The Albanian George Castriota Scanderbeg, Venice’s staunchest ally against the Turks, the “athlete of Christianity,” dies. Throughout his life, he held his ground against the superior Ottoman army throughout Albania. At the end of his life, he entrusted his cause to Venice, which, however, managed to defend only a few Albanian port towns. He was buried in Alessio. The war would last another 11 years. Mehmed II would massacre the men and enslave the women and children, in revenge for the humiliations suffered. In 1479, Venice made peace with the Turks, ceding all of Albania to them except Durazzo. Many Albanians fled to Italy, and their descendants are still there today, maintaining their language, faith, and rites. Ahmed Gedik Pasha later landed in Italy, conquering Otranto, but was unable to threaten Rome. Then Mehmed II died on May 3, 1481, before realizing his dream. Those 25 years of fighting in Skanderbeg Albania providentially delayed Mehmed II, who wanted to go down in history as the one who had conquered Constantinople and Rome, who had cut off the two heads of Christianity.
