The siege of Berat in Albania by the forces of the Angevin Kingdom of Sicily against the Byzantine garrison of the city took place in 1280–1281. Berat was a strategically important fortress, whose possession would allow the Angevins access to the heartlands of the Byzantine Empire. A Byzantine relief force arrived in spring 1281, and managed to ambush and capture the Angevin commander, Hugo de Sully. Thereupon, the Angevin army panicked and fled, suffering heavy losses in killed and wounded as it was attacked by the Byzantines. This defeat ended the threat of a land invasion of the Byzantine Empire, and along with the Sicilian Vespers marked the end of the Western threat to reconquer Byzantium.
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Siege of Berat (1280–1281) in the context of Kingdom of Albania (medieval)
The Kingdom of Albania (Albanian: Mbretëria e Arbërisë, Latin: Regnum Albaniæ) was established by Charles of Anjou in the Albanian territories he conquered from the Byzantine Empire in 1271, with the help of the local Albanian nobility. The Kingdom of Albania was declared in late February 1272. The kingdom extended from the region of Durazzo (Dyrrhachium, modern Durrës) south along the coast to Butrint. A major attempt to advance further in direction of Constantinople failed at the Siege of Berat (1280–1281). A Byzantine counteroffensive soon ensued, which drove the Angevins out of the interior by 1281. The Sicilian Vespers further weakened the position of Charles, and the Kingdom was soon reduced by the Byzantines to a small area around Durazzo. The Angevins held out here, however, until 1368, when the city was captured by Karl Thopia. In 1392, Karl Thopia's son surrendered the city to the Republic of Venice.
Siege of Berat (1280–1281) in the context of Hugo de Sully
Hugh of Sully (French: Hugues de Sully) was a general under the Sicilian King Charles of Anjou. He was nicknamed "the Red" ("le Rousseau") on account of his red hair.
A Burgundian knight of fiery and haughty temperament, according to the chroniclers, Hugh was named Vicar-General of Charles' Kingdom of Albania in August 1279, and led the Sicilian forces in their unsuccessful attempt to take Berat from the Byzantine Empire in 1280–1281. Sully was taken prisoner in an ambush, whereupon his army scattered and suffered many losses to the pursuing Byzantines. He was then taken to Constantinople where he was paraded in the streets along with the other captives. Sully was eventually released after years in Byzantine captivity and returned to Italy.