Humoj family

The Humoj family (Humoja, Omoy, Moia) was a noble Albanian family best known as 15th century pronoiars of Venetian Republic in the region of Baleč and Drivast (modern day Albania).

Family history
When Baleč came under control of the Republic of Venice it became a pronoia of Radič I Humoj who later controlled the fortress of Petra in the region of Polat. According to the Venetian reports, Radič Humoj was a prominent pronoier in the region of Scutari in July 1403. Donato de Porto, a governor of Scutari, appointed Radič as pronoier of Baleč in period 1402—1403 and Senate confirmed his decision on 16 September 1404.

Radič Humoj, like many other local Venetian pronoiers, supported Balša III during his war with the Venetian Republic in order to save his position and property. Balša III had some initial success at the beginning of 1405 and captured the whole Scutari region except the Scutari fortress itself. The Venetians managed to recapture Scutari region in the second half of 1405 and to take control over former Radič's possessions. Although Radič Humoj again pledged loyalty to Venice, they refused to return to him his previous pronoias. Only after Radič had been killed while fighting for Venice and after the governor of Scutari informed the Senate about his merits, the Venetian Senate decided on 19 September 1410 to appoint Radič's sons on his earlier position.

After Radič's death, the Venetians gave Baleč to his brother Andrija (who was then voivoda of the area north of the Shkoder) and his son Kojčin. This was confirmed by the Venetian Senate on 13 February 1419. During the Second Scutari War Andrija Humoj joined Serbian despot while other members of Humoj family remained loyal to Venetians.

Kojčin Humoj was married to a daughter of Zuan Anglezi, a Venetian officer in Shkoder fortress, and they had two sons, Radič (Radič II Humoj) and Marin. Radič II Humoj married a daughter of Petar Span in 1433 and became pronoier of the village Serel in Bar district. When Kojčin died, Venice gave his pronoia to somebody else and promised to the young Radič II Humoj in November 1441 to give him some pronoia as soon as the pronoier in charge would have died. Since 1441, Radič and Marin were pronoiers of Gleros near Shkoder, which once belonged to the Bonzi.

When Radič Humoj rebelled against the Venetians, Peter Span requested the Venetian Senate to give him control over Radič's fortress Petra.

In 1443 Michael Humoj and his three brothers were pronoiars of the village with four houses, Passo Bianco in Drivast. When Passo Bianco became object of dispute among the Humoj brothers, the Venetian Senate decided in 1445 that only Michael would have remained pronoiar of that village.

Struggle against Skanderbeg
Andrija and Kojčin Humoj, together with Simeon Vulkata, led the pro-Venetian alliance against Skanderbeg, fighting particularly fiercely for the control over Baleč and Drivast in 1447. Members of many local families participated in war on the Venetian side. These were Vasilije Ugrin, Zapa family (Jovan and his brother), Pedantari family (seven Pedantari brothers and many other), Moneta family (three sons of Rajko Moneta), Malonši family (Petar with his two sons), Buša Sornja from Dagnum and many others. Koja Humoj was killed during a charge on Sati (castle).

Struggle against the Ottoman Empire
Between 1456 and August 1457 a small war was waged between two branches of the Dukagjini family. Between Ottoman supported Lekë and Pal Dukagjini on one side and Draga Dukagjini, son of Nicholas Dukagjini, supported by Venice. In this war Humoj family, together with Skanderbeg and Moneta family served Venetian forces.

Andrija Humoj travelled to Venice in 1464 to affirm his family's claims in front of the Venetian Senate emphasizing the deeds of his ancestors. He again visited Venice in 1472 and during the Siege of Shkodra in 1474 when all of Humoj ownership titles were confirmed once more. The members of Humoj family did not enjoy their confirmed positions for long because many of them, like many members of the Moneta family also, died fighting against the Ottoman Empire until the ottoman capture of Shkoder in 1479. Among them were Koja, Tanush, Duka, Michael und Piero Humoj. In January 1478, before the siege has started, the wife of Koja Humoj and their daughter went to Venice together with wives and children of many other noblemen from Scutari, including the wife of Rajko Moneta and five children. When Andreas Humoj committed a treason he was sentenced to death by the Venetian commander-in-chief Triadan Gritti and executed by a man from Tuzi.

After the Republic of Venice and the Ottoman Empire signed the Treaty of Constantinople which ceded Shkodra to the Ottoman Empire, the members of Humoj family together with the rest of the citizens of Shkoder emigrated to Italy.

Humoj family in literature
Marin Barleti mentions Blasius Humoi as a knight in Shkoder in his work The Siege of Shkodra (De obsidione Scodrensi, Venice, 1504). Girolamo de Rada mentions Cola Humoj as one of the knights fighting in the Siege of Shkoder along with Milosao, the prince of Shkoder.