In 1553, an Italian author mentions that an Albanian lord ruled over the fortress of Castello di San Giovanni (St. John’s Fortress or San Giovanni Fortress) of Kotor (Cattaro). This was before the locals of Kotor seized it with vioelence.

Cited:

“Cattharo is an ancient city which in 1420, not wanting to surrender spontaneously to the illustrious Captain General of the Sea, was burned by the army and, seeing that the Catharini who governed themselves as a republic, which nowadays they are proud and glorious, could not resist any prince who wanted to offend them, they then placed themselves under the devotion of your sublimity.

It surrounds the city for a little more than a mile and towards the east it leans against the back of a very rugged mountain and towards the west the canal which enters the mouth of the city for eighteen miles beats under the walls. The wall which is towards that part is open in many places and threatens ruin and therefore needs quick repair.

The curtain of the newly made moat towards the mountain is also damaged due to a crack of about fifty which penetrates to the foundations and it is necessary to either completely rebuild it or repair it as long as it is in good condition, making its parapet provide the two bastions, one built in the time of the illustrious Bembo in the heat of war, the other begun by the illustrious Alvise da Riva of good memory, which and the aforementioned curtain flank the ditch and the mainland gate which is to the north and are a strong defense of that city which from that part of the hill nearby can be beaten and overcome, because of which adversaries it remains weak and insecure.

I am next to set up some guards on the mountainside towards the Greek side which are all in ruins where the soldiers cannot stay to keep watch, among which are some cavalry which are the fortress of that city both because they beat that hill which rises above the land and also because they guard the road which goes to Montenegro and in any case they would impede the passage of any army which would come there to conquer it, for which reason it would be necessary to make its parapets and to provide it with every necessary thing which cannot be omitted.

At the top of the mountain, the castle was once bought by Catharini by force from an Albanian who was its particular lord. “

Source

Monumenta spectantia historiam Slavorum meridionalium Volumes 1–2. Jugoslavenska akademija znanosti i umjetnosti. 1880