasan nga Tivari	Muslim Albanian	Bar
Sinan da Dolcigno	Sinan nga Ulqin	Muslim Albanian	Ulcinj
Mustafa da Dolcigno	Mustafa nga Ulqin	Muslim Albanian	Ulcinj
Paulo da Albania	Pal nga Shqipëria	Explicit ethnicity	“from Albania”

More than 80 such names occur across the nine companies — about 20% of the entire list — making it statistically impossible to interpret “Albanesi” as merely “Montenegrins.”

Religious and cultural aspects

The 1626 list includes both Catholic and Muslim Albanians.
Catholic names like Gjin, Kola, Prenk, Lek, Pjetër, Marin, Pal coexist with Muslim ones such as Hasan, Mehmet, Jusuf, Sinan, Osman, Ibro.

This religious duality is characteristic of early modern northern Albania, not Montenegro, where Islam had not yet penetrated in the early 17th century.

Venetian recruitment thus reflected the multi-confessional Albanian population of the Adriatic frontier — men who were bilingual, maritime-skilled, and fiercely loyal to their Venetian employers.

Albania Veneta

Every geographic indicator in the payroll corresponds to the Albanian-speaking Adriatic coast:

• Scutari (Shkodër)
• Alessio (Lezhë)
• Croia (Kruja)
• Dolcigno (Ulqin)
• Boiana (Bojana river)
• Rodoni (Cape Rodon)
• Blinista (Blinisht)
• Zadrima

These are unmistakably Albanian toponyms. The repeated appearance of “da Albania” or “d’Albania” makes the ethnic reality explicit.

Venetian Usage of “Albanese”

Contemporary Venetian records show that “Albanese” was not a generic term. In naval payrolls, Albanesi were contrasted with Dalmati, Grechi, or Schiavoni. Each denoted a distinct ethnolinguistic group within the Republic’s forces.

For example:

“compagnia de’ soldati Albanesi”
“barka armata servita da gente Albanese”

In no case is “Albanese” used to mean “Montenegrin.” The very absence of Montenegrino from 16th–17th-century Venetian documents is decisive.

Identity in the Adriatic Frontier

The 1626 payroll reveals a multiethnic, multilingual Adriatic world — but its “Albanesi” were Albanians in the full sense of the term.
The men listed served under Venetian flag, yet maintained their own names, language, and regional identities.

Venetian Albania (Albania Veneta) was thus not a mere provincial label; it was a living Albanian maritime zone, whose people provided sailors, soldiers, translators, and officers to Venice for centuries.

Conclusion

The Venetian Albanesi of 1626 were not “Montenegrins misnamed.”
They were Albanians — Shqiptarë — drawn from the coastal and highland communities of northern Albania, from Shkodër to Ulcinj, Lezhë to Krujë.

Their presence on Venetian armed barges confirms the deep Albanian contribution to the Adriatic maritime tradition and the military history of the Republic of Venice. Stanojević’s reinterpretation, shaped by the nationalist historiography of 20th-century Yugoslavia, cannot stand against the clear linguistic, toponymic, and documentary evidence.

When the Venetian records say Albanesi, they mean exactly what they say: Albanians.

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Albanian names in the 1626 Venetian Naval Payroll

