Krujë is a town in Durrës County, Albania, located 12.4 miles north of Tirana. Its name derives from the Albanian word krua, meaning "water source", and it was located near the ancient Illyrian city of Albanopolis (now Zgërdhesh). During the Illyrian Wars, the Roman Republic conquered the area around Krujë, and Krujë evolved from a middle-sized fortress into a town from the 6th to 9th centuries AD. In 1190, Krujë became the capital of the Principality of Arbër, the first Albanian state of the Middle Ages, and it later became part of Charles of Anjou's Kingdom of Albania in 1271. During the late 13th century, the Byzantine Empire recaptured Krujë, only for it to fall to the Serbian Empire in 1343. In 1363, the town was incorporated into the Principality of Albania, and it came under Ottoman vassalage in 1395. In the early 15th century, Niketa Thopia reconquered Krujë for his family, but the Ottomans recaptured it in 1415. In 1432-1436, Andrea Thopia failed to reclaim Krujë, but, from 1437 to 1438, Skanderbeg was appointed Governor of Krujë, and, in 1443, he led a rebellion against Ottoman rule from Krujë, using Krujë Castle as his stronghold. From 1450 to 1477, Krujë held out against four Ottoman sieges, but the Ottomans finally captured Krujë in 1478, a year after Skanderbeg's death. In 1906, the people of Krujë once again rose up against the Turks, but 30 people were killed as the uprising was suppressed. By the early 20th century, almost every inhabitant of Krujë adhered to the Bektashi Sufi faith. During the Albanian revolt of 1912, Krujë was captured by the anti-Ottoman rebels on 14 August 1912 and became a center of Albanian resistance. During World War II, the collaborationist Prime Minister Mustafa Merlika-Kruja established a 300-man gendarmerie in his hometown, but the Albanian Resistance leader Abaz Kupi gradually took control of the region. In November 1944, the last German troops stationed in the region were defeated, and the Albanian Resistance liberated Krujë. By 2011, Krujë had a population of 59,814 people.
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