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 recognized illegitimate children. After his father’s death in 1388,
Helena Thopia his older sister inherited control of
Krujë. After her marriage to
Marco Barbarigo, a
Venetian nobleman, he became the actual ruler of her lands. Moreover, his older brother
Gjergj Thopia succeeded their father as
Prince of Albania. Niketa, on the other hand inherited a territory south of Durazzo. Mark Barbarigo briefly held his and Helen’s possessions under Venetian suzerainty. However, facing new threats from the
Ottomans, he eventually accepted Ottoman suzerainty. This decision allowed him to maintain control over Krujë and his other lands extending to
Durrës. No longer viewing himself as a Venetian deputy, he began raiding Venetian lands near Durrës. In 1392, amid the ongoing hostilities between her husband and the Venetians, Helen's half-brother, Niketa Thopia, a loyal Venetian supporter, attacked the city of Krujë, forcing Mark Barbarigo to seek refuge with the
Balsha family. After the death of Sultan Bayezid in 1402, many Albanian lords, including Niketa Thopia,
Gjon Kastrioti and
Koja Zaharija recognized Venetian suzerainty. The Venetians were interested in having some buffer zone between them and the advancing
Ottoman army. After the death of
Kostandin Balsha in 1402, Niketa Thopia swiftly seized control of the city of Krujë from his sister Helena Thopia in 1403, acting independently. Given his previous loyalty to the Venetians, they soon accepted his action, and by 1404, officially recognized him as the governor of Krujë. However, despite his formal vassal status, Niketa Thopia began to assert greater autonomy in the region. By 1410, he had extended his influence over much of the territory between
Krujë and the lower
Shkumbi River, effectively positioning himself not just as a Venetian vassal, but as an independent ruler whose interests aligned with Venice more as an ally than a direct deputy. From his marriage, Thopia had one daughter,
Mara Thopia. She married
Balsha III in 1407 and had a daughter
Jelena Balsha, 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. Balsha III divorced his wife, Mara Thopia as relations with Niketa Thopia had soured due to an incident where
Theodor Corona Musachi captured Niketa in a skirmish, likely around late 1411, and held him as a prisoner. After being released from jail in July 1413, Niketa Thopia returned to Krujë, where he resumed his role as the administrator for the Venetians. However, shortly thereafter, certainly by early 1415, he died. After his death, the region experienced a period of instability.
Mehmed I while upholding his treaties with Byzantium and Serbia and refraining from resuming attacks on them, Mehmed I saw the Albanian-Zetan region as an opportunity. Aiming to restore the Ottomans to their former stronghold in the area, he launched a major offensive there in 1415. His forces captured Krujë and several smaller forts throughout the region. ==Family==