Riza Kryeziu (1847-1917), known as Riza Bey Gjakova (, ), was an Albanian nationalist figure and guerrilla fighter, an influential

bey Bey, also spelled as Baig, Bayg, Beigh, Beig, Bek, Baeg, Begh, or Beg, is a Turkic title for a chieftain, and a royal, aristocratic title traditionally applied to people with special lineages to the leaders or rulers of variously sized areas in ...

in the

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 ...

region, then part of the Vilayet of Kosovo,

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 one of the activists of Albanian national movements of early 20th century.

Life

Riza Bey was a member of 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 ...

. According to Ekrem Vlora's memories, Riza Bey was the involved in the

Attack against Mehmed Ali Pasha The Attack against Mehmed Ali Pasha (), known in Albanian historiography as the Action of Gjakova (Albanian language, Albanian: Aksioni i Gjakovës; ), was undertaken from 3–6 September 1878 by the Gjakova Committee of the League of Prizren in t ...

, performed by the Gjakova Committee of the

, which resulted in the assassination of Abdullah Pasha Dreni-Kyeziu (his distant cousin), and Marshal Mehmed Ali Pasha. The Ottoman marshal had been sent to overview the cession of 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 ...

to 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 ...

, which had caused the ensuing

Battle of Novšiće The Battle of Novšiće (, ) was a battle for control over Plav and Gusinje fought on 4 December 1879 between forces of the Principality of Montenegro led by Marko Miljanov and local pro-Ottoman forces which included irregulars of the League ...

. On September 5, 1878, Riza Bey approached the house of Abdullah Pasha and gave him a 24-hour ultimatum to leave the area and get back 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 ...

. The other part refused, and the next day the Gjakova Committee Albanians attacked and killed Mehmed Ali Pasha, Abdullah Pasha, as well as 20 of his house members. Riza Bey would be later arrested and exiled for 12 years in

Sinop Sinop can refer to: * Sinop, Turkey, a city on the Black Sea ** Sinop Nuclear Power Plant, was planned in 2013, but cancelled in 2018 ** Battle of Sinop, 1853 naval battle in the Sinop port *** Russian ship ''Sinop'', Russian ships named after the ...

, northern edge of the Turkish side of the

Black Sea The Black Sea is a marginal sea, marginal Mediterranean sea (oceanography), mediterranean sea lying between Europe and Asia, east of the Balkans, south of the East European Plain, west of the Caucasus, and north of Anatolia. It is bound ...

coast. Between 1885 and 1886, he got into a feud with

Bajram Curri Bajram Curri (16 January 1862 – 29 March 1925) was an Albanian chieftain, politician and activist who struggled for the independence of Albania, later struggling for Kosovo's incorporation into it following the 1913 Treaty of London. He w ...

that lasted for a decade and was only ended through an envoy sent by the sultan who conferred upon each man a military command and rank with Riza Bey becoming a major of the gendarmerie in Shkodër. To govern, Sultan Abdulhamid II used patronage networks by awarding privileges and government positions to co opt local leaders such as Riza Bey into the Ottoman system. In November 1897, a rebellion led by Riza Bey and Haxhi Zeka occurred in Kosovo aiming to reduce taxes and for the allowance of Albanian schools. The uprising lasted until January 1898 when Riza was invited to Istanbul to discuss terms. In 1912, due to the deteriorating situation between Albanians and Ottoman authorities, Riza Bey alongside other Albanian leaders were present at a meeting in

Junik Junik ( sq-definite, Juniku; sr-Cyrl, Јуник) is a town and municipality in the Gjakova District in western Kosovo. History During the Ottoman occupation of the Balkans, Junik and the Municipality of Junik were part of the Nahiya of Altun- ...

on 20 May where a besa (pledge) was given to wage war on the Young Turk government. Riza Bey was a guerrilla leader during the Albanian Revolt of 1912, and was one of the main figures of the League of Junik. During the 1912 uprising, while waiting for an Ottoman response to the demands of the rebels, Riza Bey and other leaders of the rebellion ordered their forces to advance toward Üsküb (modern

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 ...

) which was captured during August 12–15. On August 18, the moderate faction led by Prishtina managed to convince Riza Bey, and other leaders

Idriz Seferi Idriz Seferi (14 March 1847 – 25 March 1927) was an Albanian nationalist, revolutionary leader and guerrilla fighter who played a prominent role in the Albanian uprisings against the Ottoman Empire, the Kingdom of Serbia and Kingdom of Bulgaria ...

and

Isa Boletini Isa Boletini (; 15 January 186423 or 24 January 1916) was an Albanian revolutionary commander and politician and rilindas from Kosovo. As a young man, he joined the Albanian nationalist League of Prizren and participated in a battle against Ott ...

of the conservative group to accept the agreement with the Ottomans for Albanian sociopolitical and cultural rights. Riza was the father of Ceno Bey, Gani Bey, Said Bey, Ali, Rada, and Hasan Bey Kryeziu.

Hasan Prishtina Hasan bey Prishtina, (born Hasan Berisha; 27 September 1873 – 13 August 1933), was an Ottoman, later Albanian, politician who served as the 8th prime minister of Albania in December 1921. Biography Family and early life In his memoirs, Pris ...

, in his memoirs of 1921, mentions him as a "religious fanatic" who was obsessed with the idea of liberating Sultan Hamid from prison. Riza Bey died in Shkodra in 1917.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Gjakova, Riza Bej Kosovo Albanians Ottoman Albanian nobility Military personnel from Gjakova Albanian rebels from the Ottoman Empire People from Kosovo vilayet Activists of the Albanian National Awakening Activists from the Ottoman Empire 1917 deaths All-Albanian Congress delegates 1847 births Politicians from Gjakova

Riza : A riza ( Russian: риза, "vestment," "robe"; Ukrainian: шати, ''shaty'', "vestments") or oklad (оклад, "cover"), sometimes called a "revetment" in English, is a thin metal cover protecting an icon. It is usually made of gilt or s ...

Life

See also

References