From 1461 to 1462, Skanderbeg campaigned in Italy to protect his ally, Ferdinand I, from being overrun by the Angevin dynasty which claimed the Kingdom of Naples.

Upon returning to Albania after securing Ferdinand, the Venetians became hostile to Skanderbeg and a sort of undeclared war took place.

The reconciliation reached the point where Pope Pius II suggested entrusting Skanderbeg's dominions during his Italian expedition, where his swift cavalry tactics managed to defeat the Angevin incursions on several occasions.

Skanderbeg figured out what route Sinan would take so he chose to encamp in a mountain overlooking the path, near Mokra, marching there by night before the Ottomans.

On 7 July 1462, the Ottomans neared and Skanderbeg ordered his men to make loud noises by using their drums and battlehorns and they soon launched a powerful attack.

A large force under Hasan bey set out to march into Albania through the same pass as Sinan a month before, unaware that Skanderbeg was ready to meet him.

In the meantime, a scouting force of 4,000 was drawn out ahead of the main army to gather information on the Albanian positions.

The pasha, upon hearing of the disaster, threw a fit of anger less due to his troops being killed than his plans being foiled.

However, Skanderbeg was not able to achieve his goal of annihilation (due to the heavy winds and pouring rain) but he was still able to do much damage to the Ottoman forces.

Karaza immediately escaped with much of his army and traveled to Istanbul, where he was pardoned by the sultan for succeeding in preventing the annihilation of his force which the previous commanders fell victim to.

In summer 1463, a huge[clarification needed] army under the sultan's personal command gathered near Uskub, but it was to march into Bosnia.