IV 

109TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. RES. 522 

Honoring the 600th anniversary of the birth of Gjergj Castrioti (Scanderbeg), 

statesman, diplomat, and military genius, for his role in saving Western 

Europe from Ottoman occupation. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

OCTOBER 27, 2005 

Mr. ROHRABACHER (for himself and Mr. LANTOS) submitted the following 

resolution; which was referred to the Committee on International Relations 

RESOLUTION 

Honoring the 600th anniversary of the birth of Gjergj 

Castrioti (Scanderbeg), statesman, diplomat, and military 

genius, for his role in saving Western Europe from Ottoman occupation. 

Whereas 600 years ago, in 1405 AD, in the White Castle of 

Kruja (formerly Croya), Albania, Gjergj Castrioti was 

born; 

Whereas at the age of 17 his father reluctantly left him with 

the Ottoman Turkish Sultan as a condition of peace; 

Whereas Castrioti excelled in studying history and classical 

languages and at an early age reached the rank of General in the Ottoman Turkish Army; 

Whereas Castrioti’s military genius and unique leadership 

qualities were praised by Sultan Murad, who called him 
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•HRES 522 IH 

Iskander Bey (now Scanderbeg), after Alexander the 

Great; 

Whereas while being away from his native Albanian lands, 

Castrioti never forgot his Albanian heritage and people; 

Whereas on October 28, 1443, after much soul-searching and 

in utmost secrecy, Castrioti finally decided to return 

home and liberate the Albanian people from Ottoman 

domination; 

Whereas the Battle of Nish on November 10, 1443, between 

Ottoman troops and the Hungarian Army (led by another 

freedom-fighter, Janos Hunyadi), gave Scanderbeg the 

perfect opportunity to accomplish his plan of return; 

Whereas on November 28, 1443, Scanderbeg returned to his 

native town of Kruja and raised again his flag with the 

double-headed eagle over the White Castle there, to the 

enthusiastic celebration of his people, an historical moment vividly described by the American poet Henry 

Wadsworth Longfellow in his lengthy epic poem, 

‘‘Scanderbeg’’; 

Whereas Scanderbeg thereafter successfully defended the Albanian people against countless attacks by the Ottoman 

Empire, the largest army of the period, including in 1450 

the onslaught of more than 150,000 Ottoman troops led 

by Sultan Murad, who was ultimately defeated by vastly 

outnumbered Albanian foot soldiers and cavalry led by 

Scanderbeg at the Castle of Kruja in a bloody Homeric 

struggle; 

Whereas Murad’s son, Sultan Mehmed, conquered Constantinople in 1453, thus ending the Byzantine period, but was 

unable in 1466 and 1467 to conquer Albania, even 
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•HRES 522 IH 

though he commanded the largest army of the time, including up to 300,000 foot soldiers and horsemen; 

Whereas during 1460 and 1461 Gjergj Castrioti Scanderbeg 

brought his army to southern Italy for the second time 

to defend his ally, King Alphonse of Naples, against the 

invasion of the Lombards of southern France; 

Whereas Gjergj Castrioti united the Albanian people and established a free state of Albania, which endured for 25 

years; 

Whereas according to Major General James Wolfe, commander of the British army at Quebec, ‘‘Scanderbeg . . . 

excels all officers, ancient and modern, in the conduct of 

a small defensive army . . ..’’; and, according to noted 

British historian Edward Gibbon, ‘‘the enthusiasm of 

chivalry and religion has ranked the Albanian prince with 

the names of Alexander the Great and Pyrrhus’’; 

Whereas Scanderbeg died at the town of Lyssus (now Lezha), 

Albania, on January 17, 1468, and Albanians resisted 

Ottoman occupation for another 20 years, after which the 

Ottomans overran Albania, forcing tens of thousands of 

Albanians to flee across the Adriatic Sea to the Kingdom 

of Naples for asylum, where their progeny still live today; 

Whereas the nation of Albania under Scanderbeg prevented 

the invasion of Rome and all of Italy by the Ottoman 

Empire, thus effectively paving the way for the Italian 

Renaissance; 

Whereas statues of Scanderbeg mounted on his stallion with 

sword in hand today grace the capitals of Italy, Austria, 

Hungary, Albania, and Kosova; 

Whereas Albania, including Kosova, became free again on 

November 28, 1912, after 425 years of Turkish Ottoman 
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•HRES 522 IH 

occupation, and today modern Albania and Turkey are 

both staunch allies of the United States of America; and 

Whereas the Republic of Albania today is resolute in joining 

NATO and the European Union as promptly as possible: 

Now, therefore, be it 

1 Resolved, That the House of Representatives— 

2 (1) commemorates the achievements of Gjergj 

3 Castrioti Scanderbeg and the 600th anniversary of 

4 his birth; 

5 (2) commends Albanians everywhere for paying 

6 tribute to and honoring their valiant leader, hero, 

7 and son, Gjergj Castrioti; and 

8 (3) urges the United States Government to 

9 work with its European partners to accelerate the 

10 integration of Albania and a free Kosova into the 

11 European Union, in recognition of the great con12 tribution and sacrifice made by Gjergj Castrioti and 

13 the Albanian people in saving Western Europe from 

14 Ottoman domination. 

Æ