| Total population | |
|---|---|
| 619,187 (2021 census)[1][note 1] | |
| Regions with significant populations | |
 North Macedonia | 446,245 (2021)[1] |
| Diaspora | 172,942 (2021)[1][note 2] |
| Languages | |
| Religion | |
| MajorityIslam MinorityChristianity | |
| Related ethnic groups | |
| OtherAlbanian subgroups | |
| Part ofa series on |
| Albanians |
|---|
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Native communities Diaspora
Subgroups |
Albanians in North Macedonia (Albanian:Shqiptarët në Maqedoninë e Veriut,Macedonian:Албанци од Северна Македонија,romanized: Albanci od Severna Makedonija) are ethnicAlbanians who constitute the second largest ethnic group inNorth Macedonia, forming 446,245 individuals or 24.3% of the resident population. Of the 2,097,319 total population in the 2021 census (including self-enumerated diaspora), 619,187 or 29.52% are Albanians.[1]
The Albanian minority is concentrated mostly in the western, north-western and partially middle area of the country with small communities located in the south-west. The largest Albanian communities are in the cities and surrounding regions ofTetovo,Gostivar,Debar,Struga,Kičevo,Kumanovo andSkopje. Smaller numbers are also found in and/or around the cities ofOhrid,Kruševo,Resen,Bitola andVeles.[2]
A number of placenames in North Macedonia have been considered as being ultimately derived through Albanian. Some cases include:
The multi-layered Albanian dialects in western Macedonia demonstrate that they have, at different stages, immigrated into an area that was inhabited by Albanians since antiquity.[13] The name development of 'Shtip' and 'Shkupi' may indicate that Proto-Albanian was spoken in the region in pre-Slavic antiquity.[14][15] Mihaescu argues that Albanian evolved in a region with much greater contact to Western Romance regions than to Romanian-speaking regions, and located this region in present-dayAlbania,Kosovo and WesternNorth Macedonia, spanning east toBitola andPristina.[16]
The toponym Albanopolis has been found on a funeral inscription inGorno Sonje, near the city ofSkopje (ancientScupi), present-dayNorth Macedonia.[17] It was discovered in 1931 by Nikola Vulić and its text was analyzed and published in 1982 byBorka Dragojević-Josifovska. The inscription in Latin reads "POSIS MESTYLU F[ILIUS] FL[AVIA] DELVS MVCATI F[ILIA] DOM[O] ALBANOP[OLI] IPSA DELVS". It is translated as "Posis Mestylu, son of Flavia, daughter of Delus Mucati, who comes from Albanopolis". It dates to the end of the 1st century CE or the beginning of the 2nd century CE.[18]
The ethnonym Albanos was found on a funeral inscription from ancientStobi in 1992 in present-dayNorth Macedonia, near Gradsko about 90 km to the southeast ofGorno Sonje. The inscription in ancient Greek reads "ΦΛ(ΑΒΙΩ) ΑΛΒΑΝΩ ΤΩ ΤΕΚΝΩ ΑΙΜΙΛΙΑΝΟΣ ΑΛΒΑΝΟ(Σ) ΜΝΗΜ(Η)Σ [ΧΑΡΗΝ]" ("In memory of Flavios Albanos, his son Aemilianos Albanos"). It dates to the 2nd/3rd century AD.[19][20]
The Slavic migration probably shaped the present geographic spread of the Albanians. It is likely that Albanians took refuge in the mountainous areas of northern and centralAlbania, easternMontenegro, westernNorth Macedonia andKosovo. Long-standing contact between Slavs and Albanians might have been common in mountain passages and agriculture or fishing areas, in particular in the valleys of theWhite andBlack branches of theDrin and around theShkodër andOhrid lakes. The contact with one another in these areas have caused many changes in Slavic and Albanian local dialects.[21]
Placenames with the designationArbanasi, an archaic term for Albanians, are usually found in "onomastic provinces" throughout the area of western, northeastern, central and southern North Macedonia: located in the area of Skopje, Kumanovo, Sveti Nikole, Stip, Kratovo, Prespa, Bitola, Ohrid, Prilep, Kichevo, Gostivar, and Tetovo. These "Albanian onomastic provinces" in the area of North Macedonia are chronologically old, which speaks of early contacts of Arbanasi (Albanians) with Latin and Old Slavic, and goes against the idea of a late 18th-century migration of Albanians into Macedonia.[22]
