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The Albanian Republic, or Albania, is a country in the Balkan Peninsula. It borders Austria-Hungary through the crownland of Illyria, Serbia to the north and northeast, Bulgaria to the east, and Greece to the south. While Albania also has a coast along the Adriatic Sea.
History[]
Islamization[]
In the 15th century, Albanian national hero Skanderbeg fought back against the Turkish invaders. However, after his death and the fall of Krujas and Shkodra, the country came under four centuries of foreign rule. Large numbers of the population converted to Islam in the 16th and 17th century, allowing them to rise into the highest offices - eleven Grand Viziers came from Albania and Mohammed Ali founded a dynasty in Egypt in 1805. The Islamization brought support for the resistance against Serbs and Greek as well as against the Ottoman rule itself. Only at the end of the 19th century, the national renaissance began with the founding of the League of Prizren.
Around 1910, Albania was shaken by multiple nationalist revolts; While the Ottomans were able to suppress these revolts, they had to give in to Albanian demands in 1912 and promised them autonomy in a united Albanian vilayet under Ottoman authority.
Balkan Wars[]
However, the dream of Albanian autonomy and unity soon became endangered when the Balkan League declared war on the Ottoman Empire in 1912 and occupied huge swaths of their European territory. The Albanians, worried that their territory would be partitioned between Greece, Serbia and Montenegro, declared their independence and sought out international support. In 1913, the great powers guaranteed their independence, however almost 50% of their claimed territory was given to neighbouring countries, including Kosovo. To bring stability into the newly established state, which was plagued by anarchy and lawlessness, the great powers chose a German Protestant aristocrat, Wilhelm of Wied, as the future ruler of Albania. Wilhelm soon arrived in early 1914, shortly before the oubreak of the Weltkrieg.
Weltkrieg[]
The outbreak of the Weltkrieg presented more problems for the country as Austria-Hungary demanded Albanian soldiers to fight alongside them. When Prince Wilhelm refused, citing the neutrality of Albania in the Treaty of London, the remuneration that he had been receiving was cut off. At the same time, an Islamic, pro-Turkish revolt emerged in Central Albania, trying to overthrow the foreign, Christian monarch and reestablish Ottoman control over Albania. Wied's regime collapsed and the prince left the country on 3 September 1914 to join the Imperial German Army, despite formally remaining the Albanian head of state.
After Wied's departure, the Albanian landowner and former Ottoman army officer Essad Pasha Toptani established himself with Serbian support as the new ruler of Albania, angering the rebels again. Until mid-1915, a harsh civil war was fought in Central Albania between Toptani's troops, Italian volunteers, and the Islamic rebels. Only when Serbian troops invaded Albania in June 1915, defeated the rebels, and executed their leaders, was Toptani's rule finally stabilized. However, when Austro-Hungarian troops swept through much of central and northern Albania in the spring of 1916 and occupied the country, Toptani fled Albania never to return.
In 1919, the Treaty of Versailles officially determined the status of Albania: a restored Principality under the authority of Prince Wilhelm within the Austrian sphere.
June Revolution[]
This all changed in 1924 when the June Revolution saw various Albanian nationalists, which included Avni Rrustemi and Ahmet Zogu amongst them, able to successfully dethrone Wied and rid the nation of Austrian influence. The success of the revolution was heavily dependent upon turbulent Austro-Hungarian internal reforms during the time, which left them unable to enforce their will within the Balkans.
This culminated with the creation of the Republic of Albania, whereby the nation adopted a parliamentary system. A bicameral legislature made up of the Senate and the Chamber of Deputies was created during this time.
Republican Era[]
Following the revolution, two main parties emerged: the Unity Party led by Avni Rrustemi and Fan Noli, which supports the transfer of power from the aristocracy to the common man, alongside the redistribution of lands held by the aristocracy to the people, and the Progressive Party, led by Shefqet Vërlaci and Ahmet Zogu, which supports the maintenance of the current status-quo and the strengthening of the aristocracy.
With the fourth Albanian elections set to occur in 1936, the nation itself is very much politically polarized, with members of the two parties, who had once worked together, now at each others’ throats in an attempt to gain power.
Politics[]
President of Albania: Shefqet Vërlaci (born 15 December 1877)
Prime Minister: Ahmet Zogu (born 8 October 1895)
Minister of Foreign Affairs: Pandeli Evangjeli (born 6 January 1859)
Minister of Finance: Myfid Libohova (born 1876)
Minister of Internal Affairs and Director of Secret Police: Muharrem Bajraktari (born 15 May 1896)
Inspector General of the Military Department:
Commander-in-Chief of the Albanian Gendarmerie:
Commander-in-Chief of the Albanian Naval Forces:
Commander-in-Chief of the Albanian Army Air Service:
Military[]
Army[]
Albania has a very small army, usually used only to repress the occasional revolt and to defend the nation and deter potential adversaries from any potential attacks.
[]
Because of the country's poor economy, Albania was never able to attempt naval or aviation programs, despite the presence of a decent airport and a good port in Tirana.
Foreign Relations[]
Albania has friendly relations with Romania and Bulgaria.
Albania also has unfriendly relations with Austria, Serbia, Greece, and Germany.
Culture[]
Albania is ethnically and religiously diverse for a country of its small size. The dominant religion is Islam, with Sunni Islam being the predominant form of Islam in the country, with Catholic and Orthodox minorities scattered throughout the country as well. there is also a substantial Greek minority in the south of the country.