Preng Doçi
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

Preng Doçi (1846–1917), , 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 ...
political and religious figure and poet. He was a main contributor in the Albanian ''Bashkimi'' Alphabet.


Life

Preng Doçi was born in Paraspor neighborhood of Bulgër, a village near Lezha, back then
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 ...
, and today's Rubik,
Mirditë Mirditë ( sq-definite, Mirdita) is a municipality in Lezhë County, northwestern Albania. It was created in 2015 by the merger of the former municipalities Fan, Mirditë, Fan, Kaçinar, Kthellë, Orosh, Rrëshen, Rubik, Albania, Rubik and Selitë, ...
municipality on 25 February 1846. He finished the high school 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 ...
and in 1859 entered the recently opened Albanian Pontifical Seminary (). Later he studied in
Rome Rome (Italian language, Italian and , ) is the capital city and most populated (municipality) of Italy. It is also the administrative centre of the Lazio Regions of Italy, region and of the Metropolitan City of Rome. A special named with 2, ...
, in the Propaganda Fide College, where he met and became a close friend of
Prenk Bibë Doda Prenk Bib Doda, also known as Prênk Pasha (; 1860–1919), was an Albanian member of the Young Turks, prince of Mirdita, and politician in the Principality of Albania. Background Early years Doda was born in 1860 in Orosh, Mirditë District, ...
. In 1871, he returned to
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 ...
region in Albania, where he served as a priest in
Korthpulë Qerret is a village and a former municipality in the Shkodër County, northern Albania. At the 2015 local government reform it became a subdivision of the municipality Pukë Pukë ( sq-definite, Puka) is a town and municipality in northern Alba ...
,
Orosh Orosh (or ) is a small village in Mirditë within the county of Lezhë in the northwest of the Republic of Albania. Geographically, it is located inside the mountainous region of northern Albania in the Valley of Fan. The seat of the former muni ...
, and, Kalivarja near Spaç. He was among the leaders of the Mirdita uprising against Ottoman rule in 1876–1877 under Prenk Bibë Doda. Doçi had previously traveled to
Cetinje Cetinje ( cnr-Cyrl, Цетиње, ) is a List of cities and towns in Montenegro, town in Montenegro. It is the former royal capital ( cnr-Latn-Cyrl, prijestonica, приjестоница, separator=" / ") of Montenegro and is the location of sev ...
, capital of
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 ...
, in order to seek financial and military assistance by the Montenegrins. He returned from Cetinje with a pledge of Montenegrin assistance and, equally important, a promise of noninterference. The rebellion was quelled by the Ottomans in March 1877. The bishop of Lezhë, Francesco Malčinski, an
Austrian Austrian may refer to: * Austrians, someone from Austria or of Austrian descent ** Someone who is considered an Austrian citizen * Austrian German dialect * Something associated with the country Austria, for example: ** Austria-Hungary ** Austria ...
of Ukrainian origin suspended him from all religious activities. Doçi hid in Vuthaj, near
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 ...
. Later Doçi was captured and exiled to
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 ...
. With the intervention of
Armenian Armenian may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to Armenia, a country in the South Caucasus region of Eurasia * Armenians, the national people of Armenia, or people of Armenian descent ** Armenian diaspora, Armenian communities around the ...
Patriarch Stefan Azarian, he received a fake name ''Pére Achile'' and was sent to Rome with the condition of not returning to Albania. After staying few months in
Antivari Bar ( Montenegrin: Bar, Бар, , ) is a town and seaport in Coastal region of Montenegro. It is the capital of the Bar Municipality and a center for tourism. According to the 2023 census, the city proper had 15,868 inhabitants, while the total ...
, with the intervention of
Cardinal Cardinal or The Cardinal most commonly refers to * Cardinalidae, a family of North and South American birds **''Cardinalis'', genus of three species in the family Cardinalidae ***Northern cardinal, ''Cardinalis cardinalis'', the common cardinal of ...
Giovanni Simeoni Giovanni Simeoni (July 12, 1816 – January 14, 1892) was an Italian prelate of the Catholic Church who was appointed a cardinal in 1875 and served as Prefect of the Sacred Congregation for Propagation of the Faith from 1878 until his deat ...
of the Propaganda Fide, Doçi was sent to the west coast of the Americas, Newsfoundland, Wayne,
Pennsylvania Pennsylvania, officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a U.S. state, state spanning the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern United States, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes region, Great Lakes regions o ...
, and
New Brunswick New Brunswick is a Provinces and Territories of Canada, province of Canada, bordering Quebec to the north, Nova Scotia to the east, the Gulf of Saint Lawrence to the northeast, the Bay of Fundy to the southeast, and the U.S. state of Maine to ...
, where he worked as a missionary until 1881. To Doçi goes the honor, as far as it can be ascertained, of being the first known Albanian resident of
North America North America is a continent in the Northern Hemisphere, Northern and Western Hemisphere, Western hemispheres. North America is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the southeast by South Ameri ...
. After his return to Rome, he was sent to
India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...
as secretary of the apostolic delegate to India, Cardinal
Antonio Agliardi Antonio Agliardi (4 September 1832 – 19 March 1915) was an Italian Roman Catholic Cardinal, archbishop, and papal diplomat. Biography Agliardi was born at Cologno al Serio, in what is now the Province of Bergamo. He studied theology and cano ...
. In 1888, after years of petitioning and with the intercession of the
patriarch of Constantinople The ecumenical patriarch of Constantinople () is the archbishop of Constantinople and (first among equals) among the heads of the several autocephalous churches that comprise the Eastern Orthodox Church. The ecumenical patriarch is regarded as ...
, Doçi finally received permission from the Ottoman authorities to return to Albania. He arrived on 6 November 1888 and became abbot of Mirdita. In January of the following year, he was consecrated head of the Abbey nullius of St. Alexander of Orosh, Mirdita. In 1890 and later in 1894, several other regions of Lezhë and the
Roman Catholic Diocese of Sapë The Diocese of Sapë (, ) is a Latin Church ecclesiastical territory or diocese of the Roman Catholicism in Albania, Catholic Church in Northern Albania. It is a suffragan diocese in the ecclesiastical province of the metropolis (religious juri ...
would be joined under his Abbey's jurisdiction. Doçi died on 22 February 1917.


