A LB A NIA

P A ST A N D P RE S E NT

C O NSTA NT INE A . C H EK RE Z I, A H . .
( Har v .

I NTRO D U C TIO N

B Y C H A RL E S D H AZE N
lm
.

Profe ss or of Mod e rn Hi story . Co u bia Un iv it

e rs y

WI TH TW0 MA P S
'

THE
m
mmm
M A C M I LL A N C O M P A N Y
1 91 9

A ll rig h t s r es erv ed
 C O P Y RI G H T 1 9 1 9
,

B Y TH E MA C MI LL A N C O MP A NY

S et t
u p a n d el ec r ot yp e d. P u bl ih
s e d, A pr il , 1919
 MISS M . E . D U RHA M ,
Pr i n c e ss of t he A lb ian a n H ighl a n ds .

LI E U T C O L.
-
. A U B RE Y H E RB E RT,

MR HA RRY LA MB
m
m
.
,

H B M De l t ega e t o t h e In te rn a ti ona l C o i i ss on
t i
. . .

of C on rol f or A l b a n a,

THIS B O O K IS RE SPEC T U L L Y D E DI C A TE D F
 P REFA C E

M Y S TE RI OU S country L and of Miracle s

,
” “

” “
Unkn own Albania ,
Darker than dark Africa
here are only a few whimsical name s that are given
t o the country which is inhabited by the olde st p e ople
in S outhea stern Europe .

I t was only s ome time ago that a well —me aning

editor of a leading newspape r of N ew York crowned
“
with the additional heading The Riddle of A l
bania the caption of an article on that country wri t
’

ten by the author On another and more intere sting

.

occa sion a letter addre ssed t o the B ritish C onsulate

,

of Scutari the p rincipal city of N orthern Albania

, ,

wa s shipp ed acros s the ocean t o Albany N Y ; the ,

. .

humorous p o stmaste r of the latte r city returned it

“ ”
with the note Try Europe .

But it must b e said that this incident t ook place

some twelve years ago and matters have consider
,

ably changed since During the pre sent de cade

.

people began to be more familia r with the name of

Albania a s a re sult of the prominence she ha s won
,

in our days in the field of international p olitics .

B arely six years ago the Albanian p roblem threat

ened twice to precipitate an Eu rop ean war and the ,

outb reak of the last general c on fl agrat ion had it s in

direct origin in the vicissitude s of the same p roblem .

And there are signs that th e end of complications ha s

not be en re ached yet .

Still the mystery enveloping Albania ha s not a s

,
VI 1 .
vi ii PRE FA CE
yet been res olutely pierced through Even to day .
-

p e ople are entertaining the mo st wild fancies ab out

the actual conditions of Albania and very hazy no ,

tions are prevalent ab out her existence T hi s i s .

m
e specially true to he r history p ast and pre sent , .

About the i ddle of the last century ethnologist s ,

and histori ans of the calibe r and reputation of Hahn

, ,

Muller Meye r and othe rs devote d much of their time

, ,

t o researche s in the intere sting field of the origin of

the Albanian race B ut their erudite fin di ngs were
.

speedily forgotten and it wa s not till ve ry recently

,

that a lively in terest ha s been manifested in the A l

banian question owing a s it h a s b een already s aid
, , ,

t o the prep onderant r ole played by Alba ni a in inte r

national p olitics .

Yet there is no d oubt to day that the Albanian i s

,
-

the olde st race in the B alkans But a s Mr J D .

,
. . .

B ou r ch ier puts it in the Encyclop edia B ri tannica ,

the determination with which this remarkable race

has maintained it s mountain strongholds through a
long serie s of age s has hitherto met with scant ap
preciation in the outside world ”
When the Ai .

banian question came up for settlement in 1 9 1 2 a s ,

a re sult of the first B alkan war there were p eople ,

who denied even the existence of such a que stion .

Yet that year marked the advent of Albania in the

world p olitics with all the complications that it eu
gendered Even so the problem of Albania is a
.
,

clo sed b ook not only t o the gene ral public but als o
, ,

t o p eople wh o are keenly interested in it .

This i gnorance of the a ffairs of Albania is due not

t o any lack of intere st in them in our own days at ,

lea st but to the want of a comp rehensive and handy

,

treatise on Al bania I t i s true that there i s a great

.
 PRE FA CE ix

number of b o oks relating to he r but they are either ,

written by amateur writers who are wont t o spe en

late ou things they know very little about or they ,

are only monographs and sketche s which fail t o sat

i s fy the de sire fo r general information Thi s i s .

particularly true with regard to b ook s on Albania

in both English and French while the German and ,

I talian treatises on the same subj ect leave very lit

tle to be desired Another seriou s handicap to ob
.

taining general information about Albania i s that

the respective writings are scattered in a great num
be r of b ook s which a layman i s not expected t o b e
able t o handl e systematically .

The idea of writing this b o ok on Albania ha s b een

first sugge sted t o the writer by hi s instructors of
the D epartment of History at Harvard University ,

in e spe cial by P rof A C C oolidge L ecture r on the

. . .
,

E a stern Question who deeply lamented the lack of

,

such a treatise in the English language I n the .

cours e of his studie s at the said I nstitution the ,

m
writer had an occa sion t o wri te a number of the se s
and reports on what i s the t e r in cog n it a of the his
t ory of Albania he r contemp orary history and actual
,

conditions I t i s the refore fair t o say that this

.
, ,

b ook is largely ba sed on those these s and rep orts s o ,

far a s the pre sent decade i s concerned .

Chapte rs I t o VI a re based mainly on the r e

searches of D r Johann Ge org von Hahn the fore
.
,

most A lb an ol ogis t a s set forth in his admirable

,

m
“ ”
Albanische Studien and on the excellent b ook
,

Albania of E uge o B arb a r ieh W e n ev er t h e

” ’

.
,

le ss give als o the original s ource s in the Refe rence s

, ,

which cove r entirely the field of discus sion .

A p art of Chapte r VI and Chapte r VII are

X PRE FA CE

m
founded on o ri ginal work done by the writ er They .

constitute a p art of the t e r in cog n i t a of the A l

banian hi story .

P art I I constitute s the pe rs onal e x p erience s of th e

writer who was living in Albania at the time the
events de scribed therein t ook place They are .

strongly supp orted by the p eriodical a rticle s writt en

on the occasion by well kn own European publicists
-
.

m
Cert ain sections of this part are bitterly contro
verted and the writer feels it t o be his duty t o r ec o
,

mend the reade r t o pay e sp ecial attention t o the

collateral s ources a s given in the Reference s F or .

the angry contest in regard t o Southern Albania or

“ ”
N orthe rn Epiru s and the re spective Albanian
and Greek claims the writings of M e ssrs H N
,
. . .

B railsford H Charles W oods and M L é on L a

, .
,
.

mouche are authoritative The hi story of Albania .

during thi s period is given for the first time in a

systematic way which covers the most intere sting
events relating to the making and unmaking of the
Albanian State They constitute t h e high wat er
.
-

mark of the p re war European diplomacy

-
.

Of P art I I I the first thre e chapt ers are b ased on

,

the references a s given therein with a good deal ,

of personal ob servations re sulting from inside in

formation while the subj ect matter of Chapter XVI I
,
-

has neve r been t ouched up on before .

W e hope that this mode st b ook will satisfy to

m
some extent the daily manifested de sire fo r general
“ ” “
infor ation about this mysterious and un
”
known Albania with special reference t o the p e o
,

ple of G reat B ritain among whom she i s regarded

a s s omewhat of a p et nation according t o Sir ,

Thoma s Hol dich s statement in his B oundarie s in

’
 PRE FA CE xi

”
Europ e and the Near East de spite the fact that
,

very l ittle i s known about he r .

The writer feels the nece s sity of excusing himself

for not having p roduced something bette r and for
the l itera ry shortcomings that may be di scove red in
the text B u t if one take s into consideration the
.

nature of the enterp rise on the one hand and the

, ,

fact that t h e writer could not have p o s sibly ma stered

the English language during the fou r years he ha s
b een in the United State s there would b e ampl e rea
,

s on for his being excused .

Acknowledgment of thanks should b e made t o

P rof J B M oore for the kind as sistance he ha s
. . .

given t o the write r and t o M r H F Munro L ec

,
. . .
,

turer on E uropean and American Diplomacy at C 0

lumbia University for the helpful sugge stions he
,

ha s made in going over the manuscripts .

C A C . . .

Columbia University ,

New York City ,

January 1 9 1 9
,
.
 I N TRO DU CTI O N

I N t h e gene ral readjustment of the W orld which

c onst itute s the work of the C onference of P aris the
!

p roblem of the future of Albania n e ces sarily h a s it s

place That question cannot b e ignore d nor can it
.

be p o s tponed a s it is inextricably inv olved with

q ue stio n s of such commanding a nd in sistent imp or
tance as those of the future of the Ad riatic the fu ,

ture of the B alkans I t i s a que stion that cannot

.

b e eva d e d and t ha t must b e a nswered in on e way

o r a n o t her But a p art from it s conne ction wi t h the
.

interlocking el ements of the p olitics of s out h

ea ste rn Eu rope apa rt from it s intimat e filiat ion
,

with t h e future of G re ece a n d Ju gosl av ia a n d I taly ,

apa rt from the fact that the de stinie s of each are

inte rtwin e d with the de stinie s of all it al so remains
,

true that Alba nia h a s a p rima ry set of in t erest s of

’

her own which must b e clearly comprehended and

j ustly app reciated by t h e P owers as s embled in P a ris
fo r the purp os e of redrawing the map of Europ e .

And what the ri ghts of Alb ania are mus t b e l earn e d -

not through the utteranc e s of he r neighbors and

riva l s an d p os s ible enemie s but through a more di
rect an d au t horitative m edium t he voice of her own
,

cit izens .

This i s the chief me rit of M r Ch ekr ez i s b ook

.
’
.

I t enables us t o se e Al bania th rough t h e eye s of an

Albanian F or many y e ars t h e world ha s heard
.

much a b out Alba nian a ffairs but what it has heard

has come almost e xcl u sively fr om out side s ourc e s ,
x iii
xiv I N TR OD UC TI O N

from Greeks and S e rb s and M ontenegrins and from ,

the G reat P owers whi ch for r e a s on s of their own , ,

created in 1 9 1 2 a nd in L ondon the s tate of Albania

and handed it over t o an unk n own Ge rman p rince ,

W illi am of W ied But no p eople can b e the s afe

.

in terp rete r of the ne e d s and wi shes the rights and ,

a spirations of any other p e ople j ust as no individ ,

ual can be an authoritativ e spoke sman fo r any one

but himself I t is therefore a satisfaction and a
.

di stinct advantage to h ave a t last a n interpretation , ,

of the Albanian p e ople an exposition of Albanian ,

hi s tory a presentation of Albanian claims st raight

, ,

from the mind a n d h eart of a native of that count ry .

F or thi s is a s f ar a s I kn ow the first b ook by an

,
e
,

Alb ani an on Albania that ha s a ppea red in the Eng

,

li sh langua ge A s s uch it throws light up on mat

.

ters not t oo well k n own t o the Engli sh reading pub -

lic and may furnish in many p art iculars a cor r e c

, , ,

tive t o views more or les s wide spread The author .

is of cours e alone re sp onsible for his st atements and

, ,

opinions but that he adds to our knowledge concern

,

ing a subj ect on which we a re none to o well in

formed is the opinion of the one who write s this
,

m
intr oduction .

M r C h ekrez i graduated in 1 9 09 f rom the G y n a

.

m
sium of Korcha L ate r h e s tudied law for a s hort
.

ti e at t h e Uni versity of Athens and then b ecame

a j ourn ali st W hen Albania wa s made a n inde
.

pendent state in 1 9 1 2 he wa s appoint e d I n t erp re

t er and late r S ecretary t o the I n te rnationa l C om
mi s sion of C ontrol for Albania created by the L on ,

don Confe rence of Amba s sa dors He came to t h e .

United State s in N ovember 1 9 1 4 and ha s in the , ,

meantime stu died at Harvard C ollege from which ,

 I N TROD U C TI O N XV

he graduated in 1 9 1 8 r e ceiving the degre e o f B ach

,

c l or of Art s .

Th e Albanians first brought the c la ims of their

nation ality before Europe a t the C ongres s of B er

m
lin in 1 8 7 8 Th ey were roughly and summa rily
.

“
handled Bis arc k bluntly declaring that There is
,
”
no Albanian na tiona lity Th is wa s on e of Bi s
.

m arck s nume rou s errors a s he wa s t o fin d out

’
,

the following yea r at the hands of the Albanians

thems elve s Albania n nationa l ism ha s been a s tru e
.
-

and genuine an hi st ori c gro wt h as G reek national

ism or S erb o r Roumanian o r Bulgarian A l
, , ,
.

bani a is merely the last of th e B alkan States t o

-

emerge fr om the blight of five centuri e s of u n c on

s ci on a b l e Turki sh opp r e s sion M r C h ekrez i s de ’
. .

scription of the evolution of this sen se of nationality

since the C ongr e s s of B erlin and his a ccount of the
cr e at ion in 1 9 1 2 of t h e indep endent p r inc ipality of
Albania and of it s brief and t roubled his t o ry are
p a r ticul a rly inst ru c t ive and illuminating .

W hether Alb ania i s t o be r e stored a n d if s o ,

whether she is t o be completely independent or t o

b e under the cont r ol more or les s disguise d of I ta ly
,
-

o r of other p owers whet he r she wi ll include within

,

her borders all t h o s e of Albanian n ationality a n d

race or only a part of them are matte rs t o be de ,

cided a t Pa ris But unle s s the de cision s are right

.

a n d ju st it will not conduce to p eac e in the B alkan

,

peninsula nor will it b e lik ely t o p rove p e rmanent ,

whateve r may be the p ronouncement s o r p r et en t iou s

of a league of nati ons Acts of inj ustice or un r ea
.

s on may destroy a l e ague a s they have de s troyed in

the pa st ma ny an impos ing empire .

C H ARL E S D O W N E R HA Z E N .
 TA B L E O F CON TE N T S

PA RT I

H I STO RY OF A LB A NI A

C HA P TE R I

O RI G I N O F THE ALB A N I AN P EOPL E

I . TH E E ARLIE ST SETTL ERS or A L B AN IA
II . TH E A LB A N I AN LA N GU AG E
III . A N TI QU I TIES

C HAP TE R I I

AN CIE NT A LB AN IA
I . E ARL Y P ERI OD
II . TH E K I N GDO M OF I LL Y RI A
III . TH E K I N GDO M OF MOL OS S I A
IV .
‘
A LB A N I A U N DE R RO M AN DO M I N ATI ON

C HA P TE R I I I

A A
M E DI ZEVAL A LB N I
B Y Z A N TI N E DOM I N ATI ON
TH E I N VA S I ON S or TH E B ARB ARI A N s
P ERIOD O F NATI VE RUL E— TH E I N DE PE N DE N T A LB AN I AN
P RI N C I PALI TIE S
tt
m
1 The D esp o a of E p ir u s
.

v l “
A b an ian K in gdo
ml
2 Th e A n ge in
.

l
3 Th e B a sh a F a i y
.

TH E A LB AN IAN MIG RATI ON S

C H A P TE R I V

L
THE RU E O F THE CA STRI OTA S
'

I . FE U DAL GOVE RN M EN T
 C O N TE NTB

II . G E ORG E CA STRI OTA S C A N DERBE G

I II . TH E LAST CA M P A I G N S

C H A P TE R V
U N D E R TURK I S H DOMI N TI ON A
TH E E FFE C TS OF TH E C ON Q UE ST
C oN VU L SI ON s A N D U P RI S I N G S

m
TH E I N DE PE N DE N T G OVE RN ORS
1 Mah u d P asha of S cu ari
. t
2 A li P asha of J ani n a
.

A LB A N I AN S I N TH E GRE E K REVOL U TI ON

C HAP TE R VI

RE GE N E R TI ON A
I . TH E A LB AN I AN LEA GU E
II . TH E A FTE RM ATH OF TH E LE A GU E
III . TH E NATI O N A L S OCIE TIE S

C HA P TE R VI I
L
THE STRU GG E FOR A U TONOMY
TH E A LB IAN IA N P OL I CY
TH E RE I GN OF A B DU L HA M ID
A L BA N I AN S AN D Y OU N G TURK S
TH E W I N N I N G OF A U TON O M Y

P A RT I I

THE P RI N C I P A LI TY; OF A LB A NIA

C H A P TE R VI I I
THE P ROCL AMA TI ON P
OF I NDE EN DEN C E

TH E B AL K AN A L L I A N CE
TH E I N VA SI ON OF A L B AN I A
NOVE M B E R 28
A U STRIA A N D I TAL Y
TH E MEN ACE OF E UROPEAN WAR
 C ON TE N TS

CH A P TE R XII I
A L B A NI A I N TH E G RE A T WA R
I N TE RN ATI ON AL P O ST RE G N U M
-

TH E G OVE RN M E N T O F E S SAD P A SH A
TH E I N VA S I ON O F A LB A N I A
TH E REP U B L I C O F K ORC H A
TH E I TALI A N S I N A L B A N I A

P A RT I I I

TH E LA ND A ND THE P E O P LE
C HA P TE R XI V

G ENER AL G EO G R A P HY
I . A RE A A N D FRON TIE RS
II . P H Y SI CAL F E ATU RE S

C HAP TE R XV
E CON OM I C CON DI TI ON S

I . A G RI CULTU RE
II . C ROP S AN D S TO C K RAI SI N G
I II . C O M M E RCE
IV . MI N ERAL RE SOU RCE S AN D F ORE STS
V . F I N AN CE S
VI . C OM M U N I CATI ON S

C HA P TE R XVI

THE AL B AN I AN P E OPL E
P OP UL ATI ON — GH E G S A N D Tosx s
NATI ON AL C H ARA C TE RI STI CS
S OC IAL C ON DI TI ON S
t l
1 Nor h ern A b an ia
.

t l l
2 C e n r a A b a n ia
.

t l
3 S ou hern A b an i a
.

TH E P OS I TI ON O F W O M E N
TH E RELI G I OU S QU E STI ON
 C ON TE NTS

VI . A L BA N IAN S I N FORE IG N LAN DS

l
Th e A b an ian s in G reece
Th e A lban ia ns of I a yt l
l t
A b an ian s in Mon en egro
Minor A lb an ian C olon ies

C H A P TE R XV II
THE G RO W T H A
O F N TI ON AL I SM

I . TH E I N I TI AL STEP S
II . I N FORE I G N COU N TRIE S
I II . C ON S TI TU TI O N A N D I N DE PE N DE N CE
IV . TH E A L B A N I A N S oF A M E RI C A

CH AP TER XV I I I
THE FU TU RE OF A L B A NIA 2 34—24 2
 A L
G E NE R L B I B I OG RAP HI ES
G AL A N I I , Ar t
'‘
L Al b ani a , Ro e, 1 9 01
’
m
ibli i lb i P i
.
,

LE G RA N D, E MIL E, B ogra ph e a a n a se , ar s , 19 1 2
i
.

M AN EK P EK ME Z I
-
Alb an e s i sch e B ib l iogr aph i c , V en na , 1 9 09
m
.

VA I N A , E UG , L Alb an ia, pp 1 6 5 —1 7 6 , Ro e, 1 9 1 5
.
’
. .
 A LB A NIA , PA ST A ND PRE SE NT

CHA P TER I
O RI G I N O F TH E A LB A NI A N P E O P L E

I . TH E L
EAR I E S T S E TTLE RS OF AL B A N IA
TH E que stion of the origin of the Albanians i s still
a matte r of controversy among the ethn ologists A .

gr eat many the ori e s have been prop ounded in s olu

tion of the p roblem relative t o the place from which
th e original s ettlers of Albania p roceeded t o their
pre sent home The existenc e of another Al ba ni a in
.

the Cauca sus the mystery in which the derivation

,

m
“ ”
of the name Albania i s enshrouded and which ,

na e on the othe r hand i s unkn own t o he r p eople

, , ,

and the fact that history and legend afi ord no record

of the arrival of t h e_Alb an ian s in the Balkan P enin
sula have rende red the que stion of their origin a
,

particularly d iffi cult one .

But h owever that may be it is generally recognized

, ,

t o —day that the Albanian s are the

sout h ea ster n E urop e All indications p oint t o
.

m
the fact that they a re the de scendants of t h e earlie st
Aryan I m i grant s who were repre sented in hi s t or
ical time s by the k indred I llyrians Macedonians and, ,

E pirpt s . According to the O pin ion O f D r Hahn the .

,

noted Ge rman ethnologist and linguist who ha s mad e ,

the most extensive re search on the subj ect of the

3
4 A L B A NI A PA S T A ND PRESE N T
,

m
ori gi n of the Albanians the Macedonians and Epi ,

rots fo r ed the core of the p re Hellenic Tyrrh en o -

P ela sgian p opulation which inhabited the southern ,

p ortion of the P eni nsula and extended its limits t o

Thrace and I taly The I llyrian s were also P elas
.

gians but in a wider s ense M oreove r Hahn also

,
.
,

thinks that of the se cognate race s which are de ,

“ ”
scribed by the ancient Greek writers a s barbarous
“
and non I llyrians were the p rogeni
tors of the G hegs o r northern Albanians and the , ,

E p ir ot s the progenitors of the T osks or southern Al ,

banians 1
This opini on o f D r Hahn is b orne out by
. .

the statement of Strab o that the Via E gn at ia or

2

ZE git an a which he describe s a s forming the b oun

,

dary between the I llyrians and the E p ir ot s p ra e ,

tically corre sponds with the cours e of the river

Shkumbi which now separate s the Ghegs from the
,

T o sks The same geographe r state s that the Epi

.

rots wer e als o called P elas gians 3

The P ela sgian '
.

Zeus whose memory survive s even t o day in the

,
“ ”
appellation of God as Z ot by th e modern Albani
ans wa s worshiped a t D odona whe re the most f a
, ,

mou s oracle of ancient time s was situated The .

neighb orh ood of the sanctua ry wa s call ed P el a s gia 4

.

“
On a cursory examination of the terms Gheg
“ ” “
and T osk it would appear that the name T o sk
,
“
is p ossibly identical with Tru s cu s E t ru s cu s , ,

m
1 S ee pp 1 6 4— 1 6 6 i n fra
t b k
. .

2 S r a o B oo VI I , Fra g 3
k
tdt t m i
.
, .

3 I bi d , B oo , 2, 22 1 V no e I t is t o be
h a t h e n a e s E p ru s
G k i i m i tt d t m
. .

“ ”
an d E pirot s a r e of r ee or g n Th e ea n n g a a ch e to he
l i l t tt ib t d t ti
.

i s pu re y geogr a ph ca ; h ey wer e a r u e t o t h e s ou h ern por on

of Alb i k l it
a n a b y t h e G r ee it c o on s s an d wr er s i n c on r a s in c on t o t di t ti
i l iti
t h e n s u ar pos i l d
on of t h e I on an I s an s Th e n a e E p ru s ean s m i m
im l m i l d k
.

“ ”
s py a n an in G r e e
H dt k
.

4 er o o u s , B oo I I, 5 6 .
 THE A L B A NI A N L A NG UA GE 5

while the form T “

w
Tirana the principal city of Central Albania for
w in
, ,
'
VV HiCh no othe r current explanation exist s .

These findings of the ethnologists are more over , ,

strengthened by the unb roken traditions of the na

t iv e s wh o regard themselve s and with p ride as
, , ,

the de scendant s of the ab original settlers of the

B alk an P eninsula They therefore think that they
.
, ,

have the be st claims on it I t i s al s o on the strength

.

of the se traditions that the Albanian look s up on the

othe r Balkan nationalitie s a s mere intruders who
have expropriated him of much that wa s properly
his own Hence the constant b orde r warfare which
.

ha s gone on for centurie s between the Albanian and

his neighb ors .

II . TH E A L B A N I A N LA N G U A G E
A more concrete evidence of the I llyrian P ela sgian -

origin of the Albanians i s supplied by the study O f

the Albanian language .

N otwith standing certain p oints of re semblance in

structure and phonetics the Albanian language i s ,

e ntirely distinct from the tongue s sp oken by the

nei ghb oring nati onalitie s Thi s language i s partie
.

u l arly interesting a s the only surv iving repre senta

tive of the s o—called Th r ac o I llyrian group of lan -

guage s which formed the p rimitive speech of the

,

inhabitant s of the B alkan P eninsula I t s analysis .

pre sents however great difficulties a s owing t o the

, , , ,

ab sence of early literary monument s n o certainty ,

can b e arrived at with regard t o its earlie r forms

and late r development s The pre sence of a large
.

number of foreign words make s it di fficult t o deCI de

whether the mutilated and curtailed forms now in ,
6 A L B A NI A PA S T A ND PRE SE NT
,

use repre sent ad opted word s or belong to the orig

,

inal vocabulary I t s groundwork however s o far

.
, ,

a s it can be a scertained and t h e grammar are dis ,

t in ct ly I ndo European -
.

I n the course of time the Albanian language has

been impregnated as it ha s already been said by , ,

a large number of forei gn word s mainly of ancient ,

Greek and L atin which a re younger than the A l,

banian language but there are certain indications

,

m
m
that the primitive I llyrian langu age exerted a cer
tain degree of influence on the gra atical develop
ment of the language s now sp oken in the B alkan
P eninsula .

There is howeve r a very striking feature in thi s

, ,

whole matter : that the Albanian language a fford s

the only available mean s for a rational explanation
of the meaning of the name s of the ancient Greek
god s as well a s of the rest of the myth olo gical crea
tions s o a s exactly t o corre sp ond with the facultie s
,

attributed to these deitie s by the men O f those time s .

The explanation s are s o convincing a s t o confirm t h e

opinion that the ancient Greek myt h ology had been
b orrowed in its entirety from the I llyrian P ela s
, ,
-

gians W e have already stated that the Z eus sur

.

“ ”
vive s a s Z ot in the Albanian language The in .

vocation Of his name i s t h e common form of oath

among the modern Albanians A t h en a ( the L atin .

Minerva ) the godde s s of wisdom a s exp re s sed in

,

m
speech would evidently owe its derivation t o the
,
“ ” ”
Al banian E t h e e which s imply means sp eech ,
.

Th e t is the goddes s of waters and sea s would seem

, ,
“ ” “ ”
to b e but the Albanian D et which means s ea .

I t would be intere sting to note that the word

“
Ulys se s whether in its L atin or the Greek form
,
 THE A L B A NI A N L A NG UA GE 7

“ ”
Odys seus means traveler in the Albanian lan
,
“ ”
guage according a s the word ud b c which stands
, ,
“ ” “ ” “ ”
for b oth route and travel i s written with d ,

m
or both forms being in u se in Albanian Such .

example s may b e supplied a d li bi t u N o such f a .

cili t y is however a fforded by th e ancient Gre ek

, ,

language unle s s the explanation b e a fo rced and

,

distorted one ; but in many instance s even such

forced and distorted one i s not available at all .

The Home ri c poems on the other hand ab ound in , ,

words which survive only in the actually sp oken A l

banian language Nay en tire phra se s may be taken
.
,

from H ome r a s typ ical Albanian exp re s sions I t is .

t o b e regretted inde ed that no attempt ha s been

, ,

made a s yet t o inte rp ret Home r in the light which

may b e thrown on the meaning of hi s writings with
the aid of the Albanian language 1
Such a com .

p ara t iv e study may do much toward overcoming

many di ffi cultie s of interp retation and a s the A l , ,

banian lan g uage i s much Olde r than th e Greek a ,

great many things may be learned a s t o the infin

ence of the former on the H ome ric and sub sequent
Gre ek language .

I n addition we should not forget the fact that Z eu s

,

was a god p a r ex c ell en ce his original , ,

worship being D odona .

Still another intere sting feature is that the prin

c ip al legends O f ancient Greece are still alive in the

p opular myth s of the Albanian p eople The C y .

1 m k b d l b v ti m d
Th e s e r e ar s a r e a s e on per s on a O s er a on s a e by t he
it d t d Hm i m it
wr er in an off h an s u y of t h e
-
it
o er c poe s w h t h e a s s s an ce
Alb i l
of t h e a n an it
an gu a ge v t t
Th e wr er h as t o c on fe ss, h owe er, h a
li i t m l t li m
.

h e i s n ot a ngu s H e wa s ere y s ru c k b y t h e pe cu ar re s e
i l i t d di
.

l l an ce of expr ess on an d ph rase o ogy wh ch h e en cou n ere in r e a ng

fiom er .
8 A L B A NI A PA S T A ND PRE S E N T
,

clop s are as p owerful a s ever in the b edtime sto ries

of the Albanian mothers and grandmothers .

I t i s e stimated that of the actual stock O f the A l

banian language more than one third is of undis
,

p u t e d I llyrian origin and the rest are disputed ,

I llyrian P ela sgian ancient Greek and L atin with a

-

, ,

small admixture of Slavic I talian ( dating from the ,

Venetian occupation of the seab oard ) Turki sh and , ,

some Celtic word s to o B e sides the write r has dis

,
.
,

covered a number of T eutonic words which date p e r ,

hap s from the G othic inva sion O f Albania

,
.

III . A N TI QU I TI E S
Albania abounds in ancient remains which a s yet
have been unexplored The hi story of Albania can .

not therefore b e written in it s p rop er and

, ,

form without reference t o the p reciou s relics the

Albanian s oil has j ealou sly guarded for centurie s .

I t is only when the se arch ae ological treasure s come

t o light that a really scientific histo ry of Albania
can b e written .

Fragment s of Cyclopean structure s of the C y ,

cl op ea n P elasgian period were discovered by Hahn

-

at K r et su n it sa A r in i sh t a and other sites of the

, ,

district of Arghyr oca stro which wa s called P el a sgi a ,

in ancient times The walls partly Cycl op ean O f

.
, ,

an ancient city ( perhap s Bullis or B yll i s ) are v is

ible at Gradishti on the picture sque Vios a Rive r .

m
Few trace s remain of the once celeb rated Dyr rh a
chium ( the actual Durazz o the E p ida n u s of the ,

Greeks ) The mo st imp ortant and intere sting r e

.

mains however are tho se of D odona where the cele

, ,

b r at ed oracle of ancient time s wa s situated .

Of the mediaeval ruins th ose of Kroia or Croia , ,

 CHA P TER II

A N C I E N T A LB A N I A

I . E AR L Y PE RI O D
IN the course of her long history Albania ha s b een ,

invaded by various civiliz ed half civiliz ed and bar ,

-

barian race s The Gauls th e R omans the G oth s

.
, , ,

the Slavs the N ormans the Venetians and finally

, , , , ,

the Turks successively s et their fo ot on and oh

, ,

t ain ed temp orary mastery over th e Albanian terri ,

tory But in th e course of time th e native s have

.
, ,

gradually driven out or as simi lated the invaders .

S o many inva sions and i n fluence s have left hardly

any appreciable trace s least of all on the national
,

characteri stics traditions cust oms and language of

, , ,

the Albanian pe ople W hat t h e R oman and Greek

.

writers have written ab out the Albanians centurie s

ago doe s singularly apply t o their actual conditions
in such a way a s t o make one imagine that the old
writings are but contemporary history A s erie s of .

historical event s of momentou s imp ortance and su

,

perior t o his own will confined the Albanian within

,

his inacces sible mountain fa stne s se s and constrained ,

him to cling with tenacity t o his national traditions ,

language and cu stoms fa r from the t ouch of and

, , ,

contact with higher degree s of civilization apart

, ,

from that of his immediate enemie s and neighbors .

The Al banian p eople pre sent then the unique and , ,

imp osing phenomenon of a continuous national exist

10
 THE K I N GD O M OF I LL YRI A 11

ence which ext end s from the remotest time s d own

t o our own days I t s b eginnings may b e traced only
.

by going a s far back a s the P ela s gian and I ll v rian

p eriod .

Of the early period of the I llyrians and e specially , ,

of the P elasgi ans we know a lmost nothing Ou r .

history will then necessarily begin with the ris e of

, ,

the kingdoms o f I llyria and Mol os sia which r es p ec

t iv el y represent during the hi s torical time s the
I llyrian s and P ela sgians .

II . TH E K I N GD O M or I LL Y RIA
( 12 25— 1 6 7 B . c .
)

its b eginning the ki ngdom of I llyria comprised

In ,

the actual territ orie s of D almatia Croatia B osnia , ,

and Herzegovina Montenegro and N orthern and , ,

Central Albania with a la rge part of mode rn S erbia

,
.

B ut in the course of its development it extended all

along the ea stern litoral of the Adriatic S ea S cu .

tari was its capital j ust a s she i s now the capital of

,

N orthern and Central Albania .

The earlie st known king of Hy llu s

( The Star ) wh o i s recorded to have died in the year
1 22 5 B . o
.

The kingdom howeve r reache d the zenith of its

, ,

expansion and development in the fourth century

B C
. when B a r dhy llu s ( W hite Sta r ) one of the mo s t
.
, ,

prominent of the I llyrian kings united unde r hi s ,

scepte r the kingdoms of I llyria Mol os sia or Epiru s ,

and a good part of Macedonia s o that his realm ex ,

”

m
t ended from the p ort of T rie ste market place in -

Albanian ) to the A b r acic Gulf But it s decay b e .

gan under the same ruler as a re sult of th e attack s

made on it by P hilip of Macedon father of Alex ,
12 A L B A NI A PA S T A ND PRE S E NT
,

ander the Great On the victorious conclusion of

.

m
the wa r against Athens the Macedonian General
,

P a r en ion attacked and defeated the I llyrian fo rce s

between the lake s of P respa and O ch r ida in orde r t o ,

recover the part of Macedonia that had be en annexed

by B a r dhyllu s .

On succeeding his father Alexander the Great s et,

out to pursue the wa r against the I llyrian kings .

The I llyrian tro op s were entrenched at P elion near ,

the pre sent city of K oritza ( Korcha in Albanian ) , ,

under the command of King E l ei t os the s on of B ard ,

hyllus Alexander attacked them and won a com

.

pl et e V ict ory ove r them As a re sult the I llyrian

.
,

king agreed to follow hi s great kinsman in his ex p e

dition against the P ersians The I llyrian tro op s .

formed a considerable p art of th e force s of the con

q u e r or of th e P ersian Empire and shared in his
triumph .

Up on the death of Alexander the I llyrian kings

regained their liberty of action within their terri
torie s I n the year 2 32 B o the I llyrian throne wa s
. . .

occupied by the enterpri sing Teu t a the celebrated ,

Queen wh om historians have called Catherine the

G reat of I llyria I t wa s she wh o brought the R0
.

mans in contact with the B alkans The depreda .

tions of her thrivi ng navy on the rising comme rcial

development of the R epublic forced the R oman S en
ate t o declare war against the Queen A huge army .

m m
and navy under the R oman con sul s Gain s F u lv ia s
S a n t u a lu s and L u ci u s P os t u iu s A lv in a s attacked
Central Albania and after two years of p rotracted
, ,

warfare T euta wa s induced t o su e for p eace ( 22 7

,

The la st king of I llyria wa s G en t ius of pathetic ,

 THE K I N GD OM OF M OL OSSI A 13

memory I n 1 6 5 B 0 he wa s defeated by the R0

.
1
. .

mans and b rought t o Rome as a captive in orde r t o

adorn the triumph of the victor .

Henceforth I llyria b ecame a R oman dep endency , .

She wa s carve d out into thre e indep endent republics

the cap itals of which were respectively : S cutari D u ,

razz o , and Dulcigno .

I II . TH E K I N GD O M or M OL O SS I A
( 1 2 7 0—1 6 8

The S outhern Albania of to day wa s called -

m
E pirus by the ancient Greek writers and wa s in ,

P
habited by th e elasgians o r E p ir ot s 2
Th e O p o pu s .

state s that Epiru s wa s inhabited by the C h a on ian s ,

the Thesprotians and the M olo ssians all of them ,

being non Hellenic -

.

The kings of the last b ranch i e the M ol os sians ,

. .
, ,

who ultimately extended their p ower ove r all Epirus ,

claimed according t o P lutarch t o b e de scended from

, ,

P yrrhus the s on of Achille s who settled in the coun

, ,

try after the fall of Troy and transmitted his king ,

dom t o his s on M olos sus The same biographe r r e ,

.

1 C ass i m B ook 2 0 f gm2 4

us Di o, Ro e, ra

l dy b ot d t h t t h m E pi m m i
.
, .

“
It h
2 a s a rea e en n e a e na e ru s ea n s a n !

l d i G k d w o i gi ll y ppli d t o t h wh ol o t o t h
an
”
n r ee an as r na a e e e c as n r

w d of t h C o i t h i G lf i o t di ti ti o t o t h igh b o i g
,

ar e r n an u n c n ra s nc n e ne r n
i l d C o y ( C o fo ) L it h
,

s an s, rc t
ra t I o r q n eu ca s , e c e c n c n se u en c e , as
t i l m i m d G k wo t t o t h i k
. .
, ,

n ot y h
an e g o
n ca e an n d as er n ree s a re n n an

l im m i li d t Alb i i
,

p or c aT h o f E p e p p na t o S o eh ru s, as a e u er n an a , s

mi l di g i m h it G k o d giv t h id t h t o i
.

s ea n n as uc as s r ee s un es e ea a ne s
d li g with G k t it o y Th i i d t o t h fo t t f t
,

ea n a re e err r s s ue e un r un a e ac
th t t h e p i i p l o h i t o y of t h i ti o of Alb i
.

a of t h
r nc a s u rce s e s r s s ec n an a

a re th w iti g of G
e r k h i to i n wh o
s m i fo H ll i i gr ee s r an s se an a r e en s n

fo i g m i ot o i o Y t l l t h i t G k w it i
l di g Th opom
re n na es s n r us e a e a n c en re e r er s , n
th v i o Th ydid d t h mo m od
.
,

c u n u s, e er a c us uc es , a n e re er n
p e
Pl t h u ar c i f ll o d i
a re t ti g th t E pi w
n u l iv ly
a cc r n s a n a ru s as ex c u s e

i h bi t d by o H ll i b b o pop l ti o
,

n a e n n -
e en c ar ar u s u a ns

m od p t of t h i q ti o b l ow pp 9 4 1 00
.

A to th s e ern as ec s u es n, s ee e .
-

1 1 1— 1 2 0 .
14 A L B A NI A PA S T A ND PRE SE NT
,

late s the significant fact that Achille s wa s known

“ ”
in this country unde r the name of A sp et u s which ,
“ ”
in Albanian means swift .

The intere sting feature of kingship a s adopted ,

in M ol ossia i s its elective form The a s sembly of

,
.

“ ”
wis e men elected annually the kings in the fash ,

ion of the old German tribe s .

The kingdom of M ol os sia sh ows a long record of

rulers but of all the numerous kings we shall men
,

tion only the mo st eminent of all the famou s P yrrhu s ,

of Epi ru s ( 2 95 wh os e adventure s were t e rmi

n a t e d by a brick with which a mou r ning old Greek

woman struck him on e hea e wa s th e first t o

b ring the war against the Romans into I talian s oil ,
“ ”
wherein he won his celebrate d P yrrhic victory .

“
Albanian tradition claims that th e name S hky
”
p etar ( S ons of the Eagle ) a s the Albanians call ,

themselve s the name Albanian being entirely u n

,

known t o them o riginated with a statement made

,

by P yrrhu s W hen some one praised the swiftnes s

.

of the movements of his tro op s P yrrhus proudly ,

answered that this wa s natural ina smuch a s hi s sol ,

diers were the S ons of the E agle ; their movements

were consequently simila r to the flight of the king
, ,

of the birds .

Another important p ers onage we should mention

in connection with Epirus is the proud
sister of Alexander the king of M ol os sia a
, ,

of Alexande r the Great W hen he r s on embarked

.

on his campaign against the P ersians the M olo s sians ,

felt constrained to j oin him with the re sult that the

,

united I ll yrian M olo ssian troop s formed a consider

-

able part of the triumphant army .

Space does not allow us t o go int o any more lengthy

 A LB A NI A U ND E R ROM AN D OMI N A TI ON 15

account of the warlike enterp ri se s and peaceful

achievement s of the M olos sian kings some of whom ,

di d mo re to render their country famous than did

the I llyrians .

On the death of Alexander the Great the rulers ,

of Mol ossia were once more freed of all shackle s but ,

m
the fate of the kingdom was sealed at the battle of
Pydn a ( 1 6 8 B c when P aulus E il iu s defeated the
, . .

allied M ol o ssian Macedonian force s The country

-

wa s subj ected to a fearful deva station on the part of

the R omans because of the insubmissive character
,

of its p opulation and afte r it wa s pacified in thi s

, ,

fa shion it shrunk to the p osition of a self governing

,
-

Roman p rovince .

IV . A LB A N I A U N D E R RO M A N D O M I N A TI O N

The subj ection t o R ome was not howeve r t o b e , ,

consummated without intermittent hard st ruggle s

fo r independence A complete submi s sion to the .

conquero r ha s b een alien to the national character

i s t ic s of the Albanian pe ople R ome had t o pay .

dearly fo r the annexation of this indomitable race

by making frequent expeditions acros s th e Adri
atic t o quell the insurrections which had b ecome
chronic But once the R oman s got the uppe r hand
.

m
the punishment inflicted on the insurgents was ex
e pl ary ; witnes s the complete devastation of S outh
e rn A l b an ia a gre a t part of who se p opulation was
'

dep orted t o othe r lands .

N onethele ss the subj ect c ountry wa s able to pre

,

serv e intact it s ethnical characteristics and b oth ,

language s the R oman a s well a s the I ll yrian were

, ,

made us e of in public acts .

Durin g the civil war between C aes ar and P ompey ,

16 A L B A NI A PA S T A ND PRE SE N T
,

T
m
Albania served as battlefield for the contest of su -

p r e a cy in R ome and in many

,
in stance s the A l
banians strove t o convert the situation t o their own
b enefit The decisive battle b etween O ctavius and
.

m
m
Antony fo r the imp erial throne was als o fought
on the A l b an ian s ea c oa s t and in co emoration of
,

his naval victory at Actium the future Augustu s built

the new city of N icop olis on the s outhe rnmost part of
the Albanian seab oard The ruins of thi s city may .

be seen even to day but the place doe s not b elong

-

any l onge r to Albania 1

.

Albania more ove r b ecame n ow the pas sageway

, ,

for the Roman legions on their way t o Asia They .

were embarked at B rindi si which wa s the terminu s ,

of the Appian W ay Thence afte r being tran s .

,

p orted t o Durazz o they proceeded on the Via A l gi

,

tana or E gn at ia the track of which ha s been p re

served t o the pre sent day During the greater part .

of Turkish domination that t rack has se rved as the

only thoroughfare in C entral Albania .

On the whole Roman influence ha s n ot b een of

,

very great imp ortance Remains of Roman civiliza .

tion and architecture may be se en through out A l

bania but their influence on the shaping of the cours e
,

of her history and on he r inhabitants is slight .

There are however two outstanding feature s of

, ,

R oman influence
I n the first place th e Albanian language b orrowed
,

a great numbe r of wo rds mo stly religiou s and ,

liturgical terms owing to the fact that Albania wa s

,

of L on d o of 1 9 1 2 wh i h og iz d t h tb
mt
Th C on f
1 e er en ce n c rec n e e es a
i d d t Alb i i i lit i d
,

l i s h en t of t h e n epen en a n a n pr n c pa y a s s gne t o G r e ece

t t t Alb i m
,

t h e gre a e r p a r of t h e s ou h er n s eac oa s of a n a , f ro t h e B ay of
Ft li P vz
e a to re e a i b d l tt t
I t i s i n t h e n e gh orh oo of t h e a er own h a t t
i i p li t
.

t he ru ns of N co o s ar e si u a t ed .
18 A L B A NI A PA S T A ND PRE S E N T
,

p e r omaking p ower consisted mainly of

r -

, I llyrian
troop s .

F
RE E RE N C E S

Alb i
B A B B A RI CH , E U G E N I O , m
an a , Ro e, 19 0 5 , pp 1 5 5 1 68 -

m k
. .

C A S S I U S D I o, Ro e, B oo s 8 a n d 1 0
k XXV
.

D I O DO RU S S I C U L U S , B oo I
Hi t m t
.

DU RU Y , V , s ory of Ro e, Vol I , S e c 2 , pp 5 9 0 —5 9 3
H J Alb i t di
. . . . .

A H N , DR O H A N N G EO RG VO N , a n sch e S u en , pp 3 01 —3 0 9 a nd
t
. .

N o e s pp 3 2 8 —33 2
Hi t i t li k
. .

P L I N Y ( THE E L DER ) , s or a Na u ra s , B oo I I I , Ch 2 2
P ll l L iv L iv Al d mti
. .

P
P L U TA RCH ,
T. u n us
a ra

A t
e!
Q i ti Fl mi i P l
a
e s—
n u s, m e s of
i
au u s E
y rrh u s , e x a n e r, D e

iliu s , C cer o, P m
o pey,
e r u s,
u us J li
C ae sa r a n d n ony
k
.

P O L YB I O S , B oo I V
k
.

S TRA B O , B oo s VI I a n d I X .

TI TU S LIVI U S , 2 6 —4 5 .
 C H AP TER I II

ME D I E VA L AL B A NIA

I . B Y Z A N TI N E D O M I N A TI O N

W H E N the capital of the Empire wa s transferred

from Rome t o Byzantium ( 3 9 5 A Albania b ecame .

a province of th e ea stern s ection on its dis r uption .

She c onstitute d a part of the Thema of I llyricum and

M
,

remained nominally a p r ov in e Em

pire up t o the time when she regained her complete

liberty of action unde r native rulers .

In reality howeve r the empero rs of C onstanti

, ,

n e ple were unable t o defend he r against the inroad s

of the barbarians who made their app earance in the
B alkan P eninsula at this time and at l ong interval s
, , ,

she wa s either unde r the sway of the invaders or

else she wa s leading an independent life afte r the
expul si on of the barbarian horde s .

Byzantine influence ha s b een very scanty in A l

bania Apart from a numb e r of old churche s of

W
.

m
to the ea stern Orthodox
e and be side s s ome military walls n othing els e
, ,

attests that the Byzantine s have eve r had anything

t o d o with Albania Gre ek Byzantine influence is
.

nil on the intellectual side Ethnically politically

.
, ,

and s ocially the court of C onstantinople wa s far more

remote from it s Albanian p rovince s than actual di s
tance accounts fo r I t i s only the s outhern p ortion
.

of Albania tha t has been and t o some extent is still ,

,
19
20 A LB A NI A PA S T A ND PRE S E NT
,

su ffering the consequence s of its attachment t o the

religious j uri sdiction of the Greek P atriarch of C on
s t an t in op l e
1
.

II . TH E IN VA S I O N S OF TH E B A RB ARIA N S

The closing days of the fourth century ( A D ) wit . .

n e sse d the beginning of the dark and bloody period

of the invasions during which the t orrents of the

barbarian h orde s ov erfl ooded the Balkan P eninsula .

Many a time was Albania submerged unde r the over

whel ming wave s of the invaders wh o in the end , ,

succe eded in displacing the Albanians from the t er

ritorie s now inhabited by the J u goslav s the S erbians ,

and the M ontenegrins .

The first t o invade and ravage Albania were the

Goths who remaine d maste rs of t h e country f or

W
,

more than a century M .

m
w
ans we re recla i med fo r the Empire by Justinian w o
w
,

é
hi self wa s n , an a The G oth s .

als o h a ve left behin a numb er of eutonic words

which are now in u s e in the Albanian language .

I n 6 4 0 Emp ero r Heraclius called the S erb horde s

,

into his realm in orde r t o opp ose them against the

Avars and later on he l et them overrun Albania
, , , ,

from which they definitely wrenched the part th at

constitute s the M ontenegro of t o day -
.

I n 86 1 Central and S outhe rn Albania were over

,

run and deva stated by the Bulgarian s Shortly .

after anothe r B ulgarian wave envelop ed the whole

,

of Albania unde r Czar Sime on ( 892 The

presence of a large numb er of localitie s b earing Bul
garian names even in place s where no trace s of
,

Bulgarian p opulation exist b ears witne ss t o the fact ,

1 See Ch 9 , pp 9 4—1 00;

. . a sol pp . 1 1 1—1 2 0 .
 THE I N V S I ONS OF THE B A A RB A RI A NS 21

m
that the invaders did make la rge settlement s in the
invaded country I n the course of ti e howeve r .
, ,

the Bulgarian s were driven out and th o se already

settled were a ssimilated by the native p opulation .

At the pre sent time the re are very few Bulgarian

s ettlements in Albania scarcely a few village s 1
,
.

I n 1 08 1 the N ormans who had already e stab

, ,

l ish e d thems elve s in S outhern I taly and Sicily in ,

vaded under R obert Guiscard the territorie s of Cen

, ,

tral and S outhern Albania The inva sion wa s u n .

der t aken a s a mean s of reprisal s against the Em

p e r or of C onstantinople with whom Rob ert had had
a family quarrel I t i s believed that the N ormans .

“
are the sp onsors of the name Albania unde r whi ch
the country ha s eve r since been kn own t o the world .

During the C ru sade s Al bania wa s a frequent ,

thoroughfare fo r the Crusaders of F rance and I taly .

”
I n his C on qu é t e d e C onstantinopl e Villehardouin , ,

the chronicle r of the fourth Cru sade ha s t o say many ,

intere sting things ab out the conditions p revailing in

Albania at that time .

I II . PE RI OD OF N A TI VE RU LE
TH E I N DE PE N DE N T AL B A N I AN PRI N C I PA LI TI E S
W hen the fl ow of the inva sion s sub sided somewhat
there arose thre e indep endent Albanian p rincipali
ties ruled by foreign prince s wh o had e stablished
their rule either at th e invitation of th e Albani an s
or with their full con sent and co operation I na s .

vil t ti v m i l i bit d
Th e of M on a s
h owe e r, i s nh a by A l
m
1 a ye a n y r, e
b i
a n an s a n d B u ga r an s i n al i
ost e u a n u lm
er s , t h e n or y c onq l b mi it
i ti A i ti k bi
g of K ot z o Va l ach i an s ,
m
c Tu r s , G reek s , a n d n o S er
s s n -
s a an s

a t al l ti
B u t t h e ea sy r u ph of t h e B a k an a r es o er t h e Tu r k s l mi v
L d i d bi lm t
.

in 1 9 1 2 an d t h e on on C on fer en c e a s s gn e t o S er a a os t he
l
W h o e of h s t i vil t
aye .
22 A L B A NI A PA S T A ND PRES E NT
,

much a s thes e r ulers had practi cally me rged them

s elve s with their subj e cts and a s their s eve ral do , ,

minions extended ove r the whole of Albania we ,

may safely consider this long p e riod of indep endence

as one of native rule .

1 . Th e D es p ot a t of E p ir u s
( 1 2 04— 1 35 8
)

m
On the dethronement and expulsion from C on

m
s t a n t in O p l e of the reigning dyna sty of Co nenu s by
the Crusade rs Micha e l C o n en us a prince ,

of the imperi al family rallied a round him the A l ,

banian nobility and with its a s sistance entered up on

, , ,

a war against the Venetians wh o had brought ab out

the downfall of his family Eventually he suc .
,

c e ede d in driving them out of S outhern Al ba ni a .

He thereup on set up an indep endent principality

, ,

in that p ortion of Albania with Janina a s its cap ,

ital The principality is known a s D esp ot a t ( or

.

L ordship ) of E p iru s I t remained unde r the rule .

of the C omneni up to the ye r 1 31 8 when they we re ,

succeeded by the prince s of the hou se of Drs iii i until

1 358 .

In the meantime the Bulgarians had invaded the

,

Albanian t errit orie s fo r the third time but their ,

onward march wa s checked by th e rulers of the D e s

p otat of Epiru s A s s o on a s the fear of inva sion
.

wa s ove r the re stored imp e rial family of C onstan

,

t in opl e s ought to b ring again the p rincipality within

the fold of the Empire but the D e sp otat made go od ,

it s claims of independence even a s against the Em

p er or and it remained an independent Albanian
,

principality for a long time t o come .

