Gjon Muzaka

Albanian noble

Gjon Muzaka
Prince of Musacchia
The Muzaka's coat of arms in Francavilla Fontana
Full name	Gjon Muzaka
Born	c. 15th century Principality of Muzaka
Died	1515 or later
Noble family	Muzaka family
Spouse(s)	Maria Dukagjini
Issue	Theodor Muzaka Helena Muzaka Andriano Muzaka Costantino Muzaka Porfida Muzaka
Father	Gjin II Muzaka
Mother	Chiranna Mataranga^[1]

Gjon Muzaka (fl. 1510; Italian: Giovanni Musachi di Berat) was an Albanian nobleman from the Muzaka family, that has historically ruled in the Myzeqe region, Albania.^[2] In 1510 he wrote a Breve memoria de li discendenti de nostra casa Musachi (Short memoir on the descendants of our Myzeqe lineage). The work was published in Karl Hopf's Chroniques gréco-romaines, Paris 1873, pp. 270–340.^[3]

According to his memoirs, Gjon's father died before Ottomans captured Berat in 1417.

The memoir of Gjon Muzaka (1515)

His memoir is considered to be the oldest substantial text written by an Albanian. It was originally written in Latin and his name was listed as Giovanni Musachi.^[4] In it he mentions several interesting things that were confirmed to have been accurate by Noel Malcolm.^[5] Among other things he claims that, according to family history, the name "Musachi" is derived from a corrupted form of the name "Molossachi", ancient tribesmen of Epirus known as the Molossians.^[4]

Name

His name is mentioned in sources in several different versions, like John, Giovanni^[6] Ivan,^[7] and Jovan.^[8]

Ancestry

Ancestors of Gjon Muzaka

16. Andrea II Muzaka

8. Gjin I Muzaka

17. Euphemia Mataranga

4. Andrea III Muzaka

18. Materango Arianiti Comnenus

9. Zanfina Arianiti Comminata

2. Gjin II Muzaka

10. John Zenevisi Sebastocrator of Epirus

5. Anna Zenevisi

22. Gjin Bua Shpata

11. Lady of Bua Spata

23. Helena Preljubović
(daughter of Gregory Preljub)

1. Gjon Muzaka

12. Paul Mataranga, Sebastokrator of Ohrid

6. Son or nephew of Paul Mataranga

3. Chiranna Mataranga

7. Maria Zardari

References

^ Hopf, 1873 & p.282. sfn error: no target: CITEREFHopf1873p.282 (help)
^ Braudel, Fernand (1995). The Mediterranean and the mediterranean world in the age of Philip II, Volume 2. p. 664. ISBN 0-520-20330-5.
^ "John Musachi: Brief Chronicle on the Descendants of our Musachi Dynasty".
^ ^a ^b Elsie, Robert (2003). "1515 | John Musachi: Brief Chronicle on the Descendants of our Musachi Dynasty". www.albanianhistory.net. Archived from the original on 2016-03-04.
^ Noel Malcolm (1998). Kosovo: A Short History. HarperPerennial. p. 62. ISBN 0-06-097775-2.
^ Robert Elsie (2010). Historical Dictionary of Albania. Rowman & Littlefield. p. 315. ISBN 978-0-8108-6188-6. John Musachi (Ital. Giovanni Musachi)
^ The complaints of Macedonia: memoranda, petitions, resolutions, minutes, letters and documents, addressed to the League of Nations, 1919-1939. International Documentation on Macedonia. 1979. p. 17. Ivan Musachi
^ Spiridion Gopčević (1889). Makedonien und Alt-Serbien (in German). L. W. Seidel. p. 305. Jovan Musaki