Albanian vilayet as proposed by League of Prizren - reworked version

The Albanian Vilayet (, ''Vilâyet-i Arnavid'') was a projected ''

vilayet A vilayet (, "province"), also known by #Names, various other names, was a first-order administrative division of the later Ottoman Empire. It was introduced in the Vilayet Law of 21 January 1867, part of the Tanzimat reform movement initiated b ...

'' 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 the western

Balkan Peninsula The Balkans ( , ), corresponding partially with the Balkan Peninsula, is a geographical area in southeastern Europe with various geographical and historical definitions. The region takes its name from the Balkan Mountains that stretch throug ...

, which was to include the four Ottoman vilayets with substantial ethnic Albanian populations: Kosovo Vilayet, Scutari Vilayet,

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 ...

, and

Janina Vilayet The Vilayet of Janina, Yanya or Ioannina () was a first-level administrative division (vilayet) of the Ottoman Empire, established in 1867. In the late 19th century, it reportedly had an area of .

. In some proposals, it included the

Salonica Vilayet The Vilayet of Salonica () was a first-level administrative division (vilayet) of the Ottoman Empire from 1867 to 1913. In the late 19th century it reportedly had an area of .

as well. The creation of the Vilayet was confirmed in September 1912, but negotiations were interrupted a month later in October by the beginning of the

First Balkan War The First Balkan War lasted from October 1912 to May 1913 and involved actions of the Balkan League (the Kingdoms of Kingdom of Bulgaria, Bulgaria, Kingdom of Serbia, Serbia, Kingdom of Greece, Greece and Kingdom of Montenegro, Montenegro) agai ...

. Plans for an Albanian Vilayet were lost with the Partition of Albania. A separate Albanian vilayet was a part of the agenda of many Albanian organizations and societies since 1877, during the period known as the Albanian National Awakening. Establishment of such a vilayet was agreed between the Albanian rebels and the authorized representatives of the Ottoman government on 4 September 1912, following the Albanian Revolt of 1912. Soon after that agreement however, the

broke out and most of the remaining European territory of the Ottoman Empire was occupied by the Balkan League member states. After the army of the

Kingdom of Serbia The Kingdom of Serbia was a country located in the Balkans which was created when the ruler of the Principality of Serbia, Milan I of Serbia, Milan I, was proclaimed king in 1882. Since 1817, the Principality was ruled by the Obrenović dynast ...

captured

Skopje Skopje ( , ; ; , sq-definite, Shkupi) is the capital and largest city of North Macedonia. It lies in the northern part of the country, in the Skopje Basin, Skopje Valley along the Vardar River, and is the political, economic, and cultura ...

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 ...

invited a group of

Albanians The Albanians are an ethnic group native to the Balkan Peninsula who share a common Albanian ancestry, Albanian culture, culture, Albanian history, history and Albanian language, language. They are the main ethnic group of Albania and Kosovo, ...

from all four Ottoman vilayets that were agreed to be united into the Albanian Vilayet, to attend an All-Albanian Congress in Valona. There they declared

independence Independence is a condition of a nation, country, or state, in which residents and population, or some portion thereof, exercise self-government, and usually sovereignty, over its territory. The opposite of independence is the status of ...

on 28 November 1912, and set up the Provisional Government of Albania. The same territories were claimed by nations in the region that had already raised their national development to independent statehood: Shkodër vilayet was claimed by the

Serbs The Serbs ( sr-Cyr, Срби, Srbi, ) are a South Slavs, South Slavic ethnic group native to Southeastern Europe who share a common Serbian Cultural heritage, ancestry, Culture of Serbia, culture, History of Serbia, history, and Serbian lan ...

and

Montenegrins Montenegrins (, or ) are a South Slavic ethnic group that share a common ancestry, culture, history, and language, identified with the country of Montenegro. Montenegrins are mostly Orthodox Christians; however, the population also includes ...

