Jakup Ferri
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Jakup Ferri (c.1832 – 4 December 1879) 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 ...
warrior from Plav-
Gusinje Gusinje (, ; ) is a small town in Montenegro in the northern region. According to the 2011 census, the town has a population of 1,673 and is the administrative center of Gusinje Municipality. Name Two alternative etymologies have been proposed ...
who served as a local leader in the
League of Prizren The League of Prizren (), officially the League for the Defense of the Rights of the Albanian Nation (), was an Albanian political organization that was officially founded on June 10, 1878 in the old town of Prizren in the Kosovo Vilayet of th ...
's resistance during the
Principality of Montenegro The Principality of Montenegro () was a principality in Southeastern Europe that existed from 13 March 1852 to 28 August 1910. It was then proclaimed a Kingdom of Montenegro, kingdom by Nikola I of Montenegro, Nikola I, who then became King of M ...
's attempt to subjugate his homeland in 1879. He was distinguished in the Battle of Novšiće, where he died.


Family

He was born in 1832 to an ethnic
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 ...
family in Plav. His father Ferr Duri descended from the Kuči tribe. His great-great-grandfather Gjergj Prentashi with his brother had left Kuči for
Podgorica Podgorica ( cnr-Cyrl, Подгорица; ) is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Montenegro, largest city of Montenegro. The city is just north of Lake Skadar and close to coastal destinations on the Adriatic Sea. Histor ...
and then settled in Plav, where they converted to Islam. His great-grandfather Shaban had two sons Halil and Dur. In turn, Dur had two sons Hajro and Ferr, the father of Jakup Ferri. He had three brothers Zeqo, Shaqir and Beqir, who died in the battle of Novsice. His mother was Zyl Rexha. At the age of 25, Jakup Ferri was married to Pemba, a cousin of
Ali Pasha of Gusinje Ali Pasha Shabanagaj (1828 – 5 March 1888) was an Albanian military commander and one of the leaders of the League of Prizren. He governed, as an Ottoman ''kaymakam'' (sub-governor), an area in what is today eastern Montenegro around Plav a ...
. He had five sons (Hasan, Mehmed, Omer, Agan, Emin) and three daughters (Kushe, Bardhoke, Zadeja). His descendants in Montenegro had to adopt the surname ''Ferović''. In time, they were able to revert to the original surname. His son Hasan Ferri (1860–1946) fought together with his father in this battle. In WWII, the Ferri family largely supported
Balli Kombëtar The Balli Kombëtar (literally ''National Front'') was an Albanian nationalist, Collaboration with Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy, collaborationist, and anti-communist resistance movement during the Second World War. It was led by Ali Këlcyra a ...
and organizations adjacent to it like the Second League of Prizren. Jakup Ferri's grandson Riza (son of Mehmed) was prefect of Dibra in WWII during the annexation of that area in Albania. He committed suicide in
Shkodër Shkodër ( , ; sq-definite, Shkodra; historically known as Scodra or Scutari) is the List of cities and towns in Albania, fifth-most-populous city of Albania and the seat of Shkodër County and Shkodër Municipality. Shkodër has been List of o ...
in 1945 at the eve of his extradition to Yugoslavia, where he was to be tried for war crimes. In wartime, his other grandson, Shemsi (son of Agan) was the prefect of Plav and a delegate of the Second League of Prizren for that area. The participation of the Ferri family in
Balli Kombëtar The Balli Kombëtar (literally ''National Front'') was an Albanian nationalist, Collaboration with Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy, collaborationist, and anti-communist resistance movement during the Second World War. It was led by Ali Këlcyra a ...
- a largely anti-communist organization - was cause for Jakup Ferri's
exclusion Exclusion may refer to: Legal or regulatory * Exclusion zone, a geographic area in which some sanctioning authority prohibits specific activities * Exclusion Crisis and Exclusion Bill, a 17th-century attempt to ensure a Protestant succession in En ...
in much of post-war historiography in the
People's Republic of Albania The People's Socialist Republic of Albania, () was the Marxist-Leninist state that existed in Albania from 10 January 1946 to the 29 April 1991. Originally founded as the People's Republic of Albania from 1946 to 1976, it was governed by the P ...
about the
Albanian National Awakening The Albanian National Awakening ( or ), commonly known as the Albanian Renaissance or Albanian Revival, is a period throughout the 19th and 20th century of a cultural, political, and social movement in the Albanian history where the Albanian ...
. In 1979, in the 100th anniversary of the creation the
League of Prizren The League of Prizren (), officially the League for the Defense of the Rights of the Albanian Nation (), was an Albanian political organization that was officially founded on June 10, 1878 in the old town of Prizren in the Kosovo Vilayet of th ...
with the personal intervention of
Mehmet Shehu Mehmet Ismail Shehu (January 10, 1913 – December 18, 1981) was an Albanian Communism, communist politician who served as the Prime Minister of Albania, Prime Minister of the People's Socialist Republic of Albania from 1954 to 1981. He was known ...
, Jakup Ferri was excluded from the list of those who were honored as "Heroes of the Nation" (''Hero i Kombit''). After 1990, the historical rehabilitation of Jakup Ferri and his son began and they were honored ''for their service to the nation''.


