Fior Jonima
Fior Jonima, also known as Flor or Florio was a 15th-century Albanian nobleman from the Jonima family. He belonged to the Albanian aristocracy of northern Albania and was active in Shkodër during Venetian Albania, where he served as the city's ambassador to the Venetian authorities in 1470 and later acted as commander of the city's guards during the Ottoman Siege of Shkodër in 1478–1479.
Life
Fior Jonima was born in the 15th century into the Jonima family which was a very prominent noble family in northern Albania that traditionally held lands between the Mat and Ishëm rivers. Little is known about his early life.His family had maintained a residence near the castle walls of Rozafa Castle in Shkodër and it was located just below the tower that today stands above the city's second main gate. The house however was eventually surrendered sometime between the years of 1403 and 1416 to strengthen the fortifications of the main gate. The ruins of this house were still visible as late as 1961.
By 1470, Fior was active in Shkodër, which at the time was under Venetian control, serving as the city's ambassador to the Venetian authorities. In this role, he, along with other prominent citizens such as the merchant Piero Polo Zane and the Shkodër patrician Stefano Sabin, submitted reports to the Venetian office of the Governatori delle pubbliche entrate. These reports detailed the aftermath of the Ottoman campaigns of 1466-1467 and addressed Venice's inquiries regarding why the province of Albania had failed to pay taxes in the preceding years.
His most notable work is a letter that he wrote on 28 December 1470 that is titled A Ravaged Land. In this letter, Fior described in very great detail the widespread destruction of towns and villages the depopulation of the countryside and the kidnappings and plundering carried out by the Ottoman Empire and the local feudal lords. This letter is considered to be the earliest known personal account from an Albanian describing the consequences of the Ottoman military campaigns.
By 1478, Fior Jonima was serving as commander of the city's guards in Shkodër during the Ottoman Siege of Shkodra. He addressed the citizens of Shkodër and urged them to leave the city and to seek refuge in Venice rather than remain under Ottoman control. Jonima cited decades of repeated Ottoman incursions and destruction as justification for the decision.
The citizens of Shkodër ultimately agreed to evacuate and Venetian authorities provided hostages to guarantee that the citizens could depart safely. The surrender and evacuation took place only after these assurances were made.