 PE RI OD OF N A TI VE RU E L

2 . Th e A n g ev in A l ban i an K ing do m
( 1 2 7 1 — 1 3 68
)
W ith a view of cons olidating his realm and of win
ning useful allie s in his war against the impe rial
family of C onstantinople the ruler of the D e sp otat ,

of Epi rus entered into a family alliance with M an

fr ed the king of the Two S icilies son of Emp eror
m
-

, ,

F rederic I I and gave hi C orf ou Durazz o Valona

, , , ,

Chimara B u t rin t o and B erat a s a p art of the dowry

, , ,

of his daughter Helen wh om h e married t o Manfred

,
.

Shortly after h oweve r Manfred got in trouble

, ,

with Charle s of Anj ou I n 1 2 7 1 Charle s entered

.
,

int o negotiations with the principal Al banian chief

tain s of C entral Albania The re sult of thes e nego.

“
t iat ion s wa s the foundation of the s o called Al -

”
banian Kingdom of the Angevin princes The .

3 . Th e B a ls ha F a m i ly
( 1 3 36 — 1 41 9 )
B ut the existence of the principalitie s of Epirus
and C entral Albania wa s p re sently se riously endan
ge re d by the enormou sly increa sing powe r of the
Serbian dyna sty of N e an i t ch which reached its m
zenith of growth and expansion unde r S t efan D us han
m
m
( 1 33 1 who wa s able t o as sume the title : I
p e r a t or R o an ia S la v on i
,
w e t A l ban ice ( Empero r

of the Gre ek s Slavs and Albanians ) But his em

, ,
.
!

pire wa s only epheme ral and la sted only during the

lifetime of its founde r .

On the death of Stefan Dushan his extensive ter

r it or ial p osse s sions were divided among the various

govern ors he had placed at the head of the p rov

2 4: A L B A NI A PA S T A ND PRE S E NT
,

in ces of his empire The govern or of the p rovince

.

of Scutari wa s the scion of the family of B a ls ha

which had come t o Albania with Charle s I of Sicily .

I t is b elieved that the B al sh a s were native s of P r o

vence F rance or de scendants of the lords of Balle
, ,

sum near Rome By this time howeve r the B al sh a s

,
.
, ,

had a ssimilated themselve s with their Al banian

lords and subj ect s .

P re sently the governor of Scutari who now a s

, ,

sumed the name B a ls ha I b ecame entirely in dep en d

ent and added the s outhern part of M ontenegro t o
,

his Albanian p oss es sion s .

W ith the a ssistance of their Albanian feudal lords ,

the B al sh a s succeeded in driving the S erb s out of

the Albanian p rovinces and in eventually extending ,

their rule ove r the whole of N ort he rn and C entral

Albania a s well a s over a part of S outhern Albania .

M oreove r the conversion of the northern p opu l a

,

tion of Albania to Catholicism dat e s from the B al sha

rule Hithert o all the Al ba ni ans b elonge d t o the
.

E astern Church to whi ch they had b een att a ched at

,

the time of th e schism b etween the Church of R ome

and that of C onstantinople One of the main issue s .

of the schism wa s precisely the disputed reli gi ou s

m
jurisdiction of the Albanian province s which were
known a s S acru I lly ricn ( Hol y I llyria ) m .

IV . TH E L
A B A N IA N G
M I RA TI O N S

P re s sed
on all side s by invaders the Albanians ,

started during the fourte enth century an exp an

s ive migrat ory movement in a s outherly dire ction .

L arge numb ers of emi grant s moved in the direction

of Greece and expanded int o it s no rthern p ortion .

C ompact Albanian settlement s we re e stablished in

 CHA P TER IV

U
TH E R L E OF TH E C A S TRI O TA S

I . F E U DA L G OVE RN M E N T
TH E Balsha family wa s extin guished in 1 41 9 with
the death of B alsha I II I t s te rritorial p os se ssion s
.

pre sently pa ssed int o the hands of the numerou s

Albanian feudal l ords and p etty native p rinces .

Many of the se lords such a s C h a rl es Top ia the

, ,

overlord of Croia and the native prince s D u ke J ohn

,

( D u k a ghin ) and S ofi had been p reviously disp o s

,

ses sed by the B al sh a s in the latters attempt t o

,
’

centraliz e their p ower and were now simply r e

,

instated into their fi ef s .

The family of Duk e John from which came the ,

lawgiver A l ex an der D u ke J ohn whose laws are still ,

governing the northern p opulation of Albania was ,

by far the mos t imp ortant of all on account of its ,

extensive p o sse ssions comprising a large p art of

N orthern and E astern Albania th e region around ,

I pek. The re st of the mountainous region of N orth

m
ern Albania fell t o the right of the feudal lords
S p an i and D u s h an i .

C entral and S outhern Albania wa s pa rtitioned

among the Z a cca ria the G r op a the Mu s a ki the B u a
, , ,

S p a t a the latter b eing lords of Arghyroca stro

,
.

The intere sting feature of Albania at this time

is her feudal character inasmuch as she is the only
,

country of the B alkan P eninsula into whi ch feudal

26
 GE OR GE CA S TRI OTA S C A ND E RB E G 27

m
m
ism in it s we ste rn European for
,
wa s introduced ,

and maintained for a long ti e T race s of the .

feudal ré gi me are still surviving in certain part s of

N orthern Albania F eudalism wa s transplanted in
.

Albania by the N ormans and the Crusaders .

On the extinction of the family of T opia the fi e f ,

of C roia the lord of which exerci sed the right of

,

suzerain ty ove r the other feudal lord s and p rinces ,

pa ss ed into the pos se s sion of the house of C as t ri ot a ,

which wa s de stined t o give to Albania her chief na

t i on al he ro of the Middle Age s .

II . GE ORGE C A S TRI O TA S C A N DE RB E G
( 14 04—1 4 6 7 )

1 . Th e H os t ag e
The century long de sperate struggle s of the A l
-

banians again st the overwhelming numbers of the

Slav invaders had now sub sided to routine b order
warfare after Albania had lost all her northern and
,

inland provinces which now bear the name s of Dal

matia C roatia B osnia and Herzegovina Serbia and
, , ,

M ontenegro The ab original settlers of the P enin

.

sula were pre sently confined within the mountain

fa stne sse s of what wa s left of their ancient patri
mony .

But in the year 1 4 1 2 a new and formidable in ,

vader knocked at their doors : the unspeakable Turk .

I n that year Mu r a d I I Sultan of the Ottoman

, ,

horde s who had already become ma ste r of Thrace

,

and h a d moved hi s capital t o Adrianople invaded ,

Albania The dis organized Albanian lord s t ook t o

.

their inacce s s ible mountains at the approach of the

enemy .
28 A L B A NI A PA S T AND PRE SE N T
,

J ohn C a s t ri ot a,
the ove rlord of C roia however , ,

resolved to re sist but the Sultan forced him t o sub ,

mis sion John had t o become the vas sal of the

.

Sultan t o whom he gave for surety his four s ons

a s hostages The younge st of thes e George wa s
.
, ,

to become the celebrated Scanderb eg .

Shortly after the elder thre e hostage s were p oi

,

s on ed by the Sultan George h owever wa s allowed .

, ,

t o live b ecau se he had won the goodwill of the Sul

tan by his precocious intelligence and strength
he wa s only nine years old Against the s olemn .

m
promise s he had given t o John the Sultan raised ,

the young p rince in the M oha medan religion and ,

gave him a p osition in his army W hen scarcely .

eighteen years old Ge orge wa s already commander ,

of an army in Asia Minor I t is during this cam .

p aig n that the Turks gave him the surname of I s hen

der beg or S can de r beg for his valor and ma sterful
-

strategy and in complimentary refe rence to Alex

,

ande r the Great .

But despite the lavish favors bestowed up on him

by the Sultan Scanderb eg could n ot be made t o for
,

get either his real p osition or the country and reli

gion from which he had been so insidiously taken
away I nwardly he cherished th e h op e of re sum
.
,

ing his rightful p osition a s defender of his own

count ry and he was merely waiting for the opp or
,

tune moment His latent indignation was still more

.

aroused by the action of the Sultan in conferring

the principality of C roia on one of his favorite s ,

S a he l P a s h a on the death of John C a st ri ot a instead

, ,

of giving it to its l awful and de serving heir S can ,

m
derb eg Thi s inj ustice estranged him entirely from
.

the Sultan and decided hi on his cours e of a ctio n

, .
 GEORGE CA S TRI OTA S CA NDE RB E G 29

2 . Th e Libe ra t or

I n 1 4 4 3, Scanderbeg was sent by the Sultan , in

company with an other Turkish general at the head ,

of a large Turkish army against the king of Hun

gary J ohn Hu ny a dy I n the battle which t ook
, .
,

place at N ish the M oslem army wa s routed and

, , ,

m
during its precipitate retreat Scanderbeg extorte d ,

from the Sultan s s ecretary an i p erial orde r t o

’

the governor of Croia Sabel P a sha t o the efi ect , ,

that he should surrender the fortre s s and governor

ship t o Scanderbeg W ith a handful of loyal A l .

banian s oldiers he arrived at C roia afte r seven days

of force d march and handed the pre sumed imp erial
,

orde r t o the M oslem governo r The unsusp ecting .

P asha surrendered readily b oth his ofii ce and the

fortre s s .

Henry W adsworth L ongfellow depict s most dra

m a t icall y and graphically this thril l ing episode of
“ ” 1
the history of Albania in his p oem Scanderbeg ,

from which we reproduce here only the part relating

t o his return t o C roia and reinstatement in his patri
mony .

m
Th en onwar d h e r ode an d af ar,
t
W i h scar ce t h r ee h u n dr ed en ,

m
Th r ou gh r iv er an d f or est an d f en
t
m
O er t h e ou n t ain s of A r gen ar ;
’

A n d h is h eart was erry wit h in

Wh en h e cross ed t h e riv er D rin

A n d saw in t h e gl ea of t h e orn m m
Th e W h i t e C as l e A k H iss ar
3
t -

t
Th e ci y C roi a c all ed,
1
“
l
Ta es of a W a y s e I nn id
l i
.

2 S h ar Da g, i n K os s ov a p a -
n
t i ll d Hi it tl
.

( Wh
“
3 Th e f or res s of Cro a wa s ca e Ak -
ss ar e Ca s e )
t he Tu r s k .
30 A L B A NI A PA S T A ND PRES E NT
,

Th e ci y t mt
oa ed an d wall ed,
t
m
Th e ci y wh ere h e was b orn ,
A n d ab ov e it t h e orn i n g s ar t .

m
Th en h is t r u p et ers in t h e v an

m
O n t h ei r s il v er b u gl es b l ew,

m
A n d in cr owds ab ou t h i r an ,
A lb an i an an d Tu r k o an ,

m
Th at t h e s ou n d t oget h er dr ew .

m
A n d wh en t h ey wer e war wit h
“
He s ai d 0 f ri en ds of in e,
“
B eh ol d wh at f or t u n e s en ds

m mm
A n d wh at t h e f at es design !

m m
K i n g A u r at h c o 1
an ds

y f at h er s wi de do ain
’
Th at

m
Th is cit y an d all it s l an ds,
Sh al l b e giv en t o e again .

Th en t o t h e C ast l e Wh it e
H e r ode in r egal st at e,

m
An d en t er ed in at t h e gat e
I n all his ar s b edigh t
An d gav e t o t h e P ash a
W h o ru l ed in C r oia
Th e writ in g of t h e K in g,
S eal ed wit h h is S ign et r in g .

An d t h e P as h a b owe d h is h ead
An d af t er a sil en ce s ai d
“
A ll ah is j u st an d great !
I y iel d t o t h e wil l div in e ,
Th e cit y an d l an ds ar e t h in e,
W h o sh al l con t en d wit h f at e ? ”

m
A n on f r o t h e c ast l e wal l s
Th e cr es cen t b ann er f al l s
A n d t h e cr owd b eh ol ds in st e ad,
L ik e a p ort en t in t h e sky ,
’
I skan der s b ann er fl y ,
Th e B l ack E agl e wit h doub l e h ead ;

1 Su lt an M ur a d II .
 GE OR GE CA S TRI O TA S C A ND ERB E G 31

m
A n d a sh ou t as cen ds on hi gh ,
For
’
t
en s sou l s a r e i r ed of t h e Tu r k s ,

m
A n d t h ei r wick ed way s an d wor k s,
Th at h av e a de of A k H issar -

A cit y of t h e p l agu e ;
t
A n d t h e l ou d ex u l an t cry
t
Th a ech oe s wi de an d f ar
“ ”
Is : Lon g l iv e Scan derb eg 1

The s overeignty of the Sultan came thu s t o an

end and the Turkish garris on of C roia wa s de
,

stroyed The reup on Scanderbeg solemnly abj ured

.
,

the M o slem religion in the cathedral of his capital

in the p resence of the C atholic P ri mate who b e ,

stowed upon the future defender of the faith of

Jesus and of his country the benediction s of the
C hurch .

3 . Th e D ef en der
On Ma rch 1 of the following year a stately gather ,

ing of the Albanian feudal lord s to ok place in the

cathedral of Ale s sio The a ssembly wa s als o at
.

tended by the prince of M ontenegro S t efan C z ern o ,

wi t s and by delegate s from the Republic of Venice

,
.

“
I n it Scanderbeg wa s p roclaimed
,
C hi ef of t h e
”
L eag u e of t h e A lban ian P e op l es .

This C ongre s s i s of great historical imp ortance ,

inasmuch a s this wa s the la st time that a similar

accord against the Turks wa s manife sted .

As it wa s t o be fore seen the d efection of Scander

,

beg enraged th e Sultan wh o n ow entered upon a

,

ruthle ss war of extermination against Albania .

Apart from occa sional sh ort truce s and armi stice s ,

this war lasted during the whole lifetime of S ean

derb eg .
32 A L B A NI A PA S T A ND PRE S E N T
,

The succes se s and triumph s won in the se glori ous

wars by Scanderbeg form the mo st enviable record
for the commande r a s well a s for the small army
he led from victory to victory W ithout any a ssist .

ance of any kind from the other Christian prince s ,

and with an army of scarcely men the cele ,

b ra t ed hero re solutely withstood for a quarter of

a century the ten times as numerou s h orde s of the
Moslem rule r F ormidable Ottoman armie s in
.

vaded time afte r time the tiny kingdom of Albania

, , ,

which p re sently remained the only bulwark of Chris

t ian it y and of we stern civilization in the Balkans .

And each time the Turks had to retire decimated .

The capital of Scanderbeg was besiege d twice the ,

m
m
first time by Murad I I and the second by no other
man than the p owerful M oha ed I I t h e C on q u er or
,

of C on s t a n t in op l e but with no avail

,
C onstanti .

n op l e had already fallen twelve years previously

, ,

but C roia was still defended by S canderbeg against

m
m
the attacks of the be sieging army which wa s unde r
the pers onal co and of th e conque ror of the B y z an
tine capital I n 1 4 66 the all powerful Sultan had t o
.
-

renounce all plans of conquest of Albani a and retire

to his capital .

The brilliant re sistance of the Albanian prince

to the inroads of the Mo slems attracted wide sp read
attention and excited the admiration of the other
European rulers I t als o revived the hopes for the
.

organization of crusades P ope E ug en e I V and .

P in s I I made each in 1 4 44 and 1 4 6 4 re spe ctively

, ,

m
an attempt for such a crusade of which the second ,

was to be placed unde r the high com and of Scan

de rb eg .But the Middle Age s were past and the
zeal for crusade s h ad co n sumed it s elf .
34 A L B A NI A PA S T A ND PRE S E N T
,

heir of Scanderbeg would have been unable to hold

m
togethe r the Albanian princes .

Unde r the high com and of Venice the Albanian ,

lord s continued the struggle against the Turk s who

had invaded Albania upon hearing the news of the
death of Scande rbeg The conflict la sted eleven
.

more years and it wa s only when Scutari Croia

, , ,

and Alessio capitulated in 1 4 78 that the Sultan could

claim Albania a s one of the provinces of his va st
empire .

The second siege of Scutari in 1 4 7 7 is very r e , ,

markable not only b ecaus e the 1 7 00defender s of the

m
fortres s with stood the attack s of Turks for
fifteen months and because women played a i le
,

equal t o that of men in defending the city but also ,

because it wa s during this siege that u se wa s made ,

for the first time of incendiary shells of startling

,

weight and e fficacy for that ep och .

Apa r t from the city of Durazzo which the Vene

tians lost to the Turks in 1 4 9 9 the whole of Albania ,

was already in th e p os s ession of t h e Moslems I n .

m
1 5 01 Venice the suzerain of Albania signed a
, , ,

for al treaty of p eace by which sh e renounced her

claims on the latter country in favor of the Sultan .

P eace fo rmally reigned also in the interior of

Albania the p eace of despair and shatte red hope s
,
.

Apart from the mountainous di stricts of Mirdita ,

Mati L uma in N ort hern Albania and of Chimara

, , , ,

in S outhern Albania which retained their internal

,

independence up t o 1 9 1 2 the re st of the country

,

was practically under the sway of the Sultan .

Change s of far rea ching imp ortance in the conditions

-

of the whole of Albania were h owever t o take place , ,

shortly after a s we shall pre sently see

,
.
 THE L A S T CA MPA I GNS 35

F
RE E REN C E S

Alb i
B ARB A RI C E , E O G , a n a, pp 1 7 7— 1 9 3
J lm t i l d
. .

FA LL ME RA YE R, D R P H , D a s A l b an e s i s ch e E e en i n G r ech en an
t
. . .

( See Re feren ce Ch a p er Vol 9 , pp 1 1 1 0

J Hi t i
. . .

L A VA RDI N DU P L E S S I S , acq u es de , s o r e de G eorges Ca s t riot , s u r

no mm d b P i
é Sc a n er eg, 7 00 p ar s , 1 6 2 1
l Hi t i L d
. .

K N O L LE S , Th e G en era s or e of t h e Tu r k es , on on , 1 6 03 , pp 2 8 3
.

vit
MAR I N U S B A RL E TI U S , D e m
3 3 3 , 3 6 5—4 03 , 4 13—4 2 6
a et
.

V i
or ib u s G eorgu C a s t r i ot i ,
‘

e n c e,

1 5 04Al t b F k t
so S r a s s u rg, 1 5 9 7 , a n d ra n for , 1 5 7 7 ( B a rl et iu s
Alb i i t tiv t i tm
. .

wa s a n a n an pr es , n a e of S cu ar , c on e por a r y of Sc an
derb eg .l t ti
He a s o wr o e D e ob sidio S codra e, an d De e x pu gn a on s
S codren si s )
d b i bibli i i é P i
.

P ETRO VI TC H , G , S ca n er eg, E s s a de ogr a ph e r a s on n e , ar s ,

LXXX
.

M D , C CC I
zi Alb i V t V i
. . .

SC AP OLO , E MI LI O , Ven e a e a n a , i n L A t en eo e n c e, 1 9 0 8
’
en e o,

F i l ti Alb i it
( or e gn r e a on s of bli i
a n a w h t h e Repu c of V en c e ) .
 CHA P TER V

U ND ER TURK I S H D O MI NA TI O N

( 1 4 7 8 — 1 912
)

I . TH E E FFE C TS OF TH E C ON QU E S T
A LB A N IA wa s the la st B alkan nationality t o fall u n
der the domination of the Sultan C onstantinople .

and its empire had capitulated twenty fi v e years b e -

fore the fall of S cutari C roia and Ale ssio But , , .

,

after all the country was now in th e p oss ession of

,

the Turki sh tro op s and fate had decreed that this

,

occupation bring ab out s ome very imp ortant change s .

Though the domination of the Sultan was t o be

more nominal than real in the time t o come the Al ,

banian nation is still lab oring unde r the p ernicious

e ffects of the Turkish conquest .

E thnically and racially the Albanians have been

a ffected in no way by their submis sion to the Otto
man rule because the de spised Turk ha s been utterly
,

incapable of exercising any kind of influence on their

national characteristics language customs and t ra , ,

dit ion s .

But the Turk did exercise an ominous influence in

othe r directions .

I n the first place a great number of the Albanians

, ,

who were unwilling to reconcile thems elve s t o the

m
conditions created by the imp osition of a hated rule ,

chose to bid farewell to their native country and i

grate int o othe r lands e specially into I taly W hat
,
.

i s still worse is that the emigrants represented the

36
 THE E FFE CTS OF THE C ON Q UE S T 37

éli t eof the nation s o that Albania wa s deprived of ,

t heir leade rship and guidanc e in the darke st hours

of he r national existence The Albanian colonie s of .

I taly might well thrive and p rosper a s they did in , ,

full consciousnes s of their nationality from who se

tradi tions customs language and worship they have
, , ,

neve r departed but they could not b e of any help to

,

the bulk of the nation which remained under the

Turkish rule 1
.

I n the second place the Turkish conquest brought ,

about a new division among the Albanians Just a s .

in eve ry country in their p o s se s sion the Turks em ,

ployed a great deal of pre ssure in order t o p rocure

the conversion of the Albanians to the M oslem reli
gion Though the p re ssure wa s weake r in Albania
.
,

because of the weaker control they were able t o com

mand therein one half of the whole Albani an nation
,
-

wa s induced t o emb race I slamism But in s o doing .

,

the Albanians were actuated by p ractical conside ra

tions rather than by any religious o r moral motive s .

The fact i s that they re s olved to sacri fice their reli gion
on the altar of liberty Realizing the l oathsome dis .

abilitie s the othe r subj ect Ch r istians were lab oring

under in their dealings with the Turki sh government ,

they sought t o improve their standing by p r op it iat

ing the fanatical o fficial s through their conversion
to the religion of M ohammed I n many instance s .

the conversion was only outwardly and a mere trav

e sty Yet by their action they came t o be treated
.
,

a s allie s by the Turk s and rose t o prominent p o sts ,

in all the b ranche s of the Turkish government B ut .

,

unlik e the other Christians who by their conversion ,

1 For fu r h e rt d t il e a s on t he Alb i
a n an co lo i
n es in I t ly
a see Ch
A lb
.

XVI , VI . A L BA N IA N S I N F OREI G N L A N DS — Th e an ia ns of I t a l y .
38 A L B A NI A PA S T A ND PRE SE N T
,

to I slamism a ssimilated themselve s completely with

,

the Turks the M oslem Albanians never forgot their

,

nationality and their allegiance to th e M ohammed an

,

faith did not in any way supe rs ede o r weaken th e

allegiance t o their own nation 1
I n thi s resp ect .
,

they pre sent the mo st stri king and unique excep tion
“
to th e rule that in t h e B alkans n a tionality means
”
religion and religion is nation ality
,
.

N everthele ss the p o sition of th e Albanian nation

,

ality ha s been conside rably weakened more so in the ,

eye s of the outside world which ha s n ot learn ed t o

completely dis s ociate as it should the M oslem A l , ,

bani an who is primarily an Alb anian from the

,
‘

fanati cal M o slem Turk who i s ab ove all a blin d fol

lower of M ohammed .

Thirdly the Turki sh occupation i solated Albania

,

entirely from the outside world and kept her out

of t ouch with higher civilization ina smu ch a s the ,

Turkish control has been mainly exerted on the sea

coast C onsequently the Albanians fell into a state
.
,

of p olitical languor and stagnation which enfe eble d

still more their p o sition a s a nationality .

An d lastly as a result of their fretting and contin

,

u ou s convu l s i ons a gainst the Sult an the Albani ans ,

became more b ellico se more nervou s and more rest , ,

le s s than eve r The obviou s nece s sity of b earing

.

arms at all time s and place s against the lurking

“
enemy made them a nation in arms
,
and gave - -

them a fierc e app earance This latter feature ha s .

been s o construed a s t o give birt h t o the imaginary

“ ”
tale s of Albanian brigands who in r e al it v have , ,

neve r existed in Albania .

A m o d t il d di
1 re io e a
i i giv i Oh XVI v
n an s s en
e s cu s s n on t h e pos iti
on of t h e M os e l m Alb a
n .
, . G
TH E RELI IOU S Q U E STI O N .
 L
C ON VU SI ONS A ND U RI SI N GS P 39

II . C ON VU L SI O N S AN D U PRI S I N G S
The Albanian has always b een noteworthy for his
dogged endurance in re sisting the con summation of
foreign conque st and occupation of his native soil .

The blow dealt t o the Albanians by the Turks in

1 4 7 8 wa s a ve r y hard one but it was not long b efore
,

the vanquished sought to shake off the foreign rule ,

and a p e r iod of chronic convulsions and uprisings

set in .

On hearing the rep ort of the Turkish defeat in the

battl e of L epanto the Albanians made a

m
serie s of desp erate attempts to get rid of the Turks
and at the s ame ti e t o draw the attention of the
, ,

Christian States t o their sufferings and their cau se .

m
m m
They o ff ered the crown of Scanderb eg to C ha r les
E a n u el of Savoy and t o the P r in ce of P a r a .

B oth I talian prince s refused the risky crown and ,

the Albani ans had to re sign thems elves once more

to their cruel fate They h a d even been fo rsaken
.

by their forme r ally Venice who was pre sently in

, ,

the throe s of co nflict with th e GeM an Emp ero r .

I n 1 68 9 the t roop s of the Holy R oman Empire

,

m
entered Albania from the n orth unde r G en e ra l P i cco
l o in i and on his retirement under the D u ke of H c l
, ,

s t ein . The Albanians made again a new attempt t o

rega in indep endence but the Duke wa s s o arrogant
,

in his dealings with hi s Albanian allie s that the lat

ter forced him to retire int o Hungary They thus .

expos ed thems elve s t o th e merciless revenge of the

Turks .

F orty years late r the Austro Rus sian -

armies invaded the Albanian po s se s sions of the Sul

tan The native p opulation thought that the s olemn
.
40 A L B A NI A PA S T A ND PRE S E N T
,

moment of their liberation had come They there .

,

up on ros e against the Turks in anticipation of the

, ,

a ssistance on the part of the coming Austro Russian -

troop s But the Au strian commande r p rove d in

.

capable of taking advantage of the situation ; he re

treated toward N ovi B aza r leaving his Albanian -

confederates to the mercy of the Turks Nev ert h e .

le ss the A lbanians held out by themselves for thre e

,

more years The Turks succeeded in putting down

.

the insurrection only after two s an guinary r ep r es

sions in 1 7 4 0 .

The se uprisings especially the two last mentioned

,

m
one s have had two imp ortant c ons equences
,

I n the first place the religion of M oham ed wa s

,

p resently sp read on a large r scale inasmuch as the ,

Albanians s ought to e scape punishment at the hands

of the enraged Turks by embracing the Mo slem r e
ligion . Thi s is e specially tru e with regard t o the
chiefs of the insurge n ts who thus set the example ,

t o their followe rs .

I n the second place the Turkish government wa s ,

made to learn through the instructive le ssons af

,

forded by the se uprisings that there wa s but one ,

safe way of keeping the Albanians in submi ssion ,

m
namely by allowing th em t o retain their internal
,

m
independence and by applying the maxi D iv ide et
i p era On the one hand then the Turkish govern
.
, ,

ment relaxed its grip on those parts of the p op ula

tion which it had unde r it s control and allowed them
t o retain the same degre e of independence a s that
enj oyed by the mountain districts ( s e e p It .

m
the refore p ermitted and even encouraged the e s , ,

t ab l i sh en t of a numbe r of tiny indep endent princi

p a l it i e s On the. other hand it adopted the p olicy ,
42 A L B A NI A PA S T A ND PRE S E N T
,

m
agency th e title of Heredita ry P asha of S cutari
,
.

Hardly in the saddle Meh ed set t o work out his

,

program with grim determination And he b egan .

by the systematic undoing of the Turkish scheme of

“ ”
divide and reign B y hook and crook he sup
.
,

pre s sed one after the other the numerou s p etty

, ,

rulers of N orthern Albania Shortly after he ex .

tended his control ove r the whol e of Central Albania ,

and became p ractically indep endent of the Sultan .

But the Turks avenged their wrath by bringin g

ab out his a s sas sination becau se of his refu sal to j oin
,

m
them against Ru ss ia .

He wa s succeede d by his s on Kara Ma h ud ,

( Mahmud t h e Black ) who p roved t o b e more ent er

,

p rising and audaciou s than his fathe r I n 1 7 85 .

,

Mahmud attacked and defeate d the force s of the

P rince of M ontenegro whos e capital he occupied
, .

Growi ng in b oldne ss he invaded at the same time

,

th e territorie s Venice wa s holding in Albania The .

Republic app ealed t o the Sultan for help The Sub .

lime P orte s et on foot an exp edition but Mahmud ,

encountered the Turks and gave them battle in the

K os s ov a P lain in which the troop s of the Sultan
-

were routed Mahmud wa s now able to annex the

.

K os s ov a di strict t o hi s p oss es sions P resently he .

op ened negotiations with J os ep h I I of Au stria with

m
the view of concluding an alliance against the Sul
tan The P orte dispatched another for idable a rmy
.

against Mahmud t o whi ch it succeeded in add ing the

,

Albanian forces of A li P a s ha of J a n in a The Turk .

ish troop s invested S cutari but Mahmud was s o su c

,

c e s s fu l in s owi ng di scord in hi s enemies camp that ’

the Albanian contingent of Ali P asha deserted t o

his side wi th all the art illery of the Turks A third .
 P
THE I ND E E ND E N T GO VE RNORS 43

Turkish army wa s de stroyed in the p rovince of Mir

dita .

Joseph I I s ent his amba s sadors t o Mahmud for

m
the conclusion of the alliance But the star of Mah .

mud wa s now on t h e wane and th e Austrian e i s ,

s a ri e s were captured a n d murdered by the Turks .

Nevertheles s th e indep endent governorship of S cu

,

ta ri did n ot disapp ear b efore the ye ar 1 8 2 9 when ,

Res hid P a s ha wa s sent t o de stroy the la st vestige s

of the ambitiou s enterp rise s of the S cu t ar ian P a sha s .

2 . A li P a s ha of J an in a
Ali P a sha of Janina wa s native of Tepelen S outh ,

e rn Albania He wa s the contemp orary of Mahmud

.

P asha of S cutari He had first shown his ability

.

to deal with the unruly subj ects of the Sultan in his

p osition of P r ov os t Ma rs ha l of t h e Hig hways when
-

he e stablished and maintained public orde r in th e

hitherto anarchy ridden p rovince s of Th es saly and
-

Southern Albania .

I n 1 7 88 he re ceived hi s inve stiture a s P a sha of

Janina the capital of S outhern Albania His only
,
.

ambition wa s n ow to b ecome entirely independent of

the Sultan M ore ove r he conceived the fiery p r oj
.
,

ect of building for hims elf an Albanian Empire

which would have included the wh ole of Greece a s
well a s the I onian I slands then in the occupation of ,

France and later a B ritish protectorate And he set .

out to do it in t h e most cold blooded and matter of - -

cours e way having n o s cruples what soeve r in his

,

choice of means p rovided they s erved his ambitious

,

m
purpos es Hardly P a sha of Janina h e began b rib
.
,

ing the i nisters of the Sultan in orde r t o insure

their indi ff erence in his activities acting on his oft ,
44 A L B A NI A PA S T A ND PRE S E N T
,

“
quoted maxim the waters sleep but not envy ,
.

He s et to flatte r all the world and all the religions ;

he o ffered oblations to the Holy Virgin of his Ch ris
tian subj e cts and allie s with as much fals e devotion
a s t o the Mo slem saints His main characteristics
.

were : hyp ocri sy uns cru pulousne ss cruelty and u n

, , ,

p rincipled as well as unlimited ambition .

W ith the ob stacle s h e met t o th e carrying out

of his design he dealt in a summary way There .

were two main handicap s t o his p roj ect s : the Chri s

tian Albanian Republic of Suli which wa s a s loath ,

t o part wi th its independence a s Ali wa s de sirou s of

as s erting his own domination and the p owe rful na,

tive M o slem B eys among whom S outhern Al bania

m
wa s divided H e firs t set t o curb the p ower of the
.

B eys by allying hi self with the Christian Albanian s

of Suli W hen that end wa s reached he turned
.

against hi s f ormer allie s the Su l iot s T wice the

,
.

m
S u l iot s and the B eys allied themselve s against the
co mon enemy ; but each time Ali P a sha wa s able
t o divide them by the use of his inexhaustible Mac
ch iav el ian stratagems Eventually he succeeded in
.
,

de stroying t h e p owe r of the B eys and afte r three ,

campaigns which immortalized the incomparable

,

m
m
gallantry and brave re sistance of the Suliot s the ,

independent co unitie s of the latter were de

stroyed from their foundations Hi s cruelty in .

dealing with the Christian Suliot s wa s a s atrocious

a s the t reatment h e meted out t o the M oslem B eys
and their followers Ali wa s not a man t o be swayed
.

by religious p reference s .

The dawn of the ninete enth century found Ali

P a sha p ractically independent and flirt ing succe s
 THE I ND E PE NDE N T GO VE RN ORS 45

s iv el y with the P ower s engaged in the Nap ole onic

wars firs t with Russia the hereditary enemy of his
, ,

enemy the Sultan then with F rance Great B ritain

, , ,

and Austria 1
T o the rising Republic of F rance he
.

sent his be st wishes and p roudly wore the cockade ,

of liberty which General R oz e wa s commis sioned t o

m
delive r t o him M o re over h e o rdered that the
.
,
”
C a r agn oll e be sung in the street s of Janina in
hono r of the envoy of the Revolution But on hear .
,

ing of the French disaster at Ab oukir to

m
which he had contributed by supplying p rovisions
to the fleet of Ad i ral N elson Ali imp ris oned R oz e ,

and sent him handcuffed t o C onstantinople As .

soon howeve r a s the star of N ap oleon began t o shine

, ,

brilliantly on the h oriz on the P a sha of Janina ,

ste ered away from his friendship with England and ,

began to court the envoys of the Emperor with as

much assiduity and a s many p rotest a tions of loyalty
as he had shown in supplying the ships of N elson .

At the time of the conclus ion of the p e ace of Tilsit ,

Ali P asha s ent his own S ecretary of Stat e t o the l a t

m
ter place t o remind Nap ole on of the s ervice s he had
rendered t o hi and t o s eek a compensation for his
loyalty .

But at the cl ose of the Nap ole onic wars and on the
termination of the Rus s o Turkish conflicts the Sul -

m
tan re s olved to g et rid of Ali P a sha I n 1 8 2 0 an .
,

imperial fi r an declared Ali an enemy of the Em

pire and of the M ohammedan religion Two Turk .

P i1 M tt
r n ce i h o d i hi M m
e ern c oi t h t o d y h wa
r ec r s n s e
’

r es a ne a e s

ca ll d u poe by n v oy of Ali P h Th v oy pl i d th t
n a en as a e en ex a ne a

t b y t h P h t o obt a i f om P i M tt i
.

h w e as s en e as ah Co n r r n ce e ern c a n
stit ti o ”
u th i n, a ng wh i ch m t did
h is a s er n ot k n ow wh a t it wa s li k e,

pt th t h h
e x ce a e ad h ea r d t t it w q it
ha as u e n ec es s a ry for t h e t ou n da
ti o of Em pi
n an re !
 46 A L B A NI A PA S T A ND PRE S E NT
,

i sh armie s invaded Albania and after two years of , ,

m
siege in his fortres se s of Janina Ali P a sh a wa s ,

taken by r us e and beheaded im edi ately 1

.

After the fall of Ali P a sha and the decay of the

independent govern o rship of S cutari the P orte u n
2
,

der t ook another campaign in Albania in orde r t o

m
wipe off all trace s of their existence The re sult .

wa s that the do i nation of the Sultan got a stronge r

hold on the country especially a s the two P a sha s ,

had previou sly suppre s sed all the petty rulers on

whose j ealousy and rivalry the P orte relied for the
maintenance of the sovereign rights in Albania .

A p eriod of comparative calmness ensued but new ,

insurre ctionary outbreaks to ok place again in 1 8 35

'

and 1 8 4 7 respe ctively in N orthern and S outhern Al

bania without howeve r b ringing ab out any a pp r e
, , ,

c iabl e change s in th e conditions of the country In .

1 8 65 the Turki sh government took advantage of the

,

Th t gi l d t h of Ali P h a i m d u t of t h
P e L C om
1 e ra ca of a pea as s a e se as ar e

p l ot of Al an d e D u m t d M o t C ris t o i wh i h
’
ex r as re s e e e n e n c
vill i to y F d d Mo f i p t d th
,

mAwt htoh b tim

t he a n of h is s r er n a n e r c er s re r e s en e as e
t y d th g d P h to th T k
, ,

an e ra e e a e as a e ur s
Ali P h d M hm d P h t ivi g
.

2 wh e e enw as a an a u as a ere s r n
t o o olid t t h i
c ns l i th i
a e p tiv po
e r ru e io th i d P h n e r res ec e ssess n s, a r as a
of Alb i o i gi an an d ti o lity w q i tly b ildi g S t t
r n an na na as u e u n a a e

fo h im l f
r w ll
se fo h i
as o ed h i as W fr i g s s u cces s r s an e rs e a r e re er r n
t o t h f mo M h m d Ali P h t h fo d i g i g Kh di
.

e a us e of t h e as a, e un er e re n n e

vi l dy ty of Egy pt H w
a nas tiv of m ll vill g of S o th e as n a e a s a a e u ern
Alb i d w t h o t m po y of t h t wo oth P h
.

an a an as e c n e rar e er as as

Th i Alb i dv t b f mo f l i
.

s h
an a n a en u r er hi as e en ar re s u cce s s u n s en
d eavo th ith M h m d P h o Ali P h fo wh il t h i
rs an e er a u as a r as a, r e e n
d p d t gov o h i p
e en en t d by t h fo m t wo di pp d i
er n rs s cr ea e e r er sa ea re n a
a om p
c tiv ly h o t tim w ith o t l vi g y t
ar a e s r th St t e u ea n an r ac e s , e a e
M h m d Ali P h b il t i
e e till i ti g d i b i g l d by h i
as a u s s ex s n an s e n ru e s
d d t H mo ov
e s c en an s j oy d m o l ti g f m b
e, re of
er , en e a re as n a e e ca u s e

t h im po t t Ol h pl y d i i t ti o l politi i h i q lity
.

e r an r e e a e n n ern a na cs, n s ua
as th i g i g H dit y P h of E gy pt wh h
e re n n ere ly ov
ar as a en e n ea r er
t h w t h wh ol t ott i g t t of t h O ttom E m pi wh i h
,

re e e er n s ru c u re e an re c
w as o ly v d by t h tim ly i t v ti o of G t B it i R i
n sa e e e n er en n r ea r a n, u ss a ,
d A t i wh o lli d t h m lv with t h S lt i o d t o p o
t t h img i t M h m d Ali P h h i v l
an us r a a e e se es e u an n r er r

ee a a ns e e as a, s a s sa
 A LB A NI A NS I N THE GRE E K RE V O L U TI O N 47

situation in o rde r to apply the new adminis trative

organization which it had drawn esp ecially for A l
bania By the new arrangement N o rthern Albania
.
, ,

whos e compact p opulation was a constan t s ource of

anxiety to the Sublime P orte was now carved out ,

into thre e s ep arate provinces .

IV . AL B A N I A N S IN TH E GRE E K RE VO L U TI O N
Acting in his own intere st s and in furtherance of
his own obj ects Ali P a sha had a ssiduously lab ored
,

to stir up dis content against t h e Sultan among the

Greek p opulation of the outlying provinces Unde r .

a s e cret understanding with C a t h er in e 1 1 of Russia ,

he had unde rtaken t o weaken the p ower of the

Turkish B eys ruling over th e Gre ek p rovince s thus ,

hoping t o fa cilitate the a ctivitie s of the F i lihi E t ai

r ia which wa s op erating unde r the p rotection and
,

in the interests of the Russian Empre s s a s well a s

in thos e of the Gre ek nation I t wa s obvious on the .
,

other hand that the existence of a state of disturb

,

ance in Greece wa s more than gratifying in many

ways t o Ali P a sha .

I n so fa r then the P a sha n ot only encouraged the

, ,

Greek movement while trying t o keep it within the

,

limits that suited him and under hi s control but he ,

also wa s the avowed protect or of the future leaders

of the Greek revolution The caus e of the Gre ek .

insurre ction wa s still more furthered by the fact

that the uprising took place exactly at the time when
the bulk of th e Turkish army wa s employed in b e
sieging the fortresse s of Ali P a sha .

The most imp ortant feature of this wh ole matte r ,

howeve r is the moment ou s r 61e played directly by

,

the Albanians in the course of the revolution The .

48 A L B A NI A PA S T A ND PRE S E N T
,

principal p ersonage s of the Greek revolution such ,

a s M a r co B ocha ri D j a v ella A n dru ch o and others

, , ,

had at first figured a s military commanders in the

court of Ali P asha Ma ny of them had been e s .

t r an g e d from the P asha on account of his ruthles s

treatment of the Su l iot s their compatriots and now , ,

j oined the Greeks out of spite of Ali while others ,

did not forsak e the cau se of Ali P a sha till after the
fall of Janina and hi s execution a n d pre sently em ,

braced the cause of the Greek Revolution as a means

of revenge against the common enemy the Turk ,
.

Among the se wa s Marco B ochari whom Ali endea r ,

“ ” 1
i n gly called his b elove d s on Anothe r reas on .

why the se heroic Alba ni ans whos e names are t o b e ,

conjured with among t h e G reeks went ove r to the ,

side of the latte r is that Gre ece was a Christian na .

tion fighting a gainst the Sultan .

N ot le ss important howeve r was the r 61e played , ,

by t h e Albanians of Greece ( s e e pp 24 I t is .

on them that fell the main burden for the p r os ecu

tion of the war of the Greek indep endence But for .

the ast onishing feat s and expl oits in naval warfare

of the commercial fleet of the Albanian I slands Hy
dra and Spetsai which wa s under the command of
,

the devil daring Admiral Miau l i the Greek revo

-

l u t ion was doomed t o a disa strou s failure The a d .

m i ral his sailors and the celebrated female naval

, ,

commande r B u b u l in a were the direct descendant s of

the Albanian emigrant s John B ua Spata led t o
Gree ce 2
.

1 i
th o l o of Alb i G k di ti o y
M a r co B och ar i s t h e au r a s an an an -
r ee c n ar
Th wo ld h g ow w it h t h id p op g t d by t h G k
.

th t l l t h m f d t o b ov w G k
2 e r as r n e ea , r a a e e r ee s,

a a e en r e erre d t h f t th t h a e er e r ee s, an e ac a as

pi d t o ob t h Alb i ti o of t h l t of t h lb td
th t l l th m w Ch i ti A l
co ns re r e a n an n a n e u s er e se c e e ra e

nam i th i m t
es s e c rcu s a n ce a a ese en er e r s an
 CHA P TER VI

RE G E N E RA TI O N

I . TH E A L B A N I A N L EA GU E
IT would seem extremely cu ri ous and at the same ,

time inconsistent with their national character that

,

the Albanians did not stir during the great Balk an

upheaval which was occasioned by the Rus so Turkish -

war of 1 8 77— 1 8 7 8 although they had b een invited t o

,

j oin the M ontenegrins This attitude of theirs the .

,

M
reasons of which will b e explained el se here wo l d
1
,

m
appear all the more puzzling in view B
that t ook place at the very ter i nation of that war .

Yet among the various p etitions sent to the C on

,

m
gres s of B e rlin on the part of the oppres sed nation
a l it i e s there wa s als o one trans itte d by the A l
banians claiming recognition of their nationality .

But the I ron Chancellor of Germany wh o had impa ,

t i en t l y exclaimed “
anothe r one ! when L ord Salis
”

bury purp osed that the C ongre s s sh ould di scus s the

Armenian question brushed a side the Albanian p e
2
,
“
tition with the remark There i s n o Albanian na
”
tionality ! But he wa s shortly made to reconside r
his statement in a manne r that was derogatory to his
profe ssed omniscience .

Acting on the premise s laid down by P rince B is

marck who was pre siding over it the C ongre ss pro
, ,

1 b l ow
S ee e p 1 76
H ot t mpo F
, . .

“
3 an a ux , G .
,
C on e ra ry r an ce, Vol I V p 3 4 9
.
, . .

50
 THE A L B A NI A N LE A G UE 51

ce ede d t o its b usines s without much regard for na

t i on al and local considerations save those that were ,

meant to patch up the shattere d balance of p ower in

the B alkans I n the new a rrangement of the B alkan
.

a ff airs Albania wa s to suffer a curtailment of he r

,

m
territory fo r the b enefit of her neighb ors K u rs h .

u li Vr a n ia wa s as signed t o S e rbia A n t i v a ri and it s

-

seacoast and the highlands of Gu s s ig n e P lav a and

,
-

Tri ep s hi were to be ceded t o M ontenegro and Greece ,

wa s to get J an in a the very capital of Ali P a sha

, ,

P r ev ez a and A r t a with their re spective districts

,
.

The Albanians prote sted against this p artition of

their national p atrimony but a s there wa s n o A l , ,

banian nationality in the opinion of B ismarck the ,

C ongre s s of B erlin t o ok n o hee d of their p rotest .

I n the face of such a manifest inj ustice the Albani ,

ans re s olved to take matters into their own hands .

Thereup on ,
t h e A l ba n ia n L e ag u e for t h e D ef en s e
”
of t h e Rig h t s of t h e A l ban ia n N a t i on a li t y wa s
formed at P r i s r en d The headquarte rs of the.

L ea gue were at Elba san in th e heart of Alba n ia , ,

with two b ra nches at P ris r en d and Arghyroca str o

The formation of the L eagu e i s a landmark in the
modern development of the Albanian nation P rop .

erly speaking it i s the dawn of the national awaken

,

ing of Albania Hithert o the movement s t oward in

.

dependence had been made by individuals such a s ,

m
the P a sha s of Scutari and Janina o r by unorganiz ed ,

p opular commotions The fo r ation of the L ea gue

.

mark s the awakening of the Albanians t o the realiza

tion of their own p osition under a properly organ ,

iz e d national body N one could deny of cours e that

.
, ,

its formation wa s at first instigated and encouraged

by th e P orte wh ich expected to avoid in this way
,
52 A L B A NI A PA S T A ND PRES E NT
,

the execution of the decisions of the C ongre ss of

B erlin with regard to the transfer of the Albanian
territorie s to the respective Balkan State s But as .
,

the comi ng event s we re to p rove the sub sequent ao ,

t iv it ies of the L ea gue caused more unea sine s s to the

Turkish gove rnment than t o M ontenegro o r Greece .

The fi rst act of th e L ea gu e was form ally to pro

te st against the alienation of the Albanian te rri
torie s This warning wa s repeated in a second pro
.

test which the L ea gue sent t o the I nternational

C ommission fo r the delimitation of the b oundary
of Montenegro in which it said that no transfer of
terri tory could be effected with out the consent of
”
Albania Europ e went on being deaf t o the A l
.

banian prote sts and in the month of D ecember 1 8 7 9

, , ,

the M ontenegrin troop s p roceeded to seiz e the terri

tories a ssigned to them But a s s oon a s they cros sed
.

the frontie r they came face to face with the armed

force s of the L eague A lively engagement t ook .

place and the M ontenegrins were comp elled t o stop

,

their advance The P rince of M ontenegro appealed

.
,

then t o the P orte which s ent Mu kh t a r P as ha at the

, ,

head of an army in order t o re enforce the M ontene

grin force s The allied Turko M ontenegrin troop s
.
-

attacked the Albanians without being able t o dis

lodge them The L eague wa s giving t o B ismarck
.

and hi s august diplomatic colleague s the tangible

proof that Albania was not a mere geographical ex
pression a s he wanted he r to b e any more than I taly
, ,

was a geographical name in 1 8 1 5 b ecause Metternich

had said so .

I n V iew of the re solute resistance of the Albanians ,

the gre a t European P owers sign ato ries of the treaty ,

of B erlin were forced t o modify their original deci

,
 THE A F TE RMA TH O F THE L E A GUE 53

sions They now re s olved that instead of the high

.
,

lands of Gu ss ign e P lava M ontenegro wa s t o receive

-

in exchange the s eap ort of Dulci gno with a strip of

territory The Albanian s oppo sed again this trade
.

of their national t erritorie s As a result the great .

,

European P owe rs re s orted t o the only effective

measure at their dispo sal : they sent their fleet t o
bombard the Albanians defending Dulcigno The .

small garrison of the c ity wa s forced t o surrender

unde r the shell s of the European wa rships
A s t o Greece she wa s unable t o get any of the
,

Albanian territorie s a ssigned to he r by the C ongre s s

of B erlin the P owers having dropp e d the matte r
, ,
“
in consideration of the complication s which the
well known re sistance of the Albanians would pro
-

”
duce .

The re sistance of the force s organized by the A l

banian L eagu e to the carrying out of the decision s
of Eu rope accompanied a s it wa s by many heroic
,

deeds on the part of the defenders of the national

soil produced a thrill of nation wide enthusia sm
,
-
.

“
This armed opp o sition came to b e known a s the
”
war against Europ e and fo rms one of the cele
,

b rat e d epis odes in the annals of the Albanian nation .

II . TH E L E A GU E
A F TE RM A TH O F TH E

As a re sult of the t ermination of dispute s ove r

the Albanian M ontenegrin frontier through the
-

armed intervention of the European P owers and of ,

the defe rred ces sion of a p art of S outhern Albania

to Gree ce the diplomatic bicke ring of the P orte with
,

Europe relative t o the se que stions wa s ove r Con .

s equently the Turkish government thought that the

,

Albanian L eague had already outlived its u seful

54 A L B A NI A PA S T A ND PRE S E NT
,

ness The re a so n ing of the Sublime P orte was

.

that the L eague should disapp ear with the di sap

p ea r an ce of the causes that nece s sitated its forma
tion I n reality the P orte never looked up on it
.
,

othe rwis e than a s a fil ib u st e rin g exp edient which

mi ght be good enough to be utilized for its own pur
p ose s in order to avert the neces sity of the evacua
tion and the transfer of the Albanian te rritorie s on
the ground that they were Albanian I t wa s the .

first a s well a s the last occasion on which the Turk

, ,

ish government embraced the principle of n at ion al i

tie s.

But the men who had formed the L eague did not
share in the Turkish viewp oint Once they got .

started they thought they sh ould go on with their

,

work An d when t h e Sult a n res ort ed t o the us e

.

of armed force against it the L eague brought it s ,

organized forces against the Sultan himself The .

L eaguers set out p re sently t o make plans fo r the

, ,

further p rosecution of the national work by way

of p reparing the p e ople t o look after their own
interests Eventually they is sued a proclamation
.
,

m
t o the Albanians whereby they advocated the nece s
s it y of the e stablis h ent of an autonomous régime
for the whole of Albania .

The P orte grew uneasy over the se activitie s and

ha stened t o take the necessary measure s D erv is h .

P a s ha wa s the refore commis sioned t o supp re s s the

, ,

L eague altogethe r At the head of a large army he

.
,

invaded the territories unde r the rule of the L eagu e ,

the Turkish govern ment having had p reviously sur

rendered the no r thern part of Albania t o the au
t h or it ies e stablished by the L eaguers The Alba .
 THE A F TE RM A TH O F TH E L E A G UE 55

nian force s arrayed themselves against the invaders ;

but after a se rie s of bloody engagements their de s
, ,

perate re sistance wa s crushed down by th e more

numerous Turks The L eagu e rs were dispersed .
,

and the leaders of the insurrectionary movement

were either imprisoned o r executed or exiled , .

Among the latte r wa s P r en k B i b D oda P as ha the ,

hereditary P rince of the Catholic district of Mirdita ,

and he did not return t o his country till afte r the

p romulgation of the Turkish C onstitution in 1 9 08 .

But the vict ory of D ervish P a sha over the force s

of the L eague did not put an end t o the agitation
or to its m omentou s e ff ect s The s erious situation .

of the Albanian a ff airs attracted the attention of

Europe and Great B ritain prop osed the e stablish
,

m
ment of an administrative autonomy in that part of
Albania which had b een im ediately in the p osse s
sion and under the control of the force s and au t h or i
tie s of the L eague 1
.

