Castriota, George

(born 1405, northern Albania—died Jan. 17, 1468, Lezhë) Albanian leader. Son of the prince of Emathia, he was given early as a hostage to the Turkish sultan. He converted to Islam, served in the Turkish army, and was given the name Iskander and the rank of bey. In 1443 he abandoned the Turkish service, joining his Albanian countrymen in opposition to the Turks and returning to the Christian faith. He then organized a league of Albanian princes and was elected commander in chief. In 1444–66 he repulsed 13 Turkish invasions; his defeat of Murad II's armies in 1450 made him a hero in the Western world. After his death, however, Albania soon became part of the Ottoman Empire. Skanderbeg is regarded as the national hero of Albania.

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