Meksi family

The Meksi were a noble Albanian family. Members of this family are found in Albania, Italy and Greece (especially Spetses), whose members distinguished themselves in shipping and politics.^[1]

Meksi family
Noble house
Coat of arms of the Mexa as depicted in Friedrich Heyer von Rosenfeld's "Wappenbuch des Königreichs Dalmatien", published in 1873.
Parent family	Bua (tribe)
Place of origin	Mes, near Shkodër

History

The Meksi family appeared around the 10th century and is believed to be the first branch of the Bua family.^[2] According to Milan Šufflay, the region between Cape Rodon, Kruja and Lezha was inhabited by the Messi, Meksi, Mexi family. The most distant origin must have been the village of Mesi located in the area between the rivers Shkumbin and Drin, near Shkodër.^[3] The name of the Meksi clan may originate from the function, office or position of its head, who in this particular case must have been a doctor, while the suffix "si" indicates ownership of the country. In this way, it turns out that Messi, Meksi, was a timar that a Byzantine emperor gave to the doctor, who apparently was the first head of the family.^[4] It appears that the province in the north of Albania, stretching from the north-east of Lezha to the shores of Shkumbin, inhabited by the Meksi, was included in a single principality at the beginning of the last millennium, with Kruja as headquarters. Then this principality was conquered by the Bulgarian kings as well as by the most powerful Albanian principalities, which were located to the south and north of it.^[5] Shkodër Land Registry of 1416-17 names a Pietro Mexa in 1445 and a Vucha Messi appears in 1614 as head of the village of Muriqi near Shkodër.^[6] During the period of the successful struggles of the Albanian people for freedom, under the leadership of Skanderbeg, the family made an outstanding contribution, which is proven by many documents of the time.^[7] Immediately after the complete conquest of Albania by the Turkish hordes, the Meksi family moved in several directions: Dalmatia, Republic of Venice, Italy, Moravia and especially towards the South.^[8] Members of the family offered military services to the Republic of Venice, especially standing out in the Ottoman–Venetian wars of 1465. Famous stradioti and member of the family, Mexa Buziqi,^[9] aided Krokodeilos Kladas and Theodore Bua in the revolt against Ottoman Empire in Morea.^[10][11] Initially, the family bore the surname Mexis, but later it changed to De Mezzi or Mezan. The last name of the family has changed according to the language of the countries where they have lived. In Albania, ks (Meksi) or s, ss (Mesi, Messi) is used. In the provinces that were occupied by the Venetians during the Middle Ages or that were relocated to Italy ss (Messi, Da Messa),^[12] in the Republic of Venice, according to the local dialect, z or zz (De Mezzi, Da Mezan) and in Kotor in Dalmatia x (Mexa).^[13][14] The part of the family that emigrated in Greece, fought in the Greek War of Independence. In Spetses, the family was the wealthiest and most wellknown family, distinguishing themselves in shipping and politics, as well as heroes of the revolution.^{[15][16][17][18]} Archduke Joseph Károly von Habsburg made Marin Meksi a member of the Order of Vitéz and in his diploma was emphasized the blood connection of the Meksi family with the House of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha.^[19]

Members

• Kristo Meksi, Albanian politician
• Vangjel Meksi, translator of the New Testament in Albanian
• Evangelis Zappas (through his mother),^[20] Greek benefactor
• Apostol Meksi, Albanian folkorist
• Aleksandër Meksi, former Prime Minister of Albania
• Hatzigiannis Mexis, was one of the most important figures from Spetses in the Revolutionary War of 1821
• Leonidas Drosis (through his mother),^[21] Greek neoclassical sculptor