1 l o g d p t h f om E l G vill H B it i M j ty
In a n es a c r ar r an e, er r an n c a es
’
s

S t y fo Fo i g A ff i t o G J G o h B iti h mb do
ecr e a r r re n a r s, sc en , r s a as sa r

t o Co t ti opl d d t of O t ob 2 1 8 8 0 t h wh ol q ti o
. .

n s an n e , un er a e c er e e u es n
om p li ti o th t o b tw t h Alb i d Mo t
, ,

of t h e c ca ns a ar se e een e an a n s a n n en e

g o r w ll
as th eit ti o as t d b y t h tiviti of t h L g i
e s ua n c r ea e e ac es e ea u e, s

vi w d d di d Th ttit d of t h P ow tow d t h
,

re e e an s cu s se e a u e e ers ar e
L g will b f om t h f w o d d p g ph w p od
.

ea ue e seen r e e c n en s e a ra ra s e re r u ce
h i b l ow
ere n e :

H M j ty Co
er lG
a es l t S t i t og th w ith t h A
’
s n su -

en e r a a cu a r e er e us
t i Co l G l h d gg t d om tim p vi o ly t h t
,

r an n su -
en e ra l a su es e s e e re us a an a

pl migh t b p opo d with g t p o p t of

,

t ti
ern a ve an fo
e r se r ea er r s ec s u cce s s r

b i gi g b o t p f l ol ti o of t h di ffi lty if t h Po t wo ld
r n n a u a ea c e u s u n e cu e r e u
t to th d of t h di t i t of Dul i g o t og th with
,

o
c n s en e su r r en er e s r c c n e er a
m ll t i p of t it o y b tw t h L k of S t i d P odgo it
,

s a s r e rr r e e en e a e cu a r an r za ,

an d th K i K i b t l di g t h Hot t i di t i t d t h G di
e uc ra n a, u ex c u n e s r c an e ru

an d C l m ti m o t i
e en un a ns
M j ty G ov m t w i fo m d th t t h h m h d
.

“
H er a es
’
s er n en ere n r e a e sc e e a
b m ti o d t o om of t h l d of t h N o th A lb i
i tim t d th t th y my ot b willi g t o g t o it i f t h P ow
ee n en ne s wh o
e e ea er s e r an a n s ,

n a e a e a n e un n a r ee e
er s wo ld g u t t o th m om fo m of l o l l f gov m t
u a ra n e e e s e r ca se -
e rn en .
56 A L B A NI A PA S T A ND PRE S E N T ,

T o all appearance s the L eague wa s suppre ssed , .

But in reality it only changed its outward form

, , ,

and from a public p olitical a ss ociation it be came

j ty
m t h v l w y h d i vi w t h im po t v
b tt y t m
Her M a Go
’
es s e rn en a e a a s a n e e r

a n ce of g es a t bli h i sof dmi i t n ti o fo t h v i o

a e er s s e a n s ra n r e ar us
l wh i h o py t h h i gh l d of Alb i
c an s c c cu e an s an a .

Th lt of t h omm i ti o b tw t h P ow t h P i
e res u e c u n ca ns e e en e er s , e r n ce

of M o t g o d th
n en e Alb i w th t t h foll owi g j oi t p o
r an e a n an s as a e n n r

po l of M
sa s G ( t h B iti h C o
r lGre en l ) d M Li ppi h e r s n su -
en er a an r c

(th A t i lG l ) w t l g ph d t o Yo E ll y
. .

e Co u s r an n su -

en e ra e re e e ra e ur x ce en c :

Th Co l to b
e bl d t o
n su s th N o th Alb ie th t
en a e a ss ur e e r an a n s a
th i l gitim t pi ti o w ill ot b di g d d
e r e a e as ra ns n e s re ar e
dmi i t tiv fo m h o ld i t h opi i o of M G
. o

“
Th ese a n s ra e re r s s u n e n n r r e en

A t i Co l G l b limit d fo t h p t to th
.
,

an d th e u s r an n su en er a e e r e r e se n e
vil y t of S t i
,

a e cu ar

Th G ov l of S t i Vil y t t o b Alb i Mo
.

h m md t o b h o if po ibl i t h V il y t t h V i G ov o
“
eo G e rn r -

en er a cu ar a e e an a n an

a e an , e c s en , ss e, n e a e e ce -
ern r
Rom C t h oli
,

to b e a an a c

Th p opo d fo m of dmi i t ti o t o b bmitt d fo o id

.

“
e r se r a n s ra n e su e r c ns
era t io t o t h N o t h Alb
n i e r an an s .

L o d E dm o d Fitzm i H M j ty Commi i o
t Ro mli f o ti om md
’
r n o th a u r ce , er a es s ss n er n e
E a s er n u w ei fo m d of t h
an r n er as n r e e r ec en a

ti o of t h B iti h d A t i C o l G
n e r s l d an h m fo u s r an n su s -

en e r a an a sc e e r
dmi i t ti o of t h dj k of S t i i t h of t h
,

omd t io
th e a n s ra n e sa n a cu ar n e s en s e ese
d dp t d t o t h C ommi i o b y
,

i C om
r ec en w p pa n s, as re ar e an r e s en e e ss n
A ti d F h C ommi i o
t t d b y h imt t h tim w
th e u s r an an B t th R ren c ss n er s u e u ss a n
mi i o fo t h
ss n er , o r e r ea s n s s a e bl t o a e e, as una e
ac c e pt t h i h m with o t i ts sc ti o Th oth C ommi i o
e e u n s ru c ns e er ss n er s
dopt d it d omm d d it t o t h Po t ddi g th t th y wo ld
.

a e an rec en e e r e, a n a e u
wi h t h t g d h o ld b q ll y h d t o t h imm iti of t h
,

s a re ar s u e e ua a e un es e
m o t i o di t i t b yo d t h limit of t h
un a n us s r c s dj k of S t i e n e e sa n a cu a r

p i ll y t o t h imm iti of t h Ch im Th C ommi i o

,

an d es ec a e un es e ara 1 e ss n

l o w o obj ti o t o t h Alb i di t i t b i g it d i
.

ers a s sa n ec n e a n an s r c s e n un e n a
i g l Vil y t
s n e a e

ppo ti g t h p opo l L o d E dm o d Fitzm i with

.

“
I n su r n ese r sa s , r n a u r ce,
th e o c of ll t h
n cu r r en ce C ommi i o t t d t h t t h Commi
a e ss n ers , s a e a e s
s i o o gh t ot t o p t with o t h vi g giv t h i t gibl p oof
n u n se ar a e u a n en s an e r
t o t h A lb e i th t t h P ow w an an s o d i th i w l f
a e ers e re c n c er n e n e r e are
I t wo l d b d i bl th t om oppo t ity h o ld b t k t o
.

“
u e es ra e a s e r un s u e a en
m k t h Alb i
a e e q i t d with t h i t t t h t h b t k
an a n s a c u a n e e n e r es a as ee n a en

b y t h P ow e i t h im p ov m er s t of t h i l o l dmi i t ti o
n e d r e en e r ca a n s ra n , an
i i g t o th m th i
n s ecu r n i t p ivil g e d imm iti e r a n c en r e es a n un es
B t d pit t h i ol m h ow of i t t t h Pow did oth i g
.

u es e s s e n s n er e s e er s n n
fo t h Alb i wh om th y fo got
, ,

th L g w
“

r e an an s , oo p e r as s n as e ea ue a s su

p resse d .

1 See page 3 4 .
58 A L B A NI A PA S T A ND PRE S E N T
,

There were thre e almost insu rm ountable ob stacle s

the Albanian national s ocieties s et out t o ove rcome ,

b esides the religious que stion .

I n the first place the a l mo st complete lack of Al

,

banian literature rende red the spread of education

among the Albanians in their n ative languag e almo st
imp os sible The oldest b o ok in th e Alb anian lan
.

guage wa s published only in t h e fifteent h century ,

an d afte r it practic ally no s erviceable b o oks made
, ,

their app earance .

I n the second place even if there we re any Al ,

banian b ooks they c ould n ot be of any u se ina smuch ,

a s the Turkish government had definitively barred

the Albanian language from the few schools that
existed in Albania The Sultan had taken great .

care that hi s M oslem Albanian subj ect s b e educated

in nothing else but in the Turki sh scho ols and in the
Turki sh language A s t o the Christian Albanian s
.

he let them make u se of any othe r language but

Al banian s o that the Orthodox Al banians a dherent s
, ,

of the Gre ek Church of C onstantinople were brought ,

to adopt the Greek tongue a s their educational reli ,

i
g u s and busines s langu age
o ,
1
.

I n the third place th e Al b anian l anguage wa s in

,

t er dict e d by a decre e of the Gre ek P atriarch of C on

s t an t in op l e wh o thre atene d with excommunication

and etern al damnation any O rthodox Albanian who

“ ”
would us e th e a ccurs ed Albanian language either
in scho ols or in th e churche s .

1 Th i s u s e of
t h e G ree k l l t d
a n gu a ge i n t h e s ch oo s of t h e O r h o ox
Alb i t
an an s of S ou h ern Alb i i
a n a or E p r u s h a s een e b m l d
p oye b y t h e
G t
ree k s a s on e of i t t m t
h e r s r on ges a rgu en s in su ppor of h e r c a t t i l im
t t t Alb
h a S ou h ern i i bit d
an a i s n h a e k
b y G ree s, in a dditi
on t o t h e w ill
di t ti
fu l s or on of t h e m i d
ea n n g of t h e wor
“ ”
k i
G ree , wh ch h as een b
l d l i d
a rea y ex p a n e t d
in a n o e un er page s 4 8 4 9 -
.
 THE N A TI ONA L S O CI E TI E S 59

As a result of t h e disturbance s whi ch took place

d uring the years 1 8 7 188 0 the Turkish government
8—
,

relaxed the rigid interdiction on the u se of the native

lan guage The re sprang up immediately a num
.
, ,

ber of national Albanian sch ools and b ooks n ews , ,

papers and p e riodicals b egan their publication .

Shortly a fter h oweve r the Turkish government

, ,

hastened to renew the interdiction having been ,

frightened by the succe s s of p opular education in

the Albanian language I t was als o on this occasion .

that the decree of the Greek P atriarch for the ex

communication of the u sers of the Albanian language
wa s i ssued a s a supplement t o the imp erial in t e r dic
,

tion 1
.

C onse quently the Albanian scho ol s were shut

,

down and the Albanian publications were driven t o

,

find refuge in foreign lands Thank s t o the con .

n iv an c e of the Mo slem Albanians in the s ervice of

the Sublime P orte the publications we re smuggled ,

int o Albania t o find th eir way into the hands of

,

eager reade rs .

How the nati onal s ocietie s managed to overcome

these difli cul t ie s will be explaine d in another pa rt of
this bo ok 2
Su ffice it t o s ay here that their achieve
.

ments are nothing short of miracul ous ; they consti

tute a uni qu e feature in the intellectual develop
ment of the nation This is p re cisely the part of .

the Albanian history which ha s never b een written

and is t otally unknown even t o those wh o profes s
to b e well acquainted with the Albanian que stion .

1 il
B ra s for , d H . N .
, Ma ced on i a , pp 2
. 48 —2 6 2 .

2 See C h 1 7 . .
60 A L B A NI A PA S T A ND PRES E N T
,

F
RE E RE N C E S

B A RB A RI C H , E U G , Alb i
a n a , pp 2 01 2 0
— 5
Alb i l P l mo
. . .

C H I A RA , P , L E pi r o, gli e la 18 80
’
an es ega , a er
Q ti o
.
.
,

G H I CA , P RI N C E AL B , L A l b a n i e et l a
’
. u es n
’
d O r ien t , pp . 4 9— 7 9 ,
1 03— 1 1 0
i Lig Le i pzi g
.

G O PC E VI C , SP I RI DI O N , Ob era lb a n i en un d s e ne a, , 1 8 8 1,
Ch 4
. .
 CHA P TER VI I

TH E S TR U GG LE F OR A U TO N O MY
I . TH E A LB A N IA N P O L I C Y
TH E work that wa s being accomplished by the
energetic action of the Albanian organizations in the
way of stimulating the d ormant national spirit wa s
highly commendable and its salutary effect s were
,

to be s e en a little late r The earlie r scanty p roduc

.

m
tions of Albanian literature were n ow b eing multi
plied eve ry day through the untiring e ffort s of u
known but ardent pioneers wh o were constrained t o
write unde r fictitious name s in orde r t o e scape the
vigilance of the Turkish authoritie s And in this .

laudable race fo r the intellectual development of the

nation Chri stian s vied with M oslems and N ort h ern
ers with S outherners .

The struggle for regeneration wa s in full swing ,

but the fear of the future of Albania wa s always

haunting t h e minds of the Albanian patriot s neve r ,

t h el es s
. I t wa s p erfectly evident to them that A l
bani a wa s fa r behind in the requirements that were
absolutely neces sary for her indep endent existence .

The Albanian mas se s offered a pa s sive re sistance t o

the propagation of the national ideal in that they
lacked education and a clear understanding of their
situation I t would certainly require s ome time in
.

order t o recruit and organize the force s of the na

tion t o its full capacity Nation s cannot b e built
.

or formed overnight and in the life of nations dec

,
61
62 A L B A NI A PA S T A ND PRE S E N T
,

ade s and even centurie s are only a s s o many h ours

and days During more than half of the time of
.

their indep endent life the other B alkan State s were

,

simply in a condition of vegetation Albania on .

,

the othe r hand wa s only regain ing he r national con

,

s ci ou sn e s s at that t ime and could not well a ff ord t o

t hink so prematurely of an indep endent existence .

A p eriod of preparation and transition wa s there ,

fore obviou sly needed And it wa s still more n e ce s

,
.

sary not b ecau se the national ideal wa s only in it s

infancy but b e cause by a prematur e winning of her
, ,

independence she would b e exp o sed t o the intrigue s

,

and attacks of her neighb ors whose ill concealed de -

sign s were clearly manife sted in the demands they

formulated b efore the C ongres s of B erlin I t wa s .

a common secret that her Slav neighb ors eyed with

avidity her n orthern province s and Greece her ,

s outhern districts .

The se weighty considerati ons made the Albanian

patriot s strike on t h e sole rational p olicy they could
adopt with a ssured benefit for their defensele ss coun
try : the p olicy of endeavoring to win the in dep en d
ence of Albani a step by step the first step theret o
,

being to obtain the severance of her administrative

b onds from the Turkish empire Thi s i s why the .

Albanian L eague is sued the proclamation by which

it advo cated the necessity of the e stablishment of an
admini strative autonomy for Albania I t s lead wa s .

t aken up by the organizations which succeeded t o it .

C oupled with this national p olicy there was th e

s in e qu a n on c ondition of the p re servation of the

Ottoman Empire within which Albani a wa s to h old

,

a privileged p o sition of an ally or confederate rathe r

than of a subj ect nationality A p remature dis rup
.
 THE RE I GN OF A B D UL HA MI D 63

ti on of Turkey w ould have brought ab out in the ,

opinion of th e Alb anian p atriots the dismemb erment ,

of Albania herself T o what degre e they were cor

.

rect in their previsions it wa s to be plainly seen in ,

1 91 2 .

Summing up the p olicy of the Albanians had two

,

distinct obj ect s

1 To p re s erv e the Ottoman Empire a s a means t o
.

t heir national end s o a s to gain time for the prepa

,

ration of Albania .

2 T o s ecure an autonomou s administration f or

.

Albania which would s erve a s the stepping stone t o -

complete independence .

This ha s been the keynote of the wh ole attitude

of the Albanians t oward Turkey although this p ol ,

icy was exp osed to very dange rous misunderstand

ings on the part of the re st of the world which ha s
been at all time s wont to mistake it for a religiou s
attachment of the maj ority of the Albanians t o the
C aliph of the Mo slems P rofes so r J H R os e b e . . .

liev e s for instance that the A l banian s were willing

, ,

to remain loyal to the S ultan n ot b ecause they cared

for him or for his de spised Turk s but becaus e they ,

were free t o follow their whims and t o p rey up on

their neighb ors .

W e have thought it neces sary t o lay s o much stre ss

on this introduction t o the p re sent chapter be caus e
it a ff ord s the only key of the attitude of the Alba
nians in their dealings with Abdul Hamid and the
Young Turks .

II . TH E REI GN O F A B DU L HA M ID
The event s we have sketched in the preceding
chapter to ok place during the sinister rei gn of Abdul
64 A L B A NI A PA S T A ND PRE S E N T
,

Hamid the Red Sultan of Turkey Their occurrence

,
.

at such an untow a rd o ccasion lends still greater

importance t o thos e events for the suffocating rule
,

of the worst ruler Turkey ha s eve r had was not cal

cu l a t e d t o give satisfacti on t o national a spirations .

The most curious part of it however i s the c on , ,

t ra dict ory policy of the Sultan in regard to the A l

banians for on the one hand Abdul Hamid wa s
, , ,

p ersecuting with barbarous harshne s s the national

Albanian movement while on the other hand he
, , ,

treat ed them a s hi s mo st trusted supp orters He .

was surrounded almo st exclusively by Al banians ,

and he put faith in n one else more than in the A l

banians His trusted Grand Vizir wa s F e rid P a s ha
.

Vl ora of Valona who curiou sly enough wa s at the

, , ,

same time P re sident of the N a t i on a l A l ba n ian A s s o

cia t i on of C onstantinople The numerou s imp erial
.

guard wa s likewis e comp osed of th e gorge ou sly

dre ss ed Al banian mountaineers I t i s a little hard .

to understand such inconsistencies but the fact i s ,

m
that Abdul Hamid I I favored the Albanians a s indi
v idu a l s ,
and loade d them with h onors and e olu
ment s ; a s a nation howeve r he attacked them with
, ,

the rage and bitterne ss that characterize d his crim

inal prop ensitie s .

N one the l e s s th e exalte d p osition held by individ

,

ual Albanian s under the Sultan could but redound

t o the benefit of the wh ole nation for on many occa , ,

sions they found it nece ssary t o place th e l oyalty

t o t heir nation ab ove that they owed t o t heir master .

The woeful su ff erings of the Chri stians of the Turk

ish Empire unde r the Hamidian régime did n ot ex
tend to the Christian Albanians in any p erceptible
and direct way because of the protection accorded t o
,
66 A L B A NI A PA S T A ND PRESE N T
,

31 of the follo wing year in his e ff o rt t o overthrow ,

the C on stitution wa s again frustrated by the A l

,

banians and E s sad P asha wa s commis sioned t o in

,

fo rm the Sultan that he had b een dethroned .

I II . L
A B A N IA N S A N D Y OU N G TU R KS
In embracing the cause of the Turkish C on s t it u
tion and in allying themselve s with the Young Turks ,

the Albanians were simply abiding by the dictate s

of their traditional p olicy Their way of rea soning .

was that unde r the C onstitution Albania would have

the ample st chance of self development and of se -

curing a p rivileged p o sition within the empire until ,

he r international p o sition would have be en cons oli

dated I n b ecomi ng th e allie s of t h e Young Turk s
.

against t h e Sult an the Albanians had not failed to

make the p oint clear th a t if the revolution was to b e ,

succes sful Albania wa s to have a privileged p osi

,

ti on The Young Turks as sented t o it as a matte r

.
,

of course .

The game had not gone very far however when , ,

the Young Turks threw their ma sks off and betrayed

m
their real intentions According to the interpreta .

“ ”
tion which the Union and P rogres s C o mi ttee

m
put on its b rand new Turkis h C onstitution Otto
-

an iz at i on was the p rice t o b e paid fo r a share in

the enj oyment of lib erti e s granted by it The atti .

tu de of th e C ommi tte e marked the p artin g of th e

ways for th e Albanian s and t h e Young Turks The .

Albanian schools which had just recently b e en able

,

to op en their d oors through p rivate contributions ,

were ag a in clo s ed th e Albani an newspap ers we re

,

again forced t o migrate t o foreign lands and the na ,

t ional m oveme nt was stopped Far fr om showin g .

 A L B A NI A NS A ND Y OU N G TURK S 67

any concern in the threatening a ttitude of the Al

banians the Young Turks considered the situation
,

a s ve ry gratifying t o them They p re sently con .

c e iv e d the idea of turning the wheel of the Albanian

movement the other way ; they decreed that hence

fo rth the Albanian langu age sh ould b e written with
Turkish instead of L atin characte rs They pub .

li sh ed a serie s of school b ooks with Turkish

chara cters only t o s e e them ridiculed and burned in
,

heap s in the marketplace s by the Albanians But .

in spite of this they did not los e their pluck .

On the contra ry the incor rigible Young Turk s

,

set to carry the matte r to th e extreme ; they thought

to finish the whole matte r by simply denying th e ex
i s t en c e of any s eparat e Alb anian nationality Dur .

m
m
ing a debate in th e Turkish Chamb er of Deputie s on
the proj e cted ab olition of the privileges and i u
n it ie s enj oyed b efo re the p romulgation of the C on

s t it u t i on by some of the subj e ct nationalitie s among ,

whi ch Albania held the first place the then Turkish ,

Ministe r of the I nterio r ros e from his s eat and de

cl a r e d in a matter of fact way that there was n o
- -

s eparat e Albanian n ationality the maj ority of th e ,

m
Albanians being M oslem ( t h e Christian Albanian s
did not count of ,
This i pudent remark
wa s met by the simultaneous reparte e of the Alba
“
Va r
m
nian D eputie s all of whom were M oslem :
, ,
”

m
efen de , v ar ! ( There i s S ir the re is !) The
, ,
“ ”
phras e Var ef en de ,
va r was immediately made
,

us e of by t h e Albanian s as a national slogan .

IV . TH E W IN N IN G O F A U TO N O M Y

Eventually the Young Tu rk s proceeded to carry

,

wo rds int o deeds They b egan with th e attempt

.
68 A L B A NI A PA S T A ND PRES E N T
,

t o disarm th e N orthern Albanians t o whom they

were e sp ecially indebted for the hand they had lent
in overthrowing Abdul Hamid But the Albanian s .

did not wait fo r the Turks to come I n the month .

of July 1 9 1 0 the Albanian chieftains met at Fer

, ,

i z ov it ch and re s olved up on the nece s sity of securing

the autonomous administration of Albania As the .

Young Turk s did n ot accede t o the demands they

formulated in their ultimatum insurrection b ro k e ,

out The Turkish government made two succes sive

.

expeditions against the insurgent s After a long .

drawn and cruel war during which the ferociousne s s

of the Turk had full play the brave re sistance of,

the Albanians wa s crushed .

T o all app ea rances Al b ania had been p acified but

, ,

no soone r were the Tur k ish troop s withdrawn than

the Albanians entered up on their second war for
autonomy This time the insurgent s marched from
.

succe ss to succes s I n May 1 9 1 2 they were in the

.
, ,

p osse ssion of the vilayet of K os sovo a s well a s of

Uskub its capital M ona stir wa s already threat
,
.

ened and the Turks were on the p oint of eva cuating

it S outhern Albania j oined the insurgent s who
.

were n ow clamoring for complete independence .

The Tu rkish gove rn ment saw no othe r way but meet

ing half way the demands of the insurgent s
-
.

The conce ssions granted t o the Albanians were of

moment ous importance By the te rms of the ce s sa
.

tion of hostilitie s Albania wa s recognized by the

,

Turkish government a s an autonomous administra

tive province comprising the four Albanian V ilayets ,

namely : The vilayet s of S cu t a ri K os s ov o J a n in a , ,

and M on as t i r The country wa s t o b e governed by

.

native govern ors and in accordance with the local

,
 THE WI NNI N G OF A U TONO MY 69

laws The Albanians were exempted from military

.

service outside of the confi nes of their country ex ,

cept in time of war E ducation wa s t o b e given in

.

the Albanian language .

Of all the se conce s sions howeve r by far the mo st

, ,

imp ortant wa s the recognition on the part of Turkey

that Albania extended t o the four vilayets This .

wa s the first o ffi cial delimitation of the frontiers of

Al bania .

The re sult of the Albanian victory over the Young

“ ”
Turks wa s that the Alb anian P olicy wa s ca rried
out to its minute st details and an atmo sphere of
,

hopefulne s s fo r the future succeeded the gloomy

outlook of the p revious years The p roce s s of r e .

generation would have b een completed within a very

m
short time by the establishment of a purely national
system of education and of a native paternal ad in
i s t r a t i on
. I t wa s true that thi s p rivilege of s elf
government wa s obtained a little late but it wa s ,

rightly thought that it was b etter lat e than neve r .

The complete indep endence of Albani a wa s not very

far off now Yet n one o f the Albanian p atriots
.
,

ever dreamed of the omi nous way in which that in

dep endence was t o come on th e ve ry morrow of
Al bania s winning her admini strative aut onomy
’
.

m
Merciles s Fate had decre e d that next day th e table s
be turned on the Albanian s through the in s t ru en
,

tality of their neighb ors who had outwardly ap

pl au de d the succe s se s of the Albanian insurgent s
over t h e Young Turks A gl oriou s chapter of the
.

history of Albania wa s clos ed in orde r t o make way

to the sordid workings of the European and B alkan
diplomacy .
70 A L B A NI A PA S T A ND PRE S E N T
F
RE E RE N CES

Ami Y B ook 1 9 12 Th Alb i R volt p 142

er ca n e ar e an an e
Alb i d t h Alb i Q t l y R vi w
, , , . .

I M
S K M
A IL B
E AL EY , an a an e a n an s, u a r er e e

( J l y u Vol 2 2 8 pp 1 4 7—1 5 3
H CH R Th S it ti o i Alb i d M d o i Fo t
. . .
, ,

W OO DS , A L ES , e ua n n an a an a ce n a, r
i gh tly R vi w 1 9 1 2 Vol 9 1 pp 9 12 —9 2 5
.

n e e , , .
, . .
 P ART I I

T HE P R I N C I P A L I TY O F
'
A L BANI A
74 A L B A NI A PA S T A ND PRES E N T
,

But the momentous event which deeply stirred the

B alkan State s was th e recogn ition of the autonomou s
status of Albania involving a s it did the advent of , , ,

a new political factor in the B alkan P eninsula .

The main consequence s of the ris e of Albania as

a separa te nationality were two
I n the first place the balance of p owe r in the ,

B alkans wa s irrevocably disturbed The day when .

Albania would b ecome an independent S tate wa s not

remote .

m m
I n the second place the e stablishment of the au ,

t on o ou s Albanian r egi e in t h e four we stern

vilayet s of Turkey wa s meant to op erate a s a bar t o
the expansioni st aspirations of the several Balkan
States 1
.M ontenegro coveted a p art of the vilayet
of S cutari and it s capital a s well S erbia s dream
,
.
’

wa s to get p os s es sion of th e vilayet of K os s ov a

“ ” 2
which she claimed a s a p art of Old S erbia ;

m
she als o wanted an acce s s to the Adriatic S ea through
the Albanian territories Bulgaria clai ed the vil .

ayet of M onastir and Gre ece that of Janina But , .

n ow all the se territorie s were recognized a s part and

parcel of Albania W hat would have b ecome of .

their imp erialistic claims in ca se they allowed the

Albanians t o consoli date their p owe r ove r the se
province s ? I t mattered very little if at all t o th e , ,

B alkan State s that the se territorie s belonged by ,

every divine and human right and title to the A l ,

m
banians wh o have had them in their actual p osses
sion from time im emorial .

The net re sult of these reflections and app r eh en

“
B lk n iq u ( Pa i
' ’
1 G u h ofl I v E u s t t i v
es ,
L A lli n
. ra e , a ce a a e r s,

pp 7 3 8 7
-

il d H do i
. .

2 B ra s for
, . N .
,
“
M ace n a, p 273
. .
 A
THE I N V S I O N O F A L B A NI A 75

sions of the B alkan nations wa s the conclusion of

the Balkan alliance which took place very s ign ifi ,

can t ly immediately after the recognition of the

,

autonomy of Albania By the p rovisions of the .

treatie s which confirmed this alliance the whole of ,

Albania wa s pa rtitione d among its s eve ral p artners ,

in accordance with their wishe s and with no mo re ,

regard for the rights of the Albanian nationality

than fo r international morality This dastardly .

plot of the s o called Christian States of the B alkans

-

is all the more s ordid b ecaus e it wa s res olved up on

when the ech o of the frenzied acclamations of their
respective p e ople s on the occasion of the Albanian
victori e s ove r th e Young Turks was still re s ound ing
in the Balkan P eninsul a .

II . TH E IN VA SI O N O F AL B A N IA

W hen the r ight t ime fo r common action arrived ,

the B alkan Allie s addre s sed to the Sublime P orte a

m
j oint demand whereby they claimed that an auton
o ou s administration simila r t o that grante d t o
,

Albania be accorded t o the p opulation s of Mace

,

donia I t is said that imi tation i s the b est eul ogy

. ,

but in this instance it wa s not eul o gy but j ealou sy .

The Turkish government rej ected their demands a s ,

it wa s expected tha t it would and war wa s declared ,

.

But as there were many se ri ou s mis givings a s to the

sincerity and good faith among t h e allies the tiny ,

Montenegro was made use of a s an ag en t p rov oca

t ea r : before the P orte had re sp onded t o the allie d
ultimatum the Montenegri n army attacked the Turk
,

ish tro op s without any formal de claration of war .

H ostilitie s began o fficially on O ct ober 8 1 9 1 2 al , ,

though Greece did not enter the war till ten days
late r
.
76 A L B A NI A PA S T A ND PRE S E N T
,

The wa r took the Albanians by surpri se a s it did ,

the rest of the world From the very b eginning the

.
,

wa r operations went wholly in favo r of th e B alkan

allies and the Turk s were beating the ir retreat
,

everywhere The Albanians were driven to the

.

wall ; the day of the final t e st of their traditional

p olicy had come I nstinctively if n ot deliberately
.
, ,

they had always ab staine d from adding t o the

m
worries and difli cul t ie s of Turkey whenever she wa s
in the th roe s with their i mediat e neighb ors wh o se
de sign s in regard t o the Albanian territorie s they
well knew Thi s is why they did n ot attack the
.

Turks during the great B alkan upheaval of the year

1 878 .The s ame fateful que stion was now before
"
them W hat were they going to do ! W ould it have
.

be en more advis able to abide by their previ ou s p olicy

o r to j oin the Balkan S tates ? I t was on the answer
of this question th a t their fate dep ended .

A s circumstance s we re b ecoming more pre s sing

and the succe s se s of the Balkan armie s were grow
ing the answer t o that vital que stion wa s more dif
,

fi cu l t Eventually they decided t o refrain from aid

.
,

ing either p a rty to the war by follo wi ng a p olicy of

neutrality Ap art from th e defens e of the two f ort
.

r es se s of Janina and S cutari the safety of which ,

was considered as a vital p oint to the life of Albania ,

the Albanian s left th e Turks alone in their stru ggle .

I n the great battle of Kumanovo ( O ctob e r in

which the S erbians gained their first de cisive vi c
t ory the Albanians refused t o take pa rt in the fight
, ,

and the Turks were cons equently routed T o that .

extent then the Al bania n s f acil it at ed t h e caus e of

, ,
‘

the Balkan allies .

But regardles s of the attitude of the Albanians

, ,
78 A L B A NI A PA S T A ND PRES E NT
,

of Abdul Hamid and of his régime and of the Young

Turks a s well At the outbreak of the c on fl agrat ion
.
,

he wa s at C onstantinople where he wa s offered a

,

seat in the Turkish Ministry in orde r to attach the

Albanians t o the Turkish caus e H e declined the .

o ffe r h owev er in order t o devote his time and serv

, ,
'

ice s t o the cause of his own nation .

On hearing the news of the invasion of Albania he ,

m
struck up on the idea of saving his country by an
audaciou s c oup de a in H e hurriedly left the
.

Turkish capital caused a meeting of p rominent A l

,

banians to b e held at B uchare st and after consult , ,

ing with them on what ought to b e done in tho se

critical circumstance s proceeded on his way t o A l
,

bania with a small suite At Trieste th e p arty em

.

barked ou an Austrian st eame r which sailed away

in the direction of Durazz o But when they landed .

at the latte r place information was received that

,

the S erbians we re swiftly marchi n g t oward that city ,

and a s the Greek b l ocka din g squadron wa s cruising

,
'
-

in the vicinity of Valon a I smail Kemal B ey and his

,

party were forced to cover the remainder of the dis

tance t o the latter city by cro s sing on horseback th e
dangerously swampy plain of Mu z akia .

On N ovember 2 6 the party arrived safely at Va

,

lona which they found crowded wi th refugee s from

,

all the invaded Albanian territorie s N everthele ss .

,

I smail Kemal B ey entered immediately up on the

task of carrying out his proj ect which had previ ,

ou sly b een sanctioned by the a ssembly of B ucharest .

A circular t elegraphic mes sage wa s transmitted t o

m
all the uninvaded part s of Albania t o send delegate s
t o Valona t o take pa rt in the s ole n act which would
re su scitate the old kingdom of S canderbeg On No .
 A US TRI A A ND I T A LY 79

ve m the historic day of mode rn Al

b er 2 8 , 1 91 2 ,
bania the national flag the black double headed
, ,
-

eagle of S canderb eg wa s hoisted a mong the tearful

,

acclamations of a p opulation which wa s t oo well

aware that it wa s pa ssing t h e mo st serious cri sis in
the history of the nation A formal proclamation .

of independence wa s is sued together with a declara

tion of neut rality in the struggle impending b etween
Turkey and the Balkan S tates Thereupon a P ro .
,

visional Government wa s formed unde r the pre si

den cy of I smail Kemal B ey a s well a s a provisional
,

national a s sembly An o ffi cial notifi cation of the

.

proclamation of indep endence and of the constitution

of the new government wa s als o transmitted t o the
P owers .

This wa s the scheme by which I smail Kemal B ey

sought to change the cours e of events by taking away
from the theate r of war op erations the Albanian ter
r it ory and by pre senting Albania a s an independent

neutral nation in the eye s of th e world The act .

was all right a s fa r a s the Albanians themselve s were

concerned wh o unre servedly placed their p ers on s

m
and p rop e rty at the dispo sal of the P rovisional Gov

m
e rn en t But it remained to b e seen how the p roc
.

l a a t ion of indep endence would b e received by the

concert of Europ ean P owers and most imp ortant of , ,

all by the belligerents

, .

IV . A U S TRIA AN D I TA LY
The attitude of the b elligerents was mad e known
very shortly afte r The B alkan allie s paid no heed
.

m
whatsoeve r to the action of the Albanians ; they went
on with their i litary operations in occupying th e
Albanian t erritorie s a s though nothing had hap
80 A L B A NI A PA S T
,
A ND PRE S E NT

pened and were now approaching the gate s of Va

,

lona herself The Gre ek troop s came almo st within

.

cannon range from the p rovisional capital of A l

bania ; an engagement took place on the height s of
L ogora s ome fifteen mile s south of Valona b etween
, ,

them and the improvised army of the new govern

ment The next day the Greek monitors ente red the
.
,

bay and b omba rded the city of Valona although u n ,

f or t ifi e d A shot S truck the flagp ole on which flew

.

the ensign of S canderb eg N or did t h e Turkish .

government take notice of the change in the status

of Albania ; the Turkish military commanders were
ins tructed to go on with their military ope rations
without troubl ing themselve s ab out the indep endent
neutral p olicy of the government of I smail Kemal
Bey .

C ontrary t o the common expectations the p r ocl a ,

mation of the independence incensed still more the

B alkan governments wh o now g ave a more vigo rous
,

impuls e to the war operations of their armie s in their

m
determination t o occupy the re st of Albania and con
front Europ e with a fa i t a cc o p li They p re sently .

felt more eager than eve r to s ettle once fo r all the

Albanian question in their own way b efore the ,

P owers would b e able t o act .

Again the fate of Albania hung in the balance .

The Albanian p eople lay panting and t rembling fo r

t lfeir very life a s an individual nation I t seemed .

a s though n othing could stop the current of events

and the torrential inva sion of the Albanian territory .

P e ople b egan to think that the diplomacy of I smail

Kemal B ey had m iscarried .

But the old and exp e r ienced diplomat had evi

den t ly not cou nte d merel y on the be nevol ence of the
82 A L B A NI A PA S T A ND PRE S E N T
,

Austria t o obtain nor Austri a I taly ; in the event

,

that ei t her one of thes e St a te s should s eek to appro

p r ia t e for itself that region the other ought t o op
:

,
” 1
p os e i t by all available means .

The logical co rollary of this neces sity of an t ag

on iz in g each othe r is that Austria and I taly would
make common caus e in opp o sing a third State which
might seek an expansion on the Albani an coa st .

m
Ever since the beginning of ho stilities the gov ,

e rn en t s of Austria and I taly e specially Austria , ,

were watching with the deepest concern the p rogre s s

of the B alkan armie s int o the interior of Albania .

Obviously the Cabinet of Vienna wa s more deeply

,

concerned b ecause Austria had her sp ecial interest s

in the B alkans as a member of the Teutonic alliance
,

with its p ar a phern alia of the B ag da d Rai lway p r oj

ect and the D ra ng N a ch O s t en p olicy W hen it ap .

p e a r e d then that the B alkan allie s would not stop

their advanc e the Austro Hunga rian government
,
-

mobilized a large part of the Austrian army wi th ,

the evident intention of attacking S erbia and M onte

negro I taly though not disp o sed t o go a s fa r a s
.
,

that felt it nece s sary t o j oin her ally Au stria in

, , ,

the e ffort to p revent the des cent of the Slavs and

Greeks t o th e sho res of t h e Adriatic S ea and inci ,

dentally of s aving Al bania .

V . TH E M E N A C E O F E U RO PE A N W AR

The ech o of the rattling sword of Austria found

it s reverb eration in th e armaments of the P ower
which was su spected of b eing the b enevolent chap
e ron of the B alkan State s : Rus sia The government .

of the Czar sh owed that it was re ady t o tak e up

1 F G ilb ert “L s P a s d A lb a i e
pp 2 9 9 3 00
’
e y n -
.
, , . .
 THE M E N A CE OF E URO E P AN WA R 83

the gauntlet Austri a intended t o throw in the face

of the two small Slav State s There was talk of .

mobilizing the Russian army The Rus sian pre s s .

became utterly angry bitte r and bellicos e F rance , , .

and the French p res s naturally t ook the side of

Russia Germany and her newspapers were p ouring
,

invective s on the curse of P an Slavism G reat B rit -

ain only was able t o guard her s a/Ii gfr oi d and the ,

B ritish pre s s wa s p re serving a conciliatory attitude

in the matter .

The dange r of a general Europ ean c onfl a gr at ion

loomed ominou s on the ho riz on The atmosphere .

was overcharge d wit h ele ctri city and Europe stood ,

watching in breathles s anxiety the dreadful situa

tion Still the conciliat ory attitude of Sir E dward
.
,

m
Grey did much to allay the fea r of a c on fl a gr at i on ;
afte r all the danger of general war wa s not so i
,

minent a s when Sir E dward Grey confe s sed late r in ,

March that the Albanian que stion almo st brought

,

about the dreaded Europ ean wa r 1

.

m
Yet that very que stion wa s t o su ff er the penalty
,

of its b eco i ng s o notoriou s within a fo rtnight I n .

fact the cau se of Albania wa s completely ov er sh a d

,

owed by the e ff ect s of the bitter rivalry that broke

out b etween the two gigantic p olitical blocs the ,

Triple Alliance and the Triple Entente ; the issue of

the Albanian question wa s treated merely a s a means
of te sting the comparative strength and solidity of
the two great coalitions The intrinsic me rits of the .

Albanian que stion were forgotten ; nob ody cared for

Albania as a nation During the Albanian revolt of
,
.

1 9 1 2 which ended with the granting of administra

,

tive autonomy and whi ch p receded th e B alkan wa r

1
“
Am i er can k
Y ear B oo , 1 9 1 3 , p 1 02
. .
84 A L B A NI A PA S T A ND PRE S E N T
,

by a few months only th e pre s s of all Europ e sang

,

the high p rais es of the Albanian victorie s ove r the

Young Turks N ow h owever the Alb anian aspira
.
, ,

m
“
tions were regarded only as a ve ry clever Aust r ian
”
scheme by which the govern ent of Vienna was
s eeking to rob th e Balkan allie s of their laurels and
lawful a cquisitions I t wa s op enly de clared that
.

Russia an d F rance would neve r tole rate th e cre at ion

“ ”
of a new little Turkey under the p rotection of
Austria and for th e b enefit of the I talian imperialist
p olicy .

The result wa s that the Albanian que sti on was rel

eg a t ed into the background in o rder t o make place

fo r the sp ecta cular diplomatic and press b attles

which were fought daily b etween the two Europe an
blocs The right s of the Albanian nationality were
.

utterly discredited by the bellicos e attitude of Au s

tria which gave t o the world the imp re ssion that the
cause of Albania wa s merely an Au s t rian is su e
which should b e fought with every available weap on
in orde r to cut short the extravagant pretensions of
the Dual M onarchy This ominou s feeling p ervaded
.

all the actual and future discus sion s regarding A l

bania and the up shot wa s that the Albanian nation
,

was de signated from the very beginning a s the

, ,

scapegoat fo r all the trouble s and complications that

befell Europ e Even afte r the reluctant recognition
.

of the independence and the creation of the Albanian

principality the new State wa s l ooked up on with
,

m
holy h orror a s the illegitimate child of Austrian di
p l o a cy with I taly figuring a s the mid wife
-
.
,
 C HA P TER IX

TH E L O ND O N C O N F E RE N C E

I . SI R E D W ARD GRE Y
As time went on war feelings were running wild
, ,

and the European p e ople s were shuddering at the

p rospe ct of seeing the flare of the spark whi ch wa s
t o s et fire t o the heap s of inflammable material the
great European P owers had been accumulating and

m
storing for a quarter of a century Eve ry hour .
,

every i nute that pa s sed by was adding t o the gen

eral anxiety I t wa s evident that unle s s the B alkan
.
,

allie s su spended their advance into the Albanian t er

r it ory Austria would draw her sword against S erbia
,

and M ontenegro , I taly against Greece Ru ssia would ,

rush to the as sistance of th e Slav nations by attack

ing Austri a Germany would make common caus e
,

with her allie s Austria and I taly and F rance would

, ,

naturally j oin her own ally Ru ssia Everything ,

.

dep ended now on the attitude of Great B ri tain and ,

e sp ecially on that of the man who directed he r for

e ign p o l icy : Sir E dward Grey .

And Sir E dward Grey acted at the right moment .

I n the midst of the unbearable inte rnational ten

“
s it y
,
L e T emp s of P aris announced on N ovem
”
,

b er 2 7 t hat England was contemplating tendering

,

her good o ffice s for the peaceful settlement of the

Albanian question by means of an international con
ference The tensity was s omewhat relieved but
.
,
86
 THE CRE A TI O N OF THE A L B A NI A N A
S T TE 87

not t o any great extent till afte r Sir E dward Grey

himself came f orward with the o fficial proposal that
the ambas sadors of the Great P owe rs accredited to
the C ourt of St Jame s should form a C onference
.

which should decide the Al banian question a s well as

that of granting t o S erbi a a commercial outlet to the
Adriatic S ea Afte r the customary exchange of
.

note s and res e r vations the proposal wa s accepted , ,

m
and the ambas s adors of the six great P owe rs sat
around the green table t o deter in e the fate of A l
bania and thereby t o put an end t o the conflict
, , , .

Thus the thorny disput e was taken ou t of the hands

,

of the P rovisional Al banian Gove rn ment and the

Balkan States .

This C onference is known a s the C onf er en ce of

m
A bas s ador s in contra distinction t o the C onference
,
-

whi ch wa s l ikewise held in L ondon by the b ell ig e r

ents Turkey and the B alkan States with the view
, ,

of terminating the armed confli ct .

TH E C REA TI O N O F TH E AL B A N IA N

m
II . S TA TE

The first for al meeting of the C onfe rence t ook

place on De cembe r 1 7 1 9 1 2 at th e B ritish F oreign
, ,

O ffi ce Three days later the world at large wa s

.
,

notified through the issuing t o th e p res s of the fol

,

lowing communiqué from the F oreign o ffi ce that an ,

armed conflict between the great P owers wa s

m
averted
“
The amba s sadors have reco mended t o their
government s and the latter have accepted in princi
ple Albanian autonomy together with a p rovision ,

guaranteeing t o Se rbia commercial acce ss to the

Adriatic S ea All six government s have agreed in
.

”
principle on the se p oint s .
88 A L B A NI A PA S T A ND PRES E NT
,

Thi s was the b eginning of the o fficial existence of

m
m
indep endent Albani a Apa rt from this however
.
, ,

the c o u n iqu e bears witne ss t o the fact that a

compromise had been effe cted : Austria and I taly

carried their p oint with regard t o the acceptance of
the principle of Albanian autonomy which wa s later ,

inte rp reted to mean complete indep endence while t o ,

Russia wa s conceded t h e p oint of granting t o S erbia

an outlet on the Adri atic which S erbia was in th e
, ,

end unable to s ecure

,
.

D e spite the apparent a ccord h oweve r it wa s

, ,

clea r that Rus sia and F rance went t o th e C onference

quite reluctantly and recognized the principle of in
dependence with very bad humo r Their p oint of .

V iew wa s that the B alkan States be allowed t o retain

all their actual and future te r rit orial acquisitions .

This had be en clearly shown by the earlier p rop o sal

o f M P oincaré t o the e ffect that the great P owe rs
.

“ ”
make a j oint declaration of disintere stedne s s in
the Balkan conflict Rus sia and F rance would con
.

cede nothing to Albania unle s s they were forced t o

,

d o so by the angry attitude of Aust ria and I taly .

The deliberations of the C onference had the appear

ance of a continuou s wrangle which wa s occasionally
ended by a comp romise or a bargain The amba s sa .

d ors would sit for hours and days to re solve upon

commonplace matters ; the Russian or French envoy
would bitterly opp ose the ce ssion of an inch of t er
r it or y to Albania although he knew that it belonged
,

t o he r On many occasions systematic ob struction

.

of the delib eration s was re sorted t o .

The P owe rs were a ct in g u n der the stress of the

dire neces sity of averting a general con fl agrat ion .
90 A L B A NI A PA S T A ND PRES E N T
,

The new State would enj oy perpetual neutrality ,

unde r the collective protection of the S ix Gre a t

P owers .

The six Great P owers would b e repre sented in A l

bania by an I nternational C ommission of C ontrol

m
compo sed of one delegate from each P ower and of
an Albanian representative This C om i ssion wa s .

emp owered to control the finance s of the new State

and t o check the Albanian government when acting
beyond the limits of its jurisdiction .

Dutch o fficers were commissioned for t h e organiza

tion of the Albanian gendarmerie .

T ime wa s t o prove whether artifi cial a rran gement s

made with a view of reconcil ing hop eles sly c on flict
ing views an d inte rests could stand the te st of actual
application The a rr a ngements made in regard t o
.

the new Stat e b ore t h e mark of th e s elfish interests

that a ctuated the ambas s adors of t h e P owe rs which
were mainly intere sted in Albania .

I II . TH E QU E S TI O N on TH E F RO N TI E RS
I . N or t h eas t ern B oun da ry

The que stion of paramount imp ortance on the suc ,

c e ss f u l or unsucce s sful settlement of which dep ended

the very life of the n ew State wa s unque stionably ,

that of the frontiers A State is liable t o vegetate

.

o r t o live and thrive according a s it s frontiers are

dra wn I f large comp act p opulation s b e left out
.

side of its b oundary lin e the vitality of the new p o

,

l it ical entity may b e spent in fretful watching of the

pathetic struggle s of the fellow p opulation acros s -

the borde r ; b e sid e s it will add so many worrie s and

,

care s t o the new b orn State a s to incapa citat e it for

-
 THE Q UE S TI ON OF THE FRONTI E RS 91

life in cas e it is utterly imp otent in its e ff orts to

,

improve their lot The history of the B alkan States

.
,

Greece Serbia Roumania and Bulgaria is very in

, , , ,

st r uctive on that p oint W hen thes e State s included

.

only a small fra ction of the a ctual strengt h of th e

respective race they were merely living from day t o
,

day being the prey of dreams that were entirely out

,

of p rop or t ion to thei r actual p owe r and falling into ,

a condition of epilep sy from time t o time with the ,

result that fo reign ob se rvers were convinced that

their p olitical death would have been preferable to
the mis e rable life they had been condemned t o live .

I t was only the increa se of their p opulation and terri

tory th a t saved them from this condition .

N o such considerations could h oweve r find place , ,

in the delibe ration s of the C onference of Ambas sa

dors I f it wa s such a di fficult matte r t o reach an
.

agreement on th e b are pri nciple of the independence

of Albania it would b e immens ely more di ffi cult to
,

agree on the frontiers within which the reluctantly

granted indep endence should b e exercised .

The que stion of the d elimitation of the frontiers

wa s still m ore complicated by the exorbitant claims
of the Balkan State s The government s of the .

Balkan allie s speedily unearthed old and new deed s

which would entitle them to the various Albanian
territorie s I n a spiri t of ill cho sen chivalry they
.
-

advanced their claim s on sundry historical ge o ,

graphical strate gical p olitical cultural and arche o

, , , ,

logical grounds carefully avoiding claims bas ed on

,

the right of conque st The government of Athens

.

was still more ingenious ; it claimed S outhern Al

bania because it had bestowed on her the great bene
fit of liberating h er inhabitants from the Turkish
92 A L B A NI A PA S T A ND PRE S E NT
,

yoke W ithin the hall of the deliberations of the

.

C onference the discu ssion ab out the frontiers of

,

the new State b ec ame a di sgraceful contest in the

p roduction of the mos t irrelevant and flimsy argu
ments fo r the p os s ession of Albanian territo ry .

M ontenegro the spoiled child of the dipl omacy of

,

m
the Entente claimed the city of Scuta r i because
, ,

there the to b s of the ancestors of King Nichola s

we re situated although the King of M ontenegro
,

himself recognized th a t t h e city wa s Albanian 1

.

These are t h e words of an Englishman wh o ha s ,

spent much of hi s time in Albania and i s conversant

with que stions concerning he r in regard t o the ,

claims of the B alkan State s

“
C onfident in the ignorance and heedles snes s of
W e stern E urope the Allie s p rop osed to deprive A l
,

bania of all that was distinctly Albanian Even the .

birthplac e of George C a st r iot a Scanderb eg wa s , ,

not t o be left to the p e ople at whos e head b e defeated

P asha s and Sultans for years unaided and u n su p ,

ported by Christian Europ e ; even the ruined ca stle

of L ek Du kagh in the p rince who codifi ed the ancient
,

laws and customs of the mountains ; even the home s

of Ali P a sha of Janin a and Kara Mahmud P a sha
of S codra ( S cutari ) were not t o be included in the
,

o ffi cial Albani a if the Allie s could ha ve their own

way All were t o be handed t o Slavs and Greeks
.
,

and Albania wa s t o b e made into a State in name

only shorn of everything which could enable it t o
,

live a s an independent and s elf governing princi -

p alit y The frontier which the united intellect or

.

m
cunning of the four ( B alkan ) kingdoms devi sed will
not take long t o deli it Hitherto the Black D ri n
mA
.

1 L e Te ps, pr il 6, 19 13 .
94 A L B A NI A ,
P A S T A ND PRESE NT
ab surdity of the delimitation is t o be seen n ot in the
ce ssi on of this compact Albanian territory t o Serbia ,

but in placing the b oundary line in such a way that

the p rincipal Albanian citie s of the vilayet are j ust
right on the b orde r li n e s o that the market place s ,
-

and t h e pasture s pa s sed t o S erbia while the com ,

merce and the flo cks rem a ined within Albanian ter

r i t ory .

The a ssignment t o S erbia of the vilayet of K os s

ov a and of the distri ct s of Dibra and O ch rida was
the greate st and the most iniquitou s injustice t o A l
bania 1
N ot les s however wa s the harm done t o
.
, ,

S erbia hers elf fo r as it happ ens the s e Albanians

, , ,

are more bellico s e and insubmis sive than the re st of

m
their co national s Ever since their inco rp oration
-
.

in the Serbian kingdo they have been in a stat e of

rebellion which t h e S erbian government has tri ed in
vain t o quell by whole s ale mass acres and exe cutions .

