Battle of Mokra (July 1462)
Encyclopedia
The second battle of Mokra occurred on July 7, 1462, right before Skanderbeg's Macedonian campaign. Sultan Mehmed II
Mehmed II
Mehmed II , was Sultan of the Ottoman Empire for a short time from 1444 to September 1446, and later from...

 had come out of his recent campaigns victorious, adding large swaths of lands to his domains. He was confident enough to send a new force into Albania to weaken the Albanian forces. He thus sent 23,000 men under Sinan bey to complete the job. Skanderbeg had been prepared and moved towards the Albanian frontier. The armies came near Mokra where Skanderbeg had positioned his forces on a mountain dominating the landscape. When the Turkish force got near enough, the Albanians ambushed and the Turks routed. Skanderbeg then raided Macedonia
Macedonia (region)
Macedonia is a geographical and historical region of the Balkan peninsula in southeastern Europe. Its boundaries have changed considerably over time, but nowadays the region is considered to include parts of five Balkan countries: Greece, the Republic of Macedonia, Bulgaria, Albania, Serbia, as...

 and split up the loot with his men.

Background

From 1460-1462, Skanderbeg had been in Italy campaigning for Ferrante I of Naples who had been suffering a dynastic dispute. He had been able to restore much of the kingdom back to his ally's control from the Angevin Dynasty. In the meantime, Mehmed had finally conquered the Peloponnese
Peloponnese
The Peloponnese, Peloponnesos or Peloponnesus , is a large peninsula , located in a region of southern Greece, forming the part of the country south of the Gulf of Corinth...

 and Trebizond
Empire of Trebizond
The Empire of Trebizond, founded in April 1204, was one of three Byzantine successor states of the Byzantine Empire. However, the creation of the Empire of Trebizond was not directly related to the capture of Constantinople by the Fourth Crusade, rather it had broken away from the Byzantine Empire...

. Upon learning of Skanderbeg's presence in Italy, he sent an invasion force into Albania. Skanderbeg's wife, Donika
Donika Kastrioti
Donika Kastrioti Arianiti Muzaka, Princess of the League of Lezhë was an Albanian noblewoman. A member of the Houses of Arianiti, Muzaka and Kastrioti she was the wife of George Kastrioti Skanderbeg. She was the daughter of Gjergj Arianiti who stood as one of the greatest leaders' war against the...

, however, sent an urgent letter to Skanderbeg requesting for his return to Albania. Skanderbeg realized that he was needed at home so he left Ferrante to deal with the greatly weakened Angevin forces and boarded himself and his men for Albania.

Battle

The sultan sent 23,000 cavalry under Sinan bey to combat Albanian forces. Skanderbeg quickly gathered 5,000 men from the country to fight along with 3,000 men that he used in Italy. With much caution, he went through the same road the Turks would use and positioned his men in a mountain in the Mokra valley where the Turks were expected to pass by. When the Turkish forces arrived, Skanderbeg ordered his men forward, beating drums and their swords together to create as much as possible to give an impression of a very large Albanian force. The Ottomans withdrew in disarray and the Albanian continued to pursue them, inflicting many casualties and capturing a multitude of prisoners.

Aftermath

Skanderbeg pursued the Ottoman forces into Macedonia. Since the main Turkish force in the region had already been defeated, Skanderbeg continued to raid Macedonia and upon his return to Albania, he split up the loot with his men. Mehmed became angered at the defeat and the next month, he sent three separate Turkish armies into Macedonia in order to prepare for an invasion in force of Albania. Skanderbeg, instead, launched his own invasion, defeating each of the three armies before they set foot in Albania.
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