From the Illyrians to the Ottomans

The Illyrians, the ancient ancestors of the Albanians, settled the western Balkans since at least the 2nd millennium BC. They founded city-states, minted coins, and fought against the expanding Roman power — Queen Teuta (3rd century BC) even led the Illyrian fleet to war against Rome. From the 2nd century BC, Illyria fell to the Roman Empire: Durrës (Dyrrachium) became the most important port city on the eastern Adriatic, and the Via Egnatia connected Rome with Constantinople across Albanian territory.

Byzantine Era & Skanderbeg

After the division of the Roman Empire (395 AD), Albania belonged to the Byzantine Empire. Castles, churches, and monasteries were built — Berat and Gjirokastra still showcase this Byzantine layer today. From the 14th century, the Ottomans advanced into the Balkans.

The Albanian resistance against the Ottomans has an immortal hero: Gjergj Kastrioti Skanderbeg (1405–1468). As a child, he was taken hostage to the Ottoman court, converted to Islam, and rose to become a military commander — only to desert in 1443, return to Christianity, and lead a 25-year resistance against the world's most powerful empire. Skanderbeg united the divided Albanian tribes and defended the small country against armies ten times larger. He is Albania's undisputed national hero — his double-headed eagle adorns the flag.

After Skanderbeg's death in 1468, Albania fell to the Ottomans and remained under over 400 years of Ottoman rule (1479–1912). Many Albanians converted to Islam, others remained Orthodox or Catholic — a religious diversity that still exists today and coexists remarkably peacefully.