The S erbians claimed the se territ ori e s mainly on

hist orical grounds such a s the ephemeral empire of ,

Stefan Dushan their temp ora ry occupation by them

,

up to the s evente enth centu ry an d s o on 2

, .

The discu ssions ab out the Albanian Serb o M onte - -

n egrin frontie r came finally to an end by the middle

of March 1 9 1 3 and an I nt e rn ational B ounda ry C om
, ,

mission wa s app ointed for its determination on the

sp ot .

2 . S ou t h ea s t ern B ou n da ry
Yet de spite all that the Albanians sh ould have
, ,

b een che ered in a smuch a s a more s eriou s situation

,

was to develop with the dis cus sion of the question

O f the southea stern or Albanian G reek frontier -

1 il d H N
B ra s for
“
M a ce do i
n a,
p 273
F G ilb t L P
. . .
, .
,
“ ’ ”
2 . er , es ay s d Al ban ie, pp 2 8 7 2 9 6 .
-
.
 THE Q UE S TI ON OF THE FRO NTI ERS 95

The C onference had t o deal now with no le s s cun

ning a nation than the Greek s The B ritish F o reign .

“ ”
Office was literally deluged with Greek documents
whi ch purp orted t o Show that S outhern Albania ,

or N orthern Epiru s a s the Gre ek G overnment styled

,
“
it wa s Gre ek by religion Greek by language Greek
, , ,

m
by sentiment — thus runs the eternal refrain T o .

add conviction to their a r u g en t s which they badly ,

needed the Greek military authoritie s who were

,

m
in occupation of the Albanian territorie s employed ,

every kind of pres sur e in order t o force the i b abi

tants to S ign decla rations t o the effect that they were
Greeks and that they would rather die than be sub
j ect ed to the inhuman yoke of the Albanian s ! The
procedure employed in this matte r by the Greeks
is strikingly similar to that re sorted t o by the ofii
c ial s of Abdul Hamid I I the Red Sultan of Turkey
.
,
.

Whenever His I mp erial Maj e sty wa s affl icted by

any of his ordinary dis e as e s his authorities would ,

gather togethe r the unfortunat e p opulation Chris ,

tian and M oslem and drive it to the mosque s and

,

churche s t o pray t o the Al mighty that their sinister

master and executioner b e sp eedily cured of his ill
ness in orde r to be able to mas sa cre more of his
innocent subj ects .

The C onfe rence wa s b ombarded daily by such

declarations of l oyalty t o King C onstantine A n .

other ingeniou s way of making t h e inhabitants make

their confe s sion s of Greek faith wa s t o gathe r them
together in ma ss meetings t o the attendance of which
the Greek authoritie s invited corre sp ondent s of for
e ign newspap ers in orde r tha t they might b e con o -

v in ced of the G reek s entiments o f the p opulation 1

m
.

1 We re
gre t to s ay th ta so a bl e a an a s M Ré né P u a ux ,
. au tho r
96 A L B A NI A PA S T A ND PRE S E NT ,

The re solutions of thes e mas s me etings which were ,

usually prepared beforehand by Greek o fficial s and

read t o the p opulation very few of which could u n ,

der s t an d them becaus e of their being written in the

Greek language were then sent to the C onference ,

of the Amba ssadors in L ondon with the seal of ,

veracity appended to them by the uns ophisticated

m
foreign co rresp ondents 1
.

m
The succe s s of these execrable proceedings wa s i
en s ely aided by the following thre e factors

I n the first place the ig norance of Europ e in r e ,

gard t o the real conditions of Albania P e ople did .

n ot know generally that in S outhern Albania the

p opulation is M o slem and Christian Albanian of the
”
Greek O rthodox rite 2
The Gre eks drew their .

mo st misleading argument from the mere fact that

these Christian Albanian s happ ened to belong t o the
“ ”
G re ek O rthod ox Church I t is highly charac .

t e r i s t i c of the foul methods employed by the Govern

ment of Athens in it s attempt to disfi gur e the ,

national characte r of the p opulation of S outhern

Albania the fact that it re sorted t o quoting Turkish
,

stati stics of p opulation I n its M emorandum of .

January 1 3 1 91 3 which it delivered t o the C onfe r

, ,

ence of L ondon the Greek government state s in quot , ,

ing the Turkish statistics that the entire p opulation ,

l i w l o imp d b y th G k f i
d t h im b ov m
“
of La M a h eu r eu se Ep re , as a s r es s e e se ree ar c
ca l om di
c e p io i of wh i h h w ot t h
e s, u n er e ress r c e r e e a e en
t io d b ook
ne W t i h ow v th t h o ld g t t h i gh t
e a re c er a n , e er, a e c u e e r

imp i o if h w t o vi it So th Alb i wh il d I t li
.

re s s n e ere s u ern an a e un er a an
occu p ti o a n
wh o h v y d o bt b o t t h fo l pl y m pl oy d by t h
.

Th o
1 se a e an u s a u e u a e e e
B lk
a govan m t w ill b o vi d of t h t th f l
ern en s of t h e c n n ce e ru u n e ss es e
t t m t b y di g t h R po t of t h I t ti o l C ommi i o
s a e en s r ea n e e r e n er n a na ss n
of I q i y i t o t h
n C
u r of t hn B lk W e C gi E d ow
a u ses e a an a r s, a rn e e n
m t W h i gt o D C 1 9 1 4
en as n n,

pp 3 1 48 ( ot ) 5 7 5 8 d ot
.
, .
, .

S
2 1
ee .
, n e ,
— an n e
.
 98 A L B A NI A PA S T A ND PRE S E N T
,

the autonomous Albania an event which had taken ,

place j ust a few months befo re the B alkan war .

T o those more or less familiar with the conditions

of the country it wa s known that the vilayet of J a
nina is inhabited by a cru shing m a j ority of Chri s
“ ”
tian Albanians of the Gre ek Orthodox ri te and of
M oslem Albanians .

I n the second place the existence of Greek ,

sch ools for the Chri stian Albanians the origin of ,

which has already b een explained supplied an

1
,

other p owerful argument fo r the the sis of the Greek

government The Gre ek military authoritie s p a
.

r a de d the foreign corre spondent s from place t o place

showing them the sch ools of S outhern Albania .

I n the third place the pre sence of a large numb er

,

of Greek prie sts app ointed by the Greek P atriarch

,

of C onstantinople under whose jurisdictio n S outh

,

ern Albania ha s b een eve r since the whole of A l

bania became a p rovince of th e E a stern Empire of
t h e Romans 2
was the be st form of advertisement
,

for the Greek authoritie s I n every picture is sue d .

,

by the Greek government fo r p ropaganda purp ose s

with the view of showing that S out hern Albania is
Greek the foreground i s occupied by the se militant
,

p ri e sts of Hellenism And yet it i s a commonplace .

,

fact that the P ope of R ome t o o has always main , ,

t a in e d his religiou s emis sarie s in every place unde r

his jurisdiction B ut it required the ingenuity of
.

the government of Athens and the ignorance of Eu ,

rope to draw a p owerful argument from the p res

,

ence of a foreign clergy .

il
B ra s for ,
1 d H . N .
,
“
Maced on i a ,
”
no e t on k
G re e S t ti ti
a s c s,

p 2 19
. .

p , p 20
2 S u ra . .
 THE Q UE S TI ON OF THE FRON TI E RS 99

In reality, it s e emed a s though everythi ng wa s

conspiring against the Albanians who have never ,

m
taken the pains of making their country kn own t o
the world I n their self b linding ob stinacy the a
.
-

b a s sador s of the P owers were not willing even t o

attach credit t o t h e rep orts of their own consular
authoritie s at Janina I n vain did the free Al
.

banians of the United State s all of whom were ,

native s of S outhe rn Albania s end t o the C onference

,

by cable daily p rote sts against the Greek machina

tions I n vain did the refugee s of S outhe rn Albania
.
,

a ss emble d at Valona make ardent app eals to the

,

C onference t o confirm them in their right s The .

amba ssadors remained heedle s s F rom the middle .

of March to t h e middle of August ( Aug 1 1 .

,

when the C onference put an end t o it s inglorious

work th e discu ssions ab out the s outheastern frontie r
,

went on in the fashion of Byz antine theological dis

pute s T o make m atters still wors e the ques tion of
.
,

this p art of the b oundary of the new State was in ex

t ric abl y lin ked with the que sti on of D odecanes e ( the
twelve Greek I sl ands of th e E gean S ea which I taly
had o ccupied since the I tal o Turkish war of -

F rance and Rus sia were willing to as sign S outhe rn

Al bania to th e new p rincipality on the condition ,

that I t aly should hand ove r to Greece the Dode

ca n e se But I taly s econded by he r ally Austria
.
, , ,

wante d both to ke ep the islands an d to obtain the

evacu ation of S outhern Albania by the Greek s .

Finally it app eared that no decision could b e

,

reached with regard to the southea stern b ounda r y .

All the C onference wa s able t o do was t o fix the two

extreme p oint s of the frontier the P rovince of ,

K oritza or K orcha , in the ea st and the B ay of ,

1 00 A L B A NI A PA S T A ND PRE S E N T
,

Ftelia in the s outh An international C ommission

, .

wa s app ointed to go to th e sp ot and determine the

ethnical characte r of the disput ed territory taking ,

m
the sp oken language a s the criterion of nationality .

A littl e later we shall f ollow this C om is sion on

,

its interesting and instructive but utterly u n gra t e ,

ful j ourney
,
.

IV . TH E S C U TA RI C RI S I S

The C onference of Ambas sadors had hardly

drawn the nort heastern b oundary line i e the Al ,
. .
,

banian S erbian Monteneg rin frontie r when there oc

- -

curred a new wa r crisis which brought still nearer

a general c on fl agra t ion than that of the pre ceding
N ovemb er .

On March 2 6 the C onference had already decided

,

that Scutari the capital of N orthern Albania wa s

, ,

t o b e included within the territory of the new p rin

cip alit y Two days late r a collective n ote of the
.
,

Great P owers b rought this de cision to the knowledge

of the S erbian and M ontenegrin government s which ,

were invited at the same time t o susp end the siege

, ,

of the city and withdraw t heir troop s S e rbia com .

plied immediately with the request of the P owers ,

but the K ing of Montenegro had s et hi s heart up on

occup yi ng the city As he p ersisted in b esieging
.

and b ombarding the city despite the remonstrance s ,

address ed to him by the European governments the ,

latte r re solved t o make a naval demonstration

against the M ontenegrin coa st By the 4 t h of April .
,

the combine d fleet blockaded the coast of M ontene

gro but King Nicholas p resuming on his weakn ess
, , ,

did not suspend his milita ry operations against S cu

tari .
1 02 A L B A NI A PA S T A ND PRE SE N T
,

of S cutari wa s given to Vice Admiral Sir C ecil Bur -

ney commander of the Europ ean fleet s which had

,

been blockading the M ontenegrin coa st .

N O TE

AL B A NI A AN D P RI N CE LI CH NOW SK I

View of th e great imp ortance attached to the

m
In
revelations of P rince L ich n owski Germany s a ,
’

b a s sa dor in the C onfe rence of L ondon ab out the ,

cause s of the outbreak of the great Europ ean war in

their relation t o the Albanian que stion it i s worth ,

while to devote a few lin e s t o the salient p oint s of

his statements in regard t o Albania .

P rince L ich n owski s knowledge of Al banian a f ’

fairs which he had be en called up on to cons ider as a

’

m
memb er of the C onference of Ambassadors i s sum ,

a ri z e d by himself in t h e p aragraph h e devotes

“ ”
to The Albania n P roblem ( Die Albanische
F rage )
“
I n t h e greater p art of Albania the civ ilization

m
is Greek The southern town s are entirely Greek
.
,

and when the C onference of A bas sadors wa s in

se ssion deputations from the la rger t owns came t o
,

L ondon for the purp o s e of se curing annexation t o

Greece I n Greece there are still Albanian groups
.
,

and the s o called Greek national dre ss it self i s of

-

Albanian o rigin The incorp oration of the Al .

banians of wh om the great maj ority are either

,

Orthodox Christians or Mo slems in the Greek State ,

wa s therefore the b e st solution I t wa s als o the

, ,
.

most natural if let us s ay Skutari and the northern

, , ,

part had b een as signed t o the S e rb s and M ontene

 A L B A NI A A ND PRI N CE L I CHNO WS K I 1 03

g r ins His M aj e sty als o wa s in favor of this s olu

.

” 1
tion on dyn a stic groun ds .

m
From this sh ort paragraph which is produced ,

here v e r ba t i one may form an op inion fo r onese l f ,

relative to the knowledge of P rince L ichn owski ab out

Albanian a ffairs ?
Of all thes e confus ed an d in
coherent phras es the one which goe s to the p oint
“
is that His Maj e sty als o wa s in favor of t h is solu
”
tion on dyn a s t i c g r oun ds This is the only clea r .

statement P rince Lichn owski advance s a s an a rgu

ment fo r the dismemberment of Albania among her

m
neighbors ; all the rest i s shee r nonsens e I n the .

clouded in d of the P rince A lbania i s Greek and

G reece is Albani a Yet the most sagacious argu .

ment in favor of the annexation of Alba ni a t o Gre ece

“
seems to be that the s o called Gre ek national dres s -

” “
it self is of Albanian origin and that in Gre ece ,

m
”
the re are still Albanian group s One ha s t o thank .

hi however , fo r recogniz ing that Albania i s in

,

h abite d by O rthodox Albanians and by M oslems al ,

though the P rince i s in doubt whethe r the M oslems

1 i p t i q ot d f om p m ph l t N o 1 2 7 of I t ti o l
Th s ar s u e r a e n ern a na
C o ili ti o titl d P i R v l ti o th y
.

“ ”
Li h ow ki
’
nc a n, en e r n ce c n s s e e a ns, as e
h v b t l t d f om t h G m by P of o M o Smith
of Col m
a e een r an s a e r e er an r ess r un r e
bi U iv ityu a n er s
imp i o m d by P i Li h ow ki k owl dg of t h
.

Th
’
2 e re s s n a e r n ce c n s s n e e e
Alb i q ti o o t h fli i l p t tiv of t h P ovi io l
Alb i G ov mt M h m d B y K o it i th d ib d b y
a n an u es n n e O c a re re se n a e e r s na

an an ern en e e e n sa , s us e scr e
h im l f
,

d m
se :

I
“
J n y of t h t ya n u ar I y oll g
a w t toear an c ea ue s en

vi it P i Li h ow k i i o d t o pl i A lb i j t l im
t o h im H g v mt h im p
’
s r n ce c n s n r er ex a n an a s us c a s

e a i o th t h k w m h mo bo t
e e e re s s n a e ne uc re a u

pl t M th h did of Alb i L t o G t
.

th e ane ars an e an a a er n, r ee c e sen a

t d d
.

g o p of it
r u g t o S i
s aE w G
en s y d t h C o f t o r y ar re an e n e ren ce sa

t h t th y w d l g t of S o t h Alb i
a e er e e e d d i d it
a es u an a an e s re s a nn ex
a ti o t o G n Am o g t hr eece m mb of t h Co f n th o ly e e er s e n er en c e , e n
wh o t ook t h i g ot q om dy i o ly w P i L i h ow
.

o ne s r es ue c e s er us as r nce c n

s ki B t v h d o ot p
u e en to h v
e b bl t o g p t h
es n a e ar a e ee n a e ra s e

g m t of t h ll d d g t p od d it i
.

ar u en o es e d h s h -
ca e e e a e s an e as re r u ce n

t h biz q t d b v A ”
e
p h arre o o T
r a s esh d i t i u R i w Sept 1 9 1 8
a e . e r a c ev e ,
e , .
1 04 A L B A NI A PA S T A ND PRE S E NT
,

o r the Chri stian s are in maj ority and although he ,

sup erimp ose s on Albania the Greek civilization .

“
Still one naturally fails to see why The incorp ora
tion of the Albanians of whom the maj ority is ,

ei t h e r O rthodox Christian or M oslem in the Greek ,

” “
State is the b est s olution or that it wa s also most
,

n a tural if l et u s s ay Skut a ri and the nort hern p art

, , ,

had been a ssigned t o the S erb s and M ontene

”
grins .

As to the deput ations from the larger towns of

S outhern Albania who went t o the C onference for,

the purp ose of securing annexation to Gre ece one ,

ha s t o admit that there are in S outhern Albania

enough Greeks to make up n ot only one deputation
or two but half a dozen deputations if the Greek ,

milita ry authoritie s had only s et their he arts up on

creating such agencie s of annexation .

F
RE E RE N C E S

DU RH A M , M E , Th e S t
r u gg e for S cu ar , Ch a l p t i
er s XI V XVI t -

i lb i P liti
. . .

L A M OU C H E , L
EO N , L a n a s s an ce de l E t a t a an a s , Ré v u e
’
o que
et P l m t i
ar e e n a re , Vol 8 0, pp 2 2 0—2 3 9 ( t h e os re ar a em t m k bl
ti l Alb i F l i ti
. .

ar c e on an a in t h e r e n ch a n gu a ge ; a con sc en ou s di s
ti
c u s s i on of t h e q u e s on of t h e fr on e r s ) ti
P l ti i
.

LU M O , S K E N DO , L a opu a on de l E pir e , Soph a , 1 9 1 5

’

P liti l F ti it
.

L P L
RO F
m AlbAlbi i
W , Type s of o ca
Y DE , ron er s i n E u rope ( w h
t i l J l Fb
. . .

s k e ch a p, a n a ) , G e ogra ph ca ou r n a , e r u ar y , 1 9 1 5
F dli tt A l
.

PE A C OC K , W A DH A M , a n a, t h e ou n n g S a e of E u r o e,
p pp e
X
t on , 1 9 1 4 , C h V
ti li m t
. .

Y O U N G , G E ORG E , N a on a s an d W ar i n t h e N e a r E a s , Ch VI I . .
1 06 A L B A NI A PA S T A ND PRE S E N T
,

rest of the territory wa s in the occupation either of

the B alkan allie s or the Turkish troop s the ques ,

tions which confronted the government were entirely

out of p rop ortion with the means at its disp osal .

The only s ource s of revenue the new gove rnment

could rely up on were the customs dutie s of the exp ort
and imp ort trade of the seap ort of Valona But .

the port wa s blockaded by th e Greek monit ors and ,

the blockade was n ot lifted till the month of April ,

1 91 3 T o make matters still worse the Greeks cut

.
,

the cable connecting Valona and through it Albania , ,

m
wi t h Europ e The p rov i sional capital and it s gov
.

e rn en t were thus cut entirely off from the re s t of

the wo rld and disheartening glo om now reigned

,

within and a round Valona .

The principal function of the government was t o

defend the right s of the Albanian nationality in the
eye s of the world which knew almost n othing about
them and which wa s being b ombarded by the mem
oranda a n d p ropaganda leaflet s of the B a lkan allies
“ ”
a ss erting their incontestable titles to the Alb a
n ian t erritories which they occupied or intended t o oc

cu p y But the luckle ss government wa s v irtually a

.

p ris one r within the walls of Val ona and the field wa s ,

free fo r the customary machinations and intrigue s

of the Balkan States N orth of the p rovisional cap
.

ital were the S erbian armies in th e s outh were the ,

Gre eks and in the ea st the re wa s camping at Fa rk

,

olla barely 2 0 miles away the army of Dj av id

, ,

P a sha the devastator of Albania ; the s e a was block

,

m
a ded by the Greek squadron The P rovisional Gov .

e rn en t was a gove rnment in n ame only The .

glo omy tensity of Valona wa s o nl y partially re lieved

late in D ecembe r when the yacht of the Duke of
,
 THE PRO VI SI ONA L G O VE RNME N T 1 07

Montpensie r F erdinand F ran cois of the Hous e

, ,

B ourbon Orl eans ran t h e blo ckade and entered the

-

p ort of Valona The Duke was wi lling to figu re as a .

candidat e fo r the throne of Albania ; but he wa s

speedily fo rgotten his candida cy being dista steful to ,

the P owe rs which were mainly inte rested in A l

,

banian a ffai rs Yet the Duke did cont ribute s ome

.
,

thing t o the caus e of Albania for a few days l ate r , ,

his yacht eluded again the vi gi lance of the b l ocka d

ing ship s and s afely landed on I talian s oil I smail
,

Kemal B ey t ogether with L ouis Gu rakuki Minis

, ,

ter of P ublic I nst r uction and I s a B ol at in the , ,

foremost chief of the Albanian insu rrection of 1 9 1 2

aga in st the Turks wh o had barely e scaped assas sin a ,

tion at the hands of the Serbians with whom h e had

been c oOp era t in g agains t the Turks at the beginning
of the Balkan war 1
All thre e Albanian leaders pro .

c e e de d to visit the various capitals of Europ e in

the e ff o rt t o win the sympathie s of the European

governments an d p e ople s in favor of Albanian in
dependence Their mis sion was h owever a failure
.
, , ,

for public opinion in Europ e had b een already in

censed by the scandalou s attitude of Austria and the ,

indignati on felt towards the latter p owe r wa s trans

ferred in equal degree to the caus e of Albania her
self .

II . I N TE RN A L RE F ORM S
W hile the C onference L ondon wa s merely wast of
1Th b v b t tt l y fo t t milit y l d w l t
e ra e, u u er un r un a e , ar ea er as a er
i t d by t h M o t g i i A p il 1 9 16 wh t h l tt
a ssa s s n a e e n en e r n s, n r en e a er

til y v ti g S t i i i w of t h pp o h i g A
, ,

w er e h as e ac u a n c u ar n V e e a r ac n us

ti
r an my U p t o t h tim of h i d th I B ol t i w b i g
ar e e s ea sa a n as e n
h ld i t i lt i v i
.
,

e
p a o b t
r s n er
y h M o g of t h e o of n en e r ns as a re s u e n as n
N o th r Alb i t h K i g of Mo t g o d t h S bi
er n an a e h d n n en e r an e er an s a

fooli h l ys d t k d i g t h Sp i g of 1 9 16
un er a en ur n e r n .
1 08 A L B A NI A PA S T A ND PRE S E N T
,

ing time in fruitle s s discus sions the P rovisional ,

G overn ment was confronted by pressing needs But .

a s eve ry thing depended from the decisions of the

diplomats as s embled at the B ritish F o reign O ffice ,

the P rovisional Government was als o condemned t o

inactivity and t o watching the growing desp ondency
of the Albanian p eople But the P owers had no care
.

fo r that .

By the month of April 1 9 1 3 the area over which

, ,

th e j urisdi ction of th e P rovisional Government ex

tended wa s considerably increa sed through the addi
tion of the territ orie s evacuated by the Serbians in
Central and in a part of N orthe rn Albania The
, ,
.

government proceeded n ow t o e stabl ish local au

t h or it ie s in th o se te rritorie s by the application of
a uniform administrative system founded on the ,

m
F rench p atte rn which wa s later superseded but not
, ,

changed t o any gre at extent by the new ad i n is ,

t r at iv e divi sion c ontaine d in the Organic L aw of

Albania which wa s drafted by the I nternational
,

C ommi s sion of C ontrol .

B ut t h e most intere sting fe ature in all the se at

tempt s was that g ove rnmental autho rity re sted ex
clu s iv el y on the p a tri otic inclination of the p eople

to help the national government in it s e fforts t oward

e stablishing authority in the country P resident A . .

L L owell of Ha rvard University very j udiciously

m
.

“
states in his excellent treatis e on the Gove rn ent
” “
of England that government means n ot action by
universal cons ent but compuls ory ob edience t o an
,

ultimat e authority Yet the Albanian p eople we re

.
’
,

not ob eying their gove rn ment out of compulsion for ,

the P rovisional Government had no me ans of com

pulsion none what s oever The government had no
,
.
1 10 A L B A NI A PA S T A ND PRE S E NT
,

the M o slem religion not s o much because of the ,

numerical sup eriority of the M oslem Alban ian s ove r

the rest a s becau se the Mo slem clergy had enj oyed
,

under the Turkish régime the highest p olitical p re

r oga t iv e s ; questions of marriage of divorce of , ,

inheritance and ab ove all of loyalty to the State

, , , ,

re sided entirely into the hands of the Mo slem clergy .

B e side s the M o slem ministe rs comp osed the highe st

,

m
m
j udicial court for the interp retation and application
of the Sacre d L aw ( the Sheriat ) of the Moh a e

m
dans whose supreme f ountain head i s the S h eikh
,
-

u l I s la
-
of C onstantinople who is j ust one degree ,

below the S ultan in autho rity How to unravel such .

an ungodly tangle in V iew of the lack of any military

f orce and what wa s more imp or t a nt as against the
, , ,

maj ority of the Albanian p e ople ?

As suredly it was not an easy ta sk when one looks
,

at the theocratical régime of the M oslem world and ,

when one realiz e s wha t a strong hold religion b e it ,

Chri stian ha s over the B alkan p e oples Nev er t h e

, .

le ss I smail Kemal B ey wh o had in the meantime

, , , ,

returned from his trip to Europe proceeded t o free ,

the country from Mo slem religious d omination T o .

begin with h e cut the b ond of religious allegiance

,

t o the Sheikh ul I slam of C onstantinople by the in

- -

s t it u t i on of an ind ependent M ohammedan Church in

Albania through the app ointment of a supreme head

,

of the M o slem religion in the p e rson of a patriotic

M oslem Muf t i ( equivalent t o a rchbishop ) of Alba ,

nian n a tionality Shortly afte r the jurisdiction of

.
,

the M oslem religious o fficials over civil ca se s wa s

transferred t o the civil courts 1
This wa s done .

1 Th er e i s a s ay n g a i mo g t h
n e Tu r k s t o t he e ff ec t th ta
“
wh en you
a re i j
n ure d by t h e d
Ka i ( t h e re ligi o us Mos l em j dg
u e ) you c an l odg
e
 THE S OU T E H A S TE RN B O U ND A RY C OMMI S S I ON 111

without any protest on the part of the M oslem p e pu

lation which ha s b een reputed to b e su p e r fan at ical in
regard to the M osl em religion .

But the work of religious refo rm had t o stop at

that p oint The pre rogative s of the R oman Cath
.

olic and Orthodox churches could not at pre sent be

touched upon on a ccount of the C atholic districts ,

b eing outside the j uri sdiction of the P rovi sional

Gove rn ment and of the p ending que stion of the e v a c
,

u a t i on of S outhern Albania which wa s s till occupied ,

by t h e Greeks .

Still in its desire to improve the administration

,

of justice the government of Valona introduced the

,

j ury system in criminal ca se s with notable succe s s .

III . TH E S OU T H EA S TE RN B O U N DA RY C O M M I SS I O N

Wh ile the Govern ment wa s striving to P rovisional

consolidate the new p rincipality and set it afoot for
the arrival of th e S overeign P rince wh o wa s to be
elected by the six Great P owers the governments of ,

the latter were slowly and half heartedly p roceeding -

to designate the memb ers of the I nternational Com

n o co m pl i t b t h d i i o of t h K di i fi
a n
”
eca u s e l B t d e ec s n e a s na u ur

fi t m o th of t h Alb i i d p d th i f mo
.
,

i g th
n e rs n s e an a n n e en en c e s a us

sa yi g wh i h h d b
n ctl y p t d i Alb i w h o
a e en c ur r en re ea e n an a , as s rn

m i g I lgl wh i h i iq i t h l of
,

of i t s ea n n n a e a case , c s un ue n e an n a s

I l mi m t h d f d t wh o pp d b fo t h ivil t ib l of
.

s a s e e en an a ea r e e re e c r un a

V l o w o ot h th t h h ith t o l l p w f l M fti ( Mo
,

l m li gi o
a na as n ne er an e er a -

o er u u s

e re offi i l h oldi g t h
us k of h bi h op d p fo mi g
c a n e r an a rc s an er r n

th eh i gh t j di i l f es tio i t h p ovi d i g t h T k i h
u c a un c n n e r n ce ur n e ur s

régim ) Th M fti wh o o ld ot b l g ll y it d b fo
e e u y ivil c u n e e a c e e re an c

t w om p ll d b y t h p of p bli opi i o
.
,

co ur as c e e to pp e re s s u r e u c n n a ea r

d f d t b fo t h C i il T ib l of V l o t w
,

as e en an e Th
re o e v r un a a na e c ur as

owd d o th t d y b y p t t o wh o gl o t d ov t h p t l of
.

cr e n a a s ec a rs a e er e s ec a c e

i g fo t h fi t tim M fti K di
see n r e ig d Th m jo ity of
rs e a u -
a a rr a ne e a r

p t to Alb i wh o h d tl y t d f om t h
.

th e s w
ec a rs ere an a n s a r e c en r e u rn e r e

U it d S t t
n e Th M fti w
a es o d m d d h d t o w ll ow i
e u as c n e ne an a s a n
il t h bitt ill idi d t t
.

s en c e
p T he p g j g
er w o o h h t h e r es n u e as n ne er an e
w it
.

r er .
1 12 A L B A NI A PA S T A ND PRE S E N T
,

mission which was to a ssign and d elimit the south

ea stern b oundary of the Albanian State I t t ook .

several month s for the European governments t o

find the prop er persons who would act in strict con
formity with their orders in delimiting the frontier ,

o r rathe r the proper p ers on s who would be most

avers e to as signing to Albania what wa s hers by
lending thems elves t o the farcical comedies of the
Greek milita ry authoritie s who were occupying thes e
te rrito ries As evidence of this the fact may b e
.
,

cited that the F rench Government s ele cted its consul

at Volo s Gre ece a s a membe r of the C ommis sion
, ,
.

I n reality it s eemed as if the P owers we re alre a dy

,

tired of the comedy of profe ssing that they we re in

t e r es t e d in the welfare of th e future princip ality ,

once th e menace of a general c on fl agrat i on had b een

averted .

Afte r seve ral month s of shee r procrastination the ,

P owers app ointed finally the C ommissioners at the ,

urgent entreaties of the P rovisional Gove rnment

which had repeatedly warn ed the P owers in regard
to th e ever grow ing agitation among the Albanian
-

people in cons equence of the inhuman treatment in

fl ict e d by the Greek s on the conquered p opulation r e ,

p ort s of which were coming in daily through the

arrival at Valona of refugee s from S outhern
Albania .

L ate in S eptembe r 1 9 1 3 the I nte rn ational Com

, ,

mission proceeded to Salonica and thence t o M on

astir where it sp ent another mont h in idlenes s in
, ,

o rde r to enable the P owe rs to blackmail the Al

banian government wi th a view t o s ecuring s ome
very coveted conce ssion s through the fear they in
spired of su sp ending the op erations of the B oundary
1 14 A L B A NI A PA S T A ND PRE S E N T
,

G reece , h oweve r they proved to be more zealou s

,

than wa s neces s ary and thus they S poiled the wh ole

farce at the very end .

L et us say first a few words ab out the material

and then ab out the actors .

According to the decision of the Amba s sadors the ,

B oundary C ommission had to determine the ethnical

characte r of the pe opl e and of the territo ry they oc
cu p i e d on the basis of the sp oken language I t may .

not b e admitted that langu age is a s afe criterion

of nationality b u t in V iew of the milita ry occupation
,
r
,

of the country by the troop s of the very government

whi ch claimed those territorie s no other criterion ,

could be re s orted t o Wh at is still more imp ort ant .

,

h oweve r i s the fact that the Albanian is known a s

,

m
such primari ly b ecau se he speaks Albanian the ,

tongue which he has pre served from im emorial

time s M ore ove r the Albanians have neve r be en
.
,

able to imp o se their language on any of their neigh

b ors s o that no mistake can be made in that r e
,
[

spec t .

A s a matt er of fact it wa s universally known that ,

the language sp oken in S outhern Albania is A l

banian But the p oint that was not so well kno wn
.

wa s that the Ch ri stian Orthodox Albanians of this

region a s well a s those of Central Albania had t o
, ,

send their children to Gre ek scho ols becau se of the

ban which weigh ed on the Albanian langu age 1
.

C onsequently the part of the male p opulation which

h a d had s ome kind of education in th e G reek schools
wa s able t o understand or in some instances t o , ,

mumble the Greek language There were of course .

, ,

a numb e r of p ers ons who had receiv ed a hi gher edu

1 S ee a b ov e,
p.5 8 .
 H
THE S O UT EA S TE RN B O U ND RY C OMMI SS I O N A 115

cation in the Greek langu age s uch as was given ,

in the Gymn asia of Janina and Korcha 1

who ,

were able to sp eak fairly well in Gre ek I t wa s .

natural on the other hand that the se G reek school s

, ,

turned out a numbe r of spell b ound victims of the -

memorie s of P ericle s of the giants of Marathon , ,

and of all the glory that ancient Hella s had seen .

B ut the romantic enthusia sm of the se Greek stricken -

graduat e s would u sually cool off at their maturity ,

or a s a result of a j ourney to Gre ece wherein they ,

had an opp ortunity of gauging the distance and the

racial and moral qualifications which di fferentiate

m
the age s of P ericles and S ocrate s from the modern
Greek B ut a s the annual output of these two G y
.

nasia neve r exce eded a dozen the number of thes e

a ncient Greek ph a ntoms was infinitesimal in propor
- -

m
tion to the p eople who were gravely shaking their
heads in rega rd to the mental sanity of the se e d i r
ers of bygone days ?

Such was the mate rial with which the Gree k mili
tary authorities had to build the stage L et it be .

said to their credit that they did very well to a ce r

, ,

tain extent .

W hat they did wa s thi s

I n their z eal to p re sent t o the I nternational Com
mission an entirely Greek speaking p opulation the -

Greek authoritie s saw to it that only G reek speaking -

p eople b e allowed t o circulate in the streets during

the pa s sage of or t o come into contact with the
, ,

C ommis sion I n place s where no Greek speaking

.
-

pers ons could be had Greek colonists and refugee s ,

from Asia Minor imported a d h oc were to figure as

1 it
Th e wr er i s a gra u a e of t h e Gy d t m i m
nas u of K orch a
il d d i
.

“ ”
2 B ra s for , Ma ce on a , p 2 5 2 . .
116 A L B A NI A PA S T A ND PRESE NT
,

native s The re st of the p opulation all the women

.
, ,

children and men who could not speak Greek a s

, ,

well a s the M oslem p opulation were confi ned within ,

their p remise s under guard .

Afte r disp osing of the linguistic que stion the ,

Greek authorities p roceeded t o the real setting of

the stage An ordinance was i ssued whereby pe ople
.

were ordered t o camouflage their citie s towns , ,

and houses through the application on the walls

,

of blue and white p ainting i e the Greek national

- -

,
. .
,

colo rs All signs of store s and shop s had als o t o

.

undergo this curiou s t reatment in all ca se s under ,

the heavie st p enaltie s of which beating t o death wa s ,

the usual constitutional p enalty in cas e of non con -

formity with the ordinance A s a complement t o .

m
the ab ove mentioned pre scription people were like , ,

wis e earne stly recom ended t o wear as much blue

,

and white as was p os sible I mpris onment and exile

-

were th e punishments inflicted on the unfortunate

one wh o inadvertently we r e any black and red col - -

o red ga rment o r ne cktie ( the Albanian national

colors ) .

The third move of the Greek authorities wa s t o ter

r or iz e and cow the p opulation The pris ons of .

K orcha Janina Florina Salonica and of othe r Gree k

, , ,

citie s were crowded with prisoners from the place s

which were t o b e visited by the C ommis sion The .

avowe d Albanian patriots had e arlie r found place s

in the damp dunge ons of the former Turkish pris
ons which were now honored by Greek guards .

2 . Th e I n ciden t of B or ova
All this was d on e with the purp ose of imp re ssing
the C ommis sion with the Greek ch aracter of the
118 A L B A NI A PA S T A ND PRE S E N T
,

1 11 addition still further increased by the excessive

,

us e of the blue and white p ainting infuriated the

- -

Gre eks and made them change their tactics As .

it p roved imp o ssible to shut the mouths of the whole

people many of whom found a way of communi
,

cating with the membe rs of the C ommis sion to whom

they denounced th e masquerade the Greek au t h ori ,

ti e s had recours e to violence They let lo os e on the .

trails of the C ommi ssion a wild band of the notori

ou s G reek irregulars p rofes sional des p e ra does t o , ,

S hadow the C omm ssion eve rywhere

i
and t o sh out ,
“ ”
d t u e t et e
-
Union or death !
,
The glorious a chieve

m
ments of this b a nd are fortunately recorded in the
O ffici al P ro ceedings of th e C om ission .

I t wa s thus that the Gre eks tried to get rid of the

C omm i ssion altogethe r when they realized that thei r ,

farce was t o o grote sque not to have made a distaste

ful impre s sion on t h e European delegate s C e nse .

quently when the C ommi ssion arrived at B orova in

, ,

the province of Kolonia the new Greek plan wa s ,

put into operation On reaching the latter locality

.
,

the C ommis sioners who had already began t o feel

,

weary of the comedy s ought to get in direct t ouch ,

with the inhabitants One of them knocked at the .

d oor of a house which had been de signated at ran

,

d om a s the place from which the investigation wa s t o

b egin Unfort unately for the G reeks that p ar t icu
.
,

lar hou se happ ened t o be the one in which they had

interned all the inhabitants wh o could not speak
Greek The Greeks realized that the moment had
.

come for the entire up setting of their organization .

W hen the delegate again rep eated the knocks the ,

ins eparable band which had been watching the move

ments of the C ommission threatened t o sho ot the ,
 THE S O U T HE A S TE RN B O U ND A RY C O MM I S S I O N 1 19

delegate unle s s he de sisted from his intention of

,

ent ering the h ouse .

The s candalou s in terference of the band with the

work of the Commis sion convinced the delegate s that
there was nothing t o b e d one but t o su spend alto
gether their op eration s S o they did and informed
.
,

their resp ective governments of the imp ossibil ity of

carrying out their mis sion As a re sult the B ritish .
,

government propo sed that the C ommis sion should

p roceed t o delimit the frontiers with the aid of the
map tak i ng into consideration only economical and
,

ge ographical re a sons The Greeks threatened t o

.

b oycott B ritish commerce but the P owers accepted ,

the prop o sal .

The C ommis sion proceeded then t o Florence ,

I taly and finished its work in D ecemb e r 1 9 1 3 with

, , ,

the a s sistance of the Geographical I nstitute of that

city I t as signed t o Albania the two disputed prov
.

in c e s or sandj aks of K or cha and A rg hy r oca s t r o in ,

accordance with the o ri ginal expectation of the C on

ference of the Amba ssadors But in order to cripple .

the only line of communication of S outhern Albania

between the sea and the mainland a small part of ,

the road wa s left within the territory a ssigned t o

m
Greece The boundary line left als o out side of A l
.

bania the district of Tch a ou ri a which is inhabited ,

by a compact Albanian p opulation of the M oslem

creed though thi s wa s the fault of the C onference
,

rather than of the C ommis sion .

The matter wa s ended neverthele ss s o fa r a s the

, ,

C ommi ssion was concerned But the que stion of .

S outhern Albania had yet t o go through many vicis

s it u de s and had finally t o become the gangrene
,

which p ois oned the wh ole life of the frail p rincipality

120 A L B A NI A PA S T A ND PRE S E NT
,

and whi ch b rought it to an untimely and inglo ri ou s

end as will b e s een a little late r
,
.

IV
. DI SI N TE GRA TI O N
Meanwhil e s ome very imp ortant event s had taken
,

place within the fre e te rritory of Albania t o which ,

we now turn our attention .

M ore than a yea r had elap sed since the declaration

of independenc e and the recognition of the ant ono
mou s principality of Albania B ut a s yet none of.
, ,

the vital que stions on the settlement of which de

pended the existence of the new State had been re
solved P e ople b egan t o grow re stle s s and agitated
. .

They now accused the government of I smail K emal

B ey of being utte rly incomp etent to grapple with
tho s e ques tions .

Two occurrence s had p articularly exasp erated the

p e ople At t h e time when the I nte rnational C om
.

mis sion fo r the delimitation of the s outhea stern

frontie r wa s sp ending a month at M onastir in idle ,

ne s s variou s financial g roup s we re exercising a

,

p owerful influence ove r the government of Valona

with the V iew of s ecuring conce ssions They had .

pa rticularly s et their hea rt s up on obtaining a con

cession to found th e N a t i on al A l ba n ian B an k I t .

wa s intimated to the government that t h e C ommi s

s ion would not st a rt on its mi ssion b efore th e sign

ing of the contract I t is not surp rising then that

.
, ,

th e government h ad t o yield t o this p res sure by

granting the conces sion t o a group of Austrian and

m
m
I talian bankers wh o were resp ectively rep re senting
the Wi en er B an k Ver ein and the B an ca C o e r ci a l e
’
d I t a li a The mos t obnoxiou s privilege included in
.

the conce ssion was the right given to the s o called -

122 A L B A NI A PA S T A ND PRE S E N T
,

And if they were forced to by th e P owe rs they ,

would leave b ehind o nl y ruins and deva station .

They would take along with them the Chri stian

p opulation in order to Show to Europ e that thes e
,

p o or p e ople p referr ed to leave their hearths rather

than submit themselve s to the Albanian gove rnment .

m
As fo r the M oslems the Greek o fficial s openly de
,

c l a r e d that it would be b ett er fo r them t o igrat e

b efore it was to o late .

The se rep ort s cau sed consternation among the

m
p e ople B ut Europ e wa s indolent even sarcastic
.
, ,

and the govern ent of Valona p owerle s s .

There app eared now on the stage for th e second ,

time the figure of E s sad P a sha t o wh om public

, ,

opinion a s crib ed the myste rious surrender of Sen

tari ( pp 1 00— 1 02 )
. Thi s time he stepp ed forwa rd a s
the s avio r of Albania Taki ng advantage of the
.

p opular discontent against the government of I smail

Kemal B ey he rallied around him the discontented
, ,

esp ecially a group of nationalists and set up a new ,

government at Durazz o with the avowe d aim of over

,
“ ”
throwing the rotten government of Valona and
placing in it s stead a strong national government .

But n o so one r had he strengthened hi s p o sition

,

than h e expelled hi s unwelcome collaborators the ,

nationalists and made his gove rnment a bas e in st ru

,

ment of hide ous intrigu es b y enlisting the supp ort

,

of the worst reactionarie s .

I n view of thes e condition s the government of ,

I smail K emal B ey notified the P owers that h e wa s

no longer able t o ma ste r the situation owing to the ,

lack of mean s neces sary t o enforce the authority of

th e government and t o t h e p opular exasperation r e
,

su l t in g from th e dilato rines s of the P owe rs relative

 L
THE E E C TI ON OF THE PRI NCE 1 23

to the realiz a tion of the legitimate wishe s of the Al

banian p eople who had by this time b ecome ve ry
,

re stless He als o earnestly urged the P owers to

.

p rovide Alb ania with her P rince who s e timely ar

rival could only re store the confidence of the people
in the b enevolence of Europ e .

V
. TH E E L E C TI O N OF TH E PRI N C E
The Europ ean governments entered therefo re , ,

into negotiations with the view to electing th e rule r

of the new p rincipality in accordance with the ,

decision of the C onference of Ambassadors which

had provided that the P rince of Albania wa s t o be
a Europ ean elected by the great P owers .

A long li st of candidates wa s already before the

Europ ean governments and more than one of the se
,

candidate s would have p roved an able rule r for the

di stre s s ed pri ncipality But the P owers were u n
.

able t o agree on any one of them ; they therefore , ,

left the matte r of the election exclusively in the hand s

of Au stria and I taly the two State s which were
,

mainly intere sted in Albania I na smuch however .

, ,

a s a bitter rivalry of the most acute form had in the

meantime developed b etween them it appeared that ,

they were holding diametrically oppo sed views a s to

the person of the would b e P rince E ach P ower wa s
-
.

stubb ornly supporting it s own candidate .

There wa s s ome t a lk fo r a while of advo cating the

, ,

candidacy of a M oslem P rince Ahmed Fuad P asha ,

of E gypt a distant de scendant of Mehmed Ali P a sha

,

m
( p
. 4,
6 note ) But.his candidacy was early s et a side
by the gove rn ent of Valona the P re sident of ,

which , I smail Kemal B ey formally declared that Al

,

bania mean t t o b e a European State and that the ,

1 24 A L B A NI A PA S T A ND PRE S E N T
,

Albanians particularly the Mohammedans would b e

, ,

sho cked by the e stablishment of a p olygamous harem

in the P alace which wa s to re ceive the succes s or of
Geo rge C a s t ri ot a S canderb eg .

A s Au stria and I taly were unable to come t o an

agre ement on any of the advertised candidate s the ,

matte r wa s ended by an a rrangement which p roved

in the end to be the wo rst of compromi s es W hen .

the Alb ani ans we re spe culating on the election of

the b ette r known candidates such a s the Duke of ,

M ontpensie r of the H ous e of B ou rb on O rl eans and -

othe rs a rep ort wa s suddenly spread that a hitherto

,

unknown P rince W illiam of W ied wa s considered

, ,

a s the most likely candidate and before the Alba

’

nian p eopl e were given a chance to learn anything

ab out his pe rs onality it wa s offi cially announced on, ,

December 3 1 9 1 3 th at the P rince of W ied had been

, ,

already elected t o the Albanian throne A few days .

later hi s aunt Queen Elisabeth of R oumania the

, , ,

lamented p oete ss C armen Sylva launched the candi ,

d a cy of the unknown P rince by the publication of a

high s trung eulogy be aring the title W h o is He ?
-
“ ”

whi ch was spread broadca s t in an e ffe ctive Al b anian

translation .

I t was lea rned now that the P rince wa s a captain

in the P russian army that his e state s were situated ,

at N euwied Rhenish P ru ssia that he wa s 35 years

, ,

old at that time and that s ome five yea rs ago he had
,

m
married a very intelligent and ambitiou s P rince s s ,

S ophia of W al de b u rg Saxony ,
.

I t i s unne c e ssary t o dwell at any length on the

m
p rop osition that owing t o the critical conditions of
,

Albania t o the inherent weakne s s which wa s i

,

parted t o he r by the irr econcilable views of the

 C HA P TER XI

I NTE RNA TI O NA L I NTE RRE G NU M

I . TH E C O M M I SS I O N OF C O N TROL

ON E of the main provisions whi ch the C onference

of the Ambas sadors had made in regard t o Al bania
wa s that the Albanian government be a s sociated for
a p eri od of ten years with a b ody rep res enting the

m
m
s ix Great P owers This b ody was t o be an I n t ern a
.

t i on a l C o i s s i on of C on t r ol which should consist

of a delegate of the grade of C onsul General from
,
-

e ach of the P owe rs and of an Albanian rep res en t a

m
tive .

The main functions of the C o mis sion were : to

a ssist on the on e hand the Albanian government in
, ,

o rganizing the country and t o control on the ot he r

, ,

hand the financial op eration s of the new State s o

, ,

a s t o check any unnece ssary expenditure s and in , ,

general t o sup ervi se the administration The idea

,
.

of the e stablishment of such a control was p rob

ably suggested by the already existing I nte rnational
C ommission of Financial C ontrol which had been
op erating in Greece S ince the latter s unfort u nate ’

war of 1 8 9 7 and he r ensuing financial di ffi culties .

m
m
Very sanguine exp ect a tion s were entertain ed by
the action of the I n t ern a t i on al C o i s s i on of C on

m
t r ol for A lban ia — such wa s its full o ffi cial title ,

but all of them were de e ed to bitter disapp oint

126
 THE RE TI RE ME N T OF THE GO VE RNME N TS 127

ment I nstead of a s sistin g th e Albanian govern

.

ment the C ommission in many ways hampered its

, , ,

a ctions I t must b e said h oweve r that the fault

.
, ,

wa s not in herent t o th e nature of the institution but ,

to the fact that its memb ers acted on almo st every ,

o ccasion in st rict accord ance with the orders of

,

their re sp ective gove rn ment s the views of which ,

m
we re known to be hopele ssly confl icting M oreove r .
,

in the meetings of the C o mi s sion nearly every

question ha d t o b e decided s o t o sp eak on pa r ty , ,

lines : on the one side sto od the delegates of the P e w

ers of the T ri ple Alliance and on the othe r thos e ,

of T riple E ntente I n j u stice to Great B ritain

.

and to her delegate M r Harry L amb it must b e

, .
,

said howeve r that the attitude of the latter wa s an

, ,

exception to the rule and that M r L amb always ex

, .

e rc i s ed benefici a l influence in favo r of the new State ,

to which he rendered the mos t inval uable s ervi ce s .

Still th e Commi ssion played a ve ry imp ortant

,

r 61e in Albanian p olitics .

II . TH E RE TIR E M E N T O F TH E G OVE RN M E N TS OF

ALB A N I A

W ith the e stablishment of the government of Es

sad P asha at Durazz o the numbe r of the govern,

ments that were ruling over the s everal p rovince s

m
of Alb ani a were thre e Fi rst in p riority wa s the
.

P r ov is i on a l G ov ern en t of Va l on a
m
The s econd wa s .

the I n t ern a t ion a l A d in is t r a t i on of S cu t a ri with ,

m
the B ritish Vice Admi ral Sir C ecil Bu rney at th e
-

head Th e third was the G ov e rn en t of E s s a d

.

P a s ha which wa s set up a s exp l ained ab ove in con

, , ,

s equence of th e p opular dis a ff e ction to wards the

gove rnment of I smail K emal B ey and of the agita
128 A L B A NI A PA S T A ND PRE SE NT
,

tion of the nationalists for the establishment of a

more p rogre s sive and moderniz ed system .

I n V iew of this proce s s of disintegration I smail ,

Kemal B ey informed the I nternational C ommis sion

of C ontrol that he wished t o retire with his whole ,

Ministry in case the Commis sion wa s disp osed t o

,

as sume the administration of the whole of Albania

by bringing ab out her unification unde r a single
government .

A s a matter of fact the situation had already b e,

m
come untenable The country wa s in feverish ex
.

c it e en t on account of the event s taking place in

S outhe rn Albania ( see infra I II ) f oreign agents , ,

and p ropagandists were exasp erating the p opulation

still more and gene ral ne r vousnes s eve rywhere p re
,

vailed But th e government had no means either

.
,

financial or military ; it s p olice force consiste d of

only 2 00p oorly equipp ed and p o o rly supp orted gen
darme s who we re exp ected to pre se rve o rder over
an area of approximately square miles and ,

over a population of nearly a million souls .

m
Anothe r startling event shattered to piece s the
miserable remn ant s of govern ental auth ority On .

January 9 1 9 1 4 there wa s discovered at Valona a

, ,

Turkish plot which had b een hatched at C onstanti

,

n opl e
. A Maj or of the Turkish army B ekir A g ha ,

G r e b en a ly native of S outhern Macedonia arrived

, ,

at Valona with th e avowed purp os e of returning to

his native region A retinue of fifty men who rep
.
,

res ented thems elve s as refugee s desirin g t o return

m
to their home s wa s to follow the Maj or B ut a s it
,
.
,

wa s su sp ected that the re wa s s omething more i

p ortant behind that innocent intention B ekir Agha ,

and his comp anions were arr e sted and b rought b e

1 30 A L B A NI A PA S T A ND PRE SE N T
,

s olved by the end of January A few days later the .

,

C ommi ssion requeste d E s sa d P a sha to imitate the

action of I smail K emal B ey H e refused t o do s o .
,

at first but eventually wa s persuaded to resign on

,

the condition that h e should pre side over the Alba

nian deputation which went to N euwied at the end
, ,

of Feb ruary to o ffer the crown of Albania to the

,

m
P rince elect
-
.

Albania wa s now united under a S ingle a d inistra

tive b ody for through the a s sumption of the govern
, ,

mental p ower by the C ommission of C ontrol the I n ,

t ern at ion al Admini stration of Scutari came to an

end and Vice Admiral B urney handed his authority
,
-

m
ove r t o the Albanian gove rn or who wa s app ointed by
th e C om i s sion .