In a document of Serbian KingStefan Milutin that dates between 1293 and 1302, in which the citizens ofŠtip are named, there are several figures listed withAlbanian names and anthroponomy.[23] Likewise, in a charter issued by the same ruler in 1300, it is noted that whoever visited the market of Skopje - be they Greek, Bulgarian, Serbian, Latin, Albanian, or Vlach - must pay the dues in both Tetovo andGračanica.[24] Furthermore, in a 1330 letter by Serbian TsarStefan Dušan, several figures with Albanian names and anthroponomy (including the last nameArbanasin, which literally meansAlbanian) were recorded.[23] In 1350 the Serbian Tsar had donated a church and a number ofserfs to the nobleman Ivanko around the region of Štip, and among the serfs a certainGin Arbanasi is attested.[25]
In a text byEmperor John VI Kantakouzenos there is mention of nomadicAlbanians present in the vicinity of Ohrid at around 1328.[30]Andrea Gropa ruled the region and the city ofOhrid as an ally ofKing of SerbiaVukašin Mrnjavčević until Vukašin's death in 1371, with Andrea beginning a rivalry with his son,Prince Marko. Ruling as an independent ruler since the time of Vukašin, Andrea becamede jure independent from Prince Marko in 1371 and was referred to asŽupan andGospodar of Ohrid (Lord of Ochrid). He joined the Albanian ruler and nobleAndrea II Muzaka, and managed to takeKostur,Prilep and allDibër region from Marko by that year. During Andrea's reign, the Gropa family forged their own coins.[27]
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Albanian noble families controlled swathes of land in North Macedonia during different historical periods within theMiddle Ages. TheGropa family ruled the regions betweenPogradec,Ohrid andDebar during the 12th — 14th centuries.[31]The presence of Albanians within modern-day North Macedonia is attested to by Serbian kings of the Middle Ages. In 1330,Stefan Dečanski explicitly mentioned the presence of Albanians and the Albanian names of villages in Kosovo, particularly in the district of Prizren, as well as within the district ofSkopje. Between 1348 and 1353, Albanians are mentioned byStefan Dušan as farmers and soldiers in the district of Tetovo and frequenters of the Fair ofSaint George held in the vicinity of Skopje. In fact, entire Albanian villages were gifted by Serbian kings, especially byStefan Dušan, as presents to the Serbian monastery of Tetovo, as well as to the monasteries ofPrizren andDeçan.[32]
In theMiddle Ages,Dibër was part of thePrincipality of Kastrioti ruled by the royalKastrioti family withGjon Kastrioti on theAlbanian throne. After the death of Gjon Kastrioti in 1437, the eastern region was annexed by theOttomans and became seat of theSanjak of Dibra.[33]Skanderbeg carried out several military actions in the territory of modern-day North Macedonia during his rebellion against theOttoman Turks, such as theBattle of Oranik and theBattle of Ohrid.Svetigrad had initially served as a fortress for theLeague of Lezhë before beingtaken by the Ottomans. Both Svetigrad andModriç,[34] along with the surrounding areas in theDibër region, were under Skanderbeg's control. Skanderbeg’s motherVoisava Kastrioti was also recorded to have been from a valley calledPolog in modern day North Macedonia which is also populated by the Albanian community of North Macedonia today.
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The arrest and liquidation of local Albanophone pashas, most notably that of Abdurrahman Pasha ofKalkandelen (nowTetova) and his two brothers, Havzi Pasha ofÜsküb (nowShkup) and Hussein Pasha of Kustendil, directly caused theUprising of Dervish Cara, which occurred between 1843 and 1844. The rebels of this uprising were led byDervish Cara, and they had the support of the Christian population as well as other Albanophone pashas.[35] The revolt began in Üsküb in July 1843 and several Ottoman-controlled towns and regions were captured over the next two years - in North Macedonia, these territories includedGostivar,Tetova,Skopje,Kumanova,Ohrid andManastir.[36] The Ottoman government declared an amnesty, the abolishment of the new taxes and the postponement of the recruitment process, in an effort to disunite the rebels.[37] In May 1844, the Ottoman army attacked the rebels, forcing them to retreat to the areas of Kalkandelen, Üsküb and Kumanova. Heavy fighting took place from 13 to 17 May 1844 in Katlanovo Pass, and on 18 May in Katlanovo thermals. The rebels could no longer resist the numerically superior and better-armed Ottoman army. In May–July, the Ottoman army retook all areas taken by the rebels. Dervish Cara was captured by Ottoman forces in summer 1844.
