Murad bej Toptani (13 July 1867 – 11 February 1918) 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 ...

poet, artist and activist of 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 ...

. Along with his relative

Abdi Toptani Abdi Toptani (28 August 1864 – 1 August 1942) was an 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 ...

he became 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 ...

in 1912. As a sculptor, Toptani created the first bust of

George Kastrioti Skanderbeg Gjergj Kastrioti (17 January 1468), commonly known as Skanderbeg, was an Albanian feudal lord and military commander who led a rebellion against the Ottoman Empire in what is today Albania, North Macedonia, Greece, Kosovo, Montenegro, and Ser ...

, the national hero 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 ...

Life

Family

He was born in 1867 in the

Caucasus Mountains The Caucasus Mountains * * Azerbaijani: , * * * * * * * * * * * is a mountain range at the intersection of Asia and Europe. Stretching between the Black Sea and the Caspian Sea, they are surrounded by the Caucasus region ...

, where his father Seit Toptani was interned as a political prisoner. From 1875 to 1881, their family lived in

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 ...

, capital 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 ...

, but they settled again in the Caucasus Mountains, where Seit was again interned because of his membership 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 ...

. In the early 1890, he studied in Istanbul, where he lived in

Naim Frashëri Naim bey Frashëri, more commonly Naim Frashëri (; ; 25 May 184620 October 1900), was an Albanian historian, journalist, poet, translator, and one of the most prominent figures of the Albanian National Awakening. Regarded as a pioneer of moder ...

's house. There he met his future wife Asije Frashëri, daughter of Sherif Frashëri, younger brother of Naim. In 1895, he married Asije Frashëri and moved to

Tirana Tirana ( , ; ) is the capital and List of cities and towns in Albania, largest city of Albania. It is located in the centre of the country, enclosed by mountains and hills, with Dajti rising to the east and a slight valley to the northwest ov ...

, where he later died, age 50–51, in 1918. His three sons were: Enver, Sherif and Ibrahim. Toptani's younger brother Refik was the head of the local branch of ''Bashkimi'' in Tirana. His sister Vesime was married to Mehmet Frashëri, another brother of Naim Frashëri.

Exile

During 1897, Toptani along with Faik Konica visited the Albanian diaspora in

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 he proposed that Albanian guerilla bands be formed to combat Ottoman, Bulgarian and Greek forces. In Tirana, Toptani was active in the promotion of education in Albanian. In 1897, Toptani successfully requested the instruction of all lessons in Albanian in the newly founded Austrian school of the city. His activities and influence led to his arrest on 28 October 1897 by the Ottoman authorities. Toptani was exiled and initially interned in

Manastir Bitola (; ) is a city in the southwestern part of North Macedonia. It is located in the southern part of the Pelagonia valley, surrounded by the Baba, Nidže, and Kajmakčalan mountain ranges, north of the Medžitlija-Níki border crossin ...

and later in Galipoli, from where he was sent to

Tripoli Tripoli or Tripolis (from , meaning "three cities") may refer to: Places Greece *Tripolis (region of Arcadia), a district in ancient Arcadia, Greece * Tripolis (Larisaia), an ancient Greek city in the Pelasgiotis district, Thessaly, near Larissa ...

. In 1898, he escaped and migrated to Italy, where he settled in

Naples Naples ( ; ; ) is the Regions of Italy, regional capital of Campania and the third-largest city of Italy, after Rome and Milan, with a population of 908,082 within the city's administrative limits as of 2025, while its Metropolitan City of N ...

and

Brindisi Brindisi ( ; ) is a city in the region of Apulia in southern Italy, the capital of the province of Brindisi, on the coast of the Adriatic Sea. Historically, the city has played an essential role in trade and culture due to its strategic position ...

. On 14 July 1898, he protested against his sentence and requested amnesty from the vali of Manastir, but did not receive any reply. While in Italy, he created the first bust of Skanderbeg, the Albanian national hero. In 1899, he spent a few months in

and finally returned to Istanbul, where he received amnesty. However, in 1900 he was again interned and held in indefinite detention in

Çanakkale Çanakkale is a city and seaport in Turkey on the southern shore of the Dardanelles at their narrowest point. It is the seat of Çanakkale Province and Çanakkale District.Konya Konya is a major city in central Turkey, on the southwestern edge of the Central Anatolian Plateau, and is the capital of Konya Province. During antiquity and into Seljuk times it was known as Iconium. In 19th-century accounts of the city in En ...

until 1908, when many prisoners were given amnesty.

Legacy

A pedestrian road in the center of Tirana is named after ''Murat Toptani''.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Toptani, Murat Date of death missing 1867 births 1918 deaths 19th-century Albanian poets 19th-century Albanian politicians 19th-century sculptors 20th-century Albanian poets 20th-century Albanian politicians 20th-century Albanian sculptors Activists of the Albanian National Awakening Signatories of the Albanian Declaration of Independence

Murat Murat may refer to: Places Australia * Murat Bay, a bay in South Australia * Murat Marine Park, a marine protected area France * Murat, Allier, a commune in the department of Allier * Murat, Cantal, a commune in the department of Cantal Elsew ...

Politicians from Tirana All-Albanian Congress delegates Poets from the Ottoman Empire

Life

Family

Exile

Legacy

See also

References