Sadije Toptani (

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 ...

, 28 August 1876 –

Durrës Durrës ( , ; sq-definite, Durrësi) is the List of cities and towns in Albania#List, second most populous city of the Albania, Republic of Albania and county seat, seat of Durrës County and Durrës Municipality. It is one of Albania's oldest ...

, 25 November 1934) was

queen mother A queen mother is a former queen, often a queen dowager, who is the mother of the monarch, reigning monarch. The term has been used in English since the early 1560s. It arises in hereditary monarchy, hereditary monarchies in Europe and is also ...

of Albania from September 1928 until her death. She was the mother of

Zog I of Albania Zog I (born Ahmed Muhtar Zogolli; 8 October 18959 April 1961) was the leader of Albania from 1922 to 1939. At age 27, he first served as Albania's youngest ever Prime Minister (1922–1924), then as president (1925–1928), and finally as King ...

Biography

Sadije (also spelled Sadijé, Sadiya or Khadija) was a member of the

Toptani family The Toptani were a leading Albanian nobility, noble family in central Ottoman Albania, Albania at the beginning of the 20th century. They belonged to a small number of noble families appointed by the Ottomans who used local chieftains to control ...

. She was the daughter of Salah Bey Toptani (1843−1910) and his wife, Annijé Hanem Toptani (1855−1899), both members by birth of the Toptani family. She was also a cousin

Essad Pasha Toptani Essad Toptani (1863/1875 – 13 June 1920) was an Albanian politician who served as the third prime minister of Albania from 1914 to 1916. He previously established the Republic of Central Albania based in Durrës. An Ottoman army officer, he ...

. Toptani was the second wife of

Xhemal Pasha Zogu Xhemal Pasha Zogu (; 1860–1911), also known as Jamal Pasha or Jamal Pasha Zogolli, was the Hereditary Governor of Mati, Albania (at the time part of the Ottoman Empire). He was the father of King Zog I of Albania. Born at Burgajet Castle, Mati ...

after the death of his first wife, Zenja Melika Hanem. Also she was a descendant of Princess Mamica onicaof

Krujë Krujë ( sq-definite, Kruja; see also the etymology section) is a town and a municipality in north-central Albania. Located between Mount Krujë and the Ishëm River, the city is 20 km north of the capital of Albania, Tirana. Krujë was ...

(a sister of

Skanderbeg Gjergj Kastrioti (17 January 1468), commonly known as Skanderbeg, was an Albanians, Albanian Albanian nobility, feudal lord and military commander who led Skanderbeg's rebellion, a rebellