Dhimitër Mborja Emanoili (1884–1945) was an

Albanian Albanian may refer to: *Pertaining to Albania in Southeast Europe; in particular: **Albanians, an ethnic group native to the Balkans **Albanian language **Albanian culture **Demographics of Albania, includes other ethnic groups within the country ...

politician, businessman and benefactor. He was one of the signatories of the

Albanian Declaration of Independence The Albanian Declaration of Independence (Albanian language, Albanian: ''Deklarata e Pavarësisë'') was the declaration of independence of Albania from the Ottoman Empire. Independent Albania was proclaimed in Vlorë on 28 November 1912. Six da ...

as a representative of the Albanian community of Romania.

Life

Dhimitër Mborja was born in Mborje, modern

Korçë District Korçë District (), was one of the 36 districts of Albania, which were dissolved in July 2000 and replaced by 12 counties. It had a population of 143,499 in 2001, and an area of . Its capital was the city of Korçë. Its territory is now part of ...

(then part of the

Manastir Vilayet The Vilayet of Manastir () was a first-level administrative division (vilayet) of the Ottoman Empire, created in 1874, dissolved in 1877 and re-established in 1879. The vilayet was occupied during the First Balkan War in 1912 and divided between t ...

of the

Ottoman Empire The Ottoman Empire (), also called the Turkish Empire, was an empire, imperial realm that controlled much of Southeast Europe, West Asia, and North Africa from the 14th to early 20th centuries; it also controlled parts of southeastern Centr ...

) in 1884. At the age of sixteen, with his father, Viskë and his brothers emigrated to Bucharest. Their house in Mborje was donated in order to house the Albanian-language school of the village. In 1908 he joined the ''Dituria'' association of Korçë. Mborja emigrated to Bucharest where his name appears as the owner of a "Carpati" club and the leader of the Albanian community there. On November 5, 1912, he was elected by the Albanian community of Bucharest to become a representative of the Albanians of Romania in the assembly of Vlorë, where he signed the

as "D. Emanuel".1912 - The Declaration of Albanian Independence (by Robert Elsie)

His brother, Pandeli was an adjutant of

Ismail Qemali Ismail Qemali, or Ismail Kemal, (; 16 January 184426 January 1919), was an Albanian politician and statesman who is regarded as the founder of modern Independent Albania, Albania. He served as the first Prime Minister of Albania, prime minister o ...

during that period, while his younger brother, Nuç served under Themistokli Gërmenji. Mborja also donated 1,000 gold napoleons to the ministry of finances of the provisional government.
Mborja was a delegate of the Bucharest colony at the

Albanian Congress of Trieste The Albanian Congress of Trieste () was a congress of Albanians held in Trieste, Austria-Hungary in the period between 27 February – 6 March 1913, organized by Faik Konica and Sotir Kolea with strong support from the Austrian authorities. Dev ...

in 1913.
In 1915 he was elected a councillor of the ''Albanian Orthodox Community of Bucharest'' organization, which also operated an Albanian-language school in the city. In 1919-21 he donated his mansion in Korçë to house the

Albanian National Lyceum Albanian may refer to: *Pertaining to Albania in Southeast Europe; in particular: **Albanians, an ethnic group native to the Balkans **Albanian language **Albanian culture **Demographics of Albania, includes other ethnic groups within the country ...

. A supporter of

Fan Noli Theofan Stilian Noli, known as Fan Noli (6 January 1882 – 13 March 1965), was an Albanian Americans, Albanian-American writer, scholar, diplomat, politician, historian, orator, bishop, and founder of the Albanian Orthodox Church and the Albania ...

, he participated in the 1924 June Revolution that overthrew

Ahmet Zogu Zog I (born Ahmed Muhtar Zogolli; 8 October 18959 April 1961) was the leader of Albania from 1922 to 1939. At age 27, he first served as Albania's youngest ever Prime Minister (1922–1924), then as president (1925–1928), and finally as King ...

's regime. After Zogu's return, he was self-exiled. Mborja died in 1945 in Bucharest. On November 27, 1992 he was posthumously awarded the "Medal for Patriotic Activity" (), which was received by his descendants in Korçë.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Mborja, Dhimiter 1884 births 1945 deaths People from Korçë People from Manastir vilayet Albanian people from the Ottoman Empire Eastern Orthodox Christians from Albania 20th-century Albanian businesspeople Signatories of the Albanian Declaration of Independence Albanian expatriates in Romania All-Albanian Congress delegates

Life

See also

References