, Kosovo vilayet by the Serbs, Montenegrins and Bulgarians, Monastir vilayet by the Serbs,

Greeks Greeks or Hellenes (; , ) are an ethnic group and nation native to Greece, Greek Cypriots, Cyprus, Greeks in Albania, southern Albania, Greeks in Turkey#History, Anatolia, parts of Greeks in Italy, Italy and Egyptian Greeks, Egypt, and to a l ...

and

Bulgarians Bulgarians (, ) are a nation and South Slavs, South Slavic ethnic group native to Bulgaria and its neighbouring region, who share a common Bulgarian ancestry, culture, history and language. They form the majority of the population in Bulgaria, ...

and

by the Greeks. A few weeks after the beginning of the First Balkan War, the biggest part of the territories intended for the Albanian Vilayet was in the hands of Balkan League member states, as a

condominium A condominium (or condo for short) is an ownership regime in which a building (or group of buildings) is divided into multiple units that are either each separately owned, or owned in common with exclusive rights of occupation by individual own ...

. Final frontiers between the Balkan League members and the new

Principality of Albania The Principality of Albania () was a monarchy from 1914 to 1925. It was headed by Wilhelm, Prince of Albania, and located in modern Albania in the Balkans, Balkan region of Europe. The Ottoman Empire owned the land until the First Balkan Wa ...

were decided by the treaties of

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

and

Bucharest Bucharest ( , ; ) is the capital and largest city of Romania. The metropolis stands on the River Dâmbovița (river), Dâmbovița in south-eastern Romania. Its population is officially estimated at 1.76 million residents within a greater Buc ...

, and ignored the frontiers of the proposed Albanian Vilayet, leaving substantial Albanian populations living outside the newly established Albanian

nation-state A nation state, or nation-state, is a political entity in which the state (a centralized political organization ruling over a population within a territory) and the nation (a community based on a common identity) are (broadly or ideally) con ...

Events

Central Committee for Defending Albanian Rights

The Central Committee for Defending Albanian Rights was organization established in the city of

Istanbul Istanbul is the List of largest cities and towns in Turkey, largest city in Turkey, constituting the country's economic, cultural, and historical heart. With Demographics of Istanbul, a population over , it is home to 18% of the Demographics ...

Turkey Turkey, officially the Republic of Türkiye, is a country mainly located in Anatolia in West Asia, with a relatively small part called East Thrace in Southeast Europe. It borders the Black Sea to the north; Georgia (country), Georgia, Armen ...

, then

in 1877 by an influential group of

Albania Albania ( ; or ), officially the Republic of Albania (), is a country in Southeast Europe. It is located in the Balkans, on the Adriatic Sea, Adriatic and Ionian Seas within the Mediterranean Sea, and shares land borders with Montenegro to ...

n intellectuals, patriots, and politicians, such as Sami Frashëri, Vaso Pasha,

Abdyl Frashëri Abdyl Dume bey Frashëri (, or ''Abdullah Hüsni''; 1 June 1839 – 23 October 1892) was an Ottoman Albanian civil servant, politician during the First Constitutional Era of the Ottoman Empire, and one of the first Albanian political ideologues ...

and many others. The chairman of the Committee was Abdyl Frashëri. This Committee published the idea for uniting the vilayets of Monastiri, Scutari,

Kosovo Kosovo, officially the Republic of Kosovo, is a landlocked country in Southeast Europe with International recognition of Kosovo, partial diplomatic recognition. It is bordered by Albania to the southwest, Montenegro to the west, Serbia to the ...

and

Janina Ioannina ( ' ), often called Yannena ( ' ) within Greece, is the capital and largest city of the Ioannina (regional unit), Ioannina regional unit and of Epirus (region), Epirus, an Modern regions of Greece, administrative region in northwester ...

into one Albanian vilayet in the paper Tercüman-ı Hakikat. Contrary to what is often said, a claim for territories very often included the

Salonica Vilayet The Vilayet of Salonica () was a first-level administrative division (vilayet) of the Ottoman Empire from 1867 to 1913. In the late 19th century it reportedly had an area of .

too.

League of Prizren 1878

The League of Prizren was an Albanian political organization founded on 10 June 1878 in

Prizren Prizren ( sq-definite, Prizreni, ; sr-cyr, Призрен) is the second List of cities and towns in Kosovo, most populous city and Municipalities of Kosovo, municipality of Kosovo and seat of the eponymous municipality and District of Prizren, ...

