Translated from the site “Historia Krajes”
Transcribed:
“Next, one must speak about Albania, which in the south borders directly with Greece and lies between Rasa (Serbia) and the Land of the Despot. This region of Albania is quite extensive and large, with very warlike people; they are excellent archers and swordsmen. Four large rivers irrigate this entire region: the Erzen, Mat, Shkumbin, and Epasa.
The land is fertile, producing meat, cheese, and milk. They do not have an abundance of bread and wine, but still have enough, especially the nobles. They do not have cities, castles, towns, or villas, but live in tents and constantly move from place to place according to their clans and families. Nevertheless, they have one city called Durrës (Dyrrachium), which belongs to the Latins. From it, they obtain clothing and other necessary goods.
Part of this kingdom, together with the mentioned city of Durrës, is now held by the Prince of Taranto, the son of the King of Sicily; this happens by the free will of the local lords, who, due to their natural love for the Gauls (French), accepted him voluntarily as their ruler. From Apulia and the city of Brindisi, one can reach Durrës within one night, and from Durrës through Albania one can go to Greece and Constantinople very easily and safely, without difficult roads or danger from the waters.
This route was used in ancient times by Roman emperors such as Julius Caesar, Octavian Augustus, and others, because it was very exhausting to send such a large army for so long by sea and over such a long route.
The mentioned kingdom of Albania now has no king, but the land is divided among the princes (local leaders) who rule it independently. It is said that this province is called Albania because the people of this region are born with white hair (albo crine).
The dogs in this land are of gigantic size and so wild that they can even kill lions. As Pliny recounts, the Albanians sent Alexander the Great a dog that in the stadium defeated a lion, an elephant, and a bull. The Albanians have multicolored eyes and blue pupils, allowing them to see better at night than during the day. For this reason, they are great thieves and move at night as if it were daytime.
It is known that there are two Albanias: one in Asia, near India, which we are not discussing here; and another in Europe, which legally belongs to the Empire of Constantinople, and this is the one we are discussing here. This European Albania contains two provinces: Klisura and Tumurist. In addition to these two provinces, it also has nearby provinces such as Kunavia, Stefanati, Piloti, and Debri (Dibra). These provinces pay tribute to these Albanians and are almost like their servants, because the people of these lands cultivate their fields and vineyards and serve them for whatever they need in their homes.
The inhabitants of these provinces do not move from place to place like the aforementioned Albanians, but have permanent houses and towns. They are neither fully Catholic nor fully Schismatic (Orthodox). However, if someone preached the Word of God to them, they would become devout Catholics, because they naturally love the Latins, as mentioned above.
The aforementioned Albanians have a distinct language, different from that of the Latins, Greeks, and Slavs, so they cannot understand other peoples at all. And this suffices to be said about Albania.”
Source
Anonymous. Description of Albania, 1308. Translated from the original historical text. Manuscript reference: Europe, Albania, 1308. Early Albanian historical sources.