Battle of Novšiće

He was an active insurgent against the Montenegrin annexation of Plav and Gusinje after 1878. He joined the
League of Prizren The League of Prizren (), officially the League for the Defense of the Rights of the Albanian Nation (), was an Albanian political organization that was officially founded on June 10, 1878 in the old town of Prizren in the Kosovo Vilayet of th ...
, established after the
Congress of Berlin At the Congress of Berlin (13 June – 13 July 1878), the major European powers revised the territorial and political terms imposed by the Russian Empire on the Ottoman Empire by the Treaty of San Stefano (March 1878), which had ended the Rus ...
(1878) that ceded Plav and Gusinje to Montenegro. In 1878, together with many other fighters from
Gjakova Gjakova or Đakovica, ) and Đakovica ( sr-Cyrl, Ђаковица, ) is the sixth largest city of Kosovo and seat of the Gjakova Municipality and the District of Gjakova, Gjakova District. According to the 2024 census, the municipality of Gjakov ...
, they assassinated the Ottoman general Mehmet Ali Pasha who had been sent to pacify the region and force the locals to accept the decisions of the
Great Powers A great power is a sovereign state that is recognized as having the ability and expertise to exert its influence on a global scale. Great powers characteristically possess military and economic strength, as well as diplomatic and soft power ...
. In the autumn of 1879 notables of Plav and
Gusinje Gusinje (, ; ) is a small town in Montenegro in the northern region. According to the 2011 census, the town has a population of 1,673 and is the administrative center of Gusinje Municipality. Name Two alternative etymologies have been proposed ...
established the local Committee of National Salvation. One its first decisions concerned the diversion to the war effort of all taxes that had been collected and the support of the troops with resources. Jakup Ferri was responsible in the region for the organization of the war effort and its resources.
Ali Pasha of Gusinje Ali Pasha Shabanagaj (1828 – 5 March 1888) was an Albanian military commander and one of the leaders of the League of Prizren. He governed, as an Ottoman ''kaymakam'' (sub-governor), an area in what is today eastern Montenegro around Plav a ...
, the leader of the League, appointed him commander for the defence of Plav. He commanded his forces in the retreat from the Montenegrin assaults and managed to cut off the Montenegrins when they counter-attacked. Jakup Ferri fell at the beginning of the Battle of Novšiće, which ended in a victory for the League. On 4 January 1880, Jakup Ferri would be wounded in the battle on the banks of the Lim - which was part of the greater Battle of Nokshiq. He was found standing against the wall of a mountain with 7 wounds and 30 heads surrounding him that he had cut off of the enemy soldiers. Ferri would pass away on 11 January as a result of his wounds. His actions in 1879 made him a hero of Albanian and
Bosniak The Bosniaks (, Cyrillic script, Cyrillic: Бошњаци, ; , ) are a South Slavs, South Slavic ethnic group native to the Southeast European historical region of Bosnia (region), Bosnia, today part of Bosnia and Herzegovina, and who sha ...
folk poetry together with Ali Pasha Gucia. In literature, Jakup Ferri is a central character in
Gjergj Fishta Gjergj Fishta (; 23 October 187130 December 1940) was an Albanian Franciscan friar, poet, educator, rilindas, politician, translator and writer. He is regarded as one of the most influential Albanian writers of the 20th century, particularly ...
's '' The Highland Lute'' in the chapters (''kangë'') about the defense of Plav against Montenegro.


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ferri, Jakup 1830s births 1879 deaths Albanian people from the Ottoman Empire Activists from the Ottoman Empire People from Plav, Montenegro Activists of the Albanian National Awakening