The I nternational I nterregnum la sted from the

end of January t o March 7 of the same year ,

III . A U TO N O M O U S E PI RU S
The main reas on why the Albanian s acquie sced
quietly in the matter of the election of the P rince of
W ied was the exp ectation that the future ruler would
force the hand of the P owers regarding th e settle
ment of the evacuation of S outhern Albania on the
pa rt of the G reek troop s I t wa s rightly thought.

that th e P rince would have the elementa ry wisdom

to reque st Europ e t o comp el th e retirement of the
foreign armie s from h is realm by refusing t o accept ,

the Crown or t o go to Al bania in th e mi dst of such

unsettled conditions A s a matter of fact this wa s
.
,

the only way of ending the dispute in view of the ,

evasions and exceptions which the Greek gove rn

ment was clearly intending to m ak e in the matte r .

The even t ual ex ertion of such an influence on the

 A UTONOMO US E PI RUS 1 31

part of the P rince wa s fore seen by the government

of King C onstantine which hastened t o prepare and
’

execute th e new coup de t heci t r e alluded to ab ove ,

(p . The government of Athens foun d als o an

m
othe r source of anx i ety in the a ssumption of the gov

m
e rn en t al authority in Albania by the I nte rnation al

C om i s sion of C ontrol whi ch in th e opinion of the ,

Greek Cabinet might eventually mean a collective

,

action on the part of the P owe rs to ej ect the Greek

troop s from S outhern Albania .

W hen the Albanian deputation was on it s way to

Neuwied the Gre ek government shifted the r es p on
,

s ib il it y of the evacuation t o an irre sp onsible— irre

sp onsible as fa r a s th e P owers we re concerned but ,

m
strictly re sp onsible in regard t o the Cabinet of

m
At hens — cli qu e of for e r Gre ek o ffi cials which as
“

m
sumed the name of P r ov is i on a l G ov ern en t of
A u t on o ou s E p i ru s The head of this s e called
.
-

government wa s M C h rist aki Zograph os f or me r .

,

Minis ter of F oreign Aff airs for Gree ce who se family ,

happened t o have migrated from S outhern Albania

t o Greece s eve ral de cad e s b efore 1
The Ministe r of
F oreign A fi a ir s of th e s ame b ody was M K arap an os .
,

memb e r of the Greek Chamber of D eputie s from

A rta and M D ou lis C olonel of the Royal Greek
'

, .
,

Army was Ministe r of W a r

m
.
,

T hi s cama rill a now assumed th e entire a d in is

t r a t ion of th e territorie s which had b een as signed to
Albania A p art of the G reek army was withdrawn
.
,

as a make believe by the gove rnment of Athens but

-

, ,

the bulk of it wa s left unde r the command of C olonel

1 ll i
I n 19 1 5 , fo ow n g t h e ex pu l io
s n of M Ven iz e l os b y K i ng C on
b m i M i n i s t er of For e i gn Aff a i r s
.

st a n t in e , M Z ogr aph os
. ec a e ag a n
for G reece .
1 32 A L B A NI A PA S T A ND PRES E N T
,

D ou lis , with all its ammunitions and war material ,

afte r the royal insigni a had b een removed from the

uniforms of the s oldiers and o ffi ce rs The army .

thus metamorp hos ed wa s n ow baptized with the

“ ”
name of E p ir ot s I t wa s als o reé n f orc e d by the
.

addit ion of a numbe r of savag e C reta n bands pro 1

,

f e s si on al des p e r a does and loot ers whos e duty wa s t o ,

terrify the p opulation into abj e ct submis sion L ate r .

on this army was furthe r increas ed th rough the

,

forcible incorp or a tion of the native Christian Alba

n ian s .

Wh en thes e p rep arations were completed the ,

2

government of Athens informed the Europ ean Cab

i n e t s that out of deference t o the decision of the
,

P owers the royal tro op s were b eing withdrawn from

,
”—
N orthern Epirus this is the official name the
Greeks made use of henceforth to de signate S outh
e rn A lbania But even that small fraction of the
.

tro ops wa s not withdrawn till afte r the Greek au

t h ori t i es had p erformed an arch aeolo g ical ceremony
which shows t o what ridiculous exce s s es the cabal
of Gre e k Epirus wa s carried On the eve of the .

sham evacuation the Gre e k authoritie s planted ,

deep int o the s oil a number of stones on which they

wrote Greek ins criptions— in ancient G re ek of ,

course —s o that they may create a new title t o their

,

claims on S outhern Alba n ia when the se twentieth ,

century antiquities come to light eithe r by the direct ,

action of the Greeks in cas e they should return as ,

they hop ed to o r through excavations ca rried on by

,

s ome credulou s archaeologist .

1P l D eb t ( H o “ of Comm o ) Vol 6 5 pp 5 6 6 1 3
ar a es u se ns —

m A t o omo i d ly l i d
.
. , .
, , .

m
2 Th e f r a e u p -
of u n us Ep ru s is u exp a n e in
M . L ’
L a ou ch e s
. ar ti l
c e ( s ee re fe r e n ce a t t he en d of th i h pt
s c a er ) .
1 34 A LB A NI A PA S T A ND PRESENT
,

Epiru s are armed with machine guns and modern

r ifle s ; and whethe r thi s is against the wishe s of the
Hellenic Government ?
S I R E DW ARD G RE Y — I have no information a s t o
.

the exact nature or s ource of the arms in the p os se s

sion of the P rovisional Government of Epiru s The .

G reek G overnment have disclaimed all re sp onsibility

in the matter 1
.

m
M r S TE W AR T a sked the S ecretary of State for F or
.

e ign A fi a ir s whether in View of the ad is sion of

the Greek Minister a t Durazz o that the Cretan crim
in a l s are now in Epi ru s he can say wh o is r esp onsi
,

ble for the releas e of the s e pris oners ; and if he can

make repre s entation s t o the Hellenic Government to
a sk them t o withdraw the s e criminals from Albania .

M r G I B B S a sked the S ecretary of State for F oreign

.

A ffairs if he has any o fficial o r u n ofli cial informa

tion of the numb er of Cretan s landed in the last
month at Aya Saranda ( Santi Quaranta ) ?
S IR E DW ARD GRE Y —I have n o information on the
.

subj ect from any s ource ?

M r S H IR L EY B E N N a sked the S ecretary of State

.

for F oreign Afi air s W hether he W ill a scertain if the

Greek G overnment p rop ose t o hold M r D ou l i s com .
,

mander of t h e Epirote forces resp onsible for past ,

ma s sacre s of Albanians ?
Mr A C L A N D ( Under S ecretary of State for F or
.
-

e ign A ffairs ) I have b een informed by the Greek

.
-

G overnment that C olonel D oul is ha s b een struck off

the list of o fficers of the Greek army He is there .

fore n o longe r resp onsible to them 3

.

3
1m ,

.
b t
Fa r ] D e a e s,
. H
ou s e of Co
Vol 6 5 , p 6 1 3
.

.
.

I bi d , Vol 6 5 , p 7
. .
.
mm on s, Vol 6 3 , p 1 9 6 1
. . .
 A U TONO MO US E PI RUS 1 35

F
RE E RE N C E S

L U MO SRE N DO L A fl ir de l Epi Sofi a 1 9 1 5

’ ‘

a e
’
re,

L A M OU C H E LEO N L a n i n ce d l Et t lb n i v P olitiqu e
.
, , ,

a ssa e
’
a a a a s, Re ue
l m t i Vol 8 0 1 9 1 4 pp 2 2 0—2 39
, ,

et P ar e en a r e,
H it ti Alb i Fo t igh tl y vi
. .
, , .

WO ODS , . C H A RL E S , Th e S u a on i n an a , r n Re ew,

Vol . 1 01 , pp 4 6 0
.
—4 7 2 , M ar ch , 1 9 1 4 .
 CHA P TER X I I

TH E RE I G N OF P RI NC E W I LL I A M

I . TH E F IRS T S TE PS
ON March 7 , 1 9 1 4 , the P rince of W ied and his con
s ort , H er edi t a ry S ov er eig n P rin ce of A l ban ia, landed
at Durazz o from the Austrian yacht Tau ru s , which
was su rrounded by the battleship s of the Great P ow
e rs amidst the thunde ring gunfire of the wa rship s
,

and of the fortre s se s of the provisional capital which ,

s ounded wide and far the advent of the little nation

to the rank of a s overeign indep endent State and ,

amid st the frenzie d acclamation s of the Albanian

p eople During that sup reme moment of deliriou s
.

happines s the pa st present and future misfortune s

, ,

of the p e ople and of t h e country were entirely lo st

sight of I n the p ers on of the P ri nce the Albanians
.

hailed with s ob s and tears the succe ss o r of Scan

, ,

de rb eg no matte r who h e was and how obscure his

,

o rigin and manne r of electi on C orre sp ondents of .

m
foreign newspapers witne ssed with a stonishment the
expansion of this p at r iot i s f or it wa s p at riotism
h

and not blind royalism which the Albanians had —

tre asured in t heir h earts during the four and a half

centurie s of foreign domination The P rince was .

“ ”
given the native title of Mbret ( King ) by the
p e ople in defiance of Europ e which had recognized
,

him only a s P rince and he wa s saluted as the savior

,

of Albania .
1 38 A L B A NI A PA S T A ND PRE S E N T
,

that moment t h e P rince dismi ssed the C ommis sion

,

with the recommendation that it should not remain

any longer at Durazz o but at Valona away from the
, ,

court of the P rince The result of this act was the

.

estrangement of th e C ommission of Control and the ,

V iolation of the stipulations of the C onference of the

Ambas sadors which had deputed t h e C ommi s sion t o
c oOp er a t e with the Albanian government .

The P rince might have had the be st intentions but ,

he was utte rly ignorant either as regards the condi

tion of Albania inte rnal and extern al o r the s cience
, ,

of politics and government .

F ollowing the summary dismis sal of the C ommis

sion of C ontrol the P ri nce proceeded t o form his
,

own Cabinet which wa s comp osed of not le s s than

,

eight M inisters unde r the p re sidency of Tu rkhan

,

P as ha erstwhile Turkish amba ssador at the court of

,

the Czar of Ru s sia with E s sa d P a sha a s Ministe r of

,

b oth Wa r and t h e I nte rior The app ointment of

m
.

E s s a d P asha wa s anothe r distinct or t ifi cat i on to

the Albanian patriot s and nationalists for the con ,

duct of the P asha h a d been mo re than que stionable .

T o entrust him with such imp ort ant o ffice s was t o

b reed trouble .

B e side s the P rince surrounded himself with an

,
”
inner council composed of an Austrian and an
,

I talian agent with a young B riton Armstrong a s

, , ,

hi s private S ecretary .

W ith the arrival of the diplomatic envoys and ‘

Ministe rs accredited t o the P rinc e on the part of the

several Europ ean governments prominent among ,

whom were the Ministers of the Great P owers and

the envoys of the f riendly nations such as R oumani a ,

and Bulgaria the P alace of the P rince a ssumed the

,
1 40 A L B A NI A PA S T A ND PRE S E NT
,

the hand s of the Greeks a serie s of national u pr is,

ings against the Turks had taken place N o more .

a rdent Albanian p atriots could b e found in any p art

of Albania than in Korcha But on the other hand , .
,

the city had als o wi thin its walls the noisiest faction

m
of Greek symp athiz ers owing to the existence of the
,

m
Greek Gy nasium ( p 1 1 5 ) which naturally gradu
.

ated now and then a numb e r of h othe a ded ad irers

of the glo rie s of ancient Gre ece This faction was .

under the leade rshi p of the O rt hodox Bishop the ,

only Greek by nation ality in the city who acted nat , ,

u r a lly enough in the interests of Hellenism

, .

F ollowing the occupation of the city by the A l

banians this faction played th e p a rt of an ag en t
,

p r o v oc a t eu r by continu ous insults addre s s ed t o the

Albanian autho rities intended t o fo rce the Albanians
,

t o re sort to s ome kind of summary retribution and ,

thus t o open the do o r for a Gre ek intervention on

the ground that the Albanian s wer e molesting or ,

still worse ma s sacring the unexisting Greek s of

,

K o rcha I t is not too much to say however that

.
, ,

the conduct of the Albanian authoritie s whos e ,

strength rested not up on the fifty gendarmes of occu

p a t ion but on the great maj ority of the p opulati on
of the city wa s admirable and that they succeeded
, ,

in restraining the natu ral indignation of the maj or

ity from inflicting a well des erved punishment up on -

their brethren the G reek symp a thize rs fo r their

, ,

treas onable acts .

I n the meantime the Greek B ishop had formed a

,

conspiracy with the G reek s oldiers of the hospitals

and the Greek sympathize rs and t oward s the middle , ,

of the night of April 1 1 the Greek s oldiers and their

,

a s s ociate s b roke loos e in th e streets Simultane .

 WA R A ND NE GOTI A TI ONS 1 41

ou sly, the irregular Greek band s attacked the city

from the p ositions they had taken during the night
in it s outskirts W here they had placed their machine
,

gun s .

W ithin the space of a few hours the public build

ings were in the hands of the conspirators and the ,

city was almost lost But very s oon the civilian

.

p opulation j oined in th e fight and afte r four days ,

of fu rious and s avage stre et figh t in g the Greek s -

were routed and s eve ral Gre ek s oldiers of the regu

,

lar army of King C onstantine were captured S o .

great indeed wa s the confidence of the Gre eks in

, ,

the outcome of their plans that th e rep ort of the

fall of Korcha was circulate d by them throughout
Europ e reaching even the United State s — b efore
-

the first short lived succes s of the a s sailants had

-

taken place .

The outb reak of Korch a now made th e P rince real

iz e his mi stak e in having come t o Albania befo re the
question of the s outhern province s had b een s ettled .

Even s o instead of calling the attention of the P ow

,

e rs t o the duplicity of the G re ek gove rnment and

laying on them the responsibility of a speedy settle
ment the government of the P rince made an u n su c
,

c es s fu l attempt t o adjust matte rs directly with th e

s o calle d E p ir ot s
-
.

I n the meantime more ove r hostilitie s had opene d

, ,

between the Albanians and the E p ir ots The odd s .

were overwhelmingly against the forme r on account ,

of th eir lack of o rgani z ation but neve rtheles s they

,

were succe s sful almo st along the whole b at t l el in e .

The Greeks now tried t o avenge their defeats by

committing the most fearful atrocitie s Terrified .

by the persecution of the s avage C retan criminal s ,

1 42 A L B A NI A PA S T A ND PRE S E N T
,

21 8 p ersons old men women and children s ought

, , , ,

refuge in th e Orthodox C onvent of K odra The .

Greeks tore off a part of the ro of of the C onvent and

began sho oting the unlucky refugees within W hen .
,

finally the Greeks g a ined entrance int o th e C onvent

, ,

they butchered the su r vivo rs with hatchets Such .

an atrociou s crime is hardly imaginable in our days ,

but the o fficial rep ort of the massacre written do wn ,

by G en era l de W e e r of the Du tch Mission and con

firmed as it is through othe r source s stands as th e ,

authoritative a ccount of the most revolting massacre

in modern history ?

The se barbarous atrocitie s d oubled the courage of

the Alb anians wh o realized now that this wa s a war
t o the knife The heroism of the women of Suli
.

wa s rep eated once more the Albanian women hav ,

ing borne a large part of the burden of the war .

W h at is more chara cte r istic of the chivalry of the

Albanian is that although the Albanian fighting
forces consisted of irre gulars owing t o the lack of ,

any organ iz ed army not a single i n stance of exce s s ,

m
may b e cha rged against them Thi s statement is .

b o rne out by the fo reign corresp ondents wh o acco

p an ie d them .

The Gre eks continuously retreated occasionally ,

putting them s elve s unde r the p rote ction of the artil

lery of the o ffi cial Greek a rmy which wa s always in
contact with the s o c alled E pir ot s On May 1 2 the
-
.
,

Albanians closed in up on Arghyrocastro th e center ,

of the nefa riou s Epirot gove rnment The city was .

almost within their grasp when at the c ri tical mo , ,

1 A ivid o t of t h m
V a cc un e a s sa c r e iv b fo t h H o of
wa s g en e re e u se
C omm o by t h
ns Ho A b e n u re y H b t M P S
er P l Db t
er ee ar e a es ,

m
Ho of Comm o Vol 6 4 Al o pp 1 4 1 3 1 4 Fo
. . . .
,

pp 9 7 1 01
u se n s, . .
— s — . r
, . .

ot h er assa cr es, see I bid ,

Vol 65 , pp 5 6
. .
-
.
1 44 A L B A NI A PA S T A ND PRE S E N T
,

wa s likewis e noticed that wherea s cargoe s of am u

, m
n it i on were daily leavi ng Durazz o none of them ,

reached the combatants This made p eople think.

that the Minister of W a r E s s a d P a sha wa s divert

, ,

ing the ammunition t o other localitie s in further ,

ance of his own de signs There wa s much truth in

.

'

th i s p opular belief I t wa s n o s ecr et t h at E s sa d

.

P asha wa s not overz ealous in winning back the

s outhern province s fo r the simple reason that he
,

had left behind him an evil reputation in that regi on

m
in his fo rmer capacity a s comm ander of the Turki sh
g en da r er i e at Janina I t was a lso evident that a s
.

s o on a s S outhern Alban i a should b e j oined to the

main body of the S tate the care er of E s s ad P a sha
,

would b e cut s hort becaus e of the relentles s opp osi

,

tion of the s outherners to his rule .

During the month of May there wa s much agita ,

tion in Durazz o against the Minister of W ar and

of the I nterior and on one occasion the attacks
,

against him were s o deliberate that h e th ought it

nece s sary t o imprison the leaders of the movement .

H e was accused of plotting against his sovereign and ,

wh a tever blunders and mistakes had b een made

and ther e were a great many were rightly or -

wrongly attributed t o the intrigue s of E ssa d P a sha .

I t was gene rally b elieved that th e P rince wa s the

V ictim of his machinations .

The p opular discontent against the P a sha wa s als o

in sidiously kindled by Aust ri an agents fo r Au stria ,

m
had to s ettle old and actual sco res wi th him in ,

as u ch a s the p owerful Minister had defeated and

eliminated Austrian influence in Albania .

The Austrian agent s s ought and secur ed the alli

ance of the nationalists , the irreconcilable opp onent s
 H
THE O VE RT RO W OF E SS A B PA S HA 145

of E s s ad As a result during the night of M ay 1 9 t h

.
, ,

a group of armed Albanian nationalists surrounded

the hous e of E s s a d P a sha I n addition the newly
.
,

bought Austrian guns which were temp orarily op

,

er a t ed by Austrian ofli c er s were trained against the

,

hous e from th e yard of the P alace of the P rince .

Two o r thre e sh ots we re fire d against E s s a d P asha ,

“
accompanied by the furious yells D own with E s
”
sad P asha ! D own with the tyrant !
I n V ie w of thi s b ombardment E s s a d P a sha gave
,

m
himself up int o the hands of the Dutch o fficer who
wa s com anding the nationalists and wh o succeeded
in saving his p ris one r from stray bullets by leading
him out through a back door The p owerful Minis .

ter wa s now a pris oner in the P alace of the P rince .

A little later howeve r he wa s carried ab oard the

, ,

Austrian battle ship S z ig e t v a r for the sake of greater

,

s afety The S z ig e t v a r and a numb er of other Aus

.

trian and I talian warship s had b een mo oring in the

B ay of Durazz o eve r since the arrival of the P rince .

Hitherto Austria and I taly had been fighting each

,

othe r through diplomatic encounters at the expense ,

of Albania of course But n ow they had t o come t o

,
.

close quarters I n the face of the aggre s sive action

.

of Austria I taly felt it t o b e her duty t o intervene

, ,

lest the balance of influence b e t ipped on the side

m
of he r ally and rival The I talian Minister per
.

e pt orily demanded the surrender of E s s a d P asha

to the commande r of the I talian squadron The .

Aus t rians refus ed An incident now o ccurred which

.

is still known only to a few pers ons On the refusal .

of the commande r of the S z ig e t v a r t o comply W ith

the I talian demand th e two rival squadrons cleared
,

for action and arrayed themselve s for battle in th e

1 46 A L B A NI A PA S T A ND PRE S E NT
,

po rt of Durazz o which had been neutralized by the

,

P owe rs along with t h e whole of the Albanian coast .

During the twenty four hours that followed the over

-

throw of E s sa d P asha the wireles s of the resp ective

,

fl ag ship s were continuously flashi ng feve rish ly ,

t ransmitting commun ications to and re ceiving or ,

de rs from the re spective capitals Vienna and R ome

, , .

F o r a moment it s eemed a s though Albania was

t o b ecome the S chle swig H olstein of Austria and -

I t a ly .

I f the naval battle did not take place the cause ,

did not lie in any disinclination t o fight The real .

rea s on wa s that the Austrians wave red at the la st

m
moment b e caus e of their inferi ority in naval units
,

and arma ents On the mediation therefore of the

.
, ,

P rince of Albania E s s a d P asha wa s s urrendered t o

,

th e I talians with the underst anding that he was to

be condemned to p erp etual banishment .

And yet the world expected to se e a p rosperous

,

and thriving Alb ania in spite of all the shackles and

,

handicap s which the bitte r riv a l ry of he r two pro

t ect or s put in her narrow pathway .

IV . TH E U PRI S I N G OF C E N TRA L A L B A N IA
The rep ort of the forcible dismi ssal of E s s a d
P a sha b rought ab out an agitation in his native city ,

Tirana ; but no S ign of unre st was rep orted from

any othe r place .

Even the agitation of Tirana had the characte r of

a not very serious disturbance inasmuch a s the com ,

motion wa s confined to the nume rou s family of T op

t an i to which E ss a d P a sha b elongs and to its de
, ,

p endencie s and e states T o quell the agitation the .

,

gove rnment of Durazz o disp at ched against Tirana

1 48 A LB A NI A PA S T A ND PRES E NT
,

“ “
tions of the country the famous B e s sa or pledge ,
”
of good faith a b rea ch of which i s never p ar
,

don e d by Albanians The B ess a had naturally b een .

adopted in its entirety even by the M o slem B o snian

, ,

refuge es .

At the same time the government of Durazz o ,

gathered t ogethe r all the available men of the cap

ital and sent them t o occupy the hills which h ow , ,

ever they f ound ih t h e p os se ssion of the insurgent s

, ,

with wh om they now came into armed conflict .

W hile the battle was going on s ome interested for ,

e ign agents sounded at Durazz o the alarm of the

app roach of the r eb el s t o it s gate s The panic .

stricken p opulation rushed t o the ship s in p ort and ,

the P rince himself and his family victims of a false

, , ,

rep ort s ought refuge on b oard an I talian man of

,
-

war .

The flight of the P rince though he returned s oon ,

afte rwards to his P alace compromis ed both his dig ,

n it y and the confi dence whi ch p e opl e had rep os ed

in him ?
The constern a tion of the Albanians wa s
p athetic I t wa s n ow plainly s een that the P rince
.

wa s n ot the ruler wh om a b rave p e ople like the A l ,

b anian would wish to have no matte r if he h ad b een

, ,

misled by insidi ous enemies and if he tried to make ,

up fo r it the next day when he rode all alone along ,

the b a t t l el in e .

Aside from the general demoralization the loyal ,

force s faile d to occupy the hills th ough they saved ,

Dur a zz o which wa s howeve r in n o real dange r

, , , .

Moreover t h e agitato rs obtained in the meantime

, , ,

complete mastery ove r the city of Tiran a owing to ,

l O n h ear i ng of i t of t h P i
t h e fl gh e r n ce, t he Milit a ry C l b u of
P ot s da m ex pun ge d hi s na m f om t h
e o d r e r ec r of i t s m mb e ers .
 P
THE U RI S I N G OF C E N TR A L A L B A NI A 1 49

the divers ion o ffere d by th e insurgents of Sh Jak . .

W ithi n a f ew d ays the whole of C entral Albania wa s

in arms against the gove rnment of Durazz o .

On the 1 5 t h of June the reb els took the ofi en s iv e

,

by attacking Durazz o which wa s now p rotected by

the M oslems and Catholics of N orthern Albania .

I n thi s furiou s battle C olonel Thomson sub head of

, ,
-

the Dut ch Mis sion the beloved idol of the Albanian s

, ,

rendered the supreme s acrifice t o Alb ania which he ,

had learn ed t o l ove during his sho rt residence there

a s dearly a s his own native land by giving his life ,

on the battlefield .

F oreign corresp ondent s have sp read the rep ort

that Central Albania revolted b ecaus e it s Mo slem
p opulation re sented the rule of a Christian P rince .

Others have a sserted that the uprising wa s due t o

the re sentment which p eople felt on account of the
summary dismis sal of E s s ad P a sha N either a s ser .

tion is b orne out by the facts for not only did the ,

rebels first s eiz e and distribute among thems elve s

the estates of E s s a d P ash a but the same reb els
,

transmitted a humble ple a to the P rince afte r hi s ,

depart ure to return t o Albania when E s sad P asha

, ,

had e stablished his rule in Durazz o a s we shall se e ,

a little later .

The underlying cause of the revolution was

agrarian The land of C entral Albania belongs
.

mostly t o the native noblemen B eys and P a sha s , ,

who own very large e state s Th e land wa s usually

.

lea sed to tenants on very onerous terms such a s the ,

giving to th e owne r of one third of the t otal produc

-

tion The tena nts expected that the new govern

.

ment of the P rince of W ied would improve their lot

and when they saw that the P rince wa s still sur
,
1 50 A L B A NI A PA S T A ND PRE S E N T
,

rounded by the B eys and P ashas they t ook the ,

matte r into their own hand s at the first oppo rtunity ,

which happened to be that offered by the events that

occurred afte r the dismissal of E s s a d P asha .

W hat helped the rebels the most was the imp otence

m
of t h e govern ment of Du razz o the existence of a ,

state of war in S outhern Albani a and the de oral i ,

z a t i on which followed the first outb reak a s a result

m
of forei gn inte rference and intrig ue .

The im ediate caus e of the uprising and of its

swift expansi on wa s the violation of the B es s a The .

gove rn ment of Dur azz o entered into negoti ations

with the insurgent s but it could n ot p o ssibly achieve
,

anything b ecause it had b roken the B es s a by attack

, ,

ing the town of Sh J ak without any p revious warn

.

ing ?

V TH E EN D TH E RE I GN
m
. OF

D e spite the daily r eé n f or c e en t of the garr is on of

Durazz o t hrough the addition of more M o slem and
,

Cath olic defenders the p osition of the b esieged cap

,

ital could not be improved The bitte r rivalry of .

Austria and I taly which ended in constant in t erf e r

,

ence with the defen se of the capital as well a s with

the re st of the milita ry op er ations had completely ,

disorganized the whole governmental system W hat .

one of the two P owers was trying t o do t o help the

1 it t
Th e wr er wa s s en b y t h e I n er n a on a C o t ti l mmi i
s s on of C on
t l
ro , in h i s qu a lit t
y a s S ecr e a ry t o h a t tbd ti t t
o y , t o n ego a e wi h t h e
bl
r e e s in m
an y c on ti i
n gen c e s t bl
He wa s , h er efore, a e t o a sce r a n t i
t t i i l bl illi il
.

h a t h e pr n c pa re a son wh y t h e re e s wer e un w n g t o r e con c e

t m lv it
h e s e e s w h t h e G o er n env m t of t h e r n ce was Pi b
eca u se t h e
li t
p gh e d it
fa h h ad b b k
een r o en i
Th e r ea son n g of t h e r e e s wa s bl
t t i m Alb i ld d it
.

h a t h e P r n ce h ad c o e t o a n a on t h e p e ge of goo fa h ,
i t ll m t m t l t t
iz m t i l
wh ch was n a u r a y ean t o be u u a , a n d n ow h a h e h ad
b r ok en it t bl ld
h ey, t h e r e e s, c ou n ot rec ogn e hi as h e r awfu l
l
,

r u er .
1 52 A L B A NI A PA S T
, A ND PRE S E NT

S IRE DW ARD G REY — I have little t o add t o what I

.

have already told the Hous e on this subj ect The .

accounts of what has occurred in S outhern Albania

are very distre ssing but I have received n o detail s ,

in regard to actual exce s se s or mas sacres and such

rep orts a s have reached me a s to the numb ers that
have be en rendered homele ss are from uno ffi cial
sources which cannot all b e c onsidered a s quite r e
,

liable I n Valona it self I hear from a private s ource

.
,

that the re are now some refugee s but I fear ,

that it cannot b e doubted that in th e country round

thousand s more are de stitute and in urgent need of
the neces sitie s of life S ome prop o sal s have been .

m
made for their immediate relief The I talian G ov .

e rn en t informed me that they were p repared t o

send maize and other nece s sarie s at once and His ,

M aj e sty s G overnment are ready t o b ear their share

’

m
of the co st if the other P owers d o likewis e Fur
, .

t h er ore the P ower s are considering the dispatch

,

from Durazz o of an intern ational mission who will

endeavor to elucidate pa st occurrences and I trust ,

contri bute to the re storation of some sort of order

and confidenc e S uch info rmation a s I have received
.

that s eemed trustworthy re specting exce s s e s in

Epirus I have brought to the knowledge of th e Greek
G overnment p ointing out that though I am con
,

v in ced that M Veniz elo s earne stly de sire s to prevent

.

the se occurrence s the fact of th eir being due to ,

Greeks h oweve r irre sp onsible mu st produce a very

, ,

unfavorable impre ssion ?

I n consequence the P owers entered int o n eg ot ia

,

tions wi th the V iew t o p roviding the nece ss ary means

1 Pe rl Deb a tes H ou e of Comm on s Vol 6 5 pp 1 09 1—92
.
,
s , .
, . .
 THE E ND OF THE RE I G N 1 53

for the expulsion of the Greek s from S outhern A l

bania and t o strengthening the Gove rnmen t of Du
razz o But at the moment when the result of these
.

negotiations was t o b e carried into e ffe ct there oc ,

curred the a s sassin a tion of th e Austrian Archduke ,

Francis Fe rdinand with it s to o well known c on se ,

-

q u e n c e s and the P,
owe rs had t o forget Alb ania ?

Even afte r the outbreak of the European war ,

there were neve rthele ss many sanguine Albanian

, ,

patri ot s wh o earne stly b elieved that the S ituation

wa s not entirely hop ele ss Their idea wa s to trans .

fe r the capital t o Scutari around which there sto od ,

the whole of the loyal N orthern Albania or to Va ,

lona which al so remained loyal to the gove rn ment

,

t o the very la st moment .

But a few days only after the beginning of h ost il i

,

tie s in Europe it wa s rendered evident that the sit

,

u a t i on wa s quite untenable on account of the fi n a n ,

cial distre s s of the government .

The death knell of the reign of P rince W illiam of

W ied H ereditary Mbret of Alban i a had sounded
, , ,

and on S eptemb e r 3 r d 1 914 afte r six months of , ,

trouble some and disheartening rule the P rince em ,

barked with his family on b oard the I talian yacht

, ,

Mis u r a t a and sailed away t o Europe P rior t o hi s .

departure h oweve r he is sued a proclamation t o the

, ,

Albanian p eople wherein he stated that owing t o ,

th e unsettled conditions of Europ e he deemed it ,

necess ary to abs ent himself temp orarily from his

beloved pe ople in order to return when conditions
,

should be more propitious .

C ontrary then t o the generally prevailing opin

, ,

1 I bi d , . Vol 6 3 p 1 9 6 1
.
, . .
1 54 A L B A NI A PA S T A ND PRESE N T
,

ion he has not abdic a ted a s y e t though the chance s

, ,

of his coming ba ck to Albania a re nil from eve ry

p oint of V iew .

F
RE E RE N C E S

DIL L O N , E . J Alb i
l F o t i gh tly R vi w J ly 1 9 1 4
Th e an an Tan g e, r n e e ,
u , ,

1 28 —

E C T F
p
T t h A bo t Alb i A i ti R vi w
.

E RI C S N, Th EL O RD, e ru u an a , s a c e e

Vol 5 ( N S ) ( b g wit h p A g t 1 9 14
.
,

e u us

( Sp i l Co po d t i Alb i of t h L T ib
. . . .
. .
,

I S una
’

TAL O -
U L L I OT I ec a r re s n en n an a e a r

of Rom ) S i m i di e g o i Alb e i M il 1 9 14 pp 1 1 2 6
es re n n an a , an , —

Alb i Alb i Q t ly R vi w
.
, , .

I M
S AILK M B E AL d th EY , an a an e a n an s , u ar e r e e

( J l y u Vol 2,
2 8 pp 1 6 2 —1 6 8 .
, . .
1 56 A L B A NI A PA S T A ND PRESE NT
,

m
It was the refore not at all s u rp rising th a t even
, ,

the othe r members of the I nte rnational C om ission

of C ontrol s oon dispe rsed only a few weeks after ,

the occup ation of Durazz o by the insurgents wh o ,

ha stened t o inform the C ommis sion that they had had

enough of Europ e and that they meant to govern
,

themselve s according to their own notions .

The country wa s thus left without any government

at a critical moment when international morals had
relaxe d —after the violation of B elgian neutrality by
Germany— and when each State wa s watching with
eagerne s s it s neighb or t o discove r any slackening in
it s p ower of resista nce The only exception to this
.

s tate of anarchy which prevailed in Albania was

a fforded by N orthe rn Alb ania whi ch relap s ed again ,

int o its peculia r system of local s elf government -

and by the city of Scutari which wa s governed by

a council of it s notable s unde r the sup ervision of
the consuls of the Entente Allie s .

II . TH E GOVE RN M E N T O F E S SAB PA S H A
One month afte r the departure of the P rince E s ,

sad P a sha ha stily returned t o Durazz o Taking a d .

vantage of the situation he now came back t o A l ,

bani a with a collection of hirelings rec ruited from

among the Albanian s a ssigned t o S erbia This wa s .

done of cours e with the authorization of the S erbian

, ,

government which even provided the funds for their

,

equipment .

“
E s s a d P a sha n ow set up the s o called G overn -

”
ment of Central Albania which wa s made up of ,

i gnorant p easant s and of some vagab ond Old Turks .

His constant e fi or t wa s to set up by any means ,

available a gove rnment under his p re sidency s o

, ,
 THE I N V A SI O N OF A L B A NI A 157

a s t o fi gure late r before the world a s an unju stly

disp os se ssed ruler .

'

The Government of the P a sha had hardly b een

formed when the rebels of Central Albania the same ,

p e ople who had previously attacked the govern

ment of the P rince n ow turn ed their arms against
,

the alien government of E s sa d P asha They a t .

tacked Durazz o in the same old way but the P a sha

, ,

found shelter under the protecting fire of the I talian

Navy which rushed to his aid and which alone wa s
, ,

able to check the advance of the rebels and t o save

E s s a d P a sha and hi s capital Thenceforth the d o .
,
“
minion ove r whi ch the Government of Central A l
”
bania ruled wa s confined to the small peninsula
which is occupied by the city of Durazzo The .

rebel s remaine d encamp ed at the gate s of the b e

sieged city and the I talian squadron wa s constantly
,

mo ored in the B ay of Durazz o ready for action ,

against them I t wa s at this time that the in su r

.

gents transmitted by telegr am a humble ple a t o th e

P rince of W ied b egging hi s forgivenes s and a sking
,

him to return to Alba ni a ! As suredly thes e C en ,

tral Albanians are l es en fan t s t e rri bles .

This curious situation around the capital la sted

up t o the day when the Serbian and M ontenegrin
troop s came to the relief of E ss a d P a sha M ean .

while the P a sha p ersisted in speaking and acting on

,

behalf of Albania which stood in arms against him

,

and his alien Ministry .

II I . TH E IN VA SI O N OF A L B A N IA
In the meantime ( end of N ovembe r the ,

troop s of King C onstantine had made their o fficial

r eén t ran ce into the s outhern p rovince s of Albania ,
1 58 A L B A NI A PA S T A ND PRESE N T
,

which they had deva sta ted some thre e months b e

fo re in their uno fficial c apacity th e Gove rnment of
,

Athens having now decla red that the occup ation was
intended to be only temp ora ry This was als o the
.

o fficial b eginning of the undoing of the de cisions of

the C onference of the Amba ssadors .

On D ecember 2 5t h of the same year I talian ma

, ,

rine s and s oldiers landed at Valona and occupied the

city The G overnment of R ome declared that the
.

occupation of Valona by I talian troop s wa s neces sary

in order t o safeguard the intere sts of the Albanian
State which h a d been j e opardized by the Greek occu
,

p a t i on of the territorie s adj oining Valona .

At the b eginning of the following year 1 9 1 5 the , ,

S erbians and M ontenegrin s felt tempted by the a o

tion of the neighb ors of Albania They therefore .
, ,

b egan an invasion of N orthern and C entral A l

bania in spite of the angry prote sts of I taly and of
,

the remonstrance s of the Entente Allie s who advised ,

the governments of Nish and C et t in j e not t o s catte r

their forces in unfruitful enterprise s a s they were ,

all s orely ne eded in the war again st Austria Hun -

gary But the S e rbians and M ontenegrins taking

.
,

n o heed ove rcame the de sperate re sistance of the

,

Albanian s in a s erie s of sanguinary battle s and oc ,

cu p ie d N orthern and C entral Albania S cutari wa s

.

taken only after a bitter engagement in which

Albanians were killed The consuls of the P owers
.

did nothing t o prevent the seizure of the city which

wa s entrusted to their sup ervi sory administration .

E ss a d P a sha and his capital were relieved for the ,

moment but in the Spring of 1 9 1 6 the T euton Bul

,
-

garian armie s entered on their decisive campaign

1 60 A L B A NI A PA S T A ND PRE S E N T
,

G reeks had made s o much trouble during and after

the deli mitation of the s outheastern frontie r of A l
bania .

The French detachment entere d the city after a n

o fficial p rotocol had b een s igne d to the effect that the
city and its neighb o ri ng localitie s sh ould b e allowed
t o e stablish Alb anian auth o ri tie s On the 1 1 t h of .

m
December C olonel D e s c oin s read to the p opulation
,

m
a p rocla ation in which he acknowledged the inde
“
p en den ce of the A u t on o ou s A l ban ian P r ov in ce of
”

m
K ori t s a and thereup on th e Albanian flag was
,

hoisted while the F rench ar y p re sented arms in

,

it s honor .

A provisional government of fourteen Christians

and M oslems wa s formed a P ost O ffice wa s insti
, ,

t u t e d and stamp s and paper money were is sued

,
In .

the meantime owing t o the variou s advance s of the

,

Allie s wh om the tiny republic heartily j oined a s a

faithful ally it gained s everal extensions of terri
,

tory and in late r days it attained a p opulation of

, , ,

ab out souls .

I t is plainly evident that when the que stion arises

of the genuine applic a tion of the ri ght of s elf deter -

mination there will remain no room for chicane s and

,

cabals like that of the Autonomous Epirus .

W hen Greec e j oine d late r the E nt ente Allie s in

t h e wa r t h e Greek agent s were allowed one mo re
,

chanc e fo r intrigu e in Korch a They b egan agi .

tat ing on th e scho ol que stion the city authorities ,

having shut down th e Gre ek scho ols a s s o on as the

Republic was e st ablished The question wa s put to .

a plebis cite and the ove r whelming ve rdict of th e p eo

ple wa s that they ne eded no Gre ek schools any longer

once the Alb a nian one s wer e op ened .
 THE I T A L I A NS IN A L B A NI A 1 61

V . TH E I TA LIA N S IN A L B A N IA
On I taly s entering the war against the Central
’

P owe rs the Government of Rom e officially stated

,

m
that one of the wa r aims of the I talian pe ople wa s
to be the r eé st abli sh en t of the indep endence and
integrity of the Albanian State .

When therefore the occupation of S outhern A l

, ,

bani a on the part of the I talian troop s wa s com

l
p et e d the I talian G overnment proceeded to act in
,

pursuance of that p o l icy On June 3 1 9 1 7 Gen .

, ,

eral F errero commander of the I talian troop s in

,

S outhern Albania read a formal proclamati on at

,

Arghyrocastro the erstwhile seat of the G overn

,

m
ment of Aut onomou s Epirus before a crowded a s ,

se b l y of Albanian notable s The text of this his .

toric document reads as follows :

“
T o the whole p e ople of Albania
T o day June 3 r d 1 9 1 7 which i s the memorable
-

, , ,

anni versa ry of the establishment of I talian con

s t it u t ion al libertie s I General Giacinto Ferrero
, , ,

commande r of the I talian expeditionary force s in

Albania do solemnly p roclaim in accordance with
, ,

the orders of His Maj e sty King Victo r Emmanuel , ,

the unity and independence of the whole of Albania ,

under t h e shield and protection of the I talian King

dom .

m
By virtue of this p roclamation you Albanians , , ,

have a fre e govern ent an a rmy tribunals all com , , ,

posed of Albanians and are fre e t o us e as you wish

,

your property and the p roduct s of your lab or fo r ,

your own b enefit and fo r the enrichment of your

,

country .

Albanians
1 62 A L B A NI A PA S T A ND PRE S E N T
,

Whe rever you are whether fre e in the land of ,

your birth or in exile in othe r countrie s and under

,

foreign domination we are bri nging back to you the ,

civiliz ation of the Romans and of the Veneti ans .

“
You know the b onds that unite the I talian and
Albanian intere sts The sea divide s them and at .
, ,

the same time the s ea binds them t ogethe r L et ,

.

all good citizens then stand unitedly having faith , , ,

in the future of your b eloved nation C ome all of .

,

you under the flags of Albania and I taly and pledge

, ,

yourselve s to Albania which is t o day proclaimed ,

-

independent in the name of the I talian Government

,
”
and unde r its friendly protection .

“
The que stion of how far this shield and prote o
”
tion goe s has often b e en raised but n o definite ,

answer ha s yet been given ?

Since the i s suing of that p roclamation almost ,

the whole of Albania ha s come int o th e p osse ssion

of the I talian tro op s as a result of the expulsion of ,

the Austro Bulgarian armie s from the B alkans I n

-

the meantime the I talian occupation ha s greatly,

benefited the ter r itorie s of S outhern Albania which

were deva stated by the Greeks Albanian local au .

t h or it ie s have been e stablished school s opened agri , ,

cultural imp rovement s carried out as sistance ha s ,

b een given t o tho se rende red homeles s by the devas

tati e n roads constructed and the country is in proc
, ,

e s s of s wift development .

The main que stion n ow i s that of satisfying the

Albanians craving for independence and for a
’

decent form of national government This i s of .

,

course in the hands of the P eace C onference and

,

1 For a di scu s s io
n of h s t i q u es ti o
n, s ee C u rr en t Hi s t or y M agaz i ne
A t
,

u gu s ,
1 9 1 7 , pp . 2 84—2 8 6 .
 P ART I II

THE L AND A ND THE P E OPLE

1 68 A L B A NI A PA S T A ND PRE S E N T
,

1 S ou t h e r n A l ban ia , from the G reek b oundary ( as

.

it sto od b efore the B a lkan wa r of 1 9 1 2 ) to the river

Shkumbi .

2 . C en t ra l A l ban ia, from Shkumbi t o the Rive r

Mati .

N or t h ern A l ba n ia , from Mati to the frontier of

3 .

M ontenegro before 1 9 1 2 .

4 N or t h eas t e rn A l ban ia, which includes N ovi

.

B azar , P r is r en d, P ri sh t in a , etc , etc . .

5 M a c edon ia n A l ban i a , from the lake s of O r ch ida

.

and P re spa t o P rilep and M onastir ?

T o the se must als o b e added the imp ortant A l
banian colonie s in G reece , I taly , M ontenegro , etc .

The first attempt t o delimit the Albanian t erri

t ory wa s made a s we have already seen at the clos e
, ,

of the Albanian insurrection of 1 9 1 2 when the Turk ,

i sh G overnment re cogniz ed that the frontiers of the

admi nistratively aut onomous Albania extended t o
the four weste rn Europ ean vilayet s namely th e , ,

vilayets of S cutari K os s ov a M onastir and Janina , ,

.

This delimitation corre sp onds t o a very great extent

t o the five z ones of M Mavromatis . .

The region inhabited by a compa ct and mo stly

h omogeneou s Albanian p opulation may b e roughly
marked out by a line drawn from the M ontenegrin
frontie r at B erana ( befor e 1 9 1 2 ) t o Mitrovitza and
the S e rbia n frontier ( again b efore 1 9 1 2 ) near
Vran ia ; thence t o U skub P rilep M ona stir Flor ina , , , ,

Ka storia Janina and P arga,

?
S e r ving a s natur al
b oundaries there are in the northeast the moun
, , ,

tains of Shar D ag— though they cut o ff compact Al

banian p opulations in the e ast and s outheast the ,

1 F G ib t L s P y d A lb i p 1 2 0
er e a s
’
an e,
J l di it i Alb i
. .
.
,

2 . D B ou rch i er in t h e E n cyc ope

. a Br ann ca : an a .
 P H YSI CA L FE A TURE S 1 69

mountains Grammo s and P indus and in the west th e ,

Adriatic S ea .

m
But the C onference of Amba ssado rs took into con

m
sideration neithe r the deli it ation made by M Mav .

r o at i s nor that which the Albanians won at the

,

p oint of the bayonet in 1 9 1 2 no r the line indicated ,

by M r B ou r ch i er no r even the most rest r icte d and

.
,

most exp edient of all the b oundary indicated by ,

nature itself The net re sult of the artificial delimi

.

t a t ion which wa s adopted by the C onfe rence wa s to

abandon to the Slavs and Gre ek s ab out a half of
the Albanian terri tory a n d to thu s l eave the new ,

State a miserable wreck which b ecame the plaything

of circumstance s .

Another p oint of intere st in the matter of the

frontiers i s that the G overnment of Athen s reversed
the statement of it s consul M Mavromatis by claim ,
.
,

ing a s a Gre ek territory the country which he had

included in the first z one i e S outhern Albania t o ,
. .
,

the River Shkumbi which Greece ha s b een claiming

,
“
unde r the whimsical brand new name s of N orthern -

” “
Epirus t o the Vios a R ive r and Northern most ,

E pirus to the S hk umbi River .

The p resent area o f o fficial Albania is e stimated

to b e ab out square miles although the Alba ,

nian race cove rs a te rritory more than double that

SI z e .

II . P H Y SI C A L F EA TU RE S
Taken a s a wh ole Albani a i s rather a mountain,
“
ous country But her mountains are of the sub
.

” “ ” “
lime nature inte rcepted by vale s and lovely
,

dale s simil a r t o th os e which that connoisseur of

natural b eauties L o rd Byron had seen only in a
, ,
1 70 A L B A NI A PA S T A ND PRE S E N T
,

small p ort ion of Alb ania the s outhern H e mi s sed

, .

the spectacle of the valleys of C entral Albania and

of the northern graphic range s of mountains which ,

p roudly compare in beauty and picture squene ss with

th e land scapes of Switz erland .

P hysically the territory of Albania se ems t o b e

,

di vided by n a ture into three regions

.1 Th e northern region i s very mountainou s with ,

occa sional lowlands I t s mountains form a part of

.

the Dinaric Alpine system of Dalmatia and B osnia .

“ ”
I t is ri chly covered by fine fore sts the virgin fo r ,

e sts of Albania .

The summits of Shar Dag ( the Argenta r M oun

tain ) reach a height of ab out meters and th ose ,

of L iuma are nearly a s high .

.2 The central region whi ch lie s b etween the rivers

,

Mati and Viosa i s fairly op en e sp ecially in the di

, ,

rection of the seacoa st I t include s the two large

.

and fertile plains tho se of Kavaj a and Mu zakia

,
.

The eternally snow covered M ount T omori stands in

-

the middle like a gigan ic marble white statue cle a rly -

m m
visible to thos e who n aviga te the Ad riatic Sea I t s .

su mit To ori t s a reache s the height of

, ,
me
te rs ; from its s ource s flow the crystal waters of the
regi on round ab out .

.3 The s outhern region is again more or le s s moun

t ain ou s and it is this pa rt which Byron de scribe s
,

in the stanza rep roduced at the head of this chapter .

I t is intercepted by pl ain s and valleys and travers ed ,

by beautiful ri vers The modest Acro ceraunian

.

Mountains which stand as a s entinel ove r th e nar

,

row Strait of Otranto are hardly ,

in height ,

but the mount a in s of Chi mara which face s outh ,

war dly the fair i sland of C orfon reach ,

1 72 A L B A NI A PA S T A ND PRESE NT
,

th e mo st b eautiful in Europ e and furnish excellent ,

fish The waters of the lake of O ch ri da are of mar

.

velons limpidity ; they a re drained into the Adriatic

S e a by the rive r Devol .

The configuration of the Albanian coa st is deeply

indented and pre sents many inlets bays and cree k s , ,
.

The p rincipal s eap orts on this coast are four : S an

Giovanni di M edua ( so named by the Venetians ) ,

Durazz o Valona and Santi Quaranta or more

, , ,

plainly Saranda W ith the exception of Valona

,
.
,

they are n ot part icularly good but are capable of ,

imp rovement .

Durazz o might b e mad e th e be st h a rb or on the

Adriatic if the marshy isthmus whi ch conne cts the
,

small p eninsul a of Durazzo with the mainland were

op ened a s it could b e at a moderat e expens e
, .

Up t o the pre sent time Albania has been a derelict ,

country and its immense natural re s ource s have re

mained t otally undevelop ed This is a ls o true with .

reg a rd t o he r gene ral e conomic conditions a s we ,

shall presently s ee .

Everyt hing remains t o b e done No great e ff ort .

or exp enditure will be r equired and succes s is a s

su red .

F RE E RE N C E S

AU B RY , E Alb i S o t A i ti an an ea c -

as s a c Re vi ew, Vol 5
‘

J ly
u 19 14
Alb i Rom 1 9 05
.
.
, , .
, ,

BA RB A RI C H E UG an a , e, pp 3 —1 1 6
H DR J H Alb i t di
.
, .
, , .

A HN , G RG V
. O ANN EO ON, an s ch e S u en , pp 3 —3 9
. .
 CHAP TER XV

EC O N O MI C C O ND I TI O N S

I . A GRI C U L TU RE
AL B A N IA is primarily an agricultural country
, ,
.

But her isolation from the outsid e world under the

long Turkish rule her unsettled conditions arising
, ,

from the constant s train of war th e notoriou s in ,

di fference of the Turkish government in such mat

t ers and most of all the complete lack of means of
, , ,

communication are re sp onsible fo r th e b a ckward

,

and p rimitive state of agriculture in Albania .

Yet the s oil of Albania is ve ry go od and fertile .

I t is e stimated that with a p rop er cultivation of only

,

the plains of Kavaj a and Mu z akia the agricultural ,

p roducts will n ot only supply the actual p opulation

of Albania but will als o furnish a surplus fo r expor
t a t i on
. Acco rding t o D r Steinmetz the a gricu l t u
.
,

ral development of Albani a is highly p romising he r ,

natural res ource s h aving p redestined the country t o

the first place along the entire coas t of th e Adriatic .

I nasmuch as the greater p art of the plain of Mu z akia

is public prop erty it may easily become a agn ifi
,
m
cent model farm with a pr e p er system of d rainage
,

and i rrigation which is rendered easy by the pres

ence of the ri vers traversing it .

The climatic conditions and the quality of the soil

are favorable fo r raising any kind s of crop s while ,

the dryn es s of the summers may b e remedied by

irrigation .
1 74 A L B A NI A PA S T A ND PRE SE N T
,

The basis of land ownership i s the freeh old and ,

the cla s s of independent ye omen is very numerous .

M o st of the land belongs howeve r to the great land

, ,

owne rs B eys and P ashas who have received it a s

, ,

fi ef s from the Sultan e specially fo r meritorious

,

s ervices rendered in war and p eace The land is .

leased by them to th e p ea santry in the form of ,

p erp etual leas es The right of eviction has b ecome

.

obs olete but the ex a ction s of the lando wn ers have

,

prove d dis astrous to any agricultural development .

Usually the les s e e is required to tu rn ove r t o the

,

l a ndlo rd one third of the p roduce ; the re sult is that

-

the p easant does not care t o grow more crop s when ,

he knows th at his landlo rd will b ecome richer and

greedier thereby .

W hen S outhern Albania wa s occupied by the

Greek tro op s during the war of 1 91 2 the G r eek au
, ,
l

t h orit ie s purp os ely allowed the tenant s t o ex p r opri

ate their landl ords in o rde r t o render more di ffi cult
,

the re stitution of that region to Albania .

