Niketa Thopia

Niketa Thopia (Niketa Topia, Nicetas Thopia; 1388 – d. 1415) was the Lord of Krujë between 1392—1394 and 1403–1415. He was a member of the Albanian Thopia family and an illegitimate son of Karl Thopia, the Prince of Albania (r. 1368–1388).

Life
Niketa Thopia was an illegitimate son of Albanian Prince Karl Thopia born to an unknown mother. Together with his sister Maria Thopia they are Karl's only recognised illegitimate children. Upon his fathers death in 1388, Marco Barbarigo inherited Krujë through his marriage with Helena, Niketa's older sister. Moreover, his older brother Gjergj succeeded their father as Lord of Durrës and styled himself Prince of Albania. Niketa, on the other hand inherited a territory south of Durazzo.

After the death of Sultan Bayezid in 1402, many Albanian lords, including Niketa Thopia, Gjon Kastrioti and Koja Zaharija recognised Venetian suzerainty. The Venetians were interested in having some buffer zone between them and the advancing Ottoman army. In 1403, Niketa Thopia managed to capture the city of Krujë from his sister, Helena Thopia, thus gaining another part of the territory previously held by the Thopia family.

From his marriage Thopia had one daughter, Mara Thopia. She married Balsha III in 1407 and had a daughter Jelena, named after her grandmother Jelena Lazarević. Balsha III and Niketa entered an alliance in order to drive out the Venetians. Niketa then started to be a mediator between Balsha and Venetians during the First Scutari War. At the end of 1411, he suffered a heavy defeat from the forces of Teodor III Muzaka during one skirmish. He himself was held prisoner and with the intervention of the Ragusan Republic was released, but only after conceding some territories around the Shkumbin river to the Muzaka family. Upon his death in 1415, the castle of Krujë fell into Ottomans' hands.

He married the daughter of Komnen Arianiti.