The resistance would continue in theDibër valley, which was very strong under its local leaders. Ottoman forces led by Rexhep Pasha were defeated by the rebels in the field ofMavrova. The rebels in the Sanjak of Dibër were led from ShehMustafa Zerqani, aBektashi priest.[38] In a meeting in November 1844 they declared that the old autonomy of Dibër was not to be changed. The rebel army led byCen Leka tried to stop the advancing Ottoman army led byHayredin Pasha. The Ottoman commander declared again an amnesty, the abolishment of the new taxes and the postponement of the recruitment process which would become voluntary in the future.
The League of Prizren fought against Bulgarian groups and repelled them in the regions ofKöprülü,Përlep andManastir, which were at that time inhabited byAlbanians, wiping out the Bulgarian movements in those areas.[39]
In a 1903 document by the Cartographic Society of Sofia, the villages ofStruga Malesia were all registered withAlbanian Orthodox majorities, but nowadays they have assimilated and identify as Macedonians.[40]There is a sizeable amount ofTurkified Albanians in Ohrid who originate from the cities ofElbasan,Durrës andUlcinj.[41] A significant part of the Muslim Albanian population of Kumanovo and Bitola was also Turkified during Ottoman rule.[42]
AnAlbanian revolt took place against the Ottoman Empire lasted from January until August 1912. Albanians took Skopje on August. The revolt ended when theOttoman government agreed to fulfill the rebels' demands, namely the creation of anAlbanian Vilayet and expansion of Albanians rights on 4 September 1912.[43]
German linguistGustav Weigand described the process ofTurkification of the Albanian urban population of Macedonia in his 1923 workEthnographie Makedoniens (Ethnography of Macedonia). He writes that in the cities, especially notingSkopje andBitola, many of the Turkish inhabitants are in fact Albanians, being distinguished by the difference in articulation of certain Turkish words, as well as their clothing and tool use. They speak Albanian at home, however use Turkish when in public. They refer to themselves asTurks, the term at the time also being asynonym forMuslim, with ethnic Turks referring to them asTurkoshak, a derogatory term for someone portraying themselves as Turkish.[44]
During the Balkan wars Serbia took control of cities in northern and western Ottoman Macedonia, lands inhabited by a large Albanian population. The advance of the Serbian army as well as the formation of localChetnik groupswas followed beatings, imprisonments, massacres, disarmaments, burnings of Albanian villages as well as looting Albanian possessions. In this state of war, large numbers of Albanians fearing persecution by the Serbian army fled to Anatolia, mostly from Kumanovo and Skopje but also from Veles, Prilep, Krushevo, Tetovo, Gostivar, Kichevo, Ohrid and Bitola. Most of theseMuhacirs never returned.[45] After theBattle of Kumanovo, Chetnik paramilitary groups supported by the Serbian Army attacked and expelled the Albanian populations ofKratovo,Štip,Veles,Kruševo andBitola. Albanians were massacred in Skopje, Veles, Prilep, Tetovo, Gostivar and most other cities.[46]
Shortly after thedefeat of Turkey by the Balkan allies, a conference of ambassadors of the Great Powers (Britain, Germany, Russia, Austria-Hungary, France, and Italy)convened in London in December 1912 to settle the outstanding issues raised by the conflict. With support given to the Albanians by Austria-Hungary and Italy, the conference agreed to create an independent state of Albania, which became a reality in 1913. However, the boundaries of the new state were drawn in such a way that large areas with Albanian populations remained outside of Albania, including the area that would go on to become theSocialist Republic of Macedonia.
