PRINCIPATA E BALSHAJVE SI DHE ROLI I TYRE NË RIFORCIMIN E KISHËS KATOLIKE NË TROJET ARBËRORE

The Balsha principality emerged as a state formation with significant political influence in the northern Arbëria territories in the early 1360s and became a weighty factor in economic, political, and military life. The Balsha’s possessions included a vast territory of Arbëria lands that stretched from the borders of Budva in the north to those of Himara in the south, from the Adriatic in the west to Kriva Rijeka and Kostur in the east. Their possessions also extended to the city of Peja, Prizren, and Kriva Rreka, near Novoberda. During the Balsha’s rule, religious objects were built in the areas around Lake Shkodra, in the region of Krajina, in Ulcinj, Tivar, and Budva. In present-day Kosovo, the influence of the Balsha principality also extended to the Christian organization. Thus, members of this family during the years 1375 to 1385 led the church councils in the Patriarchate of Peja. Also, during their time, the city of Prizren gained a Catholic bishop.