The Albanian defenders repelled a major Ottoman assault on Krujë, killing Ottoman commander Ballaban Badera and temporarily halting Ottoman expansion into Albania.
Key Facts
- Siege duration
- June 1466 to 23 April 1467 (nearly one year)
- Albanian-Venetian force
- 13,400 men
- Ottoman commander killed
- Ballaban Badera, sanjakbey of Ohrid
- Ottoman fortress constructed
- Elbasan, on the Shkumbin River
- Outcome date
- 23 April 1467
By the Numbers
Location
Cause → Event → Consequence
Sultan Mehmed II launched a campaign into Albania to defeat Skanderbeg and the League of Lezhë, which had resisted Ottoman expansion since 1444. Mehmed constructed the fortress of Elbasan as a permanent base, then left Ballaban Badera in charge of besieging Krujë. Skanderbeg, unable to secure substantial aid from Pope Paul II or the Italian states, returned to Albania to find his league weakened and in urgent need of relief.
From June 1466 to 23 April 1467, Ottoman forces under Ballaban Badera besieged Krujë while Skanderbeg gathered a combined Albanian-Venetian army of 13,400 men. Splitting his force into three divisions, Skanderbeg surrounded the besieging camp. Ballaban was killed in the fighting, leaving the Ottoman army leaderless. The defenders of Krujë held out throughout, and Albanian-Venetian forces routed the remaining Ottomans before they could escape through Dibër.
The successful defense of Krujë was celebrated by Albanians and Italians alike, but it did not end the war. Skanderbeg subsequently attempted to besiege Elbasan at Venice's urging but failed for lack of artillery. Venice's conflicts with Italian neighbors emboldened Mehmed to launch yet another campaign, leading directly to a third Ottoman siege of Krujë.
Belligerents & Mobilization Analysis
Side A
1 belligerent
Skanderbeg.
Side B
1 belligerent
Sultan Mehmed II, Ballaban Badera.