, in the

province (''

'') of the

. The initial position of the league, based on the religious solidarity of the landlords and the people connected with the Ottoman administration and the religious authorities, was reason for naming the league — The Committee of the Real Muslims () On the first meeting of the league was written a decision memorandum ( kararname) that did not mention reforms, autonomy, or the union of the Albanian populated vilayets into one vilayet. Soon after the first meeting of this organization it adopted a new agenda, under the influence of

, that included establishing of the Albanian Vilayet. It was not an appeal for Albanian

, or even

autonomy In developmental psychology and moral, political, and bioethical philosophy, autonomy is the capacity to make an informed, uncoerced decision. Autonomous organizations or institutions are independent or self-governing. Autonomy can also be ...

within

but, as proposed by Pashko Vasa, simply the unification of all Albanian speaking territory within one vilayet. Tercümân-i-Şark () (newspapers which provided detailed coverage about events in Albanian populated area), in which Sami Frashëri was member of the staff, reported about the events in the Albanian populated area () and about the ''unionist society'' () established by the delegates of League of Prizren.

League of Peja 1899

The League of Peja () was an Albanian political organization established in 1899 in the city of

Peć Peja or Peć, ), is the fifth most populous city in Kosovo and serves as the seat of the Peja Municipality and the District of Peja. It is located in the Rugova (region), Rugova region on the eastern section of the Accursed Mountains along the ...

(Peja),

. It was led by Haxhi Zeka, a former member of the League of Prizren and shared the same platform in quest for an autonomous Albanian vilayet within

. There were two groups of members. The first group of conservative and more moderate members wanted five vilayets (with

Salonica Vilayet The Vilayet of Salonica () was a first-level administrative division (vilayet) of the Ottoman Empire from 1867 to 1913. In the late 19th century it reportedly had an area of .

included) to be united into the Albanian vilayet, and the second group of the more radical members wanted full administrative autonomy for the four vilayets united in the Albanian vilayet.

Albanian Revolt of 1912

The Albanian Revolt of 1912 was one of many Albanian revolts in the

and lasted from January until August 1912. The revolt started in the western part of Kosovo vilayet and was led by Hasan Pristina, Nexhip Draga, Bajram Curri, Riza Bey and others. Hasan Prishtina who was in the Kosovo vilayet during the revolt, and

who was in Europe gathering weapons and money and attempting to win over European public opinion to the cause of the uprising, maintained communication through the

British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies. * British national identity, the characteristics of British people and culture ...

Consulate in

. Essad Pasha Toptani obliged himself to organize the uprising in Central Albania and

Mirdita Mirdita is a region of northern Albania whose territory is synonymous with the historic Albanian tribe of the same name. Etymology The name Mirdita derives from a legendary ancestor named Mir Diti from whom the tribe claims descent. Other a ...

. After a series of successes, Albanian rebels managed to capture the city of

, the administrative centre of Kosovo vilayet within the Ottoman rule. The revolt ended when the Ottoman government agreed to accept all demands (ignoring only last one,

court martial A court-martial (plural ''courts-martial'' or ''courts martial'', as "martial" is a postpositive adjective) is a military court or a trial conducted in such a court. A court-martial is empowered to determine the guilt of members of the mili ...

for Ottoman officers who attempted to suppress revolt) on September 4, 1912.

List of accepted demands

On August 9, 1912 Albanian rebels presented new list of demands (so called list of ''Fourteen Points'') related to the Albanian vilayet that can be summarized as follows: * autonomous system of administration and justice * Albanians to perform military service only in territory of the four vilayets, except in time of war * employing the officials knowing local language and customs, but not necessarily Albanians, * establishment of new licees and agricultural schools in the bigger districts * reorganization and modernization of the religious schools and use of

Albanian language Albanian (Endonym and exonym, endonym: , , or ) is an Indo-European languages, Indo-European language and the only surviving representative of the Albanoid, Albanoid branch, which belongs to the Paleo-Balkan languages, Paleo-Balkan group. It ...

in secular schools * freedom to establish private schools and societies * the development of trade, agriculture and public works * general amnesty for all Albanians involved in revolt *

for those Ottoman officers who attempted to suppress revolt The Ottoman government ended the Albanian revolts by accepting all demands (ignoring only the last one) on September 4, 1912. Hasan Prishtina was planning to start a new revolt in three or four months, because his main goal was not for the autonomy of but independence of the Albanian Vilayet. However the

soon broke out and destroyed his plans.