During the Skopje communist party conference held on August 12–13, 1945, Qemal Sejfulla, a representative of the Turkish minority, although himself of Albanian origin from Kaçanik, declared that: "In the cities there are some regroupings - differentiations between Turks and Albanians. As it is known that the great Serbianpolicy towards the Albanian masses was a policy of physical liquidations. While the policy towards the Turks - was more tolerant, for which a very large part of the Albanians became Turks - were assimilated."[47]
When the Socialist Republic of Macedonia was established in 1946, the constitution guaranteed the right of minorities to cultural development and free use of their language. Minority schools and classes in minority languages were introduced immediately, in order to counter the high percentage of illiteracy among these groups. In the following two decades, the communist party continuously introduced measures meant to promote the incorporation of the Albanian community into the economic and social life of the new socialist state through education, professional training, and social opportunities.[48]
A policy of Turkification of the Albanian population was employed by the Yugoslav authorities in cooperation with the Turkish government, stretching the period of 1948–1959. A commission was created to tour Albanian communities in Macedonia, visitingTetovo,Gostivar,Debar,Kičevo,Struga,Kumanovo,Gjorče Petrov andResen. Starting in 1948, six Turkish schools were opened in areas with large Albanian majorities, such asTearce,Gorna Banjica,Dolna BanjicaVrapčište as well as in the outskirts ofTetovo andGostivar. In 1951–52, a total of 40 Turkish schools were opened inDebar,Kičevo,Kumanovo,Struga,Resen,Bitola,Kruševo andPrilep.[49]
In 1952, Yugoslavia and Turkey signed a free emigration agreement that allowed for Muslims in Yugoslavia to migrate to Turkey. Some of these individuals from more northern portions of Yugoslavia did not complete their migrations and instead settled in Macedonia, including 10,643 Albanians fromSandžak.[50]
Contemporary analysis described cases of resistance to the Turkish schools in the Polog area, with Albanian speaking students and teachers refused to attend Turkish schools. In Tetovo, none of the native teachers wanted to give lessons in Turkish, so substitutes from Skopje were brought in instead. Another notable case happened in Gostivar, where a teacher from Banjica, who according to the committees analysis: "even though he was born in the same village and his mother tongue is Turkish, when the Turkish school was opened he refused to teach in Turkish and had asked to work in Albanian villages ...". Thus the Yugoslav committee characterized the local population as having adopted a "Greater Albanian political worldview". Resistance against the opening of Turkish schools was most prevalent in Tetovo and Gostivar. In 1952, on the night ofEid al-Adha, the local Tetovo political leader Mehmet Riza Gega distributed flyers imploring Albanian parents from sending their children to Turkish speaking schools. In Gostivar the nationalist activist Myrtezan Bajraktari was detained and interrogated by the Yugoslav secret police (UDBA). During his interrogation he stated he openly opposed the Turkish schools, and that he does so "just so Albanians can feel like patriots and not allow themselves to be Turkified."[51]
In the late 1980s when the autonomy of the province ofKosovo was revoked, and the repression of the Albanian population significantly increased, these developments also took place in the Socialist Republic of Macedonia. Albanian was removed from public sight, Albanian families were prohibited from naming their children with Albanian names on the ground that it caused divisions with the other communities in the republic, and finally, to lower the significantly high birth rate of the Albanian population, Albanian families were prohibited from having more than two children.[52] This assimilative campaign can be clearly seen by the fact that in 1990 the amended Constitution redefined the state from "a state of the Macedonian people and the Albanian and Turkish nationalities" to a "national state of the Macedonian people".[53]
In 1994 the US Department of State's Report on Human Rights in Macedonia reported that the following forms of discrimination against ethnic Albanians existed in Macedonia: limited access to Albanian-language media and education; poor representation in public sector jobs; poor representation in the police corps; poor representation in the military officer corps; denial of citizenship to many long-time ethnic Albanian residents of Macedonia as well as discrimination in the process of citizenship applications; and unfair drawing of voting districts which dilutes their voting strength.[54]
