Constantine Kastrioti

Constantine Kastrioti (1437/8 - ?) was an Albanian nobleman and a commander of the League of Lezhë. A member of the Kastrioti family he was Skanderbeg's nephew, while his father's name is unknown. During Skanderbeg's Italian expedition at the age of twenty-two or twenty-three he was sent to Italy to command a contingent of troops in order to help Ferdinand I of Naples maintain his rule against the Angevins and their allies.

Since Skanderbeg was busy with internal affairs in Albania, Constantine played a leading role in the Albanian expedition before his uncle's arrival. He served under Ferdinand who had been trying to regain his territory after it had been overrun by the Angevins and their supporters.

Along with Constantine's cavalry, Francesco del Balzo, the Duke of Andria who had remained loyal to Ferdinand, managed to defeat Ercole d'Este, one of the pro-Angevin nobles in Gargano. From Gargano, they were then able to collect customs-duties of 30,000 ducats. Constantine and Ferdinand were able to regain some lost territory before Skanderbeg landed in Italy and took over the command.

Further reading

• Frashëri, Kristo (2002) (in Albanian), Gjergj Kastrioti Skënderbeu: jeta dhe vepra, 1405–1468, Botimet Toena, ISBN 9992716274, http://books.google.com/books?id=vwR3PQAACAAJ&dq=kristo+frasheri+skenderbeu&hl=en&ei=vD6aTMPAFoPGlQeau_HZDw&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=1&ved=0CCsQ6AEwAA