Not a Normal War — This 'Rat Strategy' Made Ottoman Commanders Shake Their Heads
Imagine this: you hold the strongest fortress in the Ohrid region — surrounded by thick stone walls, a ready fighting cavalry, and early firearms (like small
bombards) that were still rare in the Balkans at the time. Then comes a small force — maximum 5,000–6,000 people — led by a man with curly hair, wearing old armor, and riding horses more often used for herding goats than attacking cities. They don't bring big cannons. There are no warships. No major alliances. Just 1,000 Venetian soldiers arriving at the last minute, and one name: Skanderbeg.
But what happened next? Not a multi-day battle. Not a months-long siege. Just one trap — a high-level chess-like ambush. Skanderbeg ordered his men to pretend to 'flee' from the area outside Ohrid, leaving behind a messy camp — half-torn tents, flickering fires, even a goat set free (yes, there is a historical record mentioning a goat as a psychological bait). The Ottoman commander, convinced they were chasing a weak enemy, left the fortress — without main artillery, without wall protection, without a backup strategy. And bam — the Albanian cavalry emerged from the hills like ghosts. Within less than two hours, the Ottoman forces were broken, with 32 senior officers captured — including a sanjak-bey (regional governor) and two young beylerbey.
40,000 Ducats? That's Not a 'Reward' — It's Payment for the War
Don't imagine ducats like regular coins. A Venetian gold ducat back then was equivalent to
two weeks of full pay for an elite Janissary soldier. So 40,000 ducats? That was enough for:
- The salary of 300 Janissaries for a full year,
- Buying 200 high-quality warhorses,
- Or building two small stone and wood fortresses.
Skanderbeg didn't keep all of it. He used part of it to pay Venetian soldiers who were almost
defecting due to unpaid wages. Another part to buy gunpowder from Ragusa (today's Dubrovnik), and most of it — to
send gold to Rome, as proof to Pope Pius II that the 'crusade' was still alive… even though the Pope himself only had a few weeks left before dying.
Why Did the Pope Die — And Why Did Skanderbeg Continue Fighting Alone?
Pope Pius II had indeed declared a 'great crusade' against Sultan Mehmed II — while calling Skanderbeg the 'main pillar of Christianity in the East'. But on August 15, 1464 — just
a week before the Battle of Ohrid — the Pope suddenly died in Ancona, Italy, while preparing to sail to Albania. The College of Cardinals immediately
canceled all funding and military support promises. No additional Venetian ships. No Hungarian troops. No help from Poland or Bohemia. Skanderbeg, who had just won a brilliant victory at Ohrid, received a letter from Venice:
"We praise your victory. But the crusade funds have been frozen."
He wasn't angry. He wasn't discouraged. He wrote back: "I am not fighting for the Pope's money or the King's support. I am fighting so that my grandchildren can sleep without hearing the sound of war horns on their mountain slopes."
What's Missing From Our History Books?
We learn about Waterloo, Gettysburg, Stalingrad — all major battles with thousands of casualties. But the Battle of Ohrid? It never appears in the curriculum of Malaysian, Indonesian, or even Albanian history — unless as a footnote. Why? Because it was
too small to be considered important, yet
too clever to be ignored. It wasn't about the number of soldiers — it was about ingenuity. Not about power — but about resilience. Not about imperialism — but about
freedom defended with the mind, not just swords.
Skanderbeg never won a major open-field battle against Mehmed II's main army. But he never lost in 25 years of struggle. He won not because he was great — but because he knew exactly when to flee, when to deceive, and when to apologize to an angry ally. He was human — not a legend. And that's what makes Ohrid so relevant today: in an age where we often believe victory belongs only to the strongest, Ohrid reminds us — sometimes, the greatest victory is won by those who are smartest in playing the gap between hope and reality.
And Yes — The Goat Was Really There
Venetian records from 1464 mention:
"They left a black-haired male goat near the gates of Ohrid — with a loose rope, and its horns coated with olive oil to shine under the sun." Why? To make Ottoman spies think: 'If they were fleeing in a hurry, why leave a valuable and hard-to-control goat?' War psychology wasn't invented in the 20th century. It was born in the Ohrid valley — on September 14, 1464 — with the help of one goat, 5,000 horses, and a man who trusted his brain more than the number of his swords.
