This book is a biography of the Albanian military commander Gjergj Kastrioti, known as Skanderbeg (1405-68), who led an armed rebellion against the Ottoman Empire between 1443 and 1468. It was published in Rome around 1510, written by the Albanian-born author Marin Barleti, and forms an important part of Albanian cultural heritage for its use of first-hand accounts of Skanderbeg’s life.

Born to the noble Kastrioti family, at around ten years old, Skanderbeg was taken to the Ottoman court at Erdine where he served the Sultan, Murad II and received military training. Skaderbeg served at the Ottoman court for several decades, eventually rising to serve as governor of Krujë in northern Albania.

In 1443, while fighting against Hungarian forces at the Battle of Nis, Skanderbeg deserted the Ottoman army and rose up in rebellion against the Sultan. Albanians, already unhappy with Ottoman rule, joined him and with Venetian assistance, began to engage in a guerrilla war. Skanderbeg was remarkably successful throughout the rebellion, leading campaigns throughout the Balkans and into Greece that prevented Ottoman expansion further into Europe for several decades.

Despite Skanderbeg's death from malaria in 1468, the rebellion continued for another decade, eventually ending in victory for the Ottomans and the ceding of Venetian-held lands in Albania following the siege of Shkodër in 1478. Barleti fought in this battle and fled to Italy following the defeat. He published an eyewitness account of the siege in 1504.