Early history

The Iron Age fortification was built on the Mal i Shëlbuemit (413 m high, right), called later Acrolissus; the proper city of Lissus was built on an adjacent hill (172 m high, left).^[11]

From the early Mycenaean period (1600-1450 BC) a free exchange pattern is confirmed with the centres of Mycenaean Greece as seen by various swords (C and D type) unearthed in Lezhë.^[12] The earliest human constructions have an Illyrian character and appear on the site from the Late Bronze Age and Early Iron Age.^[13] The settlement with its fortifications was built on a 413-metre-high mountain, the Mal i Shëlbuemit, from at least the 8th century BC,^[14] and was located near the mouth of the Drin river.^[15]

Lezhë Castle on the 172 m hill.

Ruins of Hellenistic fortification walls built during the Illyrian urban period.

In antiquity the area was described as the territory of the Illyrii tribe (the "Illyrians proper"; Ancient Greek: Ἰλλυριοί, Illyrioi; Latin: Illyrii or Illyrii propriae dicti).^[16]

Diodorus ("Library", 15.1, c. 1st century BC) mentions that Dionysius of Syracuse founded a "city called Lissos" in the year 385 BC,^[17] as part of a strategy by Dionysius to secure Syracusan trade routes along the Adriatic.^[18] Diodorus calls it a polis.^[19] It has been suggested that the Syracusan colony mentioned by Diodorus was in fact more likely established at Issa near the island of Pharos, not at Lissus (modern Lezhë) which was too distant for the events described by the ancient historian. Meanwhile, Issa is known from other evidence to be a Syracusan foundation.^[20][21][22] Except Diodorus' account there is nothing to connect Lissos with Syracuse, and according to Pierre Cabanes even if Diodorus' account is accepted as accurate, it is very likely that this colony had a short life.^[20]

The earliest of the fortification walls of the proto-urban settlement are of typical Illyrian construction and are dated to the late 4th century BC.^[23] The transition from the Iron Age fortification of Acrolissus (on the 413 m Shëlbuem mountain) to the proper Illyrian city of Lissus was continuous. The city was built on a lower hill (172 m) near the Iron Age fortification.^[11] It was surrounded by ramparts that faced the low valley of the Drin river and the sea coast. Its function was to guard the route inland, to ensure defense against possible attacks from the sea, and to furnish a secure anchorage for the Illyrian ships.^[15]

By the 3rd century BC, Lissus was one of the main cities of the Illyrian kingdom under the Ardiaean and Labeatan dynasties.^[5] In the 228 BC peace treaty with Rome, the Illyrian queen Teuta promised not to sail south of Lissus at the mouth of the Drin river with more than two lembi (Illyrian light ships), even those had to be unarmed.^[24] But when Rome was engaged in a war against the Celtic peoples of the Po Valley in northern Italy about the years 225–222 BC, Illyrian commander Demetrius detached the Atintani tribe from their alliance with Rome. Moreover, he sailed south of Lissus and engaged in piracy in violation of the 228 BC peace treaty. In the summer of 221 BC, tensions in Greece increased as Macedonia allied with the Achaean League against the Aetolian League, and the Illyrians attacked in their typical manner. Demetrius and Scerdilaidas sailed with 90 lembi south of Lissus. When they failed an assault on Pylos (western Peloponnese), they separated their fleets and Scerdilaidas returned north with 40 ships, while Demetrius plundered the Cyclades with 50 ships.^[25]

In Roman times Lissus was located in a territory inhabited by the Labeatae, however ancient sources never relate it with this tribe. Taking in account archaeological and historical considerations, the city of Lissus should have been founded in a Labeatan context, but perhaps by the time of Teuta's fall in the end of the 3rd century BC, on a Greek model it was organized as a polis turning away from its ethnic context.^[26] The dissociation from the ethnic to the polis coincided with Philip V of Macedon's conquest of a number of cities in Illyria.^[27] In 211 BC, Philip V captured Acrolissus, the citadel of Lissus, and Lissos surrendered to him,^[28] becoming the Macedonian outlet to the Adriatic Sea.^[20] The town was later recovered by the Illyrians. It was in Lissus that Perseus of Macedon negotiated an alliance against Rome with the Illyrian king Gentius, and it was from Lissus that Gentius organized his army against the Romans. Lissus maintained a large degree of municipal autonomy under both Macedonian and Illyrian rule, as evidenced by the coins minted there.^[29] During the reign of Gentius in the first half of the 2nd century BC, Lissus minted coins for the Illyrian ruler.^[30] The city was of some importance in the Roman Civil War, being taken by Marc Antony ^[31] and then remaining loyal to Caesar. In Roman times, the city was part of the province of Epirus Nova,^[32]

Middle ages

The grave of Skanderbeg and Lezhë Castle on its hill. The structure was the former Selimie Mosque.

During the reign of Justinian I (527-565) the local fortress was possibly mentioned as Alistion in the Synecdemus of Hierocles.^[33] At early 590s Lissus was captured by Slavic populations.^[34] Byzantine control was re-established during the early 9th century.^[35]

Albanian lord Vladislav Jonima of the Jonima family was acknowledged by the Pope as a ruler of a territory around Lezhë in 1319. He had the title of Count of Dioclea and of the seaside Albania.^[36] At the end of the 14th century, Albanian lord Dhimitër Jonima was lord of a territory between Mat and Lezhë.^[37]

In the Middle Ages, Lezha (known in Italian as Alessio) frequently changed masters until the Venetians took possession of it in 1386. It still belonged to them when Skanderbeg died, but In 1478 it fell into the hands of Turks during the siege of Shkodra, except for a short period (1501–1506) when it returned to Venetian domination.^[10] Because it was under the Venetian control, it was chosen in 1444 by Gjergj Kastrioti Skanderbeg as a neutral place for the convention of Albanian nobles and lords of the area aiming at organizing their common defence against the Turks.^[38]

Lezha was the site of the League of Lezhë where Skanderbeg united the Albanian princes in the fight against the Ottoman Empire.

Skanderbeg was buried in the cathedral of Lezhë which was dedicated to Saint Nicholas and later used as Selimie Mosque.

Contemporary

Today Lezhë is a growing city. Its proximity to the port of Shëngjin as well as its location on the national road between the Montenegrin border to the North and Tirana to the South makes it an attractive location for industry and business.

Climate

As of the Köppen climate classification, Lezhë falls under the periphery of the hot-summer Mediterranean climate (Csa) zone with an average annual temperature of 14.6 °C (58.3 °F).^[44]

Infrastructure

There are urban buses throughout the city and international and national buses. Lezhe has a train station not far from the center. The line starts in Durrës and ends in Shkodër. It is functional but not frequently.

The main highway in Lezhe is SH 1, connecting it with Shkodër to the north and the Durrës-Kukës Highway (A1, intersection at Milot) to the south. The SH32 connects Lezhe with Shëngjin on the coast.