First Balkan War

When the

broke out, members of the Balkan League captured most of the territory that was promised to be Albanian Vilayet in period October—December 1912. Balkan allies planned the partition of the European territory of the

among them and in the meantime the conquered territory was agreed to have status of the

Condominium A condominium (or condo for short) is an ownership regime in which a building (or group of buildings) is divided into multiple units that are either each separately owned, or owned in common with exclusive rights of occupation by individual own ...

. The final fate of the captured territory was to be decided by the Treaty of London and Treaty of Bucharest.

Albanian Declaration of Independence

When the army of Kingdom of Serbia won Battle of Kumanovo and seized the

and when the Bulgarian army captured Kırk Kilise, at the beginning of the

decided to send telegrams to

from the Albanian Vilayet to come to

congress A congress is a formal meeting of the representatives of different countries, constituent states, organizations, trade unions, political parties, or other groups. The term originated in Late Middle English to denote an encounter (meeting of ...

to Valona on November 28, 1912. They declared independence and set up a

provisional government A provisional government, also called an interim government, an emergency government, a transitional government or provisional leadership, is a temporary government formed to manage a period of transition, often following state collapse, revoluti ...

Treaties of London and Bucharest

The Treaties of London and

dealt with the territorial adjustments arising out of the conclusion of the

Balkan Wars The Balkan Wars were two conflicts that took place in the Balkans, Balkan states in 1912 and 1913. In the First Balkan War, the four Balkan states of Kingdom of Greece (Glücksburg), Greece, Kingdom of Serbia, Serbia, Kingdom of Montenegro, M ...

. The frontiers of the newly established

covered only the portion of the territory of Albanian vilayet while its biggest part become the part of the Slavic states and Greece ( Balkan League). The

Kingdom of Bulgaria The Tsardom of Bulgaria (), also known as the Third Bulgarian Tsardom (), usually known in English as the Kingdom of Bulgaria, or simply Bulgaria, was a constitutional monarchy in Southeastern Europe, which was established on , when the Bulgaria ...

lost the conquered parts of the Albanian vilayet during the

Second Balkan War The Second Balkan War was a conflict that broke out when Kingdom of Bulgaria, Bulgaria, dissatisfied with its share of the spoils of the First Balkan War, attacked its former allies, Kingdom of Serbia, Serbia and Kingdom of Greece, Greece, on 1 ...

Gallery

File:Macedonia 1913 map.png, Disposition of territories occupied during

according to

Treaty of Bucharest (1913) The Treaty of Bucharest (; ; ; ) was concluded on 10 August 1913, by the delegates of Bulgaria, Romania, Serbia, Montenegro and Greece. The Treaty was concluded in the aftermath of the Second Balkan War and amended the previous Treaty of Londo ...

. File:League of Prizren Map.png, The 4 Ottoman vilayets (

, Scutari, Monastir and

Ioannina Ioannina ( ' ), often called Yannena ( ' ) within Greece, is the capital and largest city of the Ioannina (regional unit), Ioannina regional unit and of Epirus (region), Epirus, an Modern regions of Greece, administrative region in northwester ...

), proposed to form the Albanian Vilayet. File:Albanian vilayet.jpg, The map of Albanian Vilayet as proposed by the League of Prizren for full autonomy.

References

{{Independent Albania, state=expanded 1912 in the Ottoman Empire Kosovo vilayet Scutari vilayet Manastir vilayet Janina vilayet Proposed political divisions Albanian Question

Events

Central Committee for Defending Albanian Rights

League of Prizren 1878

League of Peja 1899

Albanian Revolt of 1912

List of accepted demands

First Balkan War

Albanian Declaration of Independence

Treaties of London and Bucharest

Gallery

See also

References