Dhimitër Progoni

Dhimitër Progoni was the third and the last Prince of Arbër from the Progon Dynasty, reigning from 1208 to 1216. He succeeded his brother Gjin Progoni and brought the principality to its maximum. Western sources of the time attribute him with the titles judex (judge) and princeps Arbanorum (prince of the Albanians), while Byzantine records refer to him as megas archon (grand lord). In 1208 he married Komnena Nemanjić, daughter of the Serbian King Stefan Nemanjić, he secured a brief peace with Serbia^[1]. Dhimitër also earned the exalted Byzantine title panhypersebastos^{[citation needed]}.

Dhimitër’s marriage with Nemanja’s daughter did not rule out the risk of a Serbian expansion toward the Albanian domains. However, in 1204, the most serious threat came from the Venetian Duchy of Dyrrhachium, a Latin entity formed after the Fourth Crusade in the former territories of the Byzantine Empire. In search for allies, Dhimitër signed a treaty with the Republic of Ragusa in 1209 and began negotiations with Pope Innocent III regarding his and his subjects’ conversion to Catholicism. This is considered a tactful move, which Dhimitër undertook to establish ties with Western Europe against Venice.

Dhimitër had no son to succeed him. After his death, his wife, Komnena, married an Albanian noble, Grigor Kamona, who later became Prince of Albania. His closest ally was an archon named Dhimiter Gaba the 3rd. ^[2]

References

• Jubani, Zef et al. Historia e popullit shqiptar: për shkollat e mesme. Libri Shkollor: Prishtinë, 2003. 48.

1. ^ http://books.google.com/books?id=bclfdU_2lesC&pg=PA786
2. ^ Zeqo, Moikom. Kur lindi shteti tek shqiptarët?. Albasoul.com

See also

• History of Albania
• Monarchs of Albania

Preceded by Gjin Progoni

Prince of Albania 1208–1216

Succeeded by Grigor Kamona

Persondata
Name	Progoni, Dhimiter, Prince Of Albania
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Date of death	1216
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