Four Communities, One Origin

Albanian-speaking communities who settled in central and southern Greece during the late medieval period, invited by Byzantine and later Latin rulers to repopulate depopulated regions. Their language, Arvanitika, is a distinct variety of Albanian that has been in contact with Greek for over six centuries.

• Settled primarily in Attica, Boeotia, Euboea, and the Peloponnese
• Played a significant role in the Greek War of Independence (1821)
• Arvanitika is now critically endangered; most speakers are elderly
• Self-designation: Arbëreshë (same root as the Italian community)

Descendants of Albanian refugees who fled Ottoman expansion following the death of Gjergj Kastrioti Skanderbeg in 1468. They settled in over 50 villages across Calabria, Sicily, Basilicata, Molise, and Apulia, preserving the Arbëresh dialect and Byzantine Rite Catholicism to the present day.

• Over 50 Arbëresh-speaking villages survive in southern Italy
• Preserve the Byzantine (Greek) Catholic rite — distinct from Roman Catholicism
• Arbëresh is recognised as a minority language in Italy (Law 482/1999)
• Notable figures include Francesco Crispi (Italian PM) and the poet Girolamo De Rada

A small Albanian community that settled near Zadar on the Dalmatian coast in the early 18th century, fleeing Ottoman pressure in the western Balkans. They preserved a distinct Albanian dialect — Arbanasi — and a strong Catholic identity, though the language became extinct during the 20th century.

• Settled in the village of Arbanasi (Borgo Erizzo) near Zadar around 1726
• The Arbanasi dialect was documented by linguists before its extinction
• Community maintained a distinct identity within the Venetian and later Habsburg world
• Arbanasi is the smallest and least-documented of the four communities

The Ottoman-Turkish designation for Albanians — derived from the Byzantine Greek 'Arvanitis'. Albanians served extensively in the Ottoman military and administrative apparatus, rising to high positions including Grand Vizier. Their descendants are found across Turkey, North Macedonia, Serbia, and Bulgaria.

• Over 20 Ottoman Grand Viziers were of Albanian origin
• Arnaut regiments were elite Ottoman infantry units
• The term 'Arnaut' is still used in Turkey for Albanian-descended families
• Albanian communities in Anatolia date to forced and voluntary migrations from the 15th century onward