The ethnonyms of Epirotes, Triballians, and Illyrians in the biography of Skаnderbeg by Marinus Barletius

Abstract

"The use and mеаning of ethnonyms in late medieval texts is a complex scholarly issue. In this paper we try to analyze and clarify the reasons why the mentioned ancient/archaic ethnonyms and geographic names are used for naming certain late medieval Balkan inhabitants and territories in the 15th century. “The Life and Glorious Acts of Heroism of Christ’s Warrior George Castriot, the Ruler of the Epirotes, Who Because of the his Heroic Valor was Called by the Turks Skanderbeg or Alexander the Great” is the original title of the Zagreb edition of 1743 of the famous biography authored by Marinus Barletius (a Catholic priest with humanistic education 1450/60-1512/13) in 13 books.² The title itself discloses the unusual ethnic terminology that the author uses. In Barletius’ biography of Skanderbeg, the terms “Epirus” and “Epirotes” are used predominantly to refer to both the Albanian population and the territory of modern-day Albania.³ The accurate contemporary ethnonym “Albanians” and the geographic term"“Albania” are used much less frequently but for the same purpose and the ethnonym “Macedonians” is used quite rarely.⁴