The Albanians: Sixteenth-Century Mercenaries

If one reads the military history of the sixteenth century, an obvious fact emerges - that few wars were ever waged on a large scale without reliance upon mercenary troops. The latter were drawn from many sources. Indeed, there was virtually no nationality that did not, at one time or another, provide its quota of professional soldiers of fortune. The pikemen of Switzerland, the landsknechts of Germany, the arquebusiers of Spain, and the condottieri of Italy come most readily to mind.

But there were others. Nationals from every state and principality in Europe - and even some from beyond - could be cited. One seemingly mysterious group of mercenaries, who chronically appear in the military despatches of the times, are the Albanians. Who they were, and where they came from is the subject of this essay.