Balà ¡a Balà ¡ià(; ; died 18 September 1385) or Balà ¡a II was the Lord of Lower Zeta from 1378 to 1385. He was a member of the Balà ¡iànoble family, which ruled Zeta (with Scutari) from 1362 to 1421.
Balà ¡a II was the youngest of three sons of Balà ¡a I. According to Mavro Orbini, Balà ¡a, the progenitor of the Balà ¡iàfamily, was a petty nobleman who held only one village in the area of Lake Skadar during the rule of Emperor Duà ¡an the Mighty (r. 1331 to 1355). Only after the death of the emperor, during the subsequent weak rule of Emperor Uroà ¡ V, Balà ¡a together with his friends and his three sons (Stracimir, ÃÂuraàand Balà ¡a II) gained power in Lower Zeta, which had previously been the lands of gospodin à ½arko (fl. 1336 to 1360). Balà ¡a's people then turned for Upper Zeta, which was held by ÃÂuraà ¡ Ilijiàand his relatives; the Balà ¡iàbrothers murdered ÃÂuraà ¡, and had some of his relatives imprisoned. Balà ¡a died the same year. Orbini further described the personalities of the brothers, claiming that Balà ¡a II was "good-natured and an accomplished horseman, but not of great mind". The Balà ¡iÃÂi managed to elevate themselves from petty nobility to provincial lords, becoming powerful after 1362, and it seems that they had an active part in the conflict between Emperor Uroà ¡ V and Simeon Uroà ¡ in Skadar, helping Uroà ¡ V.
In the summer of 1364, the Balà ¡iàbrothers were defeated in a skirmish against Karl Thopia. ÃÂuraàI, brother of Balà ¡a II, was captured by Karl and was kept prisoner until 1366, when Dubrovnik mediated peace and procured his release. In January 1368, a Ragusan document reported that the three Balà ¡iàbrothers: Stracimir, ÃÂuraàI and Balà ¡a II, were preparing for a campaign against Karl Thopia. They were camped on the Mati River, which Karl's lands lay south of. The fighting was apparently small-scale as two months later, Karl had no difficulty capturing Dyrrhachium from the Angevins. In 1372, Balà ¡a II married Komnina, the daughter of the Despot John Komnenos Asen of Vlorë, Berat and Kaninë and the sister of his successor Alexander Komnenos Asen, or Comita, the daughter of Andrea II Muzaka, as later claimed by the Muzaka family chronicle, which considered the area part of its patrimony. Either way, Balà ¡a II's marriage secured him control of Vlorë, Berat and Kaninë by right of his wife, following the death of Alexander Komnenos Asen in 1371, solidified Balà ¡a's claim to the territories and ensured his support against mutual enemies like Marko.
On January 13, 1378, Balà ¡a II came to power in Zeta after the death of his older brother, ÃÂuraàI. His power was felt only in the region around Scutari and in the eastern part of Zeta's coast. The most prominent feudal lords who did not recognize Balà ¡a's rule were their sworn enemies, the ÃÂuraà ¡eviÃÂ-Crnojeviàfamily, who were allies of the Republic of Venice.
In 1385, Balà ¡a II started the war for the conquest of Durazzo, taking it following four attempts. In 1385, the defeated ruler Karl Topia appealed to Murat I for assistance, and the Ottoman Army led by Hajruddin Pasha routed the Balà ¡iÃÂi at the Battle of Savra, on the Saurian field, near Lushnjë. The Ottomans decapitated Balà ¡a's head and sent it as an exclusive gift to Hajreddin Pasha. This marks the end of the rule of his family over Durazzo.
Balà ¡a's widow, Komnina or Comita, and their daughter RuÃÂina, later took control of Balà ¡a's territory in southern Albania to protect it from Ottoman invaders. Balà ¡a's widow seems to have been the Duchy of Valona's main ruler, until her death in 1396. In the meantime, the Muzaka family had gained control of Berat. In 1391, however, RuÃÂina married Mrkà ¡a à ½arkoviÃÂ. à ½arkoviàsucceeded the duchy, calling himself Lord of Valona. He reigned over the city until his death in 1414. RuÃÂina took over her late husband's position and ruled Valona until 1417, when it, as well as its citadel in Kanina, was seized by the Ottomans. RuÃÂina fled Albania and sought asylum in Corfu. Her nephew, Balà ¡a III, then-ruler of Zeta, granted her asylum and entrusted her with governorship of the coastal town of Budva.
His title was gospodin (lord), while after taking over Durazzo, he had the right to add the title of duke.