We Move Forward - Collaborative Timeline (POD 1461)

August 1461: A horrid accident occurs as George Castriot Skanderbeg's fleet leaves Albania for Apulia wherein his ship catches on fire while leaving the port. Multiple sailors rush forward to douse the flames (which have engulfed Castriot and his own ship) with water but the flames only seem to become larger and more fierce.

Castriot dies, not only a hero to the Albanian people but a hero to Christendom in Europe for his stance against the Ottoman Empire whom he had recently signed a three-year armistice with. But all is not well: King Ferdinand I has been severely beaten by his rival Prince Giovanni Orsini who is now considering marching on Naples itself as people begin to lose faith in Ferdinand. Additionally, with the loss of Skanderbeg the Ottoman Empire is seeing Albania as a very juicy target: perhaps as a springboard to Italy itself.
 
September 1461: Fresh off of conquering Trebizond, Sultan Mehmet dispatches Hamza Pasha with a reported 15,000 men to march through the Black Drin and Shkumbin River valleys in Albania. These forces massacre any villages that offer resistance.

October 1461: With Kruje surrounded by Ottoman forces, most of Albania's fighters retreat to Shkoda. Ballaban Badera offers a reward to the garrison of Kruje if they surrender. The defenders (weary and demoralized from Skanderbeg's untimely death) agree and exit the fortress. Upon leaving they are set upon by Ottoman forces, and the women and children are sold into slavery for about 3,000 akce a piece.
 
October 1461: John of Anjou and his army marches on Naples, killing King Ferdinand as he attempts to flee the city. Fearing the Ottoman advances in Albania, Pope Pius II recognizes King John's claims over the Kingdom of Naples less than two years after he recognized King Ferdinand.

November 1461: News of the massacre at Kruje reaches the defenders in Shkodra as the Ottoman force rapidly approaches. Half the garrison and the townspeople to remain and protect their land. Meanwhile, the other half the townspeople and soldiers evacuate the Wallachia.

Back in Italy, King John refuses the Pope's call to crusade against the Ottomans, prefering to stabilize his own claims in Italy. This leaves the Pope with only one ally Vlad Tepes aka the Greatest Christian Ever who has recently received multiple scared refugees from the failing Albania.

December 1461: The fortification of Shkodra and Rozafa Fortress slows to a halt as seasonal weather and an outbreak of the plague decimates the defenders of the castle. An attempted relief ship by the Pope cannot reach Shkodra because of this weather.

January 1462: As the bad weather continues, people begin to lose their nerve and Friar Peter who had served with Skanderbeg rallies "We Few Who Remain" (a speech which later becomes famously portrayed in a fictional account about the siege). A small party leaves for Wallachia but never makes it through the winter winds.

February 1462: Mehmet himself arrives outside of Shkodra as the siege officially begins. Once again the offer of surrender is placed, but is now responded with cannonfire at the Ottoman forces. The siege is quick; but many of the citizens are able to successfully retreat to Rozafa Fortress while the city of Shkodra burns.

March 1462: Žabljak Crnojevića, Drisht, and Lezha receive reinforcements from Wallachia. Ottoman forces bombard Rozafa for 19 days and after two waves of troops manage to take the fortress. The battle will be immortalized by Michael Critobulus in The Siege of Shkodra.
 
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