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Giammaria Biemmi was an Italian priest who published a work on Skanderbeg titled Istoria di Giorgio Castrioto Scanderbeg-Begh. His work was published in Brescia, Italy in 1742.[1]
His work claimed to be derived from sources older than Marin Barleti's, generally considered the main primary source on Skanderbeg. He made use of contemporary Italian humanists and historians who wrote on Skanderbeg such as Francescus Philephus (1389-1481), Johanes Jovianus Pontanus (1423-1503), Raffaele Maffei Volaterranus (1434-1516), while also using two Byzantine chroniclers, Laonikos Chalkokondyles (1423-1464) and George Sphrantzes (1401-1478). He furthermore made use of archival documents compiled by Odorico Raynaldi (1595-1671) and G. Sagredo (1616-1696).[1]
He also claimed that he had found a work published in Venice in 1480 from which he could not find the name of the author, although he was an Albanian humanist from Bar, in modern-day Montenegro.[1] According to this biographer, his brother was a warrior in Skanderbeg's personal guard. According to Biemmi, the work had lost pages dealing with Skanderbeg's youth, the events from 1443-1449, the Siege of Krujë (1467), and Skanderbeg's death. Biemmi referred to the author the work as Antivarino, meaning the man from Bar.[2]
The passages given by Antivarino come out as being more neutral than Barleti's panegyric work. There is no rhetoric and both Skanderbeg's failures and successes are mentioned without leaning towards either side. Using Antivarino as his main work, Biemmi drew harsh criticism against Barleti; however, he criticizes Antivarino on certain points and still agrees with Barleti's major points.[2]