Republic of Central Albania Republika e Shqipërisë së Mesme (Albanian) | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1913–1914 | |||||||||
 Flag[a] | |||||||||
 | |||||||||
| Status | Former unrecognized country | ||||||||
| Capital | Durrës | ||||||||
| Common languages | Albanian | ||||||||
| Government | Republic | ||||||||
| President | |||||||||
• 1913–1914 | Essad Pasha Toptani | ||||||||
| Historical era | Between theBalkan Wars and the establishment of thePrincipality of Albania | ||||||||
• Established | 16 October 1913 | ||||||||
• Wilhelm, Prince of Albania takes control of thePrincipality of Albania after his arrival at port Durrës | 7 March 1914 | ||||||||
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TheRepublic of Central Albania (Albanian:Republika e Shqipërisë së Mesme) was a short-lived unrecognised state established on 16 October 1913, with its administrative centre inDurrës, today inAlbania.[2]
The government of the Republic of Central Albania was established inDurrës on 16 October 1913 byEssad Pasha Toptani and ended whenWilliam of Wied, prince ofPrincipality of Albania, took control over the country upon his arrival inAlbania on 7 March 1914.[3] There are sources that connect the end of the Republic of Central Albania with the date of 1 February 1914, when an Albanian delegation led by Essad Pasha Toptani offered the Albanian throne toWilliam of Wied.[4] Theflag of the Republic of Central Albania was red with white star in lower right part.[5]
The Republic of Central Albania issued its ownpost stamps.[6]Faik Konitza initially gave his support to the government of Essad Pasha.[7]
The most important role in establishing the Republic of Central Albania hadEssad Pasha Toptani. During theFirst Balkan War, he became famous for his resistance during theSiege of Scutari. He was a member of the Toptani family, one of many families that were rich feudalMuslim landowners with privileged status during Ottoman rule. These Muslim landowners, together with Muslim priests, were afraid of losing their privileged status after the signing of theLondon Peace Treaty and the decision of theGreat Powers about the future status of the territory which today belongs toAlbania.[citation needed]
TheKingdom of Serbia agreed to support Essad Pasha's government financially, and even with military force if needed. In exchange, Essad Pasha agreed to neutralize a large group of about 20,000kachaks from Kosovo and Macedonia.[8] They were led byIsa Boletini and supported byIsmail Qemali and hisProvisional Government of Albania. Essad Pasha agreed to help the Kingdom of Serbia acquire part of the coastal areas north ofBlack Drin.[9]
Pro-Ottoman Muslim landowners and priests supportedEssad Pasha Toptani, who remained loyal to theOttoman Empire during theFirst World War and maintained close contacts with the government inIstanbul.Young Turks fromIstanbul were still hoping to restore Ottoman suzerainty overAlbania and sent agents to Albania.[10] A plot by theYoung Turk government and led byBekir Fikri to restore Ottoman control over Albania through the installment of an Ottoman-Albanian officerAhmed Izzet Pasha as monarch was uncovered by the Serbs and reported to the ICC.[11][12][13] Ismail Qemali supported the plot for military assistance againstSerbia andGreece.[14][11][15] TheInternational Control Commission (ICC), an organisation temporarily administering Albania on behalf of the Great Powers allowed theirDutch officers serving as the Albanian Gendarmerie to declare a state of emergency and stop the plot.[12][14][13] They raided Vlorë on 7–8 January 1914, discovering more than 200 Ottoman troops and arrested Fikri.[12][11][16] During Fikri's trial the plot emerged and an ICC military court under Colonel Willem de Veer condemned him to death[16] and later commuted to life imprisonment,[12] while Qemali and his cabinet resigned.[14] After Qemali left the country, turmoil ensured throughout Albania.[17]
WhileEssad Pasha Toptani established the Republic of Central Albania, there was another rival government inVlore — theProvisional Government of Albania — led byIsmail Qemali[18] that wished to control the territory of the Republic of Central Albania. This government was established by a group ofAlbanians led byIsmail Qemali and gathered from fourOttomanvilayets. During the negotiations between Albanian rebels and negotiators from the Ottoman Empire in 1912, the parties had agreed to merge the four vilayets ofKosovo,Scutari,Monastir andJanina into one,Albanian vilayet. Since theFirst Balkan War started before this agreement was confirmed in the assembly of theOttoman Empire, this unitedAlbanian vilayet remained officially unrecognised. Itsindependence was declared on 28 November 1912, by a group ofAlbanians thatQemali had gathered from all fourOttomanvilayets together with four men,Albanians of Romania. Austria and Italy supported the intentions of Ismai Qemali and his government to create a state whose territory would span all areas populated by Albanians, including Kosovo, parts of Montenegro, Macedonia and Greece.[19]
In his work,Memorandum on Albania,Essad Pasha Toptani denied that Qemali's government was legitimate, writing that it was"the personal creation of a number of men."[20]
By establishing the Republic of Central Albania,Essad Pasha Toptani isolated supporters ofIsmail Qemali and hisProvisional Government of Albania from the northern part ofAlbania mainly populated withCatholic population. These Catholics were reluctant to submit to any of the two national governments, just as they were reluctant to surrender to thePorte.[21] Thus, after theBalkan Wars and beforeprince Wilhelm of Wied took control of the newly establishedPrincipality of Albania on 7 March 1914,Albania was divided into three parts. One part north of River theMat was under the control of Catholics, the central part was territory held by the Republic of Central Albania and under control of government led byEssad Pasha Toptani, while the third part, south of theShkumbin river, was under the control of theProvisional Government of Albania led by Ismail Qemali who declared independence ofAlbanian vilayet.
On 16 October 1913, ... Toptani set up a rival government based in Durrës, called the Republic of Central Albania.
He reluctantly stepped down when forced to by the Great Powers on 1 February 1914, being given as a consolation the right to lead the Albanian delegation which travelled to Germany to offer the Albanian throne to Prince Wilhelm zu Wied.
Essad Pasha set up his own regime and issued stamps for central Albania.
had initially given his support to the government of Essad Pasha Toptani
around 20,000 ethnic Albanians who fled Old Serbia and Macedonia found themselves on Albanian soil, while their leaders Hasan Pristina and Isa Boljetinac sat in the government at Valona. Austro-Hungarian and Italian emissaries and agents, mostly the clergy and teachers, suppressed Essad Pasha's influence and appealed to the ethnic Albanians to rise against the Serbs
Serbia had come to an understanding with Essad. ...Essad Pasha will be sent money, military plan calls for the complete annihilation ..... of Ismail Kemal, Isa Boletini and their friends,.... to undertake boundary rectification, in accordance with Serbia's wishes, up to the Black Drin.
The Young Turks ... still had hopes for restoring Ottoman suzerainty over Albania. They therefore sent agents to encourage insurrection...
... two governments shared the administration of Albania: one in Vlora under the presidency of Ismail Kemal Bey and one in Durrës headed by myself.
The Albanian government in Vlora wants Albania to unite all Albanian populated areas, including Kosova, parts of Macedonia and Montenegro, and the Greek region of Cameria. Austria and Italy support the Albanian position
governments ... in Vlora under the presidency of Ismail Kemal Bey ... was the personal creation of a number of men
Isolated Kemal government would not been able to rely for support upon majority of the north, predominantly Catholic population, who ..... remained jealous of their independence and were unwilling to surrender to national government as they had been to do so to the Porte.