In the September 2002 elections, anSDSM-led pre-election coalition won half of the 120 seats in parliament. Branko Crvenkovski was elected Prime Minister in coalition with the ethnic Albanian Democratic Union for Integration (DUI) party and the Liberal-Democratic Party (LDP).[further explanation needed]
On 26 November 2019,an earthquake struck Albania. Albanians from North Macedonia responded in large numbers to the Albanian government's appeal for financial assistance through donations to various humanitarian organisations and special bank accounts fundraising for aid.[55][56]
According to the 1903 Austrian consular reports on ethnic composition of the kazas of the Sanjak of Skopje in 1903, the kaza of Kočani was populated by a total of 39,406 inhabitants, of whom 16,524 (41.93%) wereBulgarian Exarchists, 11,600 (29.44%)Ottoman Muslim, 7,800 (19.79%)Albanians, 1,680 (4.26%)Aromanians, 1,090 (2.77%) Patriarchists and 712 (1.8%)Romanis.[57]
In the 1953 census, large portions of Albanians declared themselves as ethnic Turks:[58]
Of the 203,087 Turks in Macedonia in 1953, 27,086 or 13.28% gave Albanian as their mothertongue.[59]
Since the end ofWorld War II, the Socialist Republic of Macedonia's population has grown steadily, with the greatest increases occurring in the ethnic Albanian community. From 1953 through the time of the latest census in 2002 (initial results were released December 2003), the percentage of Albanians living in North Macedonia rose 25.2%.[2] Most of the ethnic Albanians live in the western part of the country.According to the official census data, Albanians made up 19% of the total population in 1953. The population fell to 13% in 1961, but grew again in 1971 to 17%. The group formed 19.7% in 1981 and 21% in 1991.[60] At the last census in 2002, the Albanian population was at 25.2%. Ethnologue in 2002 estimated some 500,000 people speakingAlbanian in North Macedonia.[61] In the decade since the republic declared independence from Yugoslavia, some Albanians have claimed to account for 30% of the population and demanded an appropriate share of power. On the other side, ethnic Macedonians said Albanians were barely 20%.[62] However, the widely accepted number of Albanians inNorth Macedonia is according to the internationally monitored[63] 2002 census. The census data estimated that Albanians account for about 25.2% of the total population. The 2012 census was not held and boycotted by the Albanian political parties. In the2008 Macedonian parliamentary elections, Albanian political parties received 22.61% of the total vote, receiving 29 of 120 seats.[64]
Albanian is co-official at a state level (excluding defense and monetary policy) and in local self-government units where speakers of the population are 20% or more. The change in status occurred in 2019 as use of Albanian became no longer geographically limited.[65][66][67] The new law extended the official use of Albanian over the entire country, easing communication in Albanian with the institutions. Under the new legislation, Macedonian continues to be the primary official language, while Albanian may be used now as a second one, including at a national level in official matters. The legislation stipulates also all public institutions in the country will provide Albanian translations in their everyday work.[68][69]
The Albanian population in the country is largely rural with ethnic Albanians forming a majority or plurality in only 3 of the country's 34 cities.[70]
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Around 35% of the newborns in North Macedonia belong to the Albanian ethnic minority. In 2017, 21,754 children were born in Macedonia. The ethnic affiliation of these newborns was: 11,260 (51.76%)Macedonian; 7,404 (34.03%)Albanians; 940 (4.32%)Turkish; 1,276 (5.87%)Roma; 40 (0.18%)Vlach; 129 (0.59%)Serbian; 213 (0.98%)Bosniaks; 492 (2,26%) other ethnic affiliation and unknown.[71]
| Ethnic group | 1994[72] | 2002[73] | 2012[74] | 2021[75] | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Macedonians | 16,704 | 49.88 | 13,639 | 49.13 | 11,995 | 50.89 | 9,338 | 50.08 |
| Albanians | 12,010 | 35.86 | 10,118 | 36.45 | 8,035 | 34.09 | 6,663 | 35.73 |
| Turks | 1,616 | 4.83 | 1,202 | 4.33 | 1,092 | 4.63 | 835 | 4.48 |
| Romani | 1,378 | 4.11 | 1,678 | 6.04 | 1,552 | 6.59 | 1,267 | 6.79 |
| Serbs | 403 | 1.20 | 168 | 0.61 | 125 | 0.53 | 123 | 0.66 |
| Bosniaks | 251 | 1.06 | 177 | 0.95 | ||||
| Vlach (Aromanians) | 25 | 0.07 | 23 | 0.08 | 37 | 0.16 | 17 | 0.09 |
| other / unspecified | 1,351 | 4.03 | 933 | 3.36 | 481 | 2.04 | 228 | 1.22 |
| Total | 33,487 | 27,761 | 23,568 | 18,648 | ||||
According to the 2021 census, of the 80municipalities in the country Albanians were the dominant resident ethnic group in 17 municipalities, with 15 having a resident ethnic Albanian majority and 2 a resident ethnic Albanian plurality. When accounting the total population, including self-enumerated diaspora, Albanians make up the majority in 16 municipalities and the plurality in 2.
