At the beginning of the 13th century,
Pal Gropa, an
Albanian nobleman, held the Byzantine title of Sevast. As part of the
Kingdom of Albania, Pal Gropa was given extended privileges by
Charles I of Naples on May 18, 1273: "nobili viro sevasto Paulo Gropa »casalia Radicis maioris et Radicis minons, пeс non Cobocheste, Zuadigorica, Sirclani et Craye, Zessizan sitam in valle de Ebu". A member of Gropa family,
Andrea Gropa, ruled the region and the city of
Ohrid as an ally of the King of Serbia,
Vukašin Mrnjavčević, until his death in 1371. He then became involved in a rivalry with Vukašin's son,
Prince Marko. Ruling as an independent ruler since the time of Vukašin, he became de jure independent from Prince Marko in 1371 and was referred to as
Župan and
Gospodar of Ohrid (Lord of Ochrid). He joined the Albanian ruler and noble
Andrea II Muzaka, and managed to take
Kostur,
Prilep and the entire
Dibër region from Marko by that year. During Andrea's reign, the Gropa family forged their own coins. Zacharia Gropa is mentioned by Athanase Gegaj as one of the military commanders of
Skanderbeg's forces. The Gropa family's descendants were located in Sicily at the end of the 15th century, and would later be found all over southern Italy and in Zakynthos in Greece.{{cite book |last1=Ζώης|first1=Λεωνίδας Χ|title=Λεξικόν φιλολογικόν και ιστορικόν Ζακύνθου ==Members==