Albanian piracy in the context of "Dubrovnik"

Venetian Albania (Venetian: Albania vèneta, Italian: Albania Veneta, Albanian: Arbëria Venedikase, Serbo-Croatian: Mletačka Albanija, Млетачка Албанија) was the official term for several possessions of the Republic of Venice in the southeastern Adriatic, encompassing coastal territories primarily in present-day southern Montenegro and partially in northern Albania.

Several major territorial changes occurred during the Venetian rule in those regions, starting from 1392, and lasting until 1797. By the end of the 15th century, the main possessions in northern Albania had been lost to the expansion of the Ottoman Empire. In spite of that, Venetians did not want to renounce their formal claims to the Albanian coast, and the term Venetian Albania was officially kept in use, designating the remaining Venetian possessions in coastal Montenegro, centred around the Bay of Kotor. Albanian piracy flourished during this period. Those regions remained under Venetian rule until the fall of the Republic of Venice in 1797. By the Treaty of Campo Formio, the region was transferred to the Habsburg monarchy.

Hadji Alia or Haxhi Aliu Ulqinaku (c. 1569–1625) was an Albanian pirate lord from Ulcinj, Born in Calabria, Italy, to an Albanian family, he later moved with his family to Ulcinj (in modern-day Montenegro)Calabria.