| Emblem | Municipality | Population | Enumerated population Includes residents plus citizens who have been abroad for more than 12 consecutive months who opted to participate in the 2021 census as diaspora | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total | % | Total | % | ||
 | Aračinovo Haraçinë | 12,353 | 97.45% | 14,329 | 97.54% |
 | Bogovinje Bogovinë | 20,475 | 89.39% | 28,878 | 91.70% |
 | Brvenica Bërvenicë | 7,377 | 54.06% | 11,812 | 64.48% |
 | Butel Butel | 14,095 | 37.12% | 15,678 | 38.60% |
 | Čair Çair | 42,180 | 67.40% | 47,460 | 68.81% |
 | Čaška Çashkë | 4,032 | 50.77% | 4,367 | 51.83% |
 | Debar Dibër | 8,438 | 54.75% | 11,720 | 59.24% |
 | Dolneni Dollnen | 4,442 | 33.84% | 5,205 | 35.75% |
 | Gazi Baba Gazi Babë | 14,146 | 20.32% | 16,271 | 22.07% |
 | Gostivar Gostivar | 33,076 | 55.34% | 64,703 | 68.87% |
 | Jegunovce Jegunoc | 3,482 | 39.15% | 5,070 | 47.32% |
 | Kičevo Kërçovë | 16,373 | 41.27% | 31,610 | 55.72% |
 | Kruševo Krushevë | 2,464 | 29.39% | 2,809 | 31.20% |
 | Kumanovo Kumanovë | 25,493 | 25.99% | 36,984 | 32.80% |
 | Lipkovo Likovë | 21,560 | 96.65% | 30,872 | 97.38% |
 | Saraj Saraj | 34,586 | 90.07% | 39,936 | 90.66% |
 | Struga Strugë | 25,785 | 50.58% | 41,863 | 59.72% |
 | Studeničani Studeniçan | 14,982 | 68.19% | 16,192 | 68.82% |
 | Sopište Sopisht | 1,693 | 25.22% | 1,901 | 27.20% |
 | Šuto Orizari Shuto Orizari | 8,828 | 34.32% | 9,784 | 35.31% |
 | Tearce Tearcë | 14,704 | 83.10% | 22,319 | 87.05% |
 | Tetovo Tetovë | 60,460 | 71.32% | 78,860 | 75.46% |
 | Vrapčište Vrapçisht | 15,109 | 76.15% | 25,308 | 81.30% |
 | Želino Zhelinë | 18,191 | 95.80% | 27,439 | 96.68% |
| Source:Census 2021 - first datasetState Statistical Office of North Macedonia | |||||
North Macedonia has a few Albanian parties. As of 2020 election TheDemocratic Union for Integration (DUI) and theAlliance for Albanians are the two largest Albanian political parties in the country. In the2008 Macedonian parliamentary elections, DUI won 11.3% of the total vote, while DPA got 10.1%.[64] However, due to pre-election fights between the two main Albanian political parties, some Albanian areas of the country have revoted.
In the2011 Macedonian parliamentary elections, Albanian parties received 20.96% of the total popular vote. DUI received 10.2% of the vote, giving it 15 seats. This is a loss of 3 seats from the previous elections. DPA received 5.9% of the vote, winning 8 seats which is also a drop of 3 seats from the 2008 election. The third Albanian party to receive seats in parliament is theNational Democratic Revival party which received two seats with 2.7% of the vote.[76]
In the2014 elections, three Albanian parties, DUI, DPA, and NDP won 19 seats, seven seats, and one seat, respectively, out of the 123 total seats. Ethnic Albanians parties received just under 21% of the total popular vote.[77]
Ethnic tensions have simmered inNorth Macedonia since the end of anarmed conflict in 2001, where in July 2001, former NLA fighters created theAlbanian National Army (ANA, AKSh),[78] and announced itself on 3 August 2001.[79] The group participated in attacks against Macedonian forces alongside the NLA.[80][81] After the NLA disbanded, the ANA began to operate in thePreševo Valley.[82]
TheMacedonian Academy for Science and Art was accused ofAlbanophobia in 2009 after it published its first encyclopaedia in which it was claimed thatShqiptar, the Albanianendonym that is primarily used by otherBalkan peoples to describe Albanians, isconsidered derogatory by the Albanian community if used inSouth Slavic languages. The encyclopaedia also claimed that the Albanians settledthe region in the 16th century.[83][84][85] Distribution of the encyclopaedia was ceased after a series of public protests.
On 12 April 2012, five ethnicMacedonian civilians were shot dead – allegedly by ethnic Albanians – in an attack known as theSmilkovci lake killings. On 16 April 2012, a protest against these attacks and demanding justice was held in Skopje. Some of the participants in the protests were chanting anti-Albanian slogans.[86]
On 1 March 2013 inSkopje, a mob of ethnic Macedonians protested against the decision to appointTalat Xhaferi, an ethnic Albanian politician, asMinister of Defence.[87] The protest turned violent when the mob started hurling stones and also attacking Albanian bystanders andpolice officers alike. The police reports 3 injured civilians, five injured police officers and much damage to private property. Although the city hospital reported treating five heavily injured Albanian men, two of which are onintensive care unit. During this protest part of the mob burned theAlbanian flag. A mob ofMacedonian nationalists alsostormed theMacedonian Parliament on 27 April 2017 in reaction to the election of Talat Xhaferi as Speaker of the Assembly, numerous were injured during the riot.
