DETAJE MBI SULMIN DHE PLAÇKITJEN E DURRËSIT NË VITIN 1606 SIPAS BURIMEVE SPANJOLLE
DETAILS ON THE ATTACK AND SACKING OF DURRËS IN 1606 ACCORDING TO SPANISH SOURCES

Summary/Abstract: The article deals with the occupation and sacking of Durrës on 05.08.1606, based on Spanish documents. The author describes the stages of the enterprise until their withdrawal, giving opinions on the location of the Spanish ships, the landing place, the route they followed to approach Durrës fortress and the military organization. The data on the ottoman soldiers killed, 1000 of them, seems to indicate an abnormal situation. The garrison under normal peace conditions should have fluctuated around 255 people. Therefore, the amount noted by Marquis Santa Cruz is either indicative of a tense situation therefore the need for an increased garrison, or the killed civilians were also included in it. The author leans more towards the second explanation, thinking that the Marquis intended to cover up the killing of civilians. According to the available data and the interpretation of the killed, the population can be calculated in two versions: 300-500 people, or approximately 1000. About 19% of this population must have been Christians. After the murders and enslavement Durrës has suffered a complete emptying. It would take several decades to reach the same stage of development. The economic basis of the population was agriculture and farming. Considering the descriptions and other documentary data, it turns out that Durrës in 1606 resembles a fortified village. The simplicity with which Durrës was conquered and the number of Ottoman killed compared to the Spanish ones is strange to explain. In addition to the sleepiness of the defensive garrison, and the superior force of the Spaniards, a partial explanation can be related to the collaboration of the attackers with individuals within the walls. The Albanians thought, and hoped, that such an attack was a prelude to a larger anti-Ottoman action and expressed their readiness to rise to war. But such a thing did not happen, thus losing the last opportunity to liberate the territories of the western Balkans from the Ottoman rule.

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