Zaharia was an Albanian

Albanians

Albanians are a nation and ethnic group native to Albania and neighbouring countries. They speak the Albanian language. More than half of all Albanians live in Albania and Kosovo...

 noble family that appears for the first time mentioned in the 14th century along with other Albanian noble families, such as the Blinishti family

Blinishti family

Blinishti family was an Albanian feudal family from Northern Albania that appears in several documents of the 13-14th century AD. They were in control of a territory from Blinisht to the highlands of northern Albania.Its founder, Vlad Blinishti, first appears on sources in 1274 as a Byzantine...

, and the Thopia family

Thopia family

-First notices:One member of Thopia family is mentioned around 1270s with the title of miles. At that time they were holding a territory between Mat and Shkumbin and had close ties with Angevins and the Papal States. They promised to convert from Orthodox to Catholic faith and therefore their...

. A certain Nicholas Zaharija is first mentioned in 1385 as a Balsha family

House of Balšic

The Balšić was a noble house that ruled Zeta and the coastlands , from 1362 to 1421, during the fall of the Serbian Empire. Balša, the eponymous founder, was a petty nobleman that held only one village during the rule of Emperor Dušan the Mighty The Balšić was a noble house that ruled Zeta and...

 commander and governor of Budva in 1363. After more than twenty years of fidelity, Nicholas Zaharia revolted in 1386 and became ruler of Budva. However in 1389 George II Balsha recaptured the city.

In 1396, due to a favorable political situation, Koja Zaharija captured the castle of Danjë

Dagnum

Dagnum was an important medieval fortress in contemporary Albania.- History :It is known that in 1395, Konstantin Balšić captured Dagnum, however, lost it to his relative, Đurađ II Balšić, Lord of Zeta...

 and declared himself a vassal of the Ottomans. He maintained the control of the region and upon his death, they were passed to his only son Lekë Zaharia

Lekë Zaharia

Lekë Zaharia , was an Albanian nobleman from Zaharia family. He was the only son of Koja Zaharia. In 1444 he was one of the founders of League of Lezhë. In 1445 during the ceremony of the marriage of Skanderbeg sister Mamica Kastrioti, he had a dispute with Lekë Dukagjini. The reason of this...

. After a quarrel with Dukagjini Family

Dukagjini Family

-Origins:The term "Ducagini d'Arbania" is first mentioned in a seventh-century document from Ragusa . According to this document, the Ducagini instigated a revolt against Byzantine rule in Bosnia and, in particular, in the city port of Ragusa where they were said to have intervened twice, coming de...

, Lekë Zaharia was killed in an ambush. Having no heirs his mother gave the city of Danjë to Venice Republic and this led to Albanian–Venetian War (1447–1448).

See also

Pjetër Zakaria

Pjetër Zakaria

Pjetër Zakaria was an Albanian prelate of the Roman Catholic Church.Pjetër Zakaria was born in the mid 14th century in northern Albania. He came from the noble Albanian family of Zaharia. Most historians attribute the establishment of relations between Pope Boniface IX and the Zakaria family to him...

, bishop of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Sapë and of Dagnum

Dagnum

Dagnum was an important medieval fortress in contemporary Albania.- History :It is known that in 1395, Konstantin Balšić captured Dagnum, however, lost it to his relative, Đurađ II Balšić, Lord of Zeta...