W e have alre ady stated that the first act of th e

insurgent s of Central Albania wh o ros e against the ,

Government of the P rince of W ied was t o distribute ,

among themselve s the e state s of the landowners the ,

mo st imp ortant of which are the extensive lands of

E s sad P a sha .

The s olution of this land question is a matter

which will confront the future gove rnment of A l
bania Yet the undeniable t r uth i s that the condi
.
,

tion of th e agricultural l ab orers of Albania is more

favo rable than that of the p eas antry of Bulgari a and
R oumania .

Owi ng t o the primitive agricultural implements

and to other circumstance s a s well , va st tracts of
1 76 A L B A NI A PA S T A ND PRE S E N T
,

has rendered them slightly p roductive The olive s .

are u sually exp ort ed t o I taly and Austria where the ,

famed Valona oil i s extracted .

The future of tobacco i s on the other hand most , ,

p romising The fine blond toba cco es of Elbasan

.

and S cutari are renown ed throughout th e Bal k ans .

N othing could d o mo re t o incre as e the production

of tob a cco and olive oil than the ere ction of a num
be r of factories which might utiliz e the s plendid
water power of the rive rs which travers e the coun
-

try in all directions .

C otton and rice raising have shown very go od r e

su l t s .

The p rincipal kinds of live stock raised in Albania

are in the order of their imp ortance hors e s which
, , ,

are exp orted mainly t o I t aly she ep of which only , ,

the wool and hides are exp orted and s ome sp ecies ,

of domesticat ed cattle .

During the Middle Age s the hors e s of Mu z akia ,

wer e us ed in great numbers in all the armies of Eu

rop e and the light Alb anian c avalry enj oyed a mo st
,

enviable reputation Many a battle won by Scan

.

de r b eg wa s due t o this light cavalry But since hi s .

time th e equine ra ce has deteri o rated though the

, ,

small ho rs e of Mu z akia retains s ome highly valued

qual ities .

Under p res ent conditions and unle ss th e Alba ,

nian Se rbian frontier b e re ctified there i s not much

-

hop e for stock raising b ecaus e the most convenient

,

p asture s are acros s the b ounda ry l ine .

P oultry and eggs are raised in immens e quantitie s ,

and owi ng to the gre at demand fo r them in I taly and

Austri a the re is a bright ch ance for the future of
p o ultry r a isin g .
 A GRI C U L TURE 177

Game and fi sh are plentiful too and likely to , , be

come s ource s of wealth .

I II . C O M M E RC E

F rom the day of the completion of the railway net

of Macedonia connecting W e stern and C entral Eu
,

rop e with the B alkan P eninsula and the ea stern te r

rito ri es Albani a lo st the commercial p osition S h e
,

had previously enj oyed in the Balkans I s olated en .

t irel y from the continent with no railways o r oth er ,

means of communication with only a few naturally ,

go od harb ors which remained j ust in their natural

,

state the country was constrained t o b e s elf su ffi

,
-

cient imp o rting very few article s of commerce and

, ,

exp orting fewe r still .

Up t o th e yea r 1 9 1 3 the total amount of foreign

,

exchange was e stimate d to b e only francs ,

of which two —thirds consisted of imp orts W ith the .

winning of independence the commercial movement ,

showed a quick upwa rd tendency the increa se b eing ,

one third in nine months only And yet Albania s

-

.
,
’

natural situation on the eastern sho re of the Adri

atic ha s p redestined h er t o a privileged comme rcial
p o sition .

The exp orted article s range a s follows according ,

t o the orde r of their imp ortance : Olive s and olive

oil p oultry and eggs live stock mainly horse s wool
, ,
-

, , ,

hides salted and fre sh fish fruit wood etc

, , , ,
.

I mp orts : C ott on and cotton go od s fl our sugar -

, , ,

co ff ee timber fo r con struction pap er manufactured

, , ,

good s liquors etc, ,

.

I t is idle t o sp eculate a s to the value and amount

of each of the se imp orted and exp orted article s b e ,

cau se the re are n o exact and reliable statistics .

1 78 A L B A NI A PA S T A ND PRE S E N T
,

Those furnished by the Turkish Custom autho ritie s

are simply Turkish I t i s to b e b orne in mind h ow
.
,

eve r that the ab ove e stimate of

,
francs
rep res ents only a fraction of the commercial move
ment in a smuch as the larger part of commercial
,

business was done with the adj acent inland Euro

p ean p rovince of Turkey a s well as with S erbia ,

Greece and M ontenegro I t is not therefore right

,
.
, ,

to thi nk that the commerce of Albania is a s small a s

that sum would s eem t o imply .

The construction of the p roj ected railway lines ,

which will connect Albania with the re st of the

m
m
B alkans and with Europ e will surely revive the ,

formerly flourishing co e rce of the Al b anian

coast .

The sordid little t own of Durazz o with her natural ,

harb or which is none to o safe a s comp a red wi th the

,

splendid bay of Valona hold s the first place in the,

commercial life of Albania and i s likely t o b ecome ,

once more what it was in ancient time s th e first p ort ,

on the eastern shore of the Adriatic wh en the pro ,

j ect ed Duraz z o M onastir railway is const r ucted

-

I n her scanty commercial de alings Albania ha s ,

hitherto had very little t o d o with the re st of the

world outside of her immediate neighb ors
,
.

Austria ha s b een the heavie st imp orter and ex

p orter She took about 4 0% of all the Albanian
.

article s of exp ort e spe cially olives and olive oil

, ,

hides p oultry and eggs

,
.

I taly come s s econd but in the indep endent A l

,

bania her merchant s comp eted ve ry succes sfully

with the Au st ri ans .

There are n o reliable statistics t o indicate the

trend of commerce along the entire Alba n ian coast .
1 80 A L B A NI A PA S T A ND PRES E NT
,

IV . M I N E RAL RE SO U R C E S A N D F ORE S TS
The gene ra l belief is that Albania is very rich in
mineral res ource s I t i s rep orted that th e Romans .

extracted from the Albanian s oil large quantitie s of

gold but in our day little is known of the location
,

of thos e mines Mirdita however is b elieved to b e

.
, ,

ri ch in gold .

mm
F rench and German engineers have discovered

mm
gold lead iron p etroleum copp e r ch o iu
, ,
anti
, , , ,

en iu and cinnabar and one of them ha s rep orted

, ,

that in each ton of mineral ore there may b e found

from 4 to 6 kilo s of silver ?

One thing is certain ; that Albani a is ve ry rich in

coal of high qua l ity The coal mi ne s of K orcha are .

now b eing exploited on a ve ry limited scale by the , ,

auth oritie s of that indep endent Albanian p rovince .

m
The same thing may b e said in regard t o p e
t r ol eu .

m
M ore over at S elenitsa in the p rovince of Valona
, , ,

there are mines of i neral pitch which are being ,

exploited by a F rench company The b oulevards .

and chaus sées of P aris a re mainly paved wi th thi s

Albanian pitch .

There are als o numerous s alt works along the -

coa st
Anothe r important item of n ational wealth is the
forests s om e of which exist in their virgin state
,
.

This is tru e of the fo re sts of N orthern Albania and ,

es p ecially of Mirdita But the are a cove red by fo r .

e st s has neve r b een mea sured although according , ,

t o one e stim ate a quarte r of the s oil is wooded ?

Many of the forests of C entral an d S outhern Albania

1 F G e r , L es
. ib t “
P a ys d A l b a n ie,
’
p . 15 5 .

2 I bid , p 1 5 3
. . .
 FI NA N CE S 181

have b een destroye d through Shee r neglect on the

pa rt of the Turkish authorities as has als o happened ,

in othe r part s of Turkey .

The principal tree s are the oak the Valona oak , ,

the beech a sh elm plane celtis p oplar walnut

, , , , , , ,

pine fir and sum a ch

, ,
.

B ecaus e of the want of systematic exploitation of

native timb e r cons t ruct i on timb er is imp orted from
,

Trieste .

I n conclusion it may b e said with certainty that

,

the future of Albania lie s in her undeveloped mineral

and fo res t res ource s e specially the former , .

V FIN AN CES
.

The finance s of Albani a are a matte r la rgely of

s peculati on and of gues swork becaus e he r govern ,

ment did not last long enough t o make any valuation

and organizati on of the financial res ource s of the new
State Consequently very little may be said ab out
.
,

the amount and eventual balance of its revenue s and

exp enditure s There ha s b een very little chance for
.

m
making ofli cial e stimate s relative t o the budget .

D r Han s von S t r ah lh ei b e stimate s the revenue s

.

of the Albanian G overnment a s being ab out twenty

million Austrian crown s b ut a s any gues s i s a s good ,

a s another n o definite p ronouncement may be made

,

on this matter The e stimates of the Austri an .

writer are more ove r ba s ed on fallacious premises

, , ,

1 e on the Turkish system of taxation which wa s

. .
, ,

neve r as a fact applied t o Albania N o rthern A l

, ,
.

bania was vi rtually exempt from any contributions

to the Turkish treasury and the o fficials of t h e Sultan ,

were but t o o glad to get only what they could from

the res t of th e country without pushing things to ex ,
182 A L B A NI A PA S T A ND PRES E N T
,

tremes s o that many an Albanian tax payer man

,
-

aged to go s co t fre e I f a p ro of is required a ve ry

.
,

inst ructive one is supplied by the management of

the stri ngent T obacco M onop oly T obacco in all .
,

its fo rms and kin ds was a gove rnment monopoly

,

thr oughout the Turkish Empire But when we say .

“ ”
Turkish Empire we should not neces s a r ily think
,

that Albani a wa s included in it so fa r a s the T o ,

bacco M onop oly wa s concerned at least for in the , ,

latter country eve ry smoke r availed himself of the

native tobacco t h e fin e blond tobacc o of Elbasan and
,

S cutari in p articular without p aying a farthing

,

either t o t h e M onop oly o r to the tobacco tax colle e

t ors Furthermore native official s were to o j eal ous
.
,

t o allow money t o travel as far as C onstantinople .

But we must add that the Albanian Government

found n o difli cul t ie s in collecting taxe s and the priv ,

ileged Albanian s had t o forego their time honored -

immunity from taxation .

I n conclusion it may b e s a id that there will b e n o

,

s e rious t rouble in making b oth ends meet even dur ,

ing th e firs t stage of development Alth ough the .

country has b een imp overi shed still more during th e

great war as a cons equence of the r avage s wrought
,

by the various inva sions still a s the chief source s , ,

of public revenue are the cu stoms due s of the Al

banian p ort s who s e comme rcial activity will b e
,

greatly increa sed with t h e re st oration of peace the ,

amount of revenue s will n ot b e a ff ected to any con

s ide rabl e extent .

On the other hand the public debt of Albania will

,

not add greatly t o the expenditures of the State .

I n accordance with the p ro v i sions made by the L on

1 84 A L B A NI A PA S T A ND PRE S E N T
,

constitute one of the greate st b enefit s I taly has b e

stowed on Albania M ore over , it i s rep orted that .

the I talians have als o constructed a narrow rail

way line along a part of the coas t of S outhe rn Alb a
nia the firs t the country ha s eve r s een
,
.

At the p re sent time there ar e thre e proj ected ,

railroad line s for the Albanian territorie s .

1 F rom P r i sh t in a t o Durazz o which would con

.
,

n ect Albania with S erbia and C entral Europ e .

2 From eithe r D urazz o or Valona t o M ona stir

.
,

and then t o Salonic a and the re st of the Ba lkans

as well as to A si a Mino r .

3 A purely internal line from Scutari to A rghyr o

.

ca stro w hi ch may in a near future be connected with

, ,

the railway system of N orthern Greece .

I t i s evident that the se three line s or at least the ,

las t two ar e indisp ensable for the development of

,

the country .

m
Still anothe r and more available means of c om
,

u ni ca t i on i s afforded by the p os sible navigation of

the rivers e sp ecially of Vi os a D rin Shk umbi D evol

, , , , ,

and B oj ana .

I n ancient time s Vi os a wa s op en to navigation by

,

s mall craft and if it s channel were deep ened an d its

,

cours e regul ate d c ommunications mi ght b e estab

,

l ish ed between V alona and the mainland of S outhern

Al bania Th e same is tru e with regard t o the other
.

rivers .

The B oj ana i s already navigable t o a certain ex

t ent and p rovision has been made for deep enin g the
,

channel unde r the auspice s of the two ri parian

States Albania and M ontenegro
, .
 C OM M U N I C A TI ONS 1 85

F
RE E RE N C E S

b t
B y far t h e e s re feren c e on t h e E c on o c C on mi diti
on s of Alb i an a

a re t h e a r ti l
c e s pu bli
sh e d v i
i n e ery s su e of t h e
li b i i it
B A L K A N R EVU E , B er n , eg nn n g w h t h e year 1 9 1 4
l F
.

S ee a s o G IB E RT, L es P ’
a y s d A l b an i e , pp 1 4 5 —1 6 4
Alb i
. . .

B A RB A RI C H , E U G , a n a , pp 1 1 7— 1 2 5 , 2 2 5 — 2 7 4
J G dé d t
. . .

m L L Al b a n ie I n pen an e , Ré v u e de P
’
A RA Y , A B RI EL OUI S, a r i s,
2 1i e e ann é e , Vol 3 , 1 9 1 4 , pp 2 19 —2 2 4
. . .
 CHA P TER XVI

TH E A LB A NI A N P E O P L E

I . P O PU LATI O N — GH E GS A N D TO S KS
TH E exact numerical strength of the Albanian race
and p e ople is unknown on account of the lack of sp e ,

cifi c statistics Those furnished by the Turkish au

.

t h or it ies are not only unreliable but what i s more , , ,

they are bas ed on re l igious and not on ethnical clas s

ifi cat ion The standard cla s sifi cation u sed by the
.

“ ” “ ”
Turks is that of M oslem and non M oslem -

( Myslim and Gair i Myslim ) Even when the cen

- -
.

su s ha s been taken by province s the statistics are ,

again mi sleading becaus e entire localitie s failed to

,

register in orde r t o avoid military conscription .

The neare st e stimate of the numb er of p e ople of

Albanian race i s b etween three and thre e and a half
millions of which nearly two milli ons inhabit the
,

Albania of the L ondon C onference ?

Taki ng how ,

m
ever int o account the ravage s of the recent wa rs
,

and e spe cially the lo sse s in hu an live s resultin g

from the devastation of S outhern Albani a by the
Gre eks in the summer of 1 9 1 4 it will b e neare r the ,

t ruth t o say that Albania has now a p opulation of

ab out while the rest o f the race is dis
p e r s e d throughout th e te rrito ri e s as signed to S erbia ,

Gre ece and Montenegro and the Albanian colonies

,

of I taly Greece and els ewhere

,
.

1 W h it a k er s’
Alm an a c k , 1 9 18
1 88 A L B A NI A PA S T A ND PRE SE NT
,

the varying infle ctions of the Gheg S peech it will b e ,

easily s een that two illiterate rep res entatives of the

two group s cannot find it ve ry easy to conve rs e al ,

though the di fference i s not as gre at a s that which

s eparate s the di alect of N aples from that of Rome ,

a s fa r as the low clas s es are concerned .

B e that as it may the two dialect s meet and fuse

,

into ea ch other in the localitie s situated on b oth

bank s of the Rive r Shkumbi producing thu s the ,

fin e st specimen of Albanian speech which all A l

banians find n o difficulty in understanding .

The di fference in temp erament consists in the

rough and warlike temp er of the N o r the rners
( Ghegs ) a s contraste d with the more s ob e r and
,

p olished tempe r of the S outherners ( T osks ) .

Anothe r difference between the two group s is t o

b e found in their physical a pp ea rance The Ghegs .

are the talle st men in the B alkans the Cyclop s of ,

Homer while the T osks a re as a rule with many

1
, , ,

exceptions of medium stature, .

II . N A TI O N A L C H ARA C TERI S TI C S
Ina s eeming consciousne ss of the insidious e ff ort s
of his numerou s enemie s t o undermine his reputa
tion abroad by the circulation of wild storie s the ,

Albanian not the educated one but the man of the

, ,
“
p eople reto rts by th e epigram the devil is not a s
,

m
”
wi cked a s p e ople b elieve nei t he r is th e Albanian , ,

which is rep orted by Von t r ahlh ei b ?

1
“
d ”
O y s s ey , 1 , 1 06—8 I t i s, or eo er , m v v
ery s r n g t o c o par e t iki m
d G it k d i i m i t
.

“ ” “ ” “ ”
t h e wor h eg w h t h e G ree wor g ga s wh ch ea n s g an
ld m littl d bt t t d id ti l
.

Th er e wou s ee t o be e ou h a t h e t wo wor s ar e en ca

i td
.

2 B a l kan Rev u e, 1 9 1 4 1 9 1 5 , p 4 03
-
Th e s ay ng i s q u o e in A l
b i ll t i
. .

a n a n as fo ows : Dreqi n uk as h ach k eq s a ku j t on n j erez i a, a s

”
Sh qypet ar i j o .
 N A TI ONA L C HA RA C TE RI S TI CS 189

The opinion on the othe r hand which L ord Byron

, ,

formed ab out the Albanian or Albane se a s he calls ,

him is a s follows
,
“
The A rn a ou t s o r Albanes e st ruck me forci
1

bly by their resemblance t o the Highlanders of

Scotland in dre s s figure and manner of living
, , ,
.

Their mountains seemed Caledonian with a kinder ,

climate The kilt though white ; the spare active

.
, ,

form ; their dialect C eltic in its s ound ; and their

,

hardy habits all carried me back t o M orven

, .

“
The Albane se in general have a fine cast of
, ,

countenance ; and the mo st b eautiful women I ever

beheld in s tature and in fe atures we s aw leveling
, ,

the road broken down by the t orrents between

D el v in a ch i and L ib ohova ” 2
.

I n fact very little can be added in regard to the

, ,

national characteristics of the Albanian t o Byron s ,

’

forceful de scription which holds g ood even to day in -

its general featu re s The much talked ab out and s o

.
- -

“ ”
called trib es of N orthern Albania amount but t o
the similar clan organization of the Scotch pe ople .

L et it b e added als o that another B riton M r W a d , .

ham P eacock wa s als o forcibly stru ck by the Eng

,

lish looking appearance of the Mirdit e s with their

-

fine blond complexion ?

I n revie wing the historical development of the A l

b anian p eople we noticed t h e existence as well a s the
ris e of s ome national defects such a s a warlike spirit,

ki d Alb i it m v b
m
1 A rn aou t i s t h e Tu r sh w or for a n an ; see s t o ha e een

tk
a en f ro t h e G ree k A v it
“
r an es
”

t t ild H ld
.

2 B r on ’s N o e s t o C a n o I I C h e a ro
y
t Alb i v t m i
.
,

Hi s s or y of h i s t wo a n a n s er a n s , on e of wh o wa s a C h r s
ti t
a n a n d t h e o h er a Mos e lm l m i v
i s n ot on y a u s ng b u t e ry i n s t ru c

tiv it d li i li Alb i
,

e w h r e ga r t o t h e r e g ou s fee n gs of t h e an ans

Alb i F dli t t
.

“
3 an a , t h e ou n n S a e of E u r ope , p 199
g . .
1 90 A L B A NI A PA S T A ND PRE S E N T
,

— it can p roperly b e held to be a defect in V iew of

if ,

th e fact that it is only owing to the existence of that

spirit that Albani a has not disappeared as a national
ity— and ne rvousnes s and re stles snes s the caus e of ,

which has als o b een expl a ined ?

I n general it may ,

b e s aid that whatever deficiencie s are discovered in

the characte r of the Al banian they are the out ,

growth of the circumstances through which he has

had to p re s e rve his national entity and b ea r the ,

stamp of the momentous cris es he has had to go

through in his fight fo r life and liberty durin g the
centuri e s since his first app earance in the Balkan
P enins ul a .

any rate whatever bad habit s and defects he

,

may have contracted they are made good by his ,

well known sterling qualitie s such a s his celebrated ,

loyalty when he has once plighted his faith his u n ,

tarnished chivalry his courage and bravery which , ,

is sung and p raised in the p opular ballads of hi s

neighbors his p ractical s ens e his eage r app reciation
, ,

of p rogre s s and civilization and his ready adap t abil ,

ity t o it .

x ample s may be given a s illustrations

-

of thes e high qualitie s of the Albanian A few only .

m
will s u flic e .

Von S t rahlh ei b relate s that during the r ev olu

tion of Dibra against the S erbian rule in 1 9 1 3 the , ,

rebel s ignorant and deeply exa sperated Albanian

,

pea sants captured the S erbian garrison The p ris

,
.

oners were treated in such a chivalrous manner a o ,

cording to the confe s sion of the S erbian commander

himself that this Au strian write r ofi er s this example
,

fo r imi tation to the E uropean b elligerents in the

great war ?
And it should not b e forgotten that the
1 S ee b
a o e, v p 38
. . z B alkan R
ev u e, 1 9 1 4 1 5 , p 4 05
-
. .
1 92 A L B A NI A P A S T A ND PRE S E N T
,

authori tie s felt that it was their duty to promote this

kind of retribution One ha s but t o remember the
.

occurrences in Macedonia during the last decade the ,

wholesale mas sacres as sassinations and destru ction

, ,

of private p roperty in orde r to appreciate this p oint

, .

A numb e r o f write rs a re wont to forget th a t A l

b ania is a B alkan count ry and that t h e B alkans
should b e j udged b fi hei r own and not by European
standa rds .

The fable s of the Albanian s dis regard of the ’

value 0 f e owe their origin t o the inability

of the P orte safe con du t o travelers -

and t ourists intending to visit the interior of A l

bania where Turkish authority was unknown One
, .
,

h owever must recogniz e that the P orte was right

,

in doing so b ecause p ersons furnished with Turkish

W
,

recommendation s W M ‘
I

m
cion an d mistrust in those parts of the country which
hM l e to preserve their independence only
by being very careful in r egar ILt o !Turkish emissaries
and agents Yet travelers could get into t e
.
,

regions unconquered by th e Turks , under th e p ro

”
te a the plighted faith of s ome
,

Al an ian who wou defend them even a s against t h e

Sultan B a r onfl op cs a is t herefo re right when h e
w
, ,
.

“
states that a b an ia corre sp onds t o a
nocturnal walk in the suburb s of a gre at European
city ”
. Th at fl h ou l d b e s o d espite the abs ence of ,

a rf S
-
Dp erv i si on f rom a highe r authority is t o th e ,

credit of the Albanian .

“ ”
The B es sa whi ch means simply good faith
,
is ,

a p eculiar institution of the country I t survives to .

m
day on l in lba here the Turkish Gov
ern ent h a s n ever exe r cis ed re al autho rity Wh en .
 S OCI AL CO ND I TI ONS 1 93

any one whoeve r he may be puts himself unde r the

, ,

p rote ction of the B e s sa in other words is allowed , ,

to enter the country on go od faith under the p r ot ec

tion of an indi vidual o r under that of a clan o r ,

what i s still more sacred is accompanied by a woman , ,

he can go to any place h e choo se s without being in

t er f er e d with in any way This institution may .

se em a primitive one but it ha s been the only p o s ,

sible sub stitute for the lack of a higher governmental

m
authority among a p e ople freed from any general
,

re straints and not allowed to form a central a d in is

t r a t i on as has be en the cas e o f the Albanians unde r
,

the Turkish Government wh os e auth ority and p ower ,

h ave su fficed to prohibit the establishment of a cen

tral autho rity fo r the independent clans .

I II . S O C IA L C O N DI TI O N S

S ocial conditions diffe r somewhat in the three

regions into which Albania is usually divided I t is .

best to treat each region separately .

1 NO RT H E RN AL B A N I A — A s has alre ady b een said

.
,

Albania is the only country in the Balkans into which

feudalism was introduced during the Middl e A g es b y _ _
,

A tlie N o r mans I t s lingering traces

. found in
the so cial conditi ons of the p eople of a part of North
ern Albania e spe ci ally among the Catholic p opu l a
,

tion The reas on why it ha s s urvived in that part of

.

the country is to b e found in the fact that in the ,

cours e of time feudalism wa s blended with th e

‘

p eculia r clan organization of the pe ople of this

re gion .

m
I t s existence i s evidenced by the arist ocratic gov
e rn en t which is in full sway even at the pre sent

time The country is ruled by an aristocratic oli

.
 1 94 A L B A NI A PA S T A ND PRE SE N T
,

garchy comp osed of the repres entative s of the lead

ing hereditary familie s which claim the ri ght of ,

leadership in wa r The mos t imp ort ant of the se is

.

the ruling family of the D odas which is virtually the ,

reigning d yna sty of Mirdita W e have already s een .

the part played by the govern o r of this region in the

a ctivities of th e Al banian L ea gue I t is the s e hered .

i t a ry fami lies that the P orte us ed constantly t o play

one against the othe r in order t o keep the country in ,

subj ection .

As a counterpart to this distasteful relic of past

time s the p opulation of N orthern Albania i s dis
,

t in gu i sh ed for it s high ideals of liberty and inde

p en de n ce a s well “ M W I t is this .

handful of p e ople which ha s b een able t o keep the

Turks in check a s a re sult of epic struggle s I n
,
.

fact there are in thi s region some l ocalitie s whi ch

,

the Turk has neve r b een able t o ente r The Mo slem .

territorie s of Mati and L iu a and the M c dis _ ,

t r ict s of Mir 1 a and Kethella were averse even t o

the appearance M der s of a Turkish s oldier
in uniform and many a time thes e M o slems and
,

Catholics fought j ointly against the Turk s .

The Catholic cle rgy has rendered invaluable serv

ice s t oward keeping alive the spirit of patriotism 11
,

while among the M o slems national t raditions have

been p erpetuated by the patrician families The .

heroic element of Albani a finds its stronghold in

this part of the country .

The city of Scutari the p opulation of which is ,

e stimated to b e ab out s ouls and its suburb s

l gym i F th G o g Fi h t t h
, ,

11 Fo m o t m o g t h
re s a n ese c er en s a er e r e s a, e
m o t o i gi l po t d w it
s r na eot o l y of Alb
an i b t of l l t h
r er n n an a u a e
B lk P i l H i i gh tl y ll d t h Ty Wt of Alb i
.

“ ”
a an en n s u a e s r ca e e r aeu s an a,
b t th o d o b t th t h i m o t h th t
.

u iere s n u a e s re an a .
“
1 96 A L B A NI A PA S T A ND PRE S E N T
,

of Northern and C entral Albani a are not as fully de

v el op e d as the ave rage inhabitant of the Balkans ,

th e pe ople of S outhern Albania s tand a ssuredly

above that average W ith all the p olitical harm the
.

foreign schools Tu rkish and Greek have done to the

, ,

p opul a tion it must in fairn es s b e recogniz ed that

, , ,

they have rende red s ome great services t o the intel

le ctual development of the inhabitants The fact .

th a t thes e S outhern ers ch os e t o attend foreign

s chool s instead of remaining in ign orance is entirely
to their credit for without there b eing any law of
, ,

compuls ory education the parents of S outhern Al ,

bania Chri sti a ns and M oslems alike have s ent their

, ,

children t o the s e s cho ols although knowing that they

were maintaine d by foreign propaganda The .

founders of the splendid educational estab l ishment s

of the city of K o rcha felt it to be their duty t o main
tain such s ch ools even if the Greek lan g uage wa s to
,

b e taught in them after they had in vain tri ed to get

,

from the Turkish G overn ment p ermis sion to op en

Albanian scho ols and it was not their fault that the
,

trustees wh o we re eith er th e Greek P atriarch of

,

C on stantinople o r the Greek Gove rnment employed ,

tho se b eneficia ry funds fo r political rather than edu

cat ion al purp os es .

At any rate the most p ronounced democracy of

,

the coun try is to b e found in S outhern Albania I t .

i s als o the cente r of th e nation alistic movement .

Here is to b e foun d als o the enlightened bou rg eois i e ,

merchants busines smen independent freeholders

‘

, ,

and landed gentry a s well a s the cla s s which will be

,

called up on t o govern Albania .

The progre s sive and thoroughly European city

, ,

of K orcha and the towns of Val ona Arghyrocastro

, , ,
 S O CI AL CO NDI TI O NS 197

Fieri P e rmeti E rs eka Tepelen F rasheri L iasko

, , , , ,

viki and othe rs will bear comparis on with any

city and town of their cla s s in the Balkans The .

palatial mansion s of Korcha are n ot to b e found ex

cept in the B alkan capital s Many of the se man .

s ions have b e en erected by the fortune s acquired by

the emigrant s of Ko rch a in the U nited Stat es Rou ,

mania and Egyp t

,
.

The once p rivileged gre at landown ers are no

longe r p rivileged ; they a re b eing daily displaced in
influence and p restige by the middle and educate d
clas se s N owhere has th e spirit of regeneration and
.

modernization imbued s o thoroughly the p eople as in

th e region which has ha d to combat p overty through
s obriety N owhere have the nationalistic e ff orts
.

been more ardent than among the Christian Albani

ans of Korcha and the M oslems of Valona a n d A r
,

h
g y r ocas t r o with th e p,
os sible exception of the city
of Scuta ri I n the province of Korcha there is
.
,

mo reove r the highly in teresting little town of K a

,

tundi which is sup e rior to any other city o r town in

,

educational accomplishments I n it the efforts of a .

,

single pers on an ardent nationalist h ave succeeded

, ,

in sp reading national education not only among the

male but als o among the female p opulation with th e ,

result that the inhabitants all of whom are Ch ri s ,

tians a re able to read and write their national lan

,

guage Many of the B eys of this regi on have b e

.

come by their own a ccord leaders of O pinion instead

, ,

of b ein g simply leaders of men by clande stinely ,

maintaining Albanian scho ols on their e states in de ,

fiance of th e Turkish authorities .

I t ha s been rightly said that if S outhern Albania

were t o b e cut off from the main b ody of the country ,
1 98 A L B A NI A PA S T A ND PRES E NT
,

the Albania which would thu s b e constituted would

b e a s tate of splendid fighte rs which h owever would , , ,

be able to att a in the high ideals of a fre e common

wealth only by bringing about the incorporation of
S outhern Albania in it This is undoubtedly known .

t o thos e who have tried t o separate the s outhe rn

re gion from the res t of the country .

I n general the S outherners are not only more

,

fully develop ed and progre s sive but they are al so ,

endowed by nature with a keener intelligence than

their co national s of the center and the north
-

IV . TH E P OSI TI O N OF W OM EN

A ve ry characteristic feature of the Albanian

community which de serve s special notice i s the high
, ,

p osition the Albanian women enj oy in the con sid

e r a t i on of men .

N owhe re in the B alkans is woman the recipient

of s o much resp ect and of s o much honor I n al .

mo st all mode rn st at e s women have been granted a

standing in private law by legislative action only ;
the Albanian women have had th o se right s from
time immemorial by the force of the cu st oms of the
n a tion As daughte r of the family she enj oys t h e
.

ri ght of h olding p roperty b eing unde r p aternal au ,

t h ori t y only during the peri od of her mino rity As .

a wi fe she is entitled to hold prop erty in her own

,

right and to manage it acco rding t o her wi sh e s ; her

legal standing is no t at all a ffecte d by marital au
t h or it y. As a widowed mothe r she retain s the gua r
dian sh ip of he r minor children and manage s their
inhe ritance through the automatic ope ration of the
,

customary law I n th e family she is the venerated

.

matron of the hous e and her jurisdiction is co ex ,

-
2 00 A L B A NI A PA S T A ND PRES E N T
,

treated a s the vilest coward and there is no p ossible ,

expiation fo r his crime Among the hardy moun .

t a in ee r s of that district it is held that the hand of

th e man who shot a woman is not good fo r anything
in this world The rule p rotecting women against
.

intentional injuri e s is s o stringent throughout the

country that there i s p ractically no record of any
intentional mu rder of a woman .

V . TH E RE L I GI OU S QU E S TI O N
On the religiou s side the Albanians are divided ,

int o thre e principal and two secondary group s .

m
The three p rincipal gr oup s are the following
1 Ro an C a t h olics forming the maj ority of the
.
,

m
p opulation of N orthern Albania .

2 M os l e s with strong maj oritie s in Cent ral and

.
,

S outhern Albania and in the mino ri ty in N orthern

,

Albania E a stern Albania which has b een assigned

.
,

to Serbia i s inhabited almo st exclusively by M oslem

,

Albanians .

3 O r t h odox Gr e ek C a t h oli cs constituting strong

.
,

minoritie s in S outhern and Central Albania .

The numerical strength of each group i s a matte r

of rough gue sswork owing t o the want of accurate
,

statistics I t i s certain howeve r that the M o slems

.
, ,

are in incontestable maj ority over the C hristians .

The existence of such a M o slem maj ority ha s

p erplexed s ome mi sinformed friends of Albania who
have always asked the question “
W ill not Albania
b e a M ohammedan and in cons equence a fanatical
, ,

Stat e a little Turkey in the

,
‘
And
W ill not this crushing Moslem maj ori ty
m
again
”
tyranniz e over the Christian i nority ? The ene
mies of Albania on th e oth er hand have made use
, ,
 L
TH E RE I GI O US Q UE S TI O N 2 01

of this fact of a Mo slem maj o rity as the deadlie st

a rgument agains t the principle of an independent
Albania By the fo rce of circumstances a M oslem
.

generally implies a Tur k and the Turk is rightly

,

considered a beast a pitiles s p ersecutor a n d butche r

,

of Christians .

Yet thos e who know the real con dition of the

,

country and the relations existing between its vari

ous religious group s will agre e with u s that the r e
,

ligi ou s que stion is n ot in it self of great importance ,

inasmuch a s the weake st p oint of the Albanian is his

religion .

The truth i s that the Albanian i s n ot fanatical ;

on the contra ry it may be said that a n f on ds he i s
, , ,

indiff erent in religiou s matters T oleration exists .

in Albania a s n owhere in the B alkans and as it doe s

not exist even in s ome more advanced s ections of
Eu rope .

Tracing historically the que stion of the conversion

of the maj ority of the Albanian pe ople t o I slamism ,

it will be found that it wa s due t o the deliberate de

sire of trading religion for freedom F ollowing the .

occupation of their country by the fanatical Asiatic

hordes the Albanians found thems elve s fa cing the
,

dilemma of being treated a s subj ect slave s by the

Turks or be coming equal to and allies of their con , ,

qu er or s by renouncing the religion which caused

them to be treate d a s slaves They cho se the latte r
. .

This i s emphasized by the fact that conversion s of

Albanians to ok place after every unsucce ssful r e
volt against th e Turks when their treatment a t the
,

hands of the latter was likely t o b e harsher and more

barbarous C onve rsions continu ed t o occur even
.

during the first quarte r of th e ninete enth century ;

2 02 A L B A NI A PA S T A ND PRES E N T
,

m
wheneve r lif e be came intolerable under the Turkish
r egi ,
e the Albanians found a way of e scaping their

mis erable lot by an outward adoption of the reli gion

of the conquero r The Albanian i s t oo zealous in
.

the caus e of lib erty and independence to b e a fanatic

in religion.

But though he became a M ohammedan he never ,

became a Turk whom he loathed and despised

,
.

N othing can b e more instructive in religiou s matters

than a compari son of the attitude of the M oslem
Alb anian toward h is Christian brethren with that of
the Greek and B ulgarian renegade s t oward their

m
own Christian brethren From the very day of
.

their conversion to I slamism the P o a ks M o slem

, ,

ize d Bulgarians of the re gion of Rhodope M ountain s ,

m
and the I slamiz ed Greek s of the I sland of Crete a s ,

si il a t e d themselve s completely with the Turks ;

and from that day t o the p res ent they h ave con
s ider e d it their sacred duty to either forcibly con

vert o r slaughte r their former c o religioni sts Even -

t o this day it is imp os sible t o convince a P omak or

a Mo slem C retan that once he was a Christian o r ,

that nationality is not identical with religion .

I n striking contra st with this th e Albanian Mo s ,

lem h a s neve r forgotten his nationality o r considered

hims elf a Turk even for a single moment ; nor has
,

he forgotten his former religi on t o some of the saints

of which he still p ays t ribute such a s S t Ge orge ,
.
,

in memory of Geo rge C a s t ri ot a S cande rb eg and t o ,

St D emeter M ore over he ha s always protected his

. .
,

weaker b rethren the Christian Albanians against

, ,

m
th e b ru talities of the Turk I t is a remarkable phe
.

n o en on that no religious wa r has ever taken place

in Albani a ; nor have Albanians eve r been conve rted

2 04 A L B A NI A PA S T A ND PRES E NT
,

m mof the maj ority of the Albanians

e dan is This .

opp osition is t o b e found only among the ignorant

masse s which are wont to mea sure the harmful ef
feets of the conve rsion by th e p rofits accruing to the
converts .

I f a more conclusive proof of the religiou s t olera

tion of the Albanians is wanted the existence of the ,

two s econdary groups already al luded t o will s u p

, ,

ply it.

The first group is that of B ekt a s his or Reformed ,

M o slems T hi s interesting s ect the memb ers of

.
,

which include the large r part of the M o slem p opu

lation of Albania constitute s the P rote stant element
,

of I slamism I t s ris e m a rks a liberal reaction

.

against the fanaticism and the rigorous rule s of the

faith of M ohammed The B ekt a shi s are fre e think
.

ers and skeptics in religiou s matters ; their belief is

imbued with a pure humanitarian philosophy and ,

they lead a life of religiou s contemplation Their .

doctrine s are mainly b o rrowed from the Stoics and ,

they have ca st off every ritual of the M oslem faith .

Many Christian Albanians are a ffiliated with and ,

initiated in the mysterie s of this s ect

, .

The second group i s still more intere sting There .

i s in the p rovince of Elba san Central Albania a s , ,

well a s in other parts of the country a p seudo M o s ,

-

lem group of p e ople wh o are b oth Christians and

,

M oslems a t the same time Du ri ng the Turkish

.

domination they had two sets of names Chri stian

, ,

and M o slem and employed b oth corre sp onding r e

,

l igi ou s rite s I nwardly they were Christians but

.
,

outwardly they p rofe ssed t o b e M o slems Thi s p e .

cu l ia r religious situation wa s of course due t o the

, ,

fear of p ers ecution on the p a rt of the Turks W hen .

 A L B A NI A NS IN F ORE I G N L A NDS 2 05

Albania regained he r indep endence in 1 912 they , ,

openly avowed their Christianity That they did s o .

in the pre sence of the M oslem maj ority of the coun

m
try i s a more eloquent p roof of the real religiou s con
dition of Albania than any argu en t could a fford .

VI AL B A N I A N S IN F O REI G N L A N DS

m
.

By the force of w
the neces sity
c

i gpa m
s t a n ce s the Albanian s saw

t gj j o their native land

to foreign c tfiitr i e s where they f o i und ed a numbe r
m
of notable colonial settlement s which retain their
original character t o the present day The most .

imp ortant of these colonie s are th ose in Greece and

I taly .

"
“
TH E AL B A N IA N S I N G RE E C E H ow the Albanian .
—

colonie s of Greece came to b e formed has already

b een explained in the historical se ction of this b o ok
when dealing with the Albanian migratory move
ment during the fourteenth century and little 1
,

need s t o b e added to what was stated there .

There are n o recent statistics showing the exact

size of the Albanian p opulation of Greece becaus e ,

the Gre ek Gove rnment doe s n ot dfi er en ti at e the

Albanians from the r es t M
l e but Dr Hahn , .

e stimated in we re out of a
total of one million inhabitants and no ch anges have ,

occurred in th e meantime to alte r their p osition .

They still retain th eir national characteristics lan ,

guage cust oms and traditions ; but their s ense of na

,

t ion al it y has b een conside rably dimmed in t h e cours e

of time although they differentiate themselves from
,

the Greek s wh om they call curiously enough

, , ,
“ ”
Shkl eh i e Scythians or Slavs
, . .
,
.

1 See a b ov e,
pp 2 4
.
—2 5
.
2 06 A L B A NI A PA S T A ND PRE S E N T
,

mm
The only national Albanian figure they have pro
du c e d in re cent time s is A n a s t a s K u llu ri ot i a native
of the island O LSala i s, whose e ff orts have greatly
contri buted to the intellectual a aken in g of Albania
-
m ,

They have however given a , uer ,

m
mw
of p rominent leaders and statesmen t o modern
G reece M H .it s the able Ministe r of the
. .
,

I nterior in the Cabinet of M Venizelos i s their most .

,

eminent man at the p res ent time The Greek N avy .

i s on the other ha
, of the re

m
n own ed seamen of Hydra ,

Sgg t fl Pp r os Sal rs who u se t h e , ,

nat i ve language ev en aboard the warships a s the ,

p opulation of the suburb s us es it in the street s of

Athens The same may b e said als o in regard to the
.

Gre ek army The commanders b oth of the sea and .

,

land force s have repeatedly i ssued rigorou s orders

,

against the use of the Albanian language by their

men ?

1 m o th ly m g zi P
Th e n o of Ath aof F b
a y 19 16
n e, arnas s s, en s , e ru a r
m k t h foll ow i g i t ti g t t m t i o tio with t h
, ,

a es e n n er e s n s a e en n c n n ec n e
m obiliz ti o of t h G k my i t h t m o th
a n e re e ar n a n
A m o g t h oth di o d th t my w
“
n e to b er i o s r er s a are e s e en n ur ar e

oti d o of t h m o t h o ki g wh i h o gh t t o h v tt t d t h
,

n
a
ce ne
tt ti o of t h High C omm d of o milit y fo
en
oldi
n e
e s
Th
s
m c
an
n c
ur
u
ar
a e a
rc es
ra c e
e a
e

p k to o ot h i t h Alb i l g g
.

j o it y of o
my im gi h im l f i t h p
r ur s er s s ea n e an er n e an a n an ua e

i h
n su c w y t h t t h li t
a a a e s en er a a ne se n e r e s en c e

of oldi s of t h K i g of Alb
er s i ( t h P i of W i d ) d ot of
e n an a e r n ce e an n
K i g of G Co t ti Th i i v y d pl o bl h bit
,

mi wh o l mi t
th e n r ee c e , n s an ne s s a er e ra e a
wh i h h i h d m y g m t to o
.

c f as u rn s e an ar u en s u r en e es ca u n a e
us by y i g th t o
sa n i ot h om og
a o It i
ur th fo
r ace s n en e u s s, ere re ,

y th t th i h bit b d t oy d b y l l d vi go o
.

n ec e s s a r a s a y e es r e a n ece s s ar an r us
m ea n s

Th Comm d of t h l t I f t y R gim t C ol o l K
.

“
e an er e li s n an r e en ne u rev e s,
om p li h d oldi d p f tl y d t d th
,

wh o i s an a cc s e s er an e r ec un er s a n s e

ki d of d ti o t h G k oldi h o ld h v h p i h d v y
n e u ca n e r ee s er s u a e, as un s e er

se v ly g t mb of oldi b
ere a rea nu of t h i i g t h A1
er s er s ec a u se e r us n e

b i l g g b t th i i th i g th t h o ld ot b do o l y
an a n an ua e, u s s a n a s u n e ne n
by t h C omm
e d of i gl gim t ; o t h o t y ll t h
an er a s n e re en n e c n rar a e

m omm d h o ld it th i ffo t d t k t h m o t ff tiv

,

c an ers s u un e e r e r s an a e e s e ec e

e
as fo t h e
u r es
pp si on o
r f t h i d i o d t
su not e i n o
res my s sc r an ur ar .
”
2 08 A L B A NI A PA S T A ND PRE S E NT
,

e se Albanians too have given a number of

, ,

p rominent men to their adopted country of whom ,

the m ost eminent was F rances co C rispi twice P re ,

mier of I taly On the othe r hand they have con

.
,

tributed t o their own nation a generou s numb er o f

men of letters and cultivators of the national lan
guage such as the late Girolamo da Rada a prolific
, ,

m
and studiou s write r on Albanian literature ; De
e t ri o Camarda Ans elmo L or ecch i o able write r and
, ,

publisher and many others

, .

Of the living writers who honor the Albanian

name in I taly, we S hould mention b e side s Anselmo ,

L or ecch i o edito r of the monthly M

, M
b a n e s e,
the distin g uished p oet and write r P rof , .

Gius epp e S ch i ro who s e writings are masterpiece s

,

of Albanian literature .

I n gene ral it may b e s aid that in the e arly stag e s

,

of the development of Albanian lite rature the place

nor belongs to the Albanians of I taly .

E a ste r day of eve r y year the Albanian s of ,

I taly hold a s olemn ceremony accompanied by the ,

“ ”
s o called
-
dance of fi can derb eg in commemoration ,

of the b on s that unite them to their motherland

acro s s the Adriatic .

I t i s intere sting t o note at this p oint that the Al

banians b oth of I taly and Greece are known among
, ,
“ ”
themselve s a s Arbre sh the e ner ic name in lieu
g “
,
”
of the more re stri cted appellat i on Albanian o r
“ ”
Shkyp e t ar a s the native s of Albania p rop er call
,

themselve s The colonist s call their motherland

.

m
“ ”
or be the name Albania and
not b eing in u s e a ong them I t is a .

very diffi cult matte r to decide why the se t erms are

curre nt .
 A L B A NI A NS IN FO RE I GN L A NDS 2 09

AL B A N IA N S I N M oN TE N E GRo — The number of the .

Albanians living in M ontenegro i s considerable but ,

no available statistics are t o b e had Their pres en c e .

date s mainly from the year 1 87 9 when the P owers ,

forcibly a s signed t o M ontenegro the province s of

Dulcigno and Antivari in exchange for Gu ss ign e ,

P lava ?
M ore ove r the C onference of Ambas sa
,

d ors a ssigned in 1 9 1 3 approximately Al

banians t o the domi nion of King Nicholas The .

armed re sistance of the maj ority of them howeve r , ,

nullified this de cision of the P owe rs ?

The intere sting feature in regard to the Albanian s

who were incorp orated in M ontenegro in 1 8 7 9 is ,

that they have remained Albanians in all respects .

W hen Cza r Nichola s of Rus sia advised the King

of M ontenegro in 1 9 1 3 t o de sist from his p roj ect
, ,

of occupying Scutari the Emperor argued that it ,

wa s in the intere st of M ontene gro not to have any

more Albanians in V iew of the fact that sh e ha s
,

be en unable to a s similat e even thos e who were a s

s ign e d to h er in 1 8 7 9 .

I t need not b e again repeated here that in S erbia

there are nearly a million Albanians who we re in
c or p or a t e d in the S erbian Kingdom in 1 9 1 2 and ,

who h ave eve r since been in a state of rebellion

agains t the foreign rule 3
.

M I N O R AL B A N IA N C oL O N I E s B e side s the ab ove .

—

mentioned compact Albanian colonies there a re als o ,

a numb er of le sser colonial settlements in var i ou s

countrie s One of them i s the small colony of Zara
.
,

I stria which wa s founded in 1 4 7 8 by a part of the

,

1 S ee a b ov e, pp 5 1 —5 3

b ov
. .

2 S ee a e, p 93
b ov
. .

3 See a e, 9 3 —94
pp . .
210 A L B A NI A PA S T A ND PRE S E N T
,

garris on of Scutari after the fall of the latter ,

?

This colony s ent a delegate to Durazz o in 1 91 4 to , ,

convey to the P rince its s entiments of loyalty t o

Albania .

There are several thriving busine s s colonie s in

Egypt R oumania Bulgaria and elsewhere I n
, ,
.

Thrace and in the neighb orhood of C onstantinople

there are a numbe r of typical Albanian villages s cat ,

t e r ed through out the te rri tory and unconnected with

each other .

I n the province of Ode s s a S outh Rus sia there are , ,

a number of s ettlement s made by Albanian s oldiers

in the employ of the Ru ssian Government t o whom
crown lands were given a s a compen sation for their
s ervice s .

A highly imp ortant colony i s that in the United

State s which may b ette r b e des c ri b ed in the follow
,

ing chapter .

F
RE E RE N C E S

B A RB A RI C H , E U G , an a , pp 1 31 1 54Alb i -

H d i i F t t
. . .

B RA I L S F O RD, N , M ace on a , I t s Ra ce s an d Th e r u u re, Me h u en ,

L d
. .

on on , 1 9 06 , pp 2 2 1 — 2 2 8 , 2 3 5 2 6 2 -

Qti
. .

G HI C A ,P ’
RI N C E AL B , L A l b an i e et l a
’
u e s on d O r i en t , pp 1 6 3 1 8 7 -

t i t ti ti Alb i vil t
. .

( pp 1 7 6 —1 8 7 c on a n s a s cs of an an s i n t h e ay e s of

ti l i
.

M on a s r a n d S a on c a )
J i dé d t P i
.

A RAY , G AB RI EL , O U I S , L A l b an i e
’
nL pen an e, Ré vu e de ar s ,
li m é
2 e e an n e , Vol 3 , 1 9 1 4 , pp 2 1 1 2 1 9 -

J q i P i
. . .

P I N O N , REN E, L E u r ope e t l a
’
eu n e Tu r u e, a r s , 1 9 1 1 , Ch VI . .

1 F . G ib t er , Le s P a ys d A l b an i e,
’
p 247
. .
212 A L B A NI A PA S T A ND PRE S E N T
,

In pursuance of its p olicy the Govern ment of the

,

Sultan p ermitted the Al banians to p rote st s eparately

t o the C ongre s s of B erlin against the ces sion of
any Albanian territory t o their neighb ors and when , ,

it saw that the prote st wa s brushed a side with out

being given any consideration the P ort e encouraged , ,

and even instigated the attempt of the Albanians t o

,

su b stantiat e their p rote st On th e first o f July

.
,

1 8 7 9 delegates from the va ri ou s p rovinces of A l

,

bania ass embled at P ris r en d t o form the celeb rated

L eag u e for t h e D ef en s e of t h e Rig h t s of t h e A l
“

”
ban ia/n N a t i on a li t y
. The L ea gu e thu s con stituted

m
was the first national Albanian o rganization in mod
ern time s and it is imp o s sible to minimiz e its i
,

p ortance The management of Albanian affairs was

.

p re sently taken over by the L eague which succeeded ,

even in establishing Albanian authoritie s in N orth

ern Albania I n the cours e of its activities t hi s
.
,

national organization issued a serie s of p roclama

tions which we re addre s se d t o the Albanians only a s
an individual nati onality They were a bugle call
.

f or the nation .

The meeting of the delegate s at P ri sr en d and the

measure s they t o ok for the pre servation of the t er
r it or ial integri ty of Albania which were spread ,

broadca st for the information of the p e ople consti ,

t u t ed the first spark which electrified the nation .

The succe ss e s of the armed force s of the L eague ,

whi ch have b een refe rred to in a precedin g chapte r ,

against the M ontenegrins and a little later against

the combined force s of Mukhtar P a sha and of the
P rince of Montenegro thri lled the Al banians whos e
,

enthusiasm was intensifi ed by th e heroism of the

small garris on of Dulcigno which withsto od even t h e
,
 THE I NI TI AL S TE S P 213

b omba rdment of th e warship s of the great European

P owers .

H ow dange rous fo r the P ort e wa s the res entment

, ,

of the Albanians against the Turkish Government

and the P owe rs on a cco unt of their a ction in a ssign
ing Albanian te rritorie s to their neighb o rs wa s
ominously demonstrated in the treatment of Mehmed
Ali P asha one of the rep res entative s of Turkey at
,

the C ongres s of B erlin The said P asha arrived at

.

Dj ak ova t o witnes s th e eva cuation of the Albanian

territo rie s ; angry Albanian mob s mas sacred the u n
lucky M ehmed Ali P a sha and th e s oldiers who ao
companied him .

Then followed a s has already been said a cla sh

, ,

between the f orces of the L ea gue and the troop s of

the Sultan that came to reclaim the districts which
were under the authority of th e L eague th e battle s ,

with the army of D e rvi sh P asha and the eventual ,

sanguinary supp re s sion of the L ea gue .

m
All thes e event s could but have the mo st mo
en t ou s effect s in awakening the d ormant national

spirit and in exerting a p owerful influence on the

overexcited imagination of the people I n fact the .
,

struggle s which characterized the stern suppres sion

of the L eague mad e a de eper impres sion than the
succes se s which had b een won by it .

