Editing History of Albania (section)

=== Principality of Arbër ===
{{Main|Principality of Arbër}}
In 1190, the [[Principality of Arbër]] (Arbanon) was founded by archon [[Progon, Lord of Kruja|Progon]] in the region of [[Krujë]]. Progon was succeeded by [[Gjin Progoni]] and then [[Dhimitër Progoni]]. Arbanon extended over the modern districts of [[central Albania]], with its capital located at [[Krujë]].

The principality of Arbanon was established in 1190 by the native ''[[archon]]'' [[Progon of Kruja|Progon]] in the region surrounding [[Kruja]], to the east and northeast of [[Republic of Venice|Venetian]] territories.{{Sfn|Elsie|2010|p=|pp=iv, xxviii}} Progon was succeeded by his sons [[Gjin Progoni|Gjin]] and then [[Dimitri Progoni|Demetrius]] (Dhimitër), who managed to retain a considerable degree of autonomy from the [[Byzantine Empire]].<ref name="autonomy">{{harvnb|Ducellier|1999|p=780|ps=: "As for Albania, its separate identity was real enough, even though it had not truly broken with Constantinople; all the same, the rulers of Arbanon around ἄρχον, Progon and his sons Dhimitër and Gjin, based at Kruja, retained a considerable degree of autonomy, even though Progon bore no title grander than ἄρχων (archon); and the title of πανὑπερσεβαστός (panhypersebastos), borne by Dhimitër at the start of the thirteenth century, can only be seen as a sign of his dependence on the Byzantines."}}</ref> In 1204, Arbanon attained full, though temporary, political independence, taking advantage of the weakening of Constantinople following its [[Sack of Constantinople|pillage]] during the [[Fourth Crusade]].{{Sfn|Elsie|2010|p=xxviii}} However, Arbanon lost its large autonomy ca. 1216, when the ruler of [[Despotate of Epirus|Epirus]], [[Michael I Komnenos Doukas]], started an invasion northward into [[Albania]] and [[Macedonia (region)|Macedonia]], taking [[Kruja]] and ending the independence of the principality of Arbanon following the death of Dhimitër.{{sfn|Varzos|1984|pp=555–556}} After the death of Demetrius, the last ruler of the Progon family, the same year, Arbanon was successively controlled subsequently by the [[Despotate of Epirus]], the [[Second Bulgarian Empire|Bulgarian Empire]] and, from 1235, by the [[Empire of Nicaea]].{{sfn|Fine|1994|p=68}}

During the conflicts between [[Michael II Komnenos Doukas]] of Epirus and Emperor [[John III Doukas Vatatzes]], Golem (ruler of Arbanon at the time) and Theodore Petraliphas, who were initially Michael's allies, defected to John III in 1252.<ref name=":1">{{Cite book|last=Angelidi|first=Christine|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=tVOkCwAAQBAJ&pg=PT390|title=ΕΥΨΥΧΙΑ. Mélanges offerts à Hélène Ahrweiler|date=2016|publisher=Publications de la Sorbonne|isbn=978-2-85944-830-1|language=fr}}</ref> He is last mentioned in the sources among other local leaders, in a meeting with George Akropolites in Durrës in 1256. Arbanon was a beneficiary of the Via Egnatia trade road, which brought wealth and benefits from the more developed Byzantine civilization.{{sfn|Ellis|Klusáková|2007|p=134}}