References

1. Γαλλέτας Ηλίας, Μπουζουμπάρδη Μαρίκα, Σπέτσες, Ιστορία - Λαογραφία, Ένωση Σπετσιωτών, 2004, τόμος Α΄, σελ. 312 - 315
2. Meksi 1995, p. 77 harvnb error: no target: CITEREFMeksi1995 (help)
3. Šufflay 1926, p. 114 harvnb error: no target: CITEREFŠufflay1926 (help)
4. Meksi, Fedhon (2010). Labova dhe Madhe dhe Labovitët: gjurmime në vite. Migjeni. p. 191. ISBN 9789995671891.
5. Meksi, Fedhon (2010). Labova dhe Madhe dhe Labovitët: gjurmime në vite. Migjeni. p. 192. ISBN 9789995671891.
6. "Bollettino - Centro di studi filologici e linguistici siciliani, Volumes 3-4". Centro di studi filologici e linguistici siciliani. 1955. p. 267. Messa. Messi » son nominati nel Catasto scutarino del 1416-17: un Pietro Mexa di Scutari è ricordato nel 1445 e un Vucha Messi figura nel 1614 capo del villaggio di Muriqi presso Scutari...
7. Akademia e Shkencave e RPSSH 1979 harvnb error: no target: CITEREFAkademia_e_Shkencave_e_RPSSH1979 (help)
8. Meksi, Fedhon (2010). Labova dhe Madhe dhe Labovitët: gjurmime në vite. Migjeni. p. 192. ISBN 9789995671891.
9. Konstantinos Paparrigopoulos (1969). Ιστορια του Ελληνικου εθνους, Volume 7. Εκδοτικος Οικος Ελευθερουδακη-Νικα. p. 381.
10. Korre 2018, pp. 524–525: "Με τους ιππείς του Κλαδά ενώθηκαν οι αρχηγοί stradioti Μέξας Μποζίκης και Θεόδωρος Μπούας Γρίβας ερχόμενοι από το Ναύπλιο." harvnb error: no target: CITEREFKorre2018 (help)
11. Irakli Koçollari (1994). Arvanitët. Albin.
12. "Bollettino - Centro di studi filologici e linguistici siciliani, Volumes 3-4". Centro di studi filologici e linguistici siciliani. 1955. p. 267.
13. Meksi, Fedhon (2010). Labova dhe Madhe dhe Labovitët: gjurmime në vite. Migjeni. p. 193. ISBN 9789995671891.
14. Meksi 1995, p. 123 harvnb error: no target: CITEREFMeksi1995 (help)
15. Γαλλέτας Ηλίας, Μπουζουμπάρδη Μαρίκα, Σπέτσες, Ιστορία - Λαογραφία, Ένωση Σπετσιωτών, 2004, τόμος Α΄, σελ. 3110
16. N. Kotzias (1858). Ἀνασκευη της του Δ. Τσαμαδου Ἀνασκευης. p. 17.
17. Philologikos Syllogos Parnassos (1980). Parnassos. p. 341.
18. George D. Dimacopoulos (1970). "Hē dioikētikē organosis tēs Hellēnikēs Politeias, 1828-1833: symvolē eis tēn historian tēs Hellēnikēs dioikēseōs, Volume 1". p. 130. Κατ ' ουσίαν την διοίκησιν της νήσου είχεν είτε η πλουσιωτάτη οικογένεια Μέξη , είτε η επίσης πλουσία οικογένεια
19. ""Oficeri i Kryqit të Meritës Vidéz"/ Marin Meksi dekorohet nga Familja Mbretërore Habsburg" (in Albanian). CNA. 28 April 2023.
20. Meksi, Fedhon (2010). Labova dhe Madhe dhe Labovitët: gjurmime në vite. Migjeni. p. 115. ISBN 9789995671891. Vangjel Zhapa lindi më 23 gusht 1800. I ati quhej Vasil Zhapa, kurse e ëma Sotira Meksi, të dy nga Labova e Madhe.
21. George D. Dimacopoulos (1962). Historia tēs Neoellēnikēs technēs: zōgraphikēs, glyptikēs, charaktikēs, architektonikēs kai diakosmētikēs : 1821-1941, Volume 1. To Hellēniko Vivlio.