Skanderbeg ' s Macedonian campaign Skanderbeg ' s Macedonian campaign was a preemptive campaign into the Ottoman Empire in Macedonia by Skanderbeg to defeat three Ottoman armies which had been prepared for the joint - invasion of Albania . From 1461 to 1462 , Skanderbeg campaigned in Italy to protect his ally , Ferdinand I , from being overrun by the Angevin dynasty which claimed the Kingdom of Naples . Before setting out for Italy , Skanderbeg forged a truce with Sultan Mehmed II . Upon returning to Albania after securing Ferdinand , the Venetians became hostile to Skanderbeg and a sort of undeclared war took place . Mehmed saw an opportunity to attack Skanderbeg and sent three armies in one year . All three were defeated by Skanderbeg , however , in August 1462 making it the first time that he would win three battles against the Ottomans in one month . Background . After Alfonso the Magnanimous died , Skanderbeg made it a necessity to establish cordial relation with Venice . He ceded the fortress of Sati in 1459 even though he had conquered it from the Ottomans . The reconciliation reached the point where Pope Pius II suggested entrusting Skanderbeg ' s dominions during his Italian expedition , where his swift cavalry tactics managed to defeat the Angevin incursions on several occasions . He was successful enough to entrust the reconquest of Naples to Ferdinand , his ally , and thus returned to Albania . Once it became clear that Skanderbeg had found a new protector , the Venetians became hostile . Trade between the League of Lezhë and the Albania Veneta was cut off . Mehmed II saw an opportunity to finally crush Skanderbeg and , therefore , sent several armies into Albania . Campaign . Mehmed successes in the East prompted him to launch a new campaign against Skanderbeg . He prepared by sending 23 , 000 cavalry under Sinan bey near Albania . Upon learning this , Skanderbeg gathered 8 , 000 men to march against Sinan . Skanderbeg figured out what route Sinan would take so he chose to encamp in a mountain overlooking the path , near Mokra , marching there by night before the Ottomans . On 7 July 1462 , the Ottomans neared and Skanderbeg ordered his men to make loud noises by using their drums and battlehorns and they soon launched a powerful attack . Disorder engulfed the Ottoman ranks and many were cut down . The Albanians gathered rich booty and traveled back to Albania heavy - laden . Battle of Mokra . The Sultan , upon hearing of the debacle , dispatched three armies to Albania . Skanderbeg , upon learning of the sultan ' s plans , immediately marched into Macedonia . A large force under Hasan bey set out to march into Albania through the same pass as Sinan a month before , unaware that Skanderbeg was ready to meet him . While the Ottomans were idle , Skanderbeg ordered the enemy guards to be killed and a full scale battle soon ensued . Most of the Ottoman soldiers were killed and Hasan himself was wounded by an arrow piercing through his right arm . Despite the fact that most of his army was annihilated and that it was late at night , he took some of his most loyal soldiers up into a more secure place . Skanderbeg came to understand this the next morning and immediately set off to find him . Out of desperation , Hasan came out unarmed and surrendered to Skanderbeg asking for mercy . Skanderbeg gave Hasan what he was asking for and the latter was taken prisoner . Battle of Pollog . After Hasan ' s army had been destroyed , Isuf bey went to defeat Skanderbeg and avenge his colleague . With the sultan ' s permission , he marched out with 18 , 000 troops to Uskub . From there , he marched onto Pollog near Tetovo . Isuf ' s fate was similar to Hasan ' s : Skanderbeg attacked and annihilated Isuf ' s force but the pasha fled , leaving his army behind to be reduced . Battle of Livad . Karaza bey , another of the sultan ' s commanders , was lured into Albania for hope of attaining glory , despite his old age . Karaza had served with Skanderbeg in Anatolia where they subdued the sultan ' s rebellious subjects . Karaza was a consummate commander , having fulfilled many important tasks for the sultan . The sultan yielded 30 , 000 cavalry to Karaza who soon marched to Albania . Unlike his two compatriots before him , Karaza chose to march through Lower Dibra and not Upper Dibra , passing by Ohrid . In the meantime , a scouting force of 4 , 000 was drawn out ahead of the main army to gather information on the Albanian positions . But the majority of this force was destroyed . The pasha , upon hearing of the disaster , threw a fit of anger less due to his troops being killed than his plans being foiled . Karaza devised a stratagem by which to trick Skanderbeg : he sent several envoys to Skanderbeg condemning his " pusillanimity " and calling on him to fight on the open field instead of hiding in the woods . Skanderbeg knew that Karaza would not respect this promise if he accepted it and sent the envoys back . Karaza then began to conciliate with the native people but Skanderbeg — always being well - informed — immediately ordered an attack on the Ottoman camp . The attack was so fierce that few knew what was happening and chaos ensued . However , Skanderbeg was not able to achieve his goal of annihilation ( due to the heavy winds and pouring rain ) but he was still able to do much damage to the Ottomann forces . Karaza immediately escaped with much of his army and traveled to Istanbul , where he was pardoned by the sultan for succeeding in preventing the annihilation of his force which the previous commanders fell victim to . Aftermath . Skanderbeg had won a remarkable victory over a combined force of over 48 , 000 men by defeating it in three parts . This was the first time that he would win three battles in one month . In the summer of 1463 , a huge army under the sultan ' s personal command gathered near Uskub , but it was to march into Bosnia . In the assembly of the League of Lezhë , Tanush Thopia made urgent requests to establish peace . Skanderbeg refused , but he was outvoted . The Peace of Uskub was concluded on April 27 , 1463 , largely out a fear of a resurgent Albanian campaign like the year before . Skanderbeg did not intend to maintain the peace and told Pius that he would march against the Ottomans whenever the latter ordered him to . The Venetians grew worried after the Peace and soon set out trying to reconcile with Skanderbeg . On August 20 , 1463 , an alliance against the Ottoman Empire was concluded between the two . The terms of the alliance were that : Venetian contingents and subsidies to be given to Skanderbeg to help in his future wars against the Ottomans ; the amount of subsidy would be determined by the Grand Council and the Abbot of Rotezo and not by the Venetian proveditors in Albania ; Venetian ships and auxiliary ships were to be present in Albanian waters to protect the population ; if Venice concluded peace with Ottoman Empire , Albania was to be included ; Skanderbeg ' s son became a Venetian nobleman ; Skanderbeg would given refuge in Venetian territory in case he was driven out of Albania ; his pension arrears would be paid by Venice and not by its proveditors . Later that year , the Pope ordered his crusade to begin and hostilities between Albania - Venice and the Ottomans would resume .