On the 108th anniversary of theCongress of Manastir, the museum of the Albanian alphabet inBitola was vandalized, the windows and doors were broken. A poster with the words "Death to Albanians" and with the drawing of a lion cutting the heads of theAlbanian double-headed eagle was placed on the front doors of the museum.[88] One week after this incident, on the day of theAlbanian Declaration of Independence, graffiti with the same messages, as those of the previous week, were placed on the directorate ofPelister National Park.[89]
Amongst the unemployed, Albanians are highly overrepresented. In public institutions as well as many private sectors they are underrepresented. They also face discrimination by public officials and employers.[90] According to theUnited States' Country Report on Human Rights 2012 for Macedonia, "certain ministries declined to share information about ethnic makeup of employees". The same report also added:
"...ethnic Albanians and other national minorities, with the exception of ethnicSerbs andVlachs, were underrepresented in the civil service and other state institutions, including the military, the police force, and the intelligence services, as well as the courts, the national bank, customs, and public enterprises, in spite of efforts to recruit qualified candidates from these communities. Ethnic Albanians constituted 18 percent of army personnel, while minority communities as a whole accounted for 25 percent of the population according to statistics provided by the government."[91]
As of 2019, theAlbanian language is a co-official language in the country.
The main religion among Albanians in North Macedonia isIslam, though there are some who areRoman Catholic, with the most prominent member Agnes (Anjeza) Bojaxhiu, also known asMother Teresa. Another prominent figure is the composerLorenc Antoni.
Orthodox Christian Albanian villages located inUpper Reka, as well as historic communities inOhrid,Malesia,Resen,Kumanovo (in particular the nearby abandoned village of Dumanovce) as well asBitola city and certain surrounding villages (Trnovo,Nižepole andMagarevo). These communities largely assimilated into the Slavic corpus.[92][41][42][93]
Presence of Eastern Orthodoxy in the Albanians of North Macedonia has been recorded since the Middle Ages. In 1426, Albanian noblemanGjon Kastrioti had donated the right to the proceeds from taxes collected from the villages Rostuše andTrebište and from the church of Saint Mary, which was in one of them, to the Serbian monasteryHilandar.[94] Another Albanian noble,Andrea Gropa, became aktitor for a church in Ohrid dedicated to St. Clement.[29] Gropa also was the last Christian ruler of Ohrid before the Ottoman conquest.[95] His signature is found in the scriptorium of the Church of St. Sofia in Ohrid.[96]
In the 18th century, Orthodox Albanian refugees fleeing thesocio-political and economic crises in what is now southern Albania, settled inKrusevo, often in groups of families and led by a priest.[92][97] Orthodox Albanians arrived fromVithkuq and theOpar region while local Kruševo traditions also relate that other families arrived fromKorçë and the villages ofPolenë,Dardhë, andMborje.[92] In the beginning of the 19th century,OrthodoxAlbanians fromMoscopole settled inKruševo, founding the so calledOhtul di Arbinesh (Hill of the Albanians) neighborhood. This community would soon assimilate into the Aromanian population of the city.[98] In the early 20th century, Kruševo consisted of a mixed population of 4,950Bulgarians, 4,000 Vlachs (Aromanians) and 400 ChristianAlbanians, according to Bulgarian geographerVasil Kanchov's statistics.[99] Due to intermarriage with locals, at the onset of the twentieth century few in the small local Orthodox Albanian community spoke Albanian.[92] A neighbourhood inhabited by Aromanians in Kruševo still bears the nameArbineš meaning Albanians in theAromanian language.[100] Per Bulgarian teacherNikola Kirov, who was native to the town, most of the Orthodox Albanians were (sic)Grecomans.[101]
During the Ottoman period, besides the ethnic Turks and the majority Slavic population, Prilep was also home to both aSunni Muslim andOrthodox ChristianAlbanian community, which lived alongside. Serbian historiographerJovan Hadži-Vasiljević writes that:[102]
"Between Turks and Muslim Albanians who have lived in the city (Prilep), it is very difficult to distinguish, especially between the old families of the city. The Mohammedan Albanian families, as soon as they arrived in the city, merged with the Turks, just as the Christian Albanian families merged with the Slavs or the Greeks"
Bulgarian researcher, Georgi Traichev, wrote that:[102]
"In the city of Prilep, there were no pure Greeks, but there are several (dozens) of Grecomans supported by schismatic Vlachs and Albanian Christians."