Recorded Name (1626)	Likely Albanian Form	Type / Origin	Notes
Peppa Laci	Pepa Leçi	Family name	Leçi common in Shkodër region
Pema Spata	Pjetër Shpata	Noble lineage	From Shpata family (Epirus–Venetian Albania)
Colla Scura	Kola Skura	Patronymic	Skura family attested in Albania Veneta
Coila Giani	Kola Gjani / Gjinaj	Personal/family name	“Gjin” root Albanian Christian
Giez Gini	Gjin Gini	Personal name	Very common Albanian Christian name
Vasili Renesi	Vasil Rrënësi	Surname	Rrënës area, Lezhë
Nicolo d’Antivari	Nikollë i Tivarit	Toponymic	Tivar (Bar) — Albanian-speaking area
Peppa Laci	Pepa Leçi	Family name	Shkodër Catholic family
Prenz Scuttari	Prenk Shkodrani	Toponymic	From Shkodër
Doda Sinii	Doda Sini	Family name	Northern Albanian (Malësia)
Mema Barbazon	Mema Barbazoni	Personal name	Mema = Albanian given name
Colla Trumpsci	Kola Trumpësi	Family name	Trumpësi region in Lezhë
Gin Sumeza	Gjin Suma	Family name	Famous Shkodran lineage
Pema Samarisi	Pjetër Samari	Family name	Appears in Albanian Catholic records
Pal Giuroi	Pal Gjuroj	Patronymic	Albanian form of Gjuro / Gjuraj
Angel Radi	Angel Radi	Surname	Albanian surname (Shkodër–Ulqin)
Prenz da Scuttari	Prenk nga Shkodra	Toponymic	From Shkodër
Alexi da Rodoni	Aleksi nga Rodoni	Toponymic	Cape Rodon (northern Albania)
Domenico da Scutari	Domenik nga Shkodra	Toponymic	Clear Albanian provenance
Paulo da Scutari	Pjetër / Pal nga Shkodra	Toponymic	From Shkodër
Prenz da Boiana	Prenk nga Bojana	Toponymic	Shkodër delta area
Lorenzo da Croia	Lorenc nga Kruja	Toponymic	From Kruja, central Albania
Francesco Poruba	Frang Poruba	Family	Poruba family attested Ulcinj–Shkodër area
Paulo da Albania	Pal nga Shqipëria	Explicitly Albanian	Self-identified as “from Albania”
Giez d’Albania	Gjin nga Shqipëria	Explicitly Albanian	Recorded as “from Albania”
Marco Progoni	Mark Progoni	Family name	Medieval Albanian noble family from Kruja
Lecha Progoni	Lek Progoni	Family name	Albanian variant of Alex / Aleks
Gegha Mida	Gega Mida	Family name	Common Shkodran surname
N’cha Mida	Nikça Mida	Personal name	Northern Albanian (Malësia)
Marin Mida	Marin Mida	Family name	Shkodran
Gegha Pessa	Gega Pesha	Family name	Pesha surname in Shkodër–Lezhë
Gegha Cruta	Gega Kruta	Family name	Kruta family from Krujë region
Peppa Grubani	Pepa Grubani	Family name	Albanian Catholic surname
Prenz Cruta	Prenk Kruta	Family name	Same lineage as above
Bibba Mida	Biba Mida	Family name	Biba = Albanian given name
Pera Sestani	Pjetër Shtestani	Toponymic	Shestani = Shestan region (Ulcinj–Shkodër)
Nica Leciari	Nikça Leçiari	Family name	Related to Leçi
Peppa Samarisi	Pepa Samari	Family name	Albanian
Gegha Tiesa	Gega Tiesa	Family	Northern Albania
Prenz da Boiana	Prenk Bojana	Toponymic	Shkodër delta
Lecha Dallessio	Lek D’Alessio	Toponymic	From Lezhë (Alessio)
Peppa Dallessio	Pepa D’Alessio	Toponymic	From Lezhë
Colla Dallessio	Kola D’Alessio	Toponymic	From Lezhë
Ramo Dallessio	Ramo D’Alessio	Toponymic	From Lezhë
Meemet da Alessio	Mehmet nga Lezha	Muslim Albanian	From Lezhë
Doda da Blinista	Doda nga Blinishti	Toponymic	Blinishti, region in Lezhë