More ove r t o the se thrilling national emotions wa s

,

added an othe r imp ortant factor Hitherto the use .

,

of the Albanian language had been rigorously p ro

hib it ed
. Apart from a few religious b o ok s pub
li sh e d now and then by the Catholic clergy of N orth
ern Albania and a translation of the Bible made u n
der the au spice s of the B ri t is h B iblica l S oci e ty for
the us e of the Orthodox Albanians but which could
2 14 A L B A NI A PA S T A ND PRE S E NT
,

not be read without dange r no other b ooks had ,

been published in the Albanian language during the

long Turkish domination The M oslems had t o send
.

their children t o the wretched Turkish schools which

were in charge of stupid inst r uctors The Orthodox .

Albanians were forced t o send theirs t o the Greek

schools which were maintained unde r the auspice s
of the Greek P atriarch of C onstantinople Albanian .

schools could not be had at any price .

B ut with the formation of the L ea gue the Subl ime ,

P orte wa s p revailed up on t o allow the op ening of

Albanian sch ools and the u se of the Albanian lan
guage in writing .

The re sult of the lifting of the prohibition wa s the

opening by p rivate contributions of a number of A l
banian schools which marked a revolution in the
conception of reli giou s matters The new national .

s ch ools we re attended by b oth Christian and Mo slem

m
children s itting side by side ! Their teaching s t a fi
wa s als o a s i xed as their student b odie s .

Simultane ously there began the publication of a

,

serie s of s chool b o oks and newspap ers in the nat ive

“
language The first scho ol book wa s a Spellin g
.

”
B ook which appeared at C onstantinople in 1 8 7 9
, , ,

unde r the patronage of the celeb rated Albanian p a

t ri ot s Sami Bey F ra sh eri a M oslem John Vr et o a
, , , ,
“ ”
Greek Orthodox b oth native s of S outhern A l
,

ban ia and W as s a P a sha a C atholic the latter b eing

, , ,

a high dignitary of the Turkish G overnment and ,

also a distinguished national p oet At the same .

“
time there wa s founded at C onstantinople the S o
,

ci e t y for t h e P u bli ca t i on of A l ban ian B ooks This .

wa s the be gi nning of Albanian n ational education ,

and it wa s s oon f ollowed by a p eriod of lively activity
216 A L B A NI A PA S T A ND PRE S E NT
,

sued by the Greek P atriarch of C onstantinople by

which Orthodox Albanians were threatened with ex
“ ”
communication in cas e they used the accurs ed A l
banian language in the s cho ols and churche s .

The Albanian movement wa s apparently nipped in

the bud .

II . IN F OREI GN C OU N TRI E S

But the movement wa s n ot killed Nothing could .

b e done of course in Al bania in the face of the

, ,

rigorou s measure s which the Turkish authoritie s

adopted in their determination to extirpate even the
t ender ro ot s of the national propaganda B ut once .

the wheel wa s set in motion it could not b e ea sily

st opped One pha se of the development of the A l
.

banian literature which i s too closely connected with

,

the idea of nationalism t o b e separated from it was ,

m
b rought t o an end in orde r t o make place fo r anothe r
one which wa s destined t o i mortaliz e the untiring
e fforts of the Albanian patriot s .

m
The literary movement wa s pre sently transferred
to foreign lands Rou an ia B u lg a ria E gyp t and
.
, , ,

in mo re recent times the U n i t ed S t a t es ofi er e d their ,

generous h o spitality to the Albanian publishers and

national workers I n ea ch of thes e state s national
.

s ocietie s we re f ounded with a mixed p olitical na -

t ion al literary program pub l i shing companie s were

-

e stablished and the publication of b ooks and news

,

pape rs wa s carried on with great enthusiasm .

Thank s t o the clande stine as sistance of M oslem A l

ba ni ans in the employ of th e Turkish Gove rnment ,

the lit e rary products of the exiled publishers and

writers we re smuggled int o Albania wi thout s erious
inconvenience , except fo r s evere p en altie s inflicted
 IN F ORE I GN C O U NTRI E S 217

on smugglers and their access o ries in cas e of det ec ,

tion Usually the write rs resided in Turkey o r

.
,

Albania and had thei r b ooks and articles published

abro ad unde r fictitious names .

From the yea 88 o 1 9 08 there were published

in foreign countri e s upward G
,

Lth LIn difi eL ent p e :

r i odical s and newspap ers beside s a great numb er

,

of bo oks .

The more imp ortant of the se are divided a s fol

lows :

7 B elgium

1 Rou aniam
7 United S tates

Ou t of the seven published in I taly , five or six were

published by native Albanians of I taly s o that it ,

would app ear that so far no encouragement was

being given t o the national movement by any P owe r .

Unlike the othe r nationalitie s of the B alkan P enin

sula the Albanian s have had no European Capital
,

to supp o rt in thei r endeavors ; nor have they had

any financial as sistance from any P ower I t is uni .

v e r s ally known that the p rote cto rs of the othe r Bal

kan pe oples have sp ent millions in orde r to make

them figure a s sepa rate nationalitie s and later a s
States Ru ssi a had sub sidized the Greek national
.

movement eve r s ince the rei gn of Cathe rine 1 1 ; late r

on she turned her attention to the Slav p e ople s of
,

the Balkans I nstea d of s eeking the as sistance of

.

either Austri a o r I taly the P owe rs which l a te r

,

capitalized the protection of nas cent Albania t h e ,

Albanians looked with the deepest mist rust on thes e

2 18 A L B A NI A PA S T A ND PRE S E N T
,

“
P owe rs . There wa s a s aying among them that the
man who goe s to Au stria mu st b e one W ithout hono r
”
o r dignity . This is true of cours e a s far a s the
, ,

n a tionalists were concerned fo r it was known that ,

certain infl uential men were drawing generous sub

s idie s from Vienna and it was this that gave ris e
,

to the saying .

Another imp ortant illustration of the spirit of th e

Albanian nationalists i s a ffo rded by the table of
public a tions given ab ove I t will b e s een that the
.

greater numbe r of publications had their h ea dqu ar

ters in thos e of the Balkan States which were r e
“ ”
p u t e d to b e neutral toward s Albania su ch a s ,

Bulgaria and R oumania Th e one that was i s sued

.

in Gre ece wa s so on dis credi ted b ecaus e it transpired ,

that it was b eing published with th e authorization of

m
”
the Greek G overnment and auth orization was
,
“ ”
taken to mean more than a me re p e r is sion It .

was a patent fa ct that Se rbia G ree ce and Monte , ,

negro were op enly h ostile to the Albanian movement ,

and such publications a s made thei r app eara nce in

any of thes e countri es were immediately b oycotted .

Ve ry little i s known in the out side world ab out

the activitie s and remarkable a chievements of the
national s ocietie s The fact that the work wa s be ing
.

done in foreign countrie s prevented even thos e who

profes s ed t o b e familiar with Albanian affairs from
getting an inside V iew of the p rogre s s at any rate ,

not until very recently The main w ork fo r the r e

.

generation of the Albanian p eople wa s d one in si

len ce and with out adve rtising W ith out funds or .

any p rote ction from any great P ower th e national ,

worker of the Albanian caus e wh o was in th e ma ,

j orit y of cas e s a plain man of the p eopl e , with no

220 A L B A NI A PA S T A ND PRES E NT
,

into de suetude in the course of time This he did .

through the meth od Martin L uther had employed

four centurie s earlier for the development of the
Ge rman lan guage so that he mi ght b e able to trans
late the Scriptu res int o the vernacular i e by going ,
. .
,

among the p e ople and e specially among the women

, ,

and digging up the native words which had been re

placed by foreign one s in the commo nl y sp oken
tongue F rom the raw element s of an unliterary
.

language the nationalis t ha s constructed a fluent

, ,

p olished and lively language which i s n ow capable of

,

expre ssing much hi ghe r thoughts He has trans .

m
m
lated the Bible and many religiou s b ooks of the M o

m
ha e dan reli gion with th e clo s e c oOp era t ion of
,

Christian and Mo slem writers who would in di s cri i

n a t el y take part in the translation of b oth s ets of

b ooks s omething that surp as se s the imagination

, .

He has moreover built on the new linguistic ele

, ,

ments a lite rature which de se rve s all prais e not fo r ,

its volumi nousnes s but fo r certain revolutionary

feature s whi ch characte riz e it And conside r that .

all this was done during the reign of the Red Sultan
of Turkey Abdul Hamid I I and under the most dis
, ,

heartening disabilitie s .

The net re sult of the se efi or t s of the national s o

c iet ie s quartered in foreign lands is that not only

the migrat ory p opulation is n ow able t o read and

write the national language without having ever ,

received any kind of re gular education in s cho ols ,

but als o t hat thousands and thousands of pe ople in

Albania herself have b een instructed in the native
language by she er pe rseverance in s elf teachin g I t -
.

was a spe ctacle rarely if eve r witnes ses to s ee in di

, , ,

v idu al s who are p ast middle age and have never

,
 IN F OREI GN C OU NTRI E S 221

attended any kind of s cho ol fumbling with the A l ,

m
banian alphabet in their dete rmination to lea rn by
themselve s the language which a ba rbarou s r egi e
had put under the ban And the next day you might .

have seen the same individuals b ehind the iron bars

of the Turkish p ris on for no othe r rea son than that
they had been found with the Albanian alphabet in
their hands .

I t is highly improbable that there could be found

such instance s in the hi story of any other nation at ,

lea st not on the large s cale s elf teaching system of- -

the Albanians Yet the outside world ha s neve r

.
,

duly appreciated this achievement I t ha s never r e .

fl e ct e d up on the que stion as to why the bul k of Al

banian b ooks and newspapers have been published
at Buchare st S ophia C airo B ru s sels etc ; it ha s
, , , ,
.

never inquired h ow it is p os sible to have le gion s of

p eople wh o read and write their national langu a ge
without the re being any Albanian scho ols and what ,

is more wonderful without their having attended any

,

s cho ol of any kind .

There is more over a highly interesting feature

, ,

wh ich entirely di ff erentiate s Albanian from any

other B alkan nationalism Greek Bulgarian S er .
, ,

bian nationalism is founded on an universal senti

ment which may b e arou s ed ve ry easily among
otherwis e inanimate masses namely the religiou s , ,

sentiment I t wa s ea sy enough t o speak t o the

.

Greek o r Bulgarian o r Se rbian p ea sant about the

, ,

wrath of the Chri stian God in ca se he would not

rise t o vindicate hi s faith against the enemie s of
Jesus Christ the Turks and thereby to arouse in his
, ,

heart the strongest feeling of unity with his fellow

believers against the Sultan But such a thing could .
222 A L B A NI A PA S T A ND PRE S E N T
,

not p os sibly be d one among the Albanians divided ,

a s they were among three rival religi ons I t wa s out .

o f the question t o excite a M oslem against another

Mo slem and then the Christian Albanian against his
,

M oslem brethren N ecessarily then the basis on

.
, ,

which Albanian nationalism had to b e founded wa s a

s ecular one and it is di ffi cul t t o arous e a secular
,

s entiment among the ine rt mas se s .

The warlike refrain of Greek nationalism ha s been

the fight

m
For t h e H oly r el i gi on of C h ri s t
’
A n d f or t h e c ou n t ry s f r eedo ,

while the equivalent patriotic song of the Albanian

nationalist ha s been
Co m e all y e A l b an i an s , m
Mosl e an d C h r ist ian ;
L et n ot C hu rch es an d Mos q u es div ide u s
,

Th e t ru e r el igion of t h e A l b an i an is t h e worsh ip of h is
n at ion
or a s the lofty patriot W a ssa P asha , t o whom we
have already referred puts it ,

W ak e u p,y e A l b an i an s , wak e u p ,
A n d get u n it ed in a sin gl e f ait h ;
P r ies t s an d H odj as ar e t ry in g t o f ool y ou
1

So as t o k eep y ou div i ded an d en sl av ed ;

L et n ot Mos q u es an d C h u r ch es k eep y ou ap ar t ,
”
Th e t ru e r el igion of t h e A l b an i an is h is n at ion al i deal !

It is highly gratifying t o say that the p reaching

of W a ssa P a sh a ha s not fallen on steri le ground .

I t i s a well de served praise to the idealist pat ri ot

-

leader and statesman that his sublime admonitions

,

are sung t o day far and wide throughout Albanian

-

1 Mos l e m pr i t
es .
2 24 A L B A NI A PA S T A ND PRE S E N T
,

Empire such a s the Albanian dyn a sty of the K 0

,

p r u lu G r an d Viz ir s of the s eventeenth century the ,

m
able architect of th e b eautiful mosque of Va lide
m
Dj a i s s i M i az S in du the great philo s opher and
m m
man of letters N a y k K e a l B ey the only lexicog
,

r a p h e r of th e Turkish language S a i B ey F r a s h eri 1

m
,

and a host of other state smen generals admirals , , ,

and diplomats the Albanians hop ed now to do even

,

bette r under a libe ral constitution .

W ith the promulgation of the C onstitution there ,

fore a p owe rful impul se wa s given t o the national

,

Albanian movement Albanian scho ols were opened .

,

b ooks began to b e printed daily and a great numb er ,

of newspape rs appeared at Constantinople Salonica , ,

M onastir K orcha Janina Scutari and other place s

, , ,
.

Simultane ously a N ormal S cho ol wa s established at

,

Elbasan which attracted in th e ve ry first days of its

existence more than fifty pupils Christian and M os ,

lem The D irect or of the Sch o ol wa s M L ouis Gura

. .

kuki a Catholic and the other members of the t each

, ,

ing sta ff were indiscrimi nately M oslems and O rth o

dox Christian s .

W hen the reaction of the Young Turks set in the ,

Turki sh G overnment being fully aware of the ove r ,

whelming current of the Albanian movement in the

educational field made n o attempt to stop it ; on the
,

contrary it struck on the idea of diverting it t o its

own us e This it t r ied t o do by the childish method
.

of substituting A rabic characters for the L atin cha r

a ct e r s of the Albanian alphab et in the vain e ff o rt ,

t o a rous e the religious sus ceptibilities o f th e mas s es ,

t o whom the Young Turks rep resented the L atin

“ ”
characters a s an invention of the Giaur whereby
1 Th e a b ov m ti o d Alb i
e en ne an a n pa t i ot
r , s ee p 2 15
. .
 C ONS TI TU TI O N A ND I ND E PE NDE N CE 225

the Mo slem Albanians were to b e made Ch ristians

by the us e of Christian characte rs I n pursuance of .

their p olicy the Young Turks printed a numb er of

,

m
Albanian b ooks with Arabic chara cters The n u .

fortunate b o oks b ecame the obj ect of th e o st witty

attacks on the part of the Albanians I na smuch a s .

the Arabic chara cters are unable to give the varying

Albanian s ound s the Albanians felt a particula r
,

pleasure in ridiculing them by drawing from a par

t icu l a r word a burlesque meaning which happ ened t o
b e the revers e of what wa s me ant The result wa s .

that the new b o oks were publicly burn ed in h eaps in

the market place s by the exa sperated p opulation
-
.

How great the re s entment wa s of the Albanian

mas s e s against thes e ma chinations of the Young
Turks can be gathered from the fact that one of th e
principal demand s of the Albanian insurgents of
1 9 1 0 and 1 9 1 1 wa s that education should b e given in
Albanian and in Albanian schools Th e succes sful .

outcome of the reb ellion of 1 9 1 1 — 2 secured the full

realization of this demand ?

W ith the proclamation of the independence of A l

bania the P rovi sional Government unde rtook to
,

carry out a systematic educational program Two .

N ormal S ch o ols we re opened at B erat and Elbasan ,

and a model P rimary School was e stablished at Va

lona This la st named institution wa s very inter
.

m
e sting in it s compo sition The maj ority of the chil .

dren were Mos l e corresponding to the Mo slem ma

,

j o r i t y of Valona while t h e,
principal wa s an O rt ho

dox C h r is t i an with just one M o slem teache r and

, ,

he a prie st ! Similar mixed schools were o p e n e d

shortly afte r at K av aj a and elsewhere an d it wa s ,

1
“
Am i er can Y ear B oo k ,
”
19 12, p . 1 42 .
226 A L B A NI A PA S T A ND PRE S E N T
,

a singular and notewo rthy event when thes e little

children paraded clad in neat unifo rms before
, ,

the P rince of W ied on the day of his a rrival at

Durazz o I t is very seldom if ever that such highly
.
, ,

instructive spectacle s are offered in any part of the

world fo r there is n othing more remarkable than t o
,

see Christian and M o slem b oys sitting side by side

m
and b eing inst r ucted by Christian teache rs and by a
M oslem p rie st ?
As t o the N or al Schools there
wa s no question that they had to b e co educational .

That wa s assumed a s a matte r of cours e the main - -

purp o se being t o bring small children together .

m
And that was attained by the voluntary c oOp er a t i on
of the patriotic p opulation and not by a ny c o p ul
s ion from the P r ovis ional Government which more ,

ove r wa s in no p osition t o exe rcis e compulsion

, .

I t is right t o repeat then once more that there i s

, , ,

n o religiou s que stion in Albania and the animosity ,

that ha s existed among certain cla s ses of Albania

will b e ea sily dis sipated when all clas se s have the
same rights within the Albanian State .

1 k
1 n t h e N ew Y or mb t
W or ld of D ec e er 1 5 , 1 9 1 8 , h er e wa s pu b
d t t t l
l i s h e d t h e sec on pa r of t h e S ory of I a y in t h e W ar , i n a s epa
“ ”

t l m t m il d
ra e s u pp e en , c o p e fi i l t li
b y t h e Of c a I a a n B u re a u of I n for
m ti a k it
on of N ew Y or i
C y t l k
Referr n g t o I a y s b en efi cen t wor
’
in
Alb i ll i t t m t m d m il
.

a n a , t h e f o ow n g s a e en is a e b y t h e c o p er s :
t li t
Th e I a an P vi i l
e ach ers of t h e ro l v
s on a S ch oo s h a e s u c
c eeded i nd i mt t t t t l im d
o n g s o e hi n g h a ex pe r s of t h e c ou n ry h a d pr oc a e

im ibl t
poss e; v mm d
h ey h a e n ow M oh a i ti b itti
e a n an d Ch r s an oy s s ng

t t
oge h e r v iti t d t t it
W h oe e r i s in pos on t o k n ow t h e h a re h a ex s s
bt t lm t Alb i ill ll i t t i
.

m m
e ween h e s e t wo e e en s in an a w fu y a ppr ec a e h s a o
c o pl i sh en t
vid tl m il t i t t l k Alb i
.

y , t h e c o p er s of h s a ccoun of I a y s wor i n
’
E en an a

a re v m b i d
e ry u ch tim
eh n the t e, a n d t i t
h ey k n ow n o h n g of wh a h as
b m li d
e en acc o p sh e l t
a s ea r y a s 1 8 8 5 , 1 9 08 , an d 1 9 1 2 —1 9 1 4 , or o h er

i t
w s e h ey wou ld v m dn ot h a e dd t tm t
a e s u c h a n u n f oun e s a e en
t tm t t t v iti
.

m
wh oe e r i s in pos on t o k n ow t h e
“
A s t o t h e s a e en ha
t dt t it bt
h a re h a ex s s t lm t
e ween Alb i
h e s e e e en s in an a n o co

m t d m d
en n ee be a e
.
228 A L B A NI A PA S T A ND PRE S E N T
,

K orcha and a graduate of the University of Athens

,
.

I n a dark b a s ement of the d in gy Hudson Stre et ,

m
B o ston M r P etsi started in th a t year the publication
, .

of a weekly newspape r K o bi wi th th e p roce eds of ,

his own manual lab o r —h e was a facto r y worke r at

that time b ecaus e of his ignorance of th e English
language — and with s ome voluntary contributions
,

made by a handful of Albanians The p eople to .

whom h e sent the n ews pap er gratis at the beginn in g , ,

wondered what it was for ; they not only had never

s een any Al banian newspap er but als o they we re ,

entirely illiterate C ons equently M r P etsi wh o

.
,
.
,
.

was at th e sam e time edit o r publisher manager an d , , ,

p rinter wa s ob li ged to go and explain in p ers on what

,

that shabby sheet of p ap er wa s meant to b e Out of .

m
Albanians who are e stimated t o h ave b een in
the United State s at t h e ti e not twenty p ers ons
could re ad o r write This i s the humble b eginning
.

of the Albanian national movement in the United

State s .

I n the meantime there had come t o Jamest own

, ,

N Y a small group of more or less enlightened Al

. .
,

banians wh o had detached themselve s from the

,

thriving Albanian colony of R oumania They n ow .

founded the first Albanian s ociety in the United

“ ”
State s under the name M otherland thu s laying ,

another cornerstone for th e national edifice .

S oon it wa s p erceived h owever that no p rogre s s , ,

could b e made among the O rthodox Albanians who

'
constituted the bulk of the emigrant p opulation on ,

a ccount of th e interference of the Gre ek P atri arch

of C onstantinople wh o a s we know had inte rdicted , ,

the u s e of the Albanian lan guage by a decree of ex

communication I f thos e Christians wh o we re livin g
.
 THE A LB A NI A NS OF A ME RI CA 22 9

m
‘
in the United State s dared to i gnore the decre e of

m
the P atriarch their f a ilies in Albania would su ff e r
,

the direful cons equences of the exco munication .

As a result the leaders of the movement hit upo n

,

the ide a of cutting once fo r all the religious ties that

b ound t h e O rthodox Albanians to the Greek P atri
a r ch a t e of C onstantinople C ons equently in 1 9 08 a
.
,

p eaceful religiou s revolution took place A C on v en .

tion wa s held in B oston which p roclaimed the r e

,

l igiou s indep endence of the Orthodox Christian Al

banians and instituted an independent A l ba n ian
,

O r t h odox C hu r ch under the headship of R ev er en d

F a n S N oli a native of the Albanian colonial s ettle
.
,

ment of K y t e z a in the neighbo rho od of Adrianople

,
.

Mr N oli re ceive d his investiture as Albanian priest

.

at the hand s of the Rus sian Bish op of New Yor k A .

church wa s imp rovis ed in a hall in B o ston a n d th e ,

N a t i on a l C hu r ch A s s ocia t i on wa s founded .

m
This p eaceful revolution had momentous co u s e
q u en ce s The dread of excom unication was don e
.

away with and the Chri stian Albanian s flocked int o

,

the rank s of the nationalists Shortly afte r t h rongs .

,

of M oslem Albanians arrived in the United St ate s ;

they felt s o plea sed at the action of their Christian
b rethren that they not only separated themselve s

m
from the religious head of I slamism the S h eikh u l ,
-

I s la of C onstantinople but they als o made liberal

,

contributions to the Christian Albanian Church .

Among the memb ers of the National Church As socia

tion of the O rthodox one may fi n d hundreds of Me s
lem members S o fa r a s t h e Albanians of Ame rica
.

are conce rned the religious question was settled long

ago An era o f complete as similation of the two r e
.

l igiou s groups s et in The p erfect harmony which

.
2 30 A L B A NI A P A S T A ND PRES E N T
,

rei gns among th e Christian and Mo slem Albanians

of the United States is one of the most striking fea
ture s of the nationalistic movement .

The progre s s made from that date among the A l

banians of this country has b een stupendous I n .

1 9 06 the re were h a rdly mo re than ten o r twenty p er

s ons wh o could read and write their native language .

To day thei r numbe r exceeds

-

most of them
have neve r attended any scho ol and have learned t o ,

read and write with the help of the spelling—b ook and
the newsp apers which they s et t o s tudying during
the hours of re s t following their hard daily work .

The rest of the Albani ans are in proces s of doing the

same taking advantage of the recently e stablished
,

evening Albanian sch o ols .

N 0 more instructive illu stration of the progres s

made in the United State s can b e supplied than by
the publication of the list of newspap er s and pe ri od
i cal s which have made their appearance in this coun
t ry from 1 9 06 to the pre sent time .

0 0 0 0 0

1910 Tr u m b et a
K r u j es
e A lb an i an . St . L ou is , Mo .

1912
1915
Z e r i i P op u llit
Ko a h .

mm
N e w Y ork
J a e s t ow n
,

,
N Y
N Y
p f K OT
.

.
.

( for erly
lb
ch a , A an i a )
1915 A lb an i an E ra M on t hl y v
D e n e r C ol e
,

h
an d
l at er C ic ago, I ll .

1 9 16 Mp r oj t i a St L ou is , M o
. .

S h q ip et ar e
1916 l
I l yr ia B os on ,t M ass
m m
.

F h
1916
1 9 17
1917
.
P e r l i n dj a
P e r p ar i i m
Y ll i M e n gj ez it
’
Ne
ra
w
M
in g a
Y or k N
B os ton , M a s s
.
,

.
.
as s
Y .
.

lb l hl
1918

1918
A
i
A lb
an i a
ou s
an i a
m
( Re i g
M osl e )
M on t y W at erb u r y
N e w Y ork N Y ,
, C on n

.
.

an d
W or c e s t er Mass
hl , .

1918 Th e A dr i at ic M on t y B ost on , Mass

v
. .

R e ie w
2 32 A L B A NI A PA S T A ND PRE S E N T
,

The O r t h odox C h u rch Na t i on al A s s ocia t i on which ,

has charge of the Church organization in the United

State s The As sociation maintains five well estab
.
-

l ish e d churches resp ectively in B oston W orceste r , ,

S outhbridge Mas s P hiladelphia P a and St L ouis

, , ,
.
, .
,

Mo b esides a large num er 0 s econdary one s

.
,
.

There a re now eight well educated pri ests under the

S piritual headship of the firs t Albanian p rie st Right ,

Reverend Monsigno r F an S N oli who has lately .

,

been p romoted t o the p o st of Mitrate P rimate of the

O rthodox Albanian Church in America .

m
I t i s very intere sting to note that in the estab

m
mm
l ish en t of the ab ove mentioned five churche s the
M oslem Albanians made almost a s many peguniary

w
f

m
c on ns .

The second in imp or ance is t e M os l e N a t ion al

A llia n ce which ha s charge of the M oslem religious
,

s ervic e s in the Albanian language and of the educa

tion of the illiterate M oslem Albanians The Al l i .

ance now maintains a re gula r s o 1 at W aterbury ,

C onn which has s o far rende r invaluable services

.
,
.

The E du ca t ion a l S ocie t y of K orcha ha s for it s

obj ect the spread of n t ion al educ it y
f K orcha
oT ere a re also a numb er of club s in the larger
.

centers such a s B oston W orce ste r W aterbury

, , , ,

C onn Manche ste r N H E ast P itt sburgh P a

.
, , . .
, ,
.
,

Ak ron Ohio etc a bas eb all team at Mancheste r

, ,
.
, ,

N H and four mu sical s ocietie s wi th two complete

. .
,

b ras s bands and two mandolin orche stras .

Th e Albanian of America is libe ral in his dona

tions I t is e stimated that he pays regularly every
.

year
tions M O in addition to special c on t r ib u
,

he collective budget of the various Albanian

.
 THE A LB A NI A NS OF A ME RI CA 2 33

s ocieties is est imated to b e e v e gy y ea r and

this money comes f r o i h p ggket zsL f fact Ow QL k mm ‘

,

m
ers and s all sh op ke e aers the number of big busi ,

n es s en b eing very small owing to the fa ct that the ,

Albani an h a s b een the las t of the European pe ople s

to tu rn their attention t o the United State s .

Upon the conclu sion of the armistice of the Euro

m
m
p ean wa r an app eal wa s made fo r the r a ising of a
,

N a t i on a l F u n d I t wa s quite spectacular to se e the

.

f lfin en and small shpp k\e ep e r

§

m
_

and thre e months wage s and profits for the na ’

t ion al caus e Fifty workingmen of the W e sting

.

of Pa , .

and one of them on a t e d

of the F ore River Ship
Ma s s v e $ 3 6 0 e ach and two , ,

othe r workmen of M M
A penny go ods seller of B oston
-

The Albanian s of America ar us

m
toward their adopted country I n the lis t of the .

su s contributed by the variou s ra ces to the Third

L ib erty L oan published by the T rea sury Depart
,

ment the Albanians come

,

race s in the United States

ill

.
W s

This is what the spirit of nationalism ha s achieved

mong the rank and file of a pe ople whom the bar
arou s d omination of the Turk had forced to become
nl y an unrivaled fighte r .

RE F EREN C E S
B RAIL S F O RD, H d i
N , M a ce on a , I t s Ra ces a n d Th e r
. . u u re on on , i F t . L d
1 9 06 , p p 2 4 8 — 2 6 2
i l d t Alb i ib
. .

m
I TA L O S U LL I O TI ( S pe c a C or re s pon en i n
-
a n a of t h e Tr u n a of
Ro e ) , S e i es m i
di r e g n o i n an a pp 5 8 —6 6 Alb i
H t
. .

WO ODS , C H A RL E S Th e D a n ger Zon e of E u rope B os on 1 9 1 1 C h

.
, , . , .

1 11 .
 CHAP TER XVIII

TH E F U TU RE OF A LB A N I A

mi b i
m
R mi
If ev er an au t on o ou s A l b an ia co es nt o e ng t he

m m
b i
edu cat ed w i
Al an an s n o d s p e r s e d in ou an a an d E gy p t ,

m i p r ison en t in t h e Tu r ish
ork ep t in a s or t of offi cial i k
t
m m m mw w
i wi
Ar y an d C v il S erv ce, b ll u n dou t edly r e u r n t o l ead
i
t h e r cou n t ry en Th er e are
. en a on g t h e h o ou l d

m m t wi m
i
b e a cr ed t t o an y r ace b I can n ot do et t er t h an t r an sl at e
.

m b m M m m
s o e p assages f r o a l e t er h ch h as r each ed e t h e ot h er

m m
day f r o i
an A l an ian f r en d, a n o in al oh a edan ,

m
m
w ki ii
h o h ol ds a h igh p l ace in t h e Tu r sh ar y As a . l

m m
t ary co i i Mi
an dan t in a cert ain gar r son in A s a n or du r

mit
in g t h e A r en ian wi i w
as sa cr es , el d n g l ar ge p o ers , h e

m m
l i i
e ar n e d go den op n on s b y h is t ol er an c e an d h u an y .

w i w
Th e l et t er see s t o p r ov e h o l t t l e t h ese en , ev en h en
t h ey ar e Tu r k ish offi ci al s , sh ar e t h e at t i t u de of t h e av erage

m
Tu r k . I t al so sh ows t o wh at l ev el of cu l t u r e t h ese A l b a
t
m
n i an s of t en an age t o at ai n in Tu r k ey , cu t O H t h ou gh t h ey

m
are f r o E u r op ean s ch ool s, an d r ar el y ab l e t o ob t ain an y
”
b ook wh ich t r eat s of ser iou s t op ics in a odern sp irit .

“
H N B r ails f ord in Macedon i a, I t s Races an d
. .

Th eir F u t u r e , 1 9 06 , p 2 88 . .

A T the time when this b o ok makes its app earance ,

the P eace C onfe rence will h ave p robably s ettled
s ome of the p re ssing p eace conditions looking to a
definite termination of the great c on fl a gr at ion in ,

orde r to en able itself t o grapple with the que stion of

readj us t ing the new territorial system I t is under .

this last head that th e p roblem of Albania will come

up for dis cus sion and this rais e s the question
,
2 34
 A L B A NI A PA S T A ND PRES E NT
,

It is needle ss to say that the Albanians will b e

s a tisfied with nothing les s than complete in dep en d
ence and unle s s they b e exterminated t o the last
, ,

man they will n ever cease struggling to obtain that

,

degree of indep endence This much may b e learned

.

at lea st from the long hist ory of Albania The sit .

nation i s rendered more critical to day b ecause of -

m
the spread of the national ideal even among the A l
W o
war a complete t r an s f oM
the outbreak of the Europ ean

m
en place in

the psychological Cbh dit iUITGf t f Albanian p eople

-
'

Old Albania has given place to a new Alb ania which

is craving libe rty and independence from end to end .

If that be now denied t o the Albanians it will only

mean that an
W
B alkan P eninsula liable to bree new co v u sion
and troubles .
,
e

W e have placed en v edet t e at the head of thi s

chapter the opinion of M r H N B railsford ab out
. . .

the latent p os sibilities of the Albanian race which ,

opini on he formed a s early as 1 9 06 Since that day .

,

two p olitical revolutions have taken place in the coun

try The first occurred during the independent life
.

of Albania ( 1 9 1 2 when the Albanians got th e

first ta ste of national liberty although it wa s given
,

t o them in the form of a bitter pill which made them ,

long for a more genuine freedom The second revo .

l u t i on took place during the four and a half years

of the Europ ean war which battered Albania against
the overwhelming wave s of the belligerents a s a
rudderle s s ship The result was that the war shook
.

the Albani a n mas ses out of their s omn olence .

The down fall of the P rincipality of Albania can

n ot in fairn es s be charged against the Albanians fo r ,
 THE F U TURE OF A L B A NI A 2 37

they could do no better under the circumstance s

,
.

Th e new State was looked upon with suspicion by

Europ e a s being the creature of W W
and there was considerable rej oicing at the downfall
of the short lived principality which repre s ented
-

only a Teutonic diplomatic victory The P owe rs .

which had guaranteed its independence territorial ,

integrity and neutrality did nothing except app end

,

their si gnatures to pap e r guarantee s They allowed .

the Greeks to play havoc in S outhern Albania with

out being moved by any s entiment of pity or indigna
tion at the inhuman treatment inflicte d on a whole
P eopl e It W S
W
W adham P eacock fore saw the rum In g away of the
new State b efore it wa s even created Thes e are the .

words he wrote when the great P owers we re delimit

ing the frontiers of Albania
FW M SB M I MB ES
of Alba nian s are ignored and handed ove r t o their
hereditary enemie s it i s obvious that the P owers
,

are not ove ranxious t o form an Albanian principal

ity which could have a rea sonable chance of succes s .

The nas cent Albania is cut d own to a minimum and ,

if Europ e had wished to make the new State depend

ent on Au stria and I taly she could hardly have set
,
”
ab out it more effectually .

And what the P owers failed t o d o collectively for

the de struction of Albania the bitte r rivalry of Aus
,

t I taly eventually did F or these two P ow

.

11 with which t o play

m
their diplomatic game s The . he
C onference of the A b a s s a dor wasp g ag nLckeEy
s é
p
j

and a farce I t was not the P r fifce of i ed wh o wa s

.

the rule r of Albania but the Austrian o r I talian Min

,
2 38 A L B A NI A PA S T A ND PRES E N T
,

ister according as one o r the othe r wa s able to con

,

trol and manipulate the P rince I t wa s fo r this pur .

p os e that Albania was given such a pitiful s overeign

a s the P rince of W ied .

The time ha s come fo r the reparation of the wrongs

which we re done to Albania I f she i s t o b e re stored .

to he r previ ous condition with more than half he r ,

terri tory and her p opulation handed ove r to S erbia ,

M ontenegro and Greece she cannot b e more pro s ,

p e rou s o r contented than b efore Rebellions and u p .

m
risings all along the frontier will b e the sure a ecom
p an i en t of he r future .

The districts of Hoti and Gruda the p opulations ,

of which succe s sfully withstoo d every att empt of

King Nichola s to incorp orate their territory in his
realm must be given back t o Albania This i s one
,
.

of the simplest and most elementary acts of repara

tion .

But by far the most imp ortant reparation to b e

m
made is on the S erbian frontie r I f there i s to b e .

'

any such thing for sub ect

ples there i s no rea s o
,
n hu an or divine why a , ,

million Albanians should shed their blo od in vain

attempts t o shake off foreign rule During the two .

years of Serbian domination the million Albanians ,

M oe sox a 17112 51 and O chri da hav e made three

sanguinary reb ellions in oM
, ,

s el v e s of m
the Serbian rule I n 1 9 1 2 there might have been
.
,

s ome reas on for Serbia s seeking t o expand at the’

expense of Albania b ecaus e she wa s barred from

,

her natural field of expansion in view of the fact

that Austria then p os ses sed Sl avic p rovinces but t o ,

day when the Slavs have been freed there is no ex ,

cuse whatsoever for holding in b ondage a mi llion

240 A L B A NI A PA ST A ND PRESE NT
,

way as to insu re t h e free expression of the s enti

ments of the p opulation afte r p revious occupation
,

of the territory by the troop s of a neutral P owe r .

P rovision als o should be made to avoid any scheme

of ge rrym andering .

The Albanians are not app ealing to ch a rity but t o

p rinciples of justice and fair play The liberal ideas
.

which p ervade the intellectual cla s ses of Albania

are avers e t o having any foreign element s within the
b oundarie s of their S tate and if by the force of
, ,

circumstance s such minoritie s b e included within it

the re S hould not b e the slightest apprehension that
their rights wo uld be dis regarded The Albanians .

are neither ba rbarously chauvinistic like the Greeks

no r brutal like the S erbians and Bulgari ans wh o b e
gan to b aptiz e in mas se s the Moslems they ann exed
along with the t e rritories acquired as a result of the
B alkan wars and to change the names of their dis
senting subj ects N o such thing will eve r happen in
.

Albania whe re t ole rance religious and p olitical is a

, , ,

recognized p rinciple .

C oming t o the que stion whethe r the Albanians are

able t o govern themselves we need only refer once
,

more t o the opinion s o ters ely expres sed by M r H . .

N B railsford a s early a s 1 9 06 i e at the time when

.
,
. .
,

the national spirit wa s only b eginning t o make the

astounding progres s which it has accomplished dur
ing the la st twelve years even among the mass es of
Albania .

The country which ha s given s o many prominent

statesmen generals admirals diplomats and men
, , , ,

of science and letters to Turkey Greece and I taly , ,

such as the Koprulu Vizirs wh o rule Turkey dur

ing the entire sev gnt eenth century F eri d asha ,
 THE F U TURE OF A L B A NI A 241

m
m m
m
Vl ora in our own days Na yk Kemal B ey the phi ,

l os op h er Ad i ral Miaul i s the illustrious c o

, an,

m
ders Marko B ochari C d s s A n dru ch o the f e
, ,

male
M a rance sco Cr i spi P ri e
Minister of I taly and a host of other celebrated men
,
, ,

who s e name s would fill entire pages of this b o ok not ,

to mention the earlier contributions to R ome such a s ,

Diocletian the great organizer of the Roman Em

,

pire C onstant in e the Great Julian the P hilos ophe r

, ,

who attempted t o revive the worship of the P ela sgic

Gods of his native country in the new capital of the
R oman Empire C onstantinople
, ,

t ranslator of t h e S cr iptg fr s P o ,

PW XL Q MQH WI ) wh o
s en is m by the famou bull U ri ngs, the country
and the p e ople we say who have given s o many illus
, ,

t r i ou s name s t o the hi story of the world will not

surely fail t o provide fo r their own national need s .

I t is imp os sible t o supp o s e that the pe ople among

whom the memory of Ge o S canderb eg
is a s a l ive a s ever will languish fo r any con siderab e
length of time .

I t is undeniable that Albania is t o —day only a

de solate and deva stated country ; and this is exactly
what is exp ected t o spur the ente rp ris e and activity
of the ru ling clas s of the land I t is li k ewise u n .

deniable that in he r present condition Al bania needs

s ome kind of as sistance and prote ction agains t the
aggres sive dispo sitions of he r neighbo rs Divided .

a s the s e neighb ors are the only thing that unite s

,

them is the desire common t o them all to do injury

, ,

to Albani a .

Testin g p sych olo gically t he ment of the A l

2 42 A L B A NI A PA S T A ND PRES E N T
,

b a nian p eople it will be f ound th at there is no orderly

and decent way t o govern Albani a save through the
Albanian s themselves The moral influence of the .

acknowledged leaders of the p eople is li k ely to prove

more p otent and e fficacious than the physical fo rce
of an alien government foisted on pugnaciou s and ,

unwilling subj ects I n this case martial law and .

,

whole sale executions would b e the chief weap ons

which the ali en government would b e obliged t o r e
so rt t o in moments of crises L a b ell e a/f air e ! a s .

M Gabriel Hanotaux exclaims having in mind this

.
,

p ro spect .

F RE E REN C E S

A R E Alb i o t h B l k Ch B o d A i ti R vi w Vol
UB Y, an a n e a an ess -

ar s a c e e

6 ( b g with p A p il 1 9 1 5
.
.
, , ,

e r
H N M do i ; I t R d Th i F t
. . .
, ,

BRAILSF O RD, .
pp 2 7 7 ace n a s a c e s an e r u u re, .

2 89
D RH M M E Th Alb i Q ti o C o t m po y R vi w ( b g
.

U A e a n an u es n, n e r ar e e e

O t ob
. . .
, ,

p 19 17 c er ,
RE E L Q ti o lb i R v d d mo d Vol
. .

PI N ON , N , a u es n a an a s e , e ue es eux n es, .

5 4 , pp 7 9 2 —82 6 . .
2 44 I NDE X
t of Alb i L g 5 1 ; l F mily of t h 2 3 2 4 2 6
mm i l d I t l i o
se a a n an e a u e, B a sh a , a e, —

i g d t o Alb i 1 1 9 ; , .

a ss ne an a , B an ca C o er c a e
’
a a, c n
near ly pt d by t h Alb
ca u re e a i o i of t h N ti o l A l
ces s n a re e a na
i
n a ns, 1 4 2 ; Alb i i dp d an a n n e en b i B k 120
a n an an

p o l im d t 1 6 1 1 9 6 d G k 1 18 14 1
.
,

en ce r c a e a B an s, ree
A m t o g t y to th b i I v io
, , .
, , .

r s r n S e cr e ar e B ar a r an 20 2 1 ; n as n s, —

Pi of W i d 1 3 8 G oth 2 0; S bi
,

r n ce e s, 2 0 No er a n s, r
Ay I mmi g t Alb i m 2 1 ; B lg i
, .

r an ra n s , an an s an s, 20 2 1 u ar a n s , —

d d t of t h
es c en an s li t 3 e e ar es 22
,

A i M i o G k im po t d i t o B b i h E g i o q ot d 2 07
, . .

s a n r, r ee s r e n ar ar c u en u e
S o th Alb i f om 1 1 5 Ki g of I ll y i 1 1
, , , .

u ern an r B ardh y l l us, n r a,

Ath ( Mi v ) Alb i B ki A gh G b ly T ki h
.
, .

en a n er a an a n e r a re en a ur s
f o m of 6 M j o i pl ot g i t Alb i
,

r a r n a a ns an a ,
A to omy Alb i t ggl fo
.
,

u n an a n s ru e r 12 8 129 —

to omy 6 1 63 ; p p i g t of t h 2 04
, .

au n -

re ar n B kt h i
e as s, sec e,
fo 6 1—6 2 ; t h w i i g of 6 9 t N o m l S h ool of 2 2 5
, .

r, e nn n B er a r a c
A t i t oop i Alb i 3 9 ; B li of p ovi i o
, .
, , .

u s r a, r s n an a , er Co g n, nof re s s r s ns
i t v Alb i 7 9 8 5 ; 5 0 5 1 ; m odifi ti o of t h
, ,
—
n er i
en e s n an a , -
th e, ca ns e
o
r ea s n s fo i t v ti o 8 1 r n er en n, t ty 5 2 2 1 1 2 1 2
r ea -

8 2 ; di dit Alb i vi ol t d 1 4 8 1 5 0; t
, , .

sc re s an a n c a u s e, B e s sa , a e n a ure
ol S t i
, ,

8 3 84 ;
-

i r th e n e cu a r of t h 1 92 19 3 e,
i i 1 01 ; ttit d i t h b om l d of opi i o
.
,

cr s s , a u e n e B y e s, ec e ea er s n n,
l ti o of t h P i 1 2 3 1 2 4
e ec n e r n ce , -
1 97
d l g ti o f om 1 3 7 ; p
e e a n r re re B y e s d P h an p op i t d as a s, ex r r a e
t d i th P l
, ,

sen e n of t h e a a ce e 1 74
Pi h o tility wi th B i h op G k 14 0
.

r n ce, 138 ; s s r ee

pi Bi m k i t h C o g of B
.
, ,

E d P h
s sa 144 ;as o a, cc u es s arc n e n r ess er
No th d C t l Alb i
,

r ern a n en r a an a , li 50 53
n,
v t Alb i B ibli l S o i t y B iti h 2 1 3
.
,

—
15 8 15 9 ; e a cu a e s an a n ca c e r s
t ito i omm i l i M ko 28 d 24 1
, , .

er r 1 62 ;
r es , c erc a Bo h c ar ar an n
l ti o with Alb i 1 7 8 B oj R iv vi g bl
, , .
, .

re a ns an a , an a, 171 ; er, na a e,
1 7 9 ; mi t t d by t h Alb
s ru s e e a 184
B ol h viki v l S t T ty
.

n i an s , 2 18 s e re ea e cr e rea
of L o d o
.
,

235 n n,
B o ov id t of 1 1 6
.

r I a, nc en
d d R il w y P oj t A l Bo i ttl d i
.
,

B ag a a a r ec s n an R f g e u ees , se e n
b i i t h 82 t l Alb i 1 4 7 1 9 5
,

an a n e, C en ra an a ,
B l fo A J d l d i B o to tt ) fi t
.
, .

a u r, ec a r e s ec s (M n h as sac u se s rs
i o of t h L o do C o f Alb i t b
.

s ns e n n n er en ce an an w p p ne s a er es a
a b og t d 2 35
r a e li h d i s e 228 ; t bli h m tn, es a s en
B lk Alli fo m d O th od o Alb i
.
,

a an Th a n ce , e, r e as of th e r x an an
lt of t h
a r e su of t h e s u cces s e s e Ch h i u rc2 29 n,
Alb i ttit d of Bo d y Commi i o S o th
.

74 75 ;
an an s , — a u e un ar ss n, u
t h Alb
e i t ow d t h 7 6
a n an s ar e, t
ea s ern , ppoi t d b y t h L o a n e e n

B lk Alli Th ttit d t o t t o
.
,

a an es , e, a u e do C o f n 1 00; n er e n c e , s ar s n
w d Alb
ar i of 7 6 7 7 ; i an a — n it j o y 1 1 2 ; offi i l p o
s u rn e c a r

v d py m o t of A l
, ,

a d o
e an ccu s di g of t h
c ee n 113 ; t Ko
s e, a r

b i 77 78 ; ig o p o l m
an a, — n re r c a a hc 1 17 ;
a, t K ol o i d Bo a n a an
ti o of i d p d
n 79 8 0
n e en en c e , -

; ov
r 1 18 a,
t it o i l l im of 9 1 9 2 9 3 Bo bo O l F di d
.

—
er r r a c a s ur n -
r ean s , s ee er n an
q ot d 1 7 9 F coi D d M o t p i
, , .

B lk
a R an ev u e, u e , . ra n s, ue e n en s er .
 I NDE X 245

B ou rch ie r, D , Alb J ont he a t i ar i v d d by t h S b

47 ; n a e e er
i tl i p i i g of
. .
,

n a n s of G ree ce an d I a y , 2 5 , an s , 77 ; u r s n

n ; on t h e f ron ti Alb i er s of a n a, 1 4 6 1 5 0; — of t h p i
ca u se s e u r s

G ov
.

16 8 1 69 i g
n 1 4 9 —1 5 0; Th e ern
il fo d H N o t h f t m t of C t l Alb i 15 6 ;
.
, ,
”
B ra s r n e u u re en en ra an a,
of Alb i 2 34 2 3 6 2 40 t t of 1 6 8 ; l d ow
.
, ,
.

an a , ex en an n ers ex
B i di i t mi A ppi t i 14 9
.
, , ,

r n s of t h er nu s e an p op i t d b y p
r r a e ea s a n s n,
t of 1 8 0; o i l
, ,

W y 16 a 174 ; fo re s s s c a
f m l Admi l i t h o diti o do
, .
,

B b li
u u na, e a e ra n e c n i 19 5 ; nsp n, seu
G k R v ol ti o 4 8
r ee e u n, Mo l m i 2 04s e s n,
B lg i Alb i o i ti Ch mb of D p ti T ki h
, .

u ar a , i an an s c e es n. a er e u es , ur s
l im t h Vil y t of di i o o Alb i i t h
,

5 7 2 16 ; c a s e a e s c u ss n n an a n e,
ti 7 4 ; d l g ti o f om
,

Mo n as r, e e a n r 67
d Mi i t t o D Cl ll l d w b y B y o
, .

13 7 ; sen s n s er u ans, p a ra e ra n r n,
ra zz o 1 3 8 ; i v i o of Alb n as n a 1 89 ; o g iz ti o f 1 9 3
r an a n O
i by B l g i t oop 1 5 8 C l gy G k i S o th
, , .

n a u a r an r s, er r ee Al n u e rn

1 5 9 ; Alb i ol o y i 2 1 0 b i 9 8 ; Rom C t h oli i

, ,

an a n c n n, an a, an a c n

y Vi Admi l Si C il N o th Alb i 1 9 4 ;
.

B u rn e ce -
ra r ec r e rn a n a, na

pi S t i 1 02 12 7 ; t io l l gy 2 2 3
, ,

o cc u es cu a r re na c er
ti Ch ild H old o t h t l
, , , .

1 30
r es , e ar n e n a u ra
Lo d o t h t l b ti of Alb i 1 6 7
.
,

By o r n, r n e n a u ra ea u es an a ,
b ti of Alb i 1 6 7 1 6 9 ; Gh im 2 3 34 ; mo t i
.
,

ea u es an a , a rra , of u n a ns
t h Alb i
, , ,

o n e 1 89 a n an s , 170
B yz ti d omi ti o C omm ti l of 1 7 7
. .

an n e, d i na n an n d
erce , an ar c es ,

fl u en ce, 1 9 — 2 0 180
C ommi i o
. .

C om m
ss Bo d y
n er s , see un a/r
i io ss n

m d D m t i o I t l o Alb Comm i ti o 1 8 3 1 8 4
.

—
Ca ar a, e e r a -
a u n ca n s,

i w it 2 08 C om M i h l fo d
.
,

n an r er , n en u s , of c ae un er

did t t o t h th o of Al t h D pot t of E pi
.
,

C an a es , e r ne e es 22 a ru s ,

b i 1 07 1 2 3 1 2 4 i o m d t o t h Alb
.

C m
an a , — Co n ces s ns, a e e a

by T k y 6 8 6 9 ; m d
.
,

Th t J i —
ar g oll a ng e, e, sun a a n an s ur e a e

i 45 P ovi i o l G ov
,

n na , by t h e r s na e rn

C m Sy lv l h di m t 1 20 12 1
.

au n c es c an en —
ar en a,

d y of W illi m of W i d 1 2 4 of Amb do
.
,

ac a e Co fn er e n c e a s sa rs , s ee

t h Ho
.
,

C t iot
as r of t h
a, 27 e u se e, Co f n er en c e of L o do n n

C th i i 4 7 2 17 of L o d o
. .

a 1 1 of R
er n e u ss a, Co fn eren ce Th 86 n n, e,

C th oli i m N o th 1 04 ; m
.
, ,

a i c s Al n r ern of E op
e n ace w ur ea n ar

b i 24 og iti o of Alb
,

an a , l d t o 86 ;
e r ec n n a

Alb i i 3 i i dp d
. ,

C a u ca s u s , an a n, n an by 8 7 8 8
n e en en ce -

;
C t l Alb i I lly i d i io h d by om p o
.
,

en ra an a , r an re ec s ns reac e c r

m i i 9 ; p t of I ll y i
a ns n, ar r a, mi 8 8 8 9 ; it d i i o d
se s , s ec s ns e

1 1 ; i v d d b y Rom d b og t d 2 3 5
,

n a12 ; e an s , l
c a re a r a e

th o o ghf t o t h E t 1 6 ; of Al io 3 1
.
,

r u ar e e as Co gn ress es s
li p ovi i o of
.

i v d d by B l g i
, ,

n a e 2 0; i u a r an s , n Co gn of B
res s er n, r s ns

v d d by No m
a e 21 t b r an s , ; es a th 5 0 5 1 ; m odifi
e, -
ti o of t h ca ns e

li h d s Alb i K i gd om
e as a n an n t ty 5 2 2 1 1 2 12
r ea —

2 3 ; d omi i o B l h Co t ti t h G t tiv of
.
, , ,

of t h n n e a s a n s an ne e re a na e

I ll y i
,

F mil y 2 4 ; divid d m o g t h
a e a n e 17 24 1
r a,

f d l lo d dd d t o t h Co v i o t o I l mi m 3 9 ;
.
, ,

eu 26 ;
a r s, a e e n ers n, s a s ,

d omi i o of t h P h of S
n n e as a en reas on s for , 2 01 2 02 -

.
24 6 I NDE X
C onv l io u s ns and U pr ii s n gs, 39 D j av id P
a sh a , 1 0 6
d P k mil
.