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Rujukan: Battle of Ohrid — Wikipedia
He Destroyed the Ottoman Army at Ohrid — Then Earned 40,000 Ducats in a Day. Why Has No One Told This Story?. In September 1464, Skanderbeg — not a king, not an emperor, but an Albanian rebel — shocked the Balkans with a lightning victory at Ohrid. He lured the Ottoman army out of the fortress, destroyed them with light cavalry tactics, and earned more ransom money than the annual salary of 500 elite Ottoman soldiers. But why has this story nearly disappeared from our school history books?. Not a Normal War — This 'Rat Strategy' Made Ottoman Commanders Shake Their Heads
Imagine this: you hold the strongest fortress in the Ohrid region — surrounded by thick stone walls, a ready fighting cavalry, and early firearms like small bombards that were still rare in the Balkans at the time. Then comes a small force — maximum 5,000–6,000 people — led by a man with curly hair, wearing old armor, and riding horses more often used for herding goats than attacking cities. They don't bring big cannons. There are no warships. No major alliances. Just 1,000 Venetian soldiers arriving at the last minute, and one name: Skanderbeg.
But what happened next? Not a multi-day battle. Not a months-long siege. Just one trap — a high-level chess-like ambush. Skanderbeg ordered his men to pretend to 'flee' from the area outside Ohrid, leaving behind a messy camp — half-torn tents, flickering fires, even a goat set free yes, there is a historical record mentioning a goat as a psychological bait . The Ottoman commander, convinced they were chasing a weak enemy, left the fortress — without main artillery, without wall protection, without a backup strategy. And bam — the Albanian cavalry emerged from the hills like ghosts. Within less than two hours, the Ottoman forces were broken, with 32 senior officers captured — including a sanjak-bey regional governor and two young beylerbey .
40,000 Ducats? That's Not a 'Reward' — It's Payment for the War
Don't imagine ducats like regular coins. A Venetian gold ducat back then was equivalent to two weeks of full pay for an elite Janissary soldier. So 40,000 ducats? That was enough for:
- The salary of 300 Janissaries for a full year ,
- Buying 200 high-quality warhorses,
- Or building two small stone and wood fortresses .
Skanderbeg didn't keep all of it. He used part of it to pay Venetian soldiers who were almost defecting due to unpaid wages . Another part to buy gunpowder from Ragusa today's Dubrovnik , and most of it — to send gold to Rome , as proof to Pope Pius II that the 'crusade' was still alive… even though the Pope himself only had a few weeks left before dying.
Why Did the Pope Die — And Why Did Skanderbeg Continue Fighting Alone?
Pope Pius II had indeed declared a 'great crusade' against Sultan Mehmed II — while calling Skanderbeg the 'main pillar of Christianity in the East'. But on August 15, 1464 — just a week before the Battle of Ohrid — the Pope suddenly died in Ancona, Italy, while preparing to sail to Albania. The College of Cardinals immediately canceled all funding and military support promises . No additional Venetian ships. No Hungarian troops. No help from Poland or Bohemia. Skanderbeg, who had just won a brilliant victory at Ohrid, received a letter from Venice: "We praise your victory. But the crusade funds have been frozen."
He wasn't angry. He wasn't discouraged. He wrote back: "I am not fighting for the Pope's money or the King's support. I am fighting so that my grandchildren can sleep without hearing the sound of war horns on their mountain slopes."
What's Missing From Our History Books?
We learn about Waterloo, Gettysburg, Stalingrad — all major battles with thousands of casualties. But the Battle of Ohrid? It never appears in the curriculum of Malaysian, Indonesian, or even Albanian history — unless as a footnote. Why? Because it was too small to be considered important , yet too clever to be ignored . It wasn't about the number of soldiers — it was about ingenuity. Not about power — but about resilience. Not about imperialism — but about freedom defended with the mind, not just swords .
Skanderbeg never won a major open-field battle against Mehmed II's main army. But he never lost in 25 years of struggle. He won not because he was great — but because he knew exactly when to flee, when to deceive, and when to apologize to an angry ally . He was human — not a legend. And that's what makes Ohrid so relevant today: in an age where we often believe victory belongs only to the strongest, Ohrid reminds us — sometimes, the greatest victory is won by those who are smartest in playing the gap between hope and reality .
And Yes — The Goat Was Really There
Venetian records from 1464 mention: "They left a black-haired male goat near the gates of Ohrid — with a loose rope, and its horns coated with olive oil to shine under the sun." Why? To make Ottoman spies think: 'If they were fleeing in a hurry, why leave a valuable and hard-to-control goat?' War psychology wasn't invented in the 20th century. It was born in the Ohrid valley — on September 14, 1464 — with the help of one goat, 5,000 horses, and a man who trusted his brain more than the number of his swords.
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Rujukan: Battle of Ohrid — Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle of Ohrid