Political activity

Doçi did not cease his political efforts. He advocated for close relations between Albanians and Austria-Hungary to advance Albanian geopolitical self determination however his political thinking was mainly toward Albanian Catholic interests and regional concerns. In 1897 he traveled to
Vienna Vienna ( ; ; ) is the capital city, capital, List of largest cities in Austria, most populous city, and one of Federal states of Austria, nine federal states of Austria. It is Austria's primate city, with just over two million inhabitants. ...
to propose the creation of an autonomous Catholic principality in northern Albania under Mirdita leadership and would politically dominate within a wider confederation of Albanian statelets. Austria-Hungary supported his proposal however found its implementation would be unfeasible and opposed by Muslim Albanians and the Ottoman Empire. In 1889, he founded an Albanian school in Orosh (Grykë Orosh - Orosh
Gorge A canyon (; archaic British English spelling: ''cañon''), gorge or chasm, is a deep cleft between escarpments or cliffs resulting from weathering and the erosion, erosive activity of a river over geologic time scales. Rivers have a natural tend ...
), one of the earliest.


Literary activity

In 1899, Doçi founded the ''Shoqnia e bashkimit të gjuhës shqipe'' (
Society for the Unity of the Albanian Language Shoqnia e Bashkimit të Gjuhës Shqipe (Society for the Unity of the Albanian Language), usually known as the Shoqnia Bashkimi ( The Union Society) , or simply Bashkimi i Shkodrës (The Union of Shkodra) was a literary society founded in Shkodra, ...
) literary society, usually known as the ''Shoqnia Bashkimi'' (The Union Society), or simply ''Bashkimi'' (The Union) of Shkodra for publishing Albanian language books. Together with him there were Dom
Ndoc Nikaj Ndoc Nikaj (15 June 186416 January 1951) was an Albanian priest, writer, and historian. He was the first Albanian novelist to write and publish an original novel in the Albanian language, () of 1905. Biography Born in Shkodër on 15 June 1864, N ...
,
Luigj Gurakuqi Luigj Gurakuqi (19 February 1879 – 2 March 1925), also called Louis Gurakuchi, was an Albanians, Albanian writer and politician. He was an important figure of the Albanian National Awakening and was honored with the People's Hero of Albania ...
, Dom
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 ...
, Dom Dodë Koleci, Father Pashk Bardhi, Dom Lazër Mjeda, etc. The society came out with the so-called ''Bashkimi'' alphabet, which would become one of the three alphabets considered for the standard
Albanian alphabet The Albanian alphabet () is a variant of the Latin alphabet used to write the Albanian language. It consists of 36 letters representing all the phonemes of Standard Albanian: The vowels are shown in bold. The letters are named simply by their ...
during the
Congress of Monastir The Congress of Manastir () was an academic conference held in the city of Manastir (now Bitola) from November 14 to 22, 1908, with the goal of standardizing the Albanian alphabet. November 22 is now a commemorative day in Albania, Kosovo and ...
in 1908. Doçi supported the use of the Bashkimi alphabet and promoted its spread in Catholic Albanian schools. He contributed to the ''
Fiamuri Arbërit ''Fiamuri Arbërit'' or ''Flamuri i Arbërit'' () was an Albanian magazine published from 1883 to 1887 by Jeronim de Rada, one of the most prominent figures of Albanian culture of the 19th century. History ''Fiamuri Arbërits first issue was pub ...
'' (Flag of Albanians) newspaper of the
Arbëreshë Arbën/Arbër, from which derived Arbënesh/Arbëresh originally meant all Albanians, until the 18th century. Today it is used for different groups of Albanian origin, including: * Arbër (given name), an Albanian masculine given name *Arbëres ...
scholar
Girolamo De Rada Girolamo de Rada ( Arbërisht: ''Jeronim de Rada''; 29 November 181428 February 1903) was an Arbëreshë folklorist, journalist, lawyer, playwright, poet, rilindas and writer. He is regarded as one of the most influential Albanian writers of ...
. He signed his articles as "Primo Docci", or "Një djalë prej Shqypnije" (A guy from Albania). After the foundation of ''Bashkimi'' Society, he published many works, many of them anonymously. Gjergj Fishta mentioned during his speech at the Doçi's funeral that Doçi had created 32 literary works.


See also

*
Ndre Mjeda Ndre Mjeda (20 November 18661 August 1937) was an Albanian philologist, poet, priest, rilindas, translator and writer of the Albanian Renaissance. He was a member of the Mjeda family. He was influenced by the Jesuit writer Anton Xanoni and ...


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Doci, Preng 19th-century Albanian writers Albanian Jesuits Albanian schoolteachers Catholic poets 19th-century Albanian poets 20th-century Albanian poets 1846 births 1917 deaths Albanian Catholic poets People from Mirditë People from Scutari vilayet Activists of the Albanian National Awakening Roman Catholic missionaries in India Roman Catholic writers Pontifical Urban University alumni 19th-century Albanian Roman Catholic priests 20th-century Albanian Roman Catholic priests