41 Do a , ren B ib , 5 5 ; fa y of,
Go fo D i iti o of 1 4 3 ; to
.

r u, s pos n rn 1 94
t o pi d l m i
, .

15 1e c es , D o on a , orac e of, 4 ; r e a n s
Co i th i ol o i t bli h d
.

r n an s, c n es es a s e of, 8
mi ti z ti
.

by 9 D o n a on , B y an n e, 19 2 0; -

C o p d Th t t g d by t h m ki
, .

u e ea re , s a e e Ro a n , 1 5 —1 8 ; Tur s h , 36 —7 0
k i S o th Alb i li l l d t
.

G re e s n u e rn an a , Dou e, C o on e , 131 ; con u c

12 1 13 1 ti
q u es on e in t h e d
ou s e of H
C o t M ti l fo T ki h pl ot mm
, .

ur ar a r ur s Co on s , 1 34
t 129 t P li
, .

er s , D r a n g N a ch O s e n o cy, Al
C t dit i So th A l b i
.

re a n B an s, n u e rn a n a i n t h e, 8 2
b i 1 3 2 1 34 ; t o iz pop i iv
.

an a, , er r r e D r n , R er, 2 9 , 1 7 1 , 1 84 .

l t io
u a 14 1 n, Du kagh in , L ek , 2 6 , 9 2
C i pi F I t li J Al d
. .

r s o P
r a n ce s c a an re D u k e oh n , ex a n er , s e e D u k a
mi 2 08 2 4 1
, ,

e r, gh i n
C oi K oi m i of 8 ; li d dd Alb
.
, .

i m
r o
a r r a, re a ns Du c gn o, efe n e by t he a
t h ov l o d of 2 6 ; pit l of i t
,

e er r ca a n a s a ga n s t he ow er s , 5 2 P
Alb i 2 6 2 8 2 9 ; b i g d zz v m t
, .

an a , es e e Du r a o, 16 ; G o er n en of ,
b y t wo S lt 32 ; l o t t o A t t li l
, ,

u an s, s 1 2 2— 1 2 7 ; u s r o I a a n c a sh -

th T k e ur 34 ; l im d
s c a e a t , 1 4 5 ; n a u ra h ar or, 1 7 2 ; t l b
by t h S l v 92e a s, t
i t s fu u r e , 1 7 8
i Alb i 21 t i i
. .

C ru s ad er s , n an a , D u ch M s s on , 9 0, 1 2 9 , 1 39
Cy l op R m i i m
. .

c ea n 8 e a n s, Dyrrach u , see D u r az z o
Cy l op viv i Alb i
. .

c s, su r e n an a n
l g d 7 8 ; id ti l w ith
e en s, -
en ca E gypt M h m d Ali P h of 4 6 e e as a

Gh g 1 88 5 7 ; d l g ti o f om 1 3 7 ;
, , ,

e s, e e a ol n r c

ti o l o i ti
.
,

o y of 2 1 0;
n na na s c e es

D lm ti p t f I ll y i
,

a a a, 11 ar O r a, in, 5 7 2 16
D p t ti o t o N wi d E lb t of t h Alb i
. .
,

e u a n, 1 30 eu e a sa n , cen er e an an
zz o 1 3 7 L g 5 1 ; p od t of 1 7 5 ;
, ,

13 1 ; t o D ura ea u e, r uc s
D vi h P h N o m l S h ool of 2 2 4 2 2 5
, .
,

er s pp as th a, su r es ses e r a c
Alb i L g 5 4 2 1 3 E li b t h Q of Ro m i
.
, ,

a n an ea u e, sa e u een u an a ,

C ol o l
, .
,

D e sc oi n s, ob p t i ne c era es n 124
t bli h m t of t h R P l gi to
.
,

th e es a s en e e E pi ot r o s r e as an s , a n ces rs

p bli of K o h
u c 160 rc a, of S o th Alb i
u 3; p o
er n a n an s , r

do G k 1 1 8 it
.

D p
es era es , ree
g en o of T o k
rs 4 d ; s s, an n

D pot t of E p i j oi Al d t h G t 1 4
. .
,

es a 22 23 9 7 ru s , — n ex a n er e re a

D vol Riv i t
,
.
, , .

e 1 7 1 1 7 2 184er , p ru s o M ol o i rS o h A l ss a, u er n

Di l t di ff Alb i b i 1 3 d ; D pot t of
.
, , ,
'

a ec s , i e ren c e s n an a n , an a , an n es a
i t o h oth 1 8 8 t o om o 1 3 0; P ovi
.
,

187 ; f u se n ea c er , 22 ; au n us, r

D ib volt of 1 9 0 1 9 1 2 3 8 i o l G ov m t of 1 3 1 ;
.

re — ern en
ra, s ua
ti o li t C t b dit i 1 3 4 ; G k
, ,
.
,

Bi lli o g
e of t hr an e na na s s re an an s n, re e

of t h U it d S t t t o iti di d i th
,

e 231
n e a es , a r c es s cu s s e n e

Di i Al pi y t m 1 7 0 H o of Comm o 1 34
.

nar c, ne s s e u se n s,

D i o l ti Emp o k t ow of 1 9 7
.
, .

c e an , 17 2 41 er r, E rs e a, n
D i i t g ti o d
, .
, .

s n e 120 123 ;
ra n, —
ca u ses E ss a d P h 66 ; as a, s u rren ers

of 12 0 1 2 1 — S t i t o Mo t g o 1 01 ;
cu a r n en e r

D ivid t I mp m im of t h f o m t h fi t G ov m t of
,
.
,

e u era , ax e r s e rs er n en

T k i Alb
ur s i 40 4 1 n a n a, -
D ura zz o 1 2 2 1 2 7 ; ti re re s ,
i t
.
, ,

Dj av el l a , 4 8 . 1 3 0; pp o d aM in i st er o f n e
24 8 I NDE X
L i t ti o l C ommi i o o
B o d y C om
G ura kuk i, ou s , 1 07 , 2 24 In ern a na ss n n
Pl v F o ti
.

mo
G u ss ign e a a, 5 1 , 5 3 -
r n ers , see un ar
m i
.

Gy n a s a , 1 1 5 , 1 4 0 zss z n

t ti o l I t g m 1 2 7
. .

In e rn a na n e rr e nu
H J
,

ah n , D r G eorg oh an n v on , 3 , 1 30
Alb i t v ti o of A t i
. .

4 ; on t h e a n a n s of G r eece , In er en n, d us r a an
2 05 I t ly 8 2 ;
a o fo 8 1 82 ;
r ea s ns r, —

H t bil i po d h l
.
,

an o a u x , G a r e , 2 4 2 R u ss a to th
re s n s e c a
H b t A b ti l g 8 3 84 ; o q
.

er e r , u rey , M P , q u es on s en e, — of c n se u en c e s
H mm
. .

pu t i n t h e ou s e of C o on s the, 84
v io ( 1 ) B lk Alli
.

b y, 1 5 1 In as ns : a an es ,
Hlti 7 5 79 ; ( 2 ) B b i
.

o s e n , D uk e of, 39 — 20 2 1 ; ar ar a n , —

Hl m m i
.

o y R o a n E p r e, 3 9 3
( ) E u r o p ea n W ar 1 5 7 — 159

Hm Gi t
.
,
.

o er, G h egs t h e an s of, 1 88 I sa B ol a t i n , 1 07

Hm i P m it m il K m l
. .

o er c oe s , a fii n i t y w h Al Is a e a B ey, 7 7 , 7 8 , 7 9 , 8 0,
b i l
an a n a n gu a ge , 7 1 1 0; a cc u s e of d
n c o pe en ce , m t i
H ti d iti
.

o a n d G r u a , res s n c or por a 1 2 0; wa rn s t h e owers , 1 2 2 ; P

ti t
on i n M on en egr o, 9 3 ; s h ou ld w illi n g t o r e r e, 1 2 8 ; r e r e s , ti ti
t d Alb i
b e re u r n e t o an a , 2 3 8 130
H mm ti t l Pl i
. .

ou se of Co on s , q u e s on s pu t I a y, P
e a sg a n s in , 4 ; y rrh u s
in t h e , 8 9 , 1 3 3 , 1 3 4 , 1 5 2 d b
i n , 1 4 ; S ca n e r eg i n , 3 3 ; A l
H ll ki ll i b i l i
.

y u s, n g of I y r a , 1 1 a n a n c o on es i n , 3 6 3 7 , 2 07 -

i t v ti
.

2 08 n e r en on of, 79 82, -

I ll y i r a, t t of 1 1 ; k i gd om
ex en n 84 ; ttit d
a u e L d
in t h e on on
o q d by t h ttit d
,

of 1 1 13 ; — c n u er e e C on f eren ce , 99 ; a u e in t h e
Rom l ti P i
,

12 an s , e ec on of t h e r n c e , 1 2 3—1 2 4 ;

I lly i to of t h Alb d l ti m t
.

i m 3 ; p og ito of t h
r an s , a n ces rs e a e ega on fr o , 1 3 7 a gen of,
n a s, r en rs e 1 38 ; t
s u ppor s P
E ssa d a sh a ,

Gh g 4 ; i fl e s, of t h I ll y n u en ce e i V l
1 5 7 ; oc cu p es a on a , 1 5 8 ; oc
i
r an l g g o B lk an ua e n a an t
cu pi es S ou h e r n Alb i an a , 1 5 9 ;

sp h 6;
e ec tiq iti of t h an u es e p l im
r oc a s ti d d
h e n epen en ce of
I ll y i p i od 9 ; j oi Al Alb i mm i l l
,

r an er n ex an a , 1 6 1 ; co er c a r e a
d th G t g i t th ti it Alb i
,

an er e r ea a a ns e on s w h an a , 1 7 8— 1 7 9
P i t li P i Alb i
.

’
12
e r s an s , I a an r n ces , an an s ap
I d p d p o l m ti o l
.

n e en en ce, of r c a a n p ea t o, 3 9
t li v t t
, .

79 I a a n N a y , p ro ec s E s sa d
I d p d t P i i p liti Alb
.

n e en en r nc a e s, a P a sh a , 1 5 7
i 2 1—2 4 4 1—4 7 ld di t t
.

n an , P
I z z et a sh a , w ou be c a or of -

I d o E op g o d wo k Alb i
.
,

n -
ur d
ea n , r un r an a n a , 1 07

g mm Alb i l
.

ra of t h ar e an an an

g g 6ua e, J m t ow N Y fi t Alb
a es n, rs a
I t ti o l C ommi i o of C o i o i ty U it d
. .
.
,

n ern a na ss n n n an i
s th c e n e n e
t ol 9 0; m k p d f
r a e u an u nc St t a es t bli h d i 2 2 8
es a s e n,
ti o 1 2 6 ; f il J i pit l of t h D pot t
.
,

n s, d a u re a n c au s e s , an n a , ca a e es a
1 2 7 1 33 ; m dmi i t a ss u es a n s ra of E p i 22 ; pit l of Ali
ru s , ca a
ti o of Alb i 1 3 0; i g o d ig d t o
,

n an a , n re P h as 4 2 —4 7 ;
a, a ss ne
by t h Pi of W i d
e 137 r n ce e G re ece,51 ; b t m i Alb u re a ns a

goti t with Z og i 5 3 ; d f d d by t h Alb

,

m dm
138 ; ne a es ra n an , e en e e a

ph o 1 4 3 ; s, i i r ea s su es a n s i
n an si 1 9 1 2 7 6 ; Gy m
n i m nas u
of Alb i
,

t t io
ra n d di an a , an s of 1 1 5
olv Joh B Sp t 2 5
.
,

s 155 es , . n ua a a, .
 I NDE X 2 49

Joh C t iot d liv h i o

n as r a, e er s s s ns K u l l u r iot i, A t
n a s a s , n a on a s , ti li t
as ho t g to th
s a S lt 28 es e u an , 2 06
J oh H y dy b ttl g i t m v b ttl
. .

n un a a es a a ns K u a n o o, a e of, 7 6

i i
.

th T k
,

e 29 ur s, K u t z o Va ll a c h ia n s , or g n of t h e ,
-

Jo ph I I E m p o of A t i t i it Alb i
.

se er r u s r a, 1 7 ; wa n u n on w h an a ,

goti t w it h t h P h
,

ne a es of e as a 2 39
S t i 42 4 3
.

cu a r
J li t h A po t t o t h Ph i
.
, ,

u
l o oph
an
s 24 1 e r,
e s a e r e
L bi
a S gn or ,
a, i mmi I t lia an Co s

s i on er , 1 1 7
J ti i E m p o 2 0
.

L mb M H y B iti h D l
.

ti o l Com
us n an , er r, .

a r a rr r s e e

g t t th I t
, ,
.

M hm d P h fi gh t a e o e n er n a na
K a ra
Mo t
a u as a, s
mi i o of Co t ol 1 2 7
g i V ti ss n n r
L d ow h i p of 1 7 4 ; op
.
,
n en e d
r n s, en e an s an

T k g ti t w it h
an n ers cr s

d to k i i g 1 7 5 1 77
, ,
ur 42 ; s, ne o a es

Jo ph 1 1 of A t i 4 3
—
an s c ra s n
L g g Th Alb i
.
,
se u s r a,
di
.

an ua e, e an an , s
K ara

K t
p o 13 1an

di t h i t ti g t ow of
s, .

ti t f om oth l g g of
nc r er an ua es ,

o I ll y i o i gi
a un e n e re s n n
, ,
Th ra c -
5; f r an r n, or
i g wo d i i w it
19 7
8;
K v j pl i ltiv
.

e n r s n, u se n r

i g p oh ibit d b y T k y 5 8
a a a, of 1 7 0; a n cu a

ti o of 1 7 3 ; p od t of 1 7 5 ;
,
n r e ur e
tt m pt t o
, ,
n r uc s
1 14 ; Yo g T k
P im y S h ool of 2 2 5
, ,
un ur s a e

K en n e
r
dy R Ph il
ar
Am i
c
ev
,

ea s ,
.

er
h
c g an h t of 6 7 2 2 4
e c a r a c er s , ,

mi i o y p ll d f om 2 25
.
,

L i k ovi k i b d by t h G k
.

ca n ss n ar ex e e r

K o h by t h G
,
as u rn e e re e s,
rc a k 1 39 e r ee s,
143 197
,

K t h ll p ovi
.

of
L ib ty L o Th i d Alb i
.
,
e e a, o r n ce u nc n
q d 1 94
,
er an, r a n an

b i pti o t o t h 2 3 3
,
u e re

K l it o k i g of I ll y i df td
.
,
su scr ns e,

L i h ow ki P i Alb i
.

e s, n r a, e ea e

b y Al d t h G t 12 c n os ,
r n ce, n an a ,
ex a n er e r ea
1 02 1 04
K od m
, .
—

K om
of 1 4 2
P t l d of mi g
.

ra , a s s ac re
L io h
bi fi t Alb i
.
,
s a, e er , ea er ra

i t h U it d S t t
,
rsw p p an a n n e s a er
ti o 2 5 n,
L it y Mov m t 6 1 2 13 2 2 1
.

n e 228 n e a es , —
F ik B y ti o li t
.

er ar e en , , ,
K o itn za , a e na na s
—
224 2 26
l d 231 d
,

L it t m ggli g i t h A l
.

ea er , an n

K op l G d Vizi 2 2 4 2 4 0
.

era u r e , s u n n e
ru u

o K o itz t t
ra n rs , ,
.

b i 5 9 6 5 2 1 4—2 1 8
an an ,
L o d o Co f
.
, ,
Ko h rc a, r r a, ea s ern er
Co f
mi oi t h o th t f o
nu s e s u ea s e r n r n
n
of L o do
n n e r e n ce , se e n er

ti 1 00; G ym i m of 1 1 5 ;
er , n as u
enc e
L o d o S t t ty of 2 35
n n .

B o d y C ommi i o
,
n n, ec r e re a

h io A lm o I t l o Alb
.
,
un ar t 1 17 ss n a
Lo
p ovi i g d t o Alb i
,
recc n se a -
a

i w it 2 08
, ,
r n ce a ss ne an a,

1 19 ; v t d by t h G k s,
n an
L ow ll A L 1 08
r er , .

L i Po t m
e ac u a e e r ee

1 3 3 ; o tb
e
k of 1 3 9 1 4 1 ; h Albi
,
. . .

— er
,

L m 34 ;
u r ea
i 12
ol i Alb i ti o l poli
,
uc u s s u us nu s ,

o q d 194
.

r e n an an n a na

ti 1 3 9 1 4 0; t bli h m t of
cs , — es a s en
u a, u nc n u er e , .

th R p bli
e 1 5 9 1 6 0;
e o l
u c, — c a

mi of
ne s 1 8 0; o i l o di s c a c n do i
M a ce t o of Alb n a n s, a n ces rs a
ti o i 19 6 ; d ti o l o
,

ns n, e u ca na s i 3
n an s ,
i t y i t h U it d S t t M hm d P h t i 41
.

c e n 2 32 e n e a es , a of S u as a, cu a r
b ttl of 4 2 ; i g d
.
,

Ko o ss v a, a e a ss ne 43
t o S bi it i o M h m d Sh fk t P h
, .

b t er a, u r es s s nc r a u Th e e as a, e

po t io ra 94 ; h o ld b n, s u e re T k i h di t t o
ur ig 7 3 s c a r, re s n s,

tu d t o Alb i 2 3 8 2 39 M f d Ki g of S i il y 2 3
.

rn e —
an a , . an re , n c ,
.
2 50 I NDE X
Ma ssa ch u s e tt s Alb i i t h an a n s n e d b
for Scan er eg, 3 3 ; h ow h ey t
S t t of 2 2 7 v td
,

a e w ere con er e , 3 7 — 3 8 , 2 01
M v om ti G k o l o th l mi m
.
,

a r a s, re e c n su n e 2 02 ; pr ogre s s of I s a s , 4 0;

f o ti of Alb i 167 168 ll d Alb

,

r n er s an a , n ot a owe t o u se t h e a
i l g g 5 8 ; ttit d
, ,

169 n an an ua e, a u e
M ti d 34 1 9 4 tow d t h C h i ti Alb
.

a o q unc n u ere ar e r s an a
M b t Alb i titl giv t o ll y
, , , .

re a n an e en i
n an s , 64 2 02 2 03 ; —
cr u e
P i of W i d t d by t h G k 1 2 2 ;
, ,

th e r n ce1 36 1 5 3 e p e r s e cu e e r ee s,
M d G i ov i di po t Mo l m did t 1 2 4 ;
, .
,

e ua, S an an n sea r oppo se s e can a e,

m j o ity i Alb i
,

of 1 7 2 a re i n a r n an a ,
M h m d Ali P h of E gyp t 4 6 om p i o w ith oth
.
,

e e as a, 2 00; c ar s n er
o v t 2 02 2 03 ; ttit d t o
,

n 12 5 c n er s , — a u e
M h m d Ali P h T ki h w d th P i oi W i d 2 03 ;
.
.
,

e e as a, ur s ar e r n ce e

t t m m d d by m ob R fo m d Mo l m
,

s a es an, ur e re s, e r e 294 ; s e s,

2 13 p do Mo l m 2 04 2 05 ; o
s eu -
s e s, — c n
M h m d B h t l i b om h d O th od o
.

e e us a ec es er e t ib t i o
r u to th ns e r x

y P h of S t i 4 1 Alb i C h h 2 2 9
,

it ar as a cu a r a n an u rc
M tt ih P M o l m N ti o l Alli
.
, .
,
“
e er n c d th Co ri n c e, a n e n s e a 2 32 na a n ce ,

M oth l d fi t Alb i o i
.
,

s t i t t io u 45 n, n er a n rs a n an s c

M i l i Admi l 4 8 2 4 1 t y fo d d i U it d
.
,

au ra e unth e n e n e

M i h l C om fo d St t
, , , .

c ae of n en u s , un er 228
a es ,
t h D pot t of E pi M fti wh t i
.

e es 22 a ru s , u 1 1 0—1 1 1
a d s a, an n
M i g ti o Alb i M kh t id Mo t
.
, .

ra of ns, to a n an s , u P h ar as a, a s n en e
G r eece,2 4 2 5 ; t o I t ly 3 6 -
a g i r ns
g i t Alb a i a ns52 an an s ,
M ilit y A th o iti G k o d I I i v d Alb i 2 7 ;
.
, .

ar u r es , r ee c n M u ra n a es an a ,
d t i So th Alb i 1 1 3 ; b i g C oi 3 2
, ,

uc n u ern an a , es e es r a,
t g t o omo E pi pl i of 7 8 1 7 0; lti
.

s a e au 1 3 0; n us ru s , M ki
uz a a, a n cu

pl t tw ti th t y v ti o of 1 7 3 ; h o of 1 7 6
, ,
“
an en e c en u r an a n , rses , .

N m
t i q it i u 1 32 es ,

M im Si yk K m l B y 2 2 4 2 4 1
.
k

ar 2 24 nan , a e a e

Mi l o Alb i i h N pol o l ti o of Ali P h

.
, , .

n era r es u rces , an a r c a e n, re a ns as a
i n, 180 1 8 1 — with 4 5
M i dit d 34 194 ; N ti o l Alb i A o i ti o
. .
,

r o q a, un c n u e re a na an a n ss c a n,

gold mi of C o t ti opl 6 4
, ,

Mi m
i 180 n es n, n s an n e,

P i of W i d N ti o l Alb i B k p
. .

su t th a, e r n ce e a na an a n an re s

l v Alb i o t h 1 5 3 i o of 1 1 2
,

ea es an a n e, su re fo t h o r e c n ce s s n
M od Viv di o gh t b y t h i o of 1 2 0
.
,

us en s u e 1 13 ; o c n ce s s n
Pow i m ki g Alb i 8 9 N ti o l t i ti
.
, ,

ers n a n an a , a na h c 188 a r a c er s cs ,

M oh mm d I I Th C o q
a e o e n u er r, 193
b i g i v i C oi 3 2 ; d fi N ti o l A o i ti o
.
,

es e es n a n r a, e a naCh h u rc ss c a n,
n it l y ti f om Alb i 3 3
e re re s r an a , fo d d i B o t o
un e 2 2 9 2 32 n s n,

ki gd om of 1 3 1 5 ; N ti o l F d o t ib ti o
.
, .

M ol o i ss a , n — a na un to c n r u ns

d v t ti o d f ll of 1 5
, ,

e as a n an a th 2 33
e,
ti vil y t of 2 1 N ti o l o i ti wo k of 5 7
.
, .

B o d y C om
Mo na s r, 68 ; a e n a na s c e es , r

mi i o t 1 1 2 2 2 7 2 3 3 ; ob t
, .
, ,

59 2 16 22 3 — — s a
un ar ss n a
l i t h w y of 5 8 ; om
, , , ,

pli h mt of 2 1 9 2 2 1 ; i t h
120 c es n e a a ec

Mo t t d f om Alb
.
,

g o w en s — n e
n en e r r es e r a s
Alb i U it d S t t
, ,

i
n a, 2 0; i 2 09 an an s n, n e 228 229 231 a e s,

l o Ni h ol K i g of
.
, , ,

S ee a s c as, n 2 32

m N ti o li m g owt h of 2 1 1 —2 33 ;
.

Mo t g o
n en e r a na s r
ot t d i t d
,

Mo l Alb i th i t
.
,

s e
p an an s, e r r es ec un
p r n d ec e a . unass s e ,
2 52 I NDE X
Alli es , 9 2 —9 3 ;i l on t h e ph ys ca Re gli i o ttit d of t h Alb
n, a u e e a
a
pp of t h
ea r a n ce Alb i e a n an , i
n an s t ow d 2 01 2 04 ; li ar — re
f ll of t h Alb gi o di ff ig o d i t h
,

1 89 ; o t h n e a e a ns e r en ces n re n e
i St t 2 3 7
n an a e, sch ool 2 14 22 5 2 2 6
s,

P l gi t o of t h Alb ti o fo Alb i 2 3 8
.
, , .

i m4 ; ttl of E pi Em mAlb i G k
e as a n s , a n ces rs e a R p
e a ra n, r an a , .

n a s, 13
se er s ru s , R po li
e u s, an a n -

ree
P m ti t ow of 19 7 t t m 2 06
. .
,

er e n s a es an ,
P t i S oti t bli h fi t A I R v olt Alb i
. .
, ,

e s r, es a s es rs e s, 15 7 1 39 a n an ,
b i i t h U it d
, ,

an a n n e w p p s a er n e n e 1 6 8 9 3 9 ; 1 7 3 7 3 9 —4 0 4 6 5 4
St t lt di g
, , , ,

a 22 7 2 28
es , — 55 ; of t h
re s u s e rece n
p
Ph ili p of M d o 1 1 g i t t h Yo g T k
.
,

a ce n, 4 0; a a ns e un ur s,
P i ol omi i G l t Al lt of 7 3 7 4 ; of
.

cc n en er a e n er s 6 8 69 ; — r es u s -

b i 39 D ib
, , ,

an a, 1 90
ra ,

P i d Mo t i Ro m i Riv l y A t o I t li
. .

n us u n a n s, u an an s a r 12 3 ;
us r -

a an ,
w t i o w ith Alb i 2 39 ly b o gh t b o t l h
,

an un n an a, n ea r r u a u c as
iz d di t o t o Alb i
.
,

Pi ns 1 1 P op o g e, r an es c r u sa e 145 ; sa s r us an a,
d S d b g 32
,

un er ca n er e 1 5 0 15 1 -

P l t h o E pi Ro d
. .
,

u a rc 1 3 14 n ru s , -

a 1 6 1 83
s,

Fo q vill i t lli g Rom i fl Alb i 9

. .
, ,

u ue o th e, n e n e en ce e, n o u en ce n a n a,
Alb i 1 9 1 w ith 1 2 1 3 1 4
,

of t h e a n an , 1 6 17 ; w
— ar s —

P t o i G d om po d l o i Alb i
.
, , ,

r an u ar c se a s 15 ; o ccu 1 5—1 6 an a ,
ra e p ; es

of I ll y i Alb i o t ib ti o
,
’
18 r a n s, an a s to c n r u ns
P im y S h ool of Vol o m k
.
,

r ar c n a, a e 17 18 —

Rom C t h oli Alb i

.
,

u p of 2 2 5 an i a cs , n an a,
P i l ti o of 1 2 3 1 2 5 ; l gy 1 9 4 ; i N o th Alb
.
,

r n ce , Th e , e ec n -

c er n r e rn a
d dl o k ov l ti o of 1 2 3 ;
, ,

ea c er e ec n i
n a, 2 00
im po t q ti o Ro m i Alb i o i ti i
, .

of th
r a n ce e u es n, u a n a, a n an s c e es n,
125 57 ; Q E li b th of 1 2 4 ;
u e en sa e
P ovi i o l G ov m t fo m d l g ti o f om 1 3 7 mi i t
.
,

r s na ern en r a e e a n r n s er
ti o of 7 9 ; o g iz Alb i zz o 1 3 8 ; Alb i ol
, ,

n r an es a n a, to D ur a an an c
t off b y bl o k d
, ,

1 07 1 1 1 ; — cu c a e, o y in 2 10n,
1 06 i fl Alb i Roz G l 47
.

o th
n u en ce n e a n an e, en er a

p op l og iz d b y
, .

e 1 08 ; e,ot n r ec n e

t h P owe 1 09 d ; pow
e rs, an n er S a a r, C pt i a of t h D t h M i
a n, e u c s
l ti io 1 4 7
.

es s, 122 127 ; 1 3 0; re res, s n,

d v o t o fo m t h F m S b l P h T ki h G ov
, .

en ea rs re r e ar a e as a,o ur s ern r
er s B
’
k 1 74 ; op N o m l
an en s r a of K oi r 29 a,
d P im y h ool m I ll y i m 2 4
, .

an r 225 22 6
ar sc s, S a cr u r cu
P bli D bt 1 8 2 1 8 3 ti Q t C t b dit
.
, , .

u c e —
S an u aran a, re a n an s
Py h of E pi l d t 1 34 ; po t of 1 72
.
,

rr u s, 14 ru s , an a s ea r

d bg m i
. .
, ,

S ca n er e of th re a ns e
t o gh old of 9 ; h o t g 2 7
,

s r n s a e,
d G i ol m o d I t l o Alb l v T ki h mp 2 9 ;
,

Ra a, r a a, a -
a 28 ; ea es ur s ca
i w it 2 08 t t o Alb i 31 ; p o
,

n an r er , r e u rn s an a , r

R di l N ti o li t Alb i l im d h i f 3 1 ; fi gh t t h
.

a ca a na s s, a n an , c a e c e s e
t o It ly
,

12 1 T k ur 3 1 3 3 ; go
s, — es a
R il w y p oj t d 1 7 8 1 8 4 ppoi t d C h i f of C
.
,

a a s, r ec e 33 ; a n e e ru

g g m t of 1 4 7 d by P i I I 3 2 ; t f
.
, ,

R hb ll
as u en a e en sa e us r an s e r s

Alb i 1 5 1 1 5 2 ov i g ty of Alb i t o V
.
, , ,

R f g
e u ee s , a n an , — s er e n an a en
ti o 5 0 6 0 l o th o of 1 2 4 ; li gh t
.

R g
e en e r a n, —
; s ee a s e i ce ,33 ; s u c ce s s r
A v l y of 1 7 6 ; d
,

L G
LBAN IA N EA UE . ca a r of 2 08
, a n ce , .
 I NDE X 2 53

Sc h i o P of G i pp I t l o
r r u se e, a t
O r h od ox Alb i 96 an an s ,
Alb i w it 2 08 gli g of t h L o d o Co
, .

an an r e r, w r an n e n n n
S h ool Alb i p oh ibit d by bo t t h 9 9
.

c s, a n an , r e f er en ce a u e,
5 8 2 1 4 ; p oh ibiti o So t h A lb i 13 ; i v d d
.

th T k e ur s, r n u er n an a , n a e
l d d th w d 59 by B l g i
,

r e ax e an en ren e e u 2 0; by t h
a r an s , e
ligi o di ff No m d f om t h
, ,
—
2 1 4 2 15 ; re us er en c e s r 21; f an s , r ee r e
ig o d i 2 2 5 2 2 6
n re n, — V ti en e 2 2 ; divid d
an s , mo g e a n
S otl d B y o li k Alb i t h f d l lo d
.

c an r n en s an a e eu 26 ; i d p d
a r s, n e en
3 4 ; p t of t h
,

t o 1 89 en t o as es , do ar e

S t i pit l of I ll y i mi i o of Ali P h 4 3 ;
.
,

cu a r ca 11 ; a r a, n n as a, re

p it l t v olt 4 6 ; j oi i ti o of
,

ca to th
u a es T k 34 ; e ur s, s, ns n s u r r ec n
f ll a d i i of
an 1 00 cr s s 19 12 68 ; i v d d by t h n a e e
1 02 ; i t ti o lly o pi d G k 7 7 ; t t h Lo do Co
,

n er n a na ccu e ree s, a e n n n
dmi i t ti o of 1 2 7 9 5 1 00; vi it d by t h
,

ti o l B o d y C om
1 02 ; a n s ra n f e r en ce, — s e e

p i d by M o t I t
, ,

1 3 0; o
m
ccu e n en e n ern a na un ar

g i r n s,158 ; l k of 1 7 1 1 72 ; a e — mi i o 1 1 1 ;
ss n, o fl gi g ca u a n

pop l ti o of 1 9 4 it k h ool
, ,

u a n 1 13 ; of G
e x s en c e ree sc s

pit h mi 1 14 ; i fl t h of o
.
,

S l it
e en z a, of 1 8 0 c n es i n, n u en ce e re n,
S m i o D v ol Riv 1 7 1 1 1 5 ; b om
.
,

e an r e er , g ec
g 1 19 ; es a an re n e ,

S bi l im o p d th t t g d by t h
.
,

er 11 21
a, 27 5 1 ; n c a s c u e ea r e s a e e
Alb i t it o y 7 4 ; G k i 1 2 1 ; v ti o
.
, , ,

o n an a n err r ree s n, e a cu a n
ttit d tow d Alb i 7 7 v d d by t h G k 1 3 1 ;
,

a u e ar an a , e a e e re e s,

pp o t E h m v ti o of 1 3 2 1 3 3
,

9 1 9 2 9 4 1 00; — d su r s ssa s a e a cu a n -

;
P h 1 5 6 ; Alb i v olt G k t o iti i 1 34 ; w
, , ,

as a, a n an re s r ee a r c es n, ar

g i t 19 0 14 1 ; m d t o i
ti om
a a ns i n, a s sa c re s a n a r c

S bi 2 0 2 3 ; b ttl mitt d by t h G k
.
,

er an s, of K a e u es c e e r ee s,
m ovo 7 6 ; pp o h i g D d v t t d by t h
,

an a r ac n u 1 4 1 1 42 ; —
e as a e e
zz o 7 8 ; i v d t t G k 1 5 1 ; l d ow
,

ra d n a e an r e r ea r ee s, an n er s ex
i t o Alb i 1 5 8
,

n an a, p l l d by t h G
e e k 174 ; o e r ee s, s

D g Mo t i o diti o
.

Sh ar a of 2 9 un a n s n i l
c a c i n 1 9 5 1 96 ns n, -

;
m o t p og iv ti o of
, ,
.
,

1 6 8 1 70 s r r es s e s ec n

Sh ik l I l m ti m Alb i 1 9 6 19 7
.
,

e u p
-
o f
s a o se ara n r an a , —

St f Cz owitz 3 1
-

1 1 0; M o l m Alb i i
.
,

th e, s e a n an s n e an er n

U it d S t t v l St f
.
,

th e n e a es se er re a e an D h 23 24 us an ,

ti o w ith S t i m tz D o omi
.
,

ns e n e o th r n e ec n c

Sh i l y B p o p t of Alb i 173
.
, , ,

ti o p t i t h H o of om
r e M M P enn , r u es r s ec s an a ,
St w d M ti o p t
.
.
, .
, .

ns u n e u se e ar M P q r u es n u
m o b y 1 34 t h Ho of C omm o
. .
, , .
,

ns i n e by
u se ns

Sh J k i id t of 14 7 ; p od
, .
,

a nc en r 1 34
t of 1 7 5 S t J om
.
.
, ,

ne s er 17 241 e,

Sh k mbi Riv dividi g Gh g l p h C h i ti ity

.
, . .
,

u er , n e s St P au rea c es r s an

d To k t o t h Alb i
,
.
,

an 4 1 7 1 1 84 1 87 ;
s s, e 17 an a n s ,
Gh g d To k f o t h St b o 4
.
, , ,

h l h im
e s an s s u se n e, ra d 187 an n
H
, .
, .

1 88 St ra b De o r an s v n,

S ilv p l ty of 1 8 0 q ot d 1 8 1 ; o t h h iv l y
.
.
,

er , en u e n e c a r

S im o Cz S oph i Alb i
, .
,

W ld m Alb i C om
e n, 20 a r, a, of t h e 1 90 19 1 an a n s , —

P i S li C h i ti
.
.

of
m it i of w with Ali
r n cess bo g a e ur , u ,
r s an an an

124 un es ar

So th t B o d y 9 4 1 00;
.
,

u ea s ern un ar
— P h 44
as a,

k do m t 95 ; p S y lv t
.
,
“
G re e cu en s ,
”
re s P op 1 7
es er, e,

pop l ti o Si M k M P q ti o
.

su r e o th n 95 ; e u a n, Syk es , r ar , . .
, u es n
2 54 I NDE X
pu t i n t h e Ho u se of Co mmo ns i dp d
n e 8 0; pl ot
en
g i t
e n ce, s a a ns
b y, 1 3 3 Alb i 1 2 8 1 2 9
an a, —

A ti h ip P h Alb i
. .

S z i ge t v ar , u s r an w a rs T kh
ur an Pas a, a n an re
i mi 1 3 8
,

pr s on of E s s a d P a sh a , 145 er ,
T ki h C o q t Th ff t
. .

om
ur s n ues e, e ec s
Alb i
,

o th n e 3 6—3 8 ; a n a n s, n
ti ki
Tax a on , Tu r s h sys e tm of, 1 9 5 i l ov ig ty 3 6 ; mi g
na s er e n ra
P i id ti o 3 6 ; o v i o t o I l m
.
,

W e
i m
Tau ru s , t he r n ce of n s, c n er s ns s a
m
c o es t o Al i ba n a on t h e A u s s 3 7 2 01 2 02 ; i ol ti o 38 ; —
s a n,
ti t ti o i m 3 8
, ,

m i ldd
“ ”
r a n ya ch , 1 5 3 na n n ar s,
T k i h C o tit ti o
. .

Tc h a ou r i a , n c u e in G re e ce, ur s 6 5 ; wh y ns u n,
ld
1 1 9 ; s h ou t d
b e r e u rn e t o A I th Alb i t ook id wit h
e an a n s e
b i
a n a , 2 39 th 6 6 ; Alb
e, i pi ti o an an as ra ns
l bi t l Ali P d t h 2 2 3 224
.

p a c e of
Tepe e n , r h a sh a , un er e, —

b d T k i h C t om A t h o iti
.

43 u rn e b y t h e G r ee k s , 1 4 3 ; ur s us St u r es , a
s ant di n g of , 197 t i ti s of 1 7 8
cs
t ll i T ki h F m k 1 75
.
, .

Teu a , Q u een of I yr a , 1 2
’
ur s B ar er s an
ti Alb i m Ty h o P l gi
.
, .

Th e s , a n an for of , 6 rr en 4
-

e as a ns ,
m l l t i Ti
. .

Th o s on , C o on e , of t h e Du ch Ty h rr en u s , 5 n ra n a ,
i i kill d b ttl
.

M ss on , e in a e, 1 4 9
Alb i ttl m t U ly Alb i 6
.

Th r a c e, a n an s e e en s in, i
s s es , n an a n ,
U io C ommitt
.

2 1 0; 2 2 9 n nd P og an r re ss , ee
i
.

T r an a , i n Ty rrh enu s , 5 ; ou t of 66 73
b U it d S t t Alb i o
, , .

r e a k of , 1 4 6 n e Th a es, e a n an s
t im
.

Ti t t on i, C ou n , on t h e por i ti
c e i 57
es 2 16 2 2 8 23 2 ;
n, —

t Alb i d l g ti o f om 1 3 7 h d owy
, ,

a n c e of an a , 8 1 e e a n r s a
b p ot ti o 1 3 9 ; Alb i i
.
,

To a cc o, 1 7 6 r ec n, an a n s n,
m i t li t of Alb i
.

To or , M ou n , 1 7 0 2 2 7 2 33 ; — s a n an
F mil
.

Topt a n i , a y of, 1 95 w p p
ne si a 2 30 er s n,
t Alb i U k b t k b y Alb i i
. .

Tos k s , or S ou h ern an a n s , s u a en an a n nsur

d iv tiv g t
,

er a e of E t r u s cu s , 4 ; ch a r 68
en s , .

a ct e r i st i cs of, 187
i l Alli V lo t of t h P ovi i o l
.

Tr p e a n ce, 8 3 , 1 2 7 a n a, sea e r s na
i l t t G ov m t 1 07 f g
.

Tr p e E n en e, 8 3 , 1 2 7 er n en re u ee s ar
i t iv t 1 2 2 ; T ki h pl ot t
.
,

Tr es e , 1 1 , 1 8 , 1 7 5 , 1 8 0 r e a ur s a
k tt Alb i pi d b y I t li
.
, ,

Tu r ey, a ack s an a , 27 ; 128 ; o c cu 158 ; e a an s,

wa r s w h it Alb i an a ( s e e S can lim t of 1 7 1 ;
c a e po t of s ea r

t 1 7 2 ; p od t of 1 7 5
, ,

Ef d m
der b eg ) , 3 1 34 ; e ff e c s of Tu r
-
r uc s
ki t v lt
.
,

sh c on q u es , 3 6— 3 9 ; re o s V ar V en 67 e ar,

i t V t Th P Alb i F d
.

a ga n s , 3 9 —4 7 , 5 3 —5 7 , 6 7— 7 0; a r a, e an -
an an e
en c o gu ra Alb i es it a n a n re s s a n c e, ti o of A m i 2 3 1
c ra n er c a ,
i g Alb i V i m ov ig ty of
.

—
5 1 52 ; su r ess n a n an en ce, a ss u es s ere n
pp
l g g d ti o li m 5 7
an ua e an na na s Alb i 3 3 34 ; giv Alb
a n a, — es a

ttit d of t h w y 3 4 ; fo gh t by K
,

6 0; 2 1 1 2 2 3 ; — a u e e in a a a u ara

Alb i t ow d 6 1 6 3 ; M h m d P h of S t i 42
,
— u cu a r
an a n s ar un a as a

Abd l H mid I I 6 3 6 6 ;
.
, ,

der u a -
Vi [Egit
a o Eg ti an a4 r na a,

d t h yo g T k 6 7 ; Riv
.
,

un er e un ur s, Vi o sa ,( Voi ) 1 70 u ssa er ,

y i ld t o om y t o Alb i vi g bl of ol d 1 84
, ,

e s au n an a , 171 ; na a e

ff t of t h Alb i V t o Joh Alb i p t i ot

, .

6 7—7 0; e ec s e an an re n, an an a r

7 3 ; Alb i
, ,

s u ccesses o n, an an s 2 14
k 7 6 ; i g o Alb i V i o i F mily of 1 95
.

fors a e, n res an an r n , a , .
 l i
HE fol ow ng pages c ont i dv ti m t of a few of t he
m
a n a er se en s

M ac il k
lan b oo s on ki d d bj
n re su ec t s
.
 Brilliant Synthes is f the World 3
o
’
Peace Proble ms

The G reat Peace

BY H . H P OWERS
.

t
Au h or of A m i
er ca A mo g t h N tio
n e a n s,
” “
Th e Things Men
Figh t Fo t
m
r, e c
C loth,

m
Iz a, 5
What sh all b e t h e t er s of t h e peopl es peac e — t h e
’

G reat Peac e ? Wha t are t h e principles of t h a t b et t er s t at e

m
craft whi ch h as b een slowly an d h alf un con sciou sly t ak ing
shape in t h e in ds of t h ose wh o t hrough t h e will t o vic t ory
h ave slowly won t h e righ t t o will t he world s p eace ? And
’

what do t h ese prin ciples re q uire in t h e way of con cre t e ad

m m m
j ust en t s an d arran ge en t s a ong t h e oun t ain s an d t h e
m
m
m
rivers a n d t h e seas wh ere en h ave ch an c ed t ob e b orn an d have
sn ugly n est ed t h e selv es in t h e t ra dit ion s , t h e p rej udices ,
”
t h e loves, an d t h e h a t es of a h un dre d gen erat ion s ? I t is
wit h such q ues t ion s as t h ese t h at D r P owers is c on c ern ed
m
. .

Th e n ecessit y for speed laid upon t h e au t hor foun d hi

“

m
a ply prepared b y s t u dy , t ravel , t rain in g an d prac t ic e
m
.

m
Howev er h urried h is t ask of writ in g, h is argu en t s an d
anif es t ly resul t s of lon g, e arn est , sob erl

m
c on clu sions a re y
easured an d carefully diges t e d t h ough t
m m
Presen t ed in t h e
.

aut h or s graphi c , c o preh e n sive an d i pre ssive s t yl e , t h ey

’

c on st it ut e , in eff ec t , a clu e t o t h e v as t lab yrin t h t hrough whi ch

t h e V ersaill es con feren c e

“
m
u s t sh ort ly wan der dis t raugh t .

Th e peace c onf erees t ook a dic t ion ary an d en cy clop edia

m
along for a lib rary Th ey sh oul d a dd M r P owers b ook
’
. .

m
it would b e h elpful a id ev en a s t ock of universal k n owl
e dge The P hi ladelphi a North A eri can
m m
.

m
The t er s of peac e t o b e agreed upon u st b e b ased on

m m
t he fullest rec ognit ion of t h e sp ecial prob le s an d wish es of
t h e associat ed n at ion s Th e prob le
. of prob le s is t h e
c ont rol of t h e sea .

s t ances an d diffi cul t ies

”
Th ese q u est ion s are discus sed wit h
t h ough t ful ness an d clarit y , an d a wide grasp of c ircu
The D etroi t Free P ress
. .
m
TH E M A C M I L LA N C O M PA N Y
Publi sh ers 6 4—6 6 Fift h Av enue New York
 F RA N C E S RE G A I NE D P RO VI NC E S
’

A lsace Lorraine Since 18 7 0

B Y B A RRY C E RF

C lot h Iz m
o.

C apta in C e rf i ding
’
l
mt t
s b ook , av o v ague gen era di scu s
t
pre se n s a n e n e rge ic c o pac t h oroughly doc u
m m
s ion , , ,

t
e n t e d s u dy of t h e re la ion s of G e r t any to A l sac e an d

Lorra in e b u n dan t e v ide n ce it c ollect s drawn

Th e
m m ml l
. a ,

largely fro t h e G e r a n s t h e s e v es il u s t rat e s v iv idly

m
,

t h e al ost in t ole rab le wrongs wh ich t he prov in c es h av e

s u ff e re d
i t t vThe mt iga ion c o ers su c h t he
G m l m
. nv e s a t e rs as

a n c ai t l q t t o t h e t e rri ory ; t h e of
G m
er s e o u ent prot es s

t he bt t t t
in ha i a ga in s h e ir t ran s fe r t o ; t he
m
an s er an y

ti t
repre s s ion by t h e
G m
of and a dop e d

m m
e as u res pe rs ecu on
F f ro t he s u ppres s ion of t h e re n ch

m b
er an gov e rn en t ,

l 1 87 1 t o i t h e fa Za A ffa ir ; t h e
m m
in
tm
angu age ou s e rn va n

t bt i '
v e na i ;
’

f h A l i odu s t he
G m
at e pt s o t e s a a n s to o -
a n a

t
mt
u n su c ces s fu l e ff or s of t he fore ign oppre s s or t o e r an
'

iz e t h e c ou n ry t ; t he a t roc iou s t reat en a c c orde d t h e

provin ces du rin g t h e war ; an d t he fu t ility of ion

m
a ny n ot

l
of a p eb is c i e so u t l tion
prob l e T he a t
of t h e v ex e d

mt
.

tent ion of e c on o is s is e spe c i al ly inv it e d t o t h e v alu ab l e

t t t
st a is ical s u dy wh ic h t h e b ook c on t ain s of t h e ru hl ess t
ex p oil t ing of A lsat ian re s ou rce s by an a rr o
gan t an d s el f

ish con q u e ror .

THE M A C M I LL A N C O M PA N Y
l
Pub i sh ers it
6 4—6 6 F f h Av en u e N ew Y ork
Proble mf R s o e construc t on i
B Y I SA A C LI PP I N CO TT

m
,

A ss ocia te P rofes s or of E c on o i cs ,

W ashingt on U n iv e rsity .

C l ot h,

F ro m
in du st rial point of v ie w t h e n at ions at w a r
m
an

a re c on fron te d w it h t wo grou ps of prob l e s S t at e d .

b rie fly t h e firs t group c on ta in s q u es tion s of c on c en t rat

,

ing in du s t rial e ff or t la rgely on war produc ion of di e r t v t

mm
,

in g en , at e ria ls a n d fin a n c ial re s ou rc e s t o t he e s se n i al t
in du s t ries an d of t
c u r a il ing t
t h e ope ra ion s of all t h e e st
m
m
r ,

of r egu lat ing c o wit h foreign c ou n rie s , t an d of

mt mt mi mt
e rc e

for u la in g polic ie s an d e h ods for t h e acc o pl s h en

of t
he se e n ds In s h ort
is prin cipally a u es ion of t his q t
mt mi
.
,

dev e lop en of wa r c on t rol with a ll t h at t h is i pl e s Th e

m
.

s ec on d grou p of proble s a r is e s ou t of t h e fi rs t I t in .

v olv e s s u ch q u est ion s t

t h e dis s olu ion of t h e war
m f m
as or

gan iza t ion , t he ov al o t he a ch in e ry of c on t rol t he

m d mt
re ,

t t ion of fu n s , an d a e ria s l t o t h e in du s t ries

m
re s ora en ,

w i h
h f t h e u se s o an d t he re es a t b lish of
m mm l lt
c s e rv e p eac e , ent

ion s wit h t he ou s i t d w
m
al e rc ia orl d
m
n or co re a e .

T h e lat t er war p rob le 's

a re p os t -
Thei r p ro pt s olu .

tion is n ece ssary b ec au se t he wa r has t u rn ed in du st rial

a n d s oc ia l l ife i n t o n e w c h an n el s an d b e ca u se it w ill b e

ml
,

for tore t h e order q u ic k ly

m
n e c e s s a ry us to res n or a as

pos s ibl e b ri e f s t ate i task of

m
as . Th e s e ent s out l n e t h e
t h is v olu e .

TH E M A C M I L L A N C O M PA N Y
Pu bli sh ers 6 4—6 6 F f h A it v en u e N ew Y ork
C hina an d the World War
BY W RE G I NA L D W H E E LE R
m
.

I ll ,. rz o .

This is a c lear an d su c cin c acc ount of affai rs in C hin a t

t
m
s in ce t he ou b re ak of t h e wa r .

t
A ong t h e e v e n s wh ich t he au h or disc u s ses are t h e t
t t t
m
r ela ion s of Japan a n d C h in a ; poli ic al c on di ions in

m m mt m
C h in a wit h t h e c on fl ic t b e t wee n repub lic an is a n d t he

mt
on arc hical for of gov e rn en ; t h e A e ric an Ja pa -

mtt
n e se ag ree en a n d t h e Ch in e se Ja pa n e se al li an ce f or
,
-

t t D r W h e ele r se s he s e t t
m m
in e rv en ion in S ib eria . . a e rs

t
m mt
fort h in a s i ple s t raigh forward fashion wit h
, an y

t t
m
c i a ion s f ro C hin e s e pape rs an d doc u en s wh ic h pro
v ide t t
os t i n ere s in g re a din g for W es ern e rs t .

t
Th e au h or is a profes s or in Hangc h ow C h ri st ian C ol
t t
m
lege , is a f rie n d of t h e C hin e s e Re pu b lic , an d wri e s wi h
sy pa t hy a n d un de r s a n di n g of C h in t
e s e a ff ai rs

mw
.

Mexico Today and To , orro

B Y E D W A RD D TRO W B RI D G E
m
.

C l ot h o

m m
,
Ie .

Th is is a c o preh e n sive s t at e e n t of t h e gen e ral s it u

a t ion in M ex ic o— pol it ic al s oc ial , fin an c ial an d ec on o ic
,

—wit h a n c ie n t M e x ic o a n d t h e S an ish c on q u es t a s t h e
m
p
-

b ackgroun d Th e ev en t s l ea din g up t o t he rec en t rev o

m
.

lu t ion a n d t h e s oc ial an d e con o ic t rouble s f ollowin g

,

t he pol it ic al uph e aval , a re c le a rly s et forth A graphic .

pic t u re i s p a in te d of life in M e x ic o du rin g t h e c h aos

f ollowing t he f all of t h e D iaz régi e M ex ic o s n e w
’
m ,

c on s t it u t ion a n d h er int ern at ion al re lat ion s a n d a tt it u de

t owar d fore ign capital a re rev iewe d an d t h e fi n anc ial
m , ,

m m
agrarian a n d e du c at ion al prob le s wh ich f ace h e r gov

e rn en t a re de al t with a t le n gt h Th e work is of t i ely .

int e res t a s an up t o dat e st u dy of M ex ican a ff airs

- -
.

TH E M A C M I LL A N C O M PA N Y
Pub li sh ers it
6 4—6 6 F f h A v en u e N ew Y ork