Scanderbeg (Paperback)

by Harry Hodgkinson (Author) "WHEN THE TURKISH armies first came to Europe to win for themselves the lands that the Byzantine emperors were no longer strong enough to rule,..." (more)
Key Phrases: Gjon Castrioti, Gjergj Castrioti, Asia Minor (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

This is the first biography of the Albanian national hero Scanderbeg (1403-1468) published in England for more than four hundred years. The son of a prince of Albania, he was educated in the Muslim faith as a hostage at the court of Sultan Murad II and given the title bey and an army command. In 1443 Scanderbeg escaped to his homeland, abjured Islam, and formed a league of princes among the Albanian chieftains. He proclaimed himself Prince of Albania. To resist the Ottomans under Sultan Muhammad II , Scanderbeg received aid at various times from Venice, Naples, Hungary, and the pope. Written by the late Harry Hodgkinson, a former naval intelligence officer who served under Ian Fleming, this engrossing and elegantly crafted book is an attempt to bring the reader closer to this famous historical figure and to set him in the dramatic context of Albania and its history.

I.B.Tauris in association with the Centre for Albanian Studies

--This text refers to the Paperback edition.

Book Description

This is the first biography of the Albanian national hero Scanderbeg (1403-1468) published in England for more than four hundred years. The son of a prince of Albania, he was educated in the Muslim faith as a hostage at the court of Sultan Murad II and given the title bey and an army command. In 1443 Scanderbeg escaped to his homeland, abjured Islam, and formed a league of princes among the Albanian chieftains. He proclaimed himself Prince of Albania. To resist the Ottomans under Sultan Muhammad II , Scanderbeg received aid at various times from Venice, Naples, Hungary, and the pope. Written by the late Harry Hodgkinson, a former naval intelligence officer who served under Ian Fleming, this engrossing and elegantly crafted book is an attempt to bring the reader closer to this famous historical figure and to set him in the dramatic context of Albania and its history.

I.B.Tauris in association with the Centre for Albanian Studies

--This text refers to the Paperback edition.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 236 pages
• Publisher: Learning Design (September 1999)
• ISBN-10: 1873928130
• ISBN-13: 978-1873928134
• Average Customer Review: 2.6 out of 5 stars See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,719,319 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Fills some important gaps, September 18, 2007

By	Stratiotes Doxha Theon "2 Thes 2:15" (Richmond, Missouri) - See all my reviews (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)

This review is from: Scanderbeg: From Ottoman Captive to Albanian Hero (Paperback)

It is unfortunate that good biographies of this most interesting guerrilla captain are out of print. Although Mr. Hodgkinson questions a great deal about the legends of Scanderbeg to the point of suggesting his subject may even have been a monster of sorts, this work does provide some critical details left unexplored by previous biographers (Barleti, Moore, Noli). There is a sense that Mr. Hodgkinson is overcritical but it is difficult to contend that previous biographers were critical at all.

My favorite Scanderbeg biography by Mr. Clement Moore (based on Marin Barleti's - both works are now out of print) is even more difficult to find than this one but worth the search. Mr. Fan Noli's biography is far too brief making this, I think, a superior choice. Where Mr. Moore writes a glowing military history rich with geographical and tactical details sure to please the military historian, Mr. Hodgkinson has provided less of the military details and more of the geo-political and strategic backdrop that Barleti and Moore biographies lacked. I would highly recommend reading those less critical biographies and temper their gushing praise with Mr. Hodgkinson's probing questions.

The prose are clear and Mr. Hodgkinson has an entertaining style. It makes for a good historical read but may make the admirer of Scanderbeg a bit uneasy in the critique, particularly surrounding the legend of his youth. If you are an admirer of Scanderbeg, try to get past those early chapters to be reminded of his genius in battle. Scanderbeg's ability to outwit so many with so few is, in itself, legend enough to fascinate any student of military history and guerrilla/unconventional warfare enthusiasts in particular.

7 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Very disappointing, July 16, 2007

By	Shkodran (CT) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Scanderbeg: From Ottoman Captive to Albanian Hero (Paperback)

This seems to be a book written by Turkish apologists. Not only does it it seem historically inaccurate but also puts down the historical Gjergj Kastrioti as a myth created by mountain people in song and verse.

The falacies are as basic as statements like Gjergj was the yougest of four boys and that the only way he could have had land belonging to him was if it were given to him by the Sultan. Any Albanian knows that according to our culture if one has four boys, the father's land is EQUALLY divided between ALL four boys and not just the oldest. This is just one example of the many cultural inaccuracies stated throughout this book.

The authors spend more time putting down previous writers of the biography (including a monk) as just mythical writers rather than on the positive accomplishments of Kastrioti. My comment to the authors of this book would be that they should have labeled this book as fiction rather a biography. This book is extremely biased, misleading, and very subjective. If you are a fan of Gjergj Kastrioti and are interested in learning historical facts about him, pass on this book - particularly if you are a Christian Albanian, you will not unlike the pro Turkish anti-Christian sentiment.

1.0 out of 5 stars does not tell the whole story, July 5, 2009

By	mike rogers - See all my reviews

This review is from: Scanderbeg: From Ottoman Captive to Albanian Hero (Paperback)

this book does not tell the whole story behind this man he was they say Albanian but he has Serbian roots on his mothers side and they say the Albanians were not in the Balkans when Skanderbeg was in the Balkans so its misleading at who he really is. They say he is half Greek and half Serbian which i believe since that's in history because it seems like in Albania they try to change history for what it really is and was its hard to believe anything in this book who really knows but this explains nothing.