The stand of the Republic of Ragusa towards the anti-Ottoman war of Gjergj Kastrioti-Scanderbeg

Abstract

Since the beginning of the Ottoman invasions in the Balkans, Ragusa served as a center of information for the Christian Europe related to the circumstances in Albania due to the wars against the Ottoman invader, and through Ragusa were kept the connections with the Hungarian king Sigismund.
Therefore, most of the Ragusan documents on Scanderbeg's forerunning period report about the information that Ragusa offered to Sigismund on the situation in Albania and Bosnia. The emperor himself and the Hungarian king would send to lord Andrea Topia and some other Albanian leaders’ letters and instructions always through Ragusa. This communication way is also proved by Andrea Topia himself, who wrote to the emperor that we don't have your letters, but indirectly we are informed by Ragusa. Therefore, the Senate of Ragusa, which recognized the emperor's sovereignty on Ragusa, systematically informed him on the permeation of the Turkish armies, the liberation war of Albanians and their victories.
The present study is based on the special position and status of Republic of Ragusa relation with the Ottoman Empire. Therefore, we inform about the stands of Ragusa regarding Scanderbeg's anti- Ottoman war.