Michir da Zadrima	Mikel nga Zadrima	Toponymic	Zadrima plain, north Albania
Giez Mida	Gjin Mida	Family	Shkodër lineage
Prenz Tanami	Prenk Tanami	Family	Tanami surname, Shkodër
Giez da Potechia	Gjin nga Puka	Possibly “Puka”	North Albania
Marin Gionga	Marin Gjonga	Family	Albanian surname
Marin da Mussan	Marin nga Mëson (Malësia)	Possibly Albanian
Ivan da Boiana	Gjon nga Bojana	Toponymic	Shkodër river delta
Mustafa da Dolcigno	Mustafa nga Ulqin	Muslim Albanian	Ulcinj
Sinan da Dolcigno	Sinan nga Ulqin	Muslim Albanian	Ulcinj
Assan da Clementi	Hasan nga Klementi	Tribal name	Kelmendi (northern Albania)
Ibro da Feelan	Ibro nga Filan (Shkodër)	Muslim Albanian	Possibly “Fushë-Lajë / Velipojë”
Assan da Rismani	Hasan nga Rizmani	Muslim Albanian	Albanianized surname
Ossain d’Antivari	Hasan nga Tivari	Muslim Albanian	Bar
Isuf Cadossi	Jusuf Kadushi	Muslim Albanian	Albanian Muslim name
Curt Morsa	Kurt Mursa	Muslim Albanian	Turkish loan used in Albania
Elesca Cambassi	Lesh Kambashi	Albanian	Catholic surname from Lezhë
Mal Cogliari	Mal Koliari	Albanian	From “Kolaj”
Duch Agliari	Dukagjini	Possibly corrupted	“Duch Agliari” ~ “Dukagjini”? plausible
Vussain Aimani	Hasan Imani	Muslim Albanian	Imani family, Shkodër
Lucca Aimani	Luka Imani	Family	Same lineage
Dua Aimani	Duka Imani	Family	Same
Gion Sestani	Gjon Shtestani	Toponymic	Shestan area
Zvanne da Spizza	Gjon nga Spica	Toponymic	Spič (Ulcinj), Albanian-speaking historically
Paolo da Scutari	Pal nga Shkodra	Toponymic	Albanian
Andrea d’Alessio	Ndrea nga Lezha	Toponymic	Lezhë
Alexi da Rodoni	Aleksi nga Rodoni	Toponymic	Cape Rodon
Domenico Michieli	Domenik Mikeli	Family	Albanian Catholic family
Prenz Suma	Prenk Suma	Family	Prominent Shkodran clan
Nicolo Gini	Nikoll Gjinaj	Family	Albanian Catholic family
Prenz da Scuttari	Prenk nga Shkodra	Toponymic	From Shkodër
Nicolo da Susana	Nikoll nga Shushani	Toponymic	Shushani near Ulcinj
Piero da Risano	Pjetër nga Risan	Toponymic	Risan (Venetian Albania, bilingual)
Mattio da Montenegro Vido	Matteo nga Mali i Zi	Bilingual	Likely Albanian family integrated in Montenegro
Ivo da Marcovichi	Gjon nga Markoviq	Toponymic	Albanian–Slavic mixed
Vuco da Dolcigno	Vuk nga Ulqin	Mixed	Albanian/Slavic bilingual name
Marco da Machina	Mark nga Makina	Place name	Kotor–Ulcinj zone
Giuro da Machina	Gjuro / Gjura	Albanian form	Catholic Albanian variant

References

• Stanojević, Gligor. Jedan platni spisak mornara i oficira mletačkih naoružanih barki iz 1626. godine. Istorijski zapisi 24 (1971): 363–372.
• Archivio di Stato di Venezia, Provveditore generale in Dalmazia et Albania, filza 440.
• Kovjančić, R. Pomene crnogorskih plemena u kotorskim spomenicima (XIV–XVI vijek). Cetinje, 1963.
• Frashëri, Kristo. Historia e popullit shqiptar. Tirana: Toena, 2002.
• Norris, H.T. Islam in the Balkans: Religion and Society between Europe and the Arab World. Columbia, 1993.
• Šufflay, Milan. Serbët dhe Shqiptarët: Ndikimet kulturore ndërmjet Adriatikut dhe Ballkanit. Tirana, 1925.
• ResearchGate. “Albanian Soldiers in the Venetian Land Army across the Adriatic (18th Century).”