# Fall of Gjirokastër (1418)

URL: https://allhistories.com/albania/timeline/1418-fall-of-gjirokaster
Location: Gjirokastër
Themes: Wars & Revolts

The Zenebishi family were Albanian lords in Epirus, centred on the fortress of Gjirokastër in the Drino valley. Gjon Zenebishi controlled Gjirokastër and its surroundings from about 1373 and was one of the main Albanian rulers of the south, often in conflict with the rulers of Ioannina and allied at times with Venice, which granted him estates on Corfu. After the Ottoman conquest of Vlorë and Berat in 1417, the Ottomans advanced on Gjirokastër, which fell in 1418; some sources give 1419. Gjon Zenebishi died in 1418, and his son Depë Zenebishi took refuge on the family estates in Corfu. Gjirokastër became one of the main centres of Ottoman administration in the south and, according to several accounts, the seat of the sanjakbey of the Sanjak of Albania. The fall of Gjirokastër completed the Ottoman conquest of southern Albania. Many dispossessed nobles, among them the Zenebishi, would return during the Albanian revolt of 1432–1436, when Depë Zenebishi led the rebels besieging the city. The town later developed into a major Ottoman centre, and its historic centre is today a UNESCO World Heritage Site together with Berat.

## Why it matters
The capture of Gjirokastër completed Ottoman control over southern Albania and made the city a key Ottoman centre.

Ruler at the Time: [Balša III](https://allhistories.com/albania/rulers/balsa-iii)

## Sources
- [Wikipedia — John Zenevisi](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Zenevisi)
- [Wikipedia — Zenebishi family](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zenebishi_family)
- [Wikipedia — Byzantium, Arbanon And The Principalities (period overview)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Principality_of_Arbanon)