The town of Leš was a very important town of the Illyrians, sitting between the Kingdom of Macedonia and the Roman Republic. In the 6th century the Bishop of Leš fled from Leš to Calabria after the town was conquered by Avars. In the 9th century Leš became part of the Thema of Dyrrhachion. Anna Comnena praises the strength of the fortress of the town. In the 13th century, Leš was part of the Principality of Albanon and became part of the Serbian Kingdom in 1340. After the death of Emperor Dušan (1355) the Region became independent and was ruled by the Serbian noble family of the Balšić and in 1387 Leš became the capital of the Dukajin Principality. Also in 1436 Cyriacus of Ancona praises the strong walls of Leš. In 1440 the town was hit by a great fire. Leš was ruled by Venice from 1393 until the Ottoman conquest in 1478. After the Venetians were able to reconquest the town for a short time in 1501 they demolished the defensive buildings before they ceded Leš back to the Ottomans. (AA I, 374 (111) - usque ad flumen Lesii).