The newspaperПрилепу преди 100 години ("Prilep 100 years ago". Sofia, 1938) reports that after the arrival of Orthodox Albanians in the city around the 18th-19th century, the Christian Vlach and Albanian elements have assimilated under the influence of Bulgarian population, and that there are no longer any traces of them. Information is also given for Albanians of both denominations. Of the Orthodox Albanians, a part has beenBulgarianized, while others have beenHellenised. In the newspaper there is also a report about the Orthodox Albanian entitledIco Kishari, whose family, along with theTilevci, Georgimajkovci andLadcovci, were Orthodox Albanian refugees fromMoscopole who had settled in the beginning of the 19th century.[102]
Two dozen Orthodox Albanians were recorded as living in the villages ofKonopište andMrežičko nearKavadarci in 1900.[103] In 1905, Dimitar Mishev Brancoff gathered statistics about the Christian population of Macedonia, in which the population of Veles appears as consisting of, among others, 12 ChristianAlbanians.[104]
In statistics gathered by Vasil Kanchov in 1900, the city of Skopje was inhabited by 31900 people, of whom 150 were Christian Albanians.[105] Researcher Dimitar Gađanov wrote in 1916 thatGostivar was populated by, among others, 100 Orthodox Albanians.[106]
The spoken dialects of Albanian areGheg, by majority, andTosk in parts of the south.[61] Education in Albanian is provided in all levels, including university levels, such asState University of Tetovo,[107]South East European University,[108] also in Tetovo.
Pjetër Bogdani (c. 1630–1689), known in Italian as Pietro Bogdano, is the most original writer of early literature in Albania. He is author of theCuneus Prophetarum (The Band of the Prophets), 1685, the first prose work of substance written originally in Albania. Born in Gur i Hasit, Has, near Kukës district, Albania about 1630, Bogdani was educated in the traditions of the Catholic Church to which he devoted all his energy. His uncle,Andrea Bogdani (c. 1600–1683), was Archbishop of Skopje and author of a Latin-Albanian grammar, now lost.
On the other handNiš from Ναϊσσός,Štip from Ἄστιβος,Šar fromScardus, andOhrid fromLychnidus presuppose the sound development characteristic for Albanian.
While the emperor was spending about eight days in Achrida (Ohrid), the Albanian nomads living in the region of Deabolis (Devoll) appeared before him, as well as those from Koloneia (Kolonja) and those from the vicinity of Ohrid." This meeting was estimated to have taken place at around February 1328
Here I want to emphasize once again the fact that in cities, many so-called Turks, especially in Bitola and Skopje, are Albanians, which is also noticed by the emphasis they give to the articulation of Turkish words, such as. kàve instead of kave, mànda instead of mandà etc. In public they speak Turkish, while in families - Albanian; they call themselves "Turks", but in fact they mean Muhammadan, while the real Turks call them "Turkish ushak" (Turkish chimney). In the villages they are easily distinguished by the clothes, by the agricultural tools they use, by the carts (to the Anatolians the wheels are made of wooden washers). In all cases, the importance of Albanians in northern Macedonia is greatly underestimated. It is difficult to give an accurate figure for their number due to the mix of population, so rightly many well-known countries, which are interested in this, express distrust of statistics. Since I have a trustworthy statistic like Cartes ethnographiques des vilayets de Selonique, Kossovo et Monastir, litographiées par i'Institut cartographique de Sofia, 1907, with some recent elaborations by Prof. Mladenov, as well as the corrections and additions, made under the care of Mr. Mit'hat bej Frashëri, will not hesitate to publish this material. "Of course, recent changes have not been reflected.
"ANA" CLAIMS RESPONSIBILITY FOR KILLING OF TEN MACEDONIAN SOLDIERS Skopje, August 10 - A new armed group of ethnic Albanians on Thursday claimed responsibility for the killing of ten Macedonian army reservists in a highway ambush a day earlier. The "Albanian National Army" (AKSH) e-mailed a statement to several media in the region, on Albanian-language, saying a combined unit of its fighters and of the so-called National Liberation Army (NLA) carried the attack out "in revenge" for the killing of five NLA members by Macedonian security forces.
In a statement yesterday, a dissident ethnic Albanian group calling itself the Albanian National Army claimed responsibility for the killings, saying: "The Skopje government is restarting its terror and sees war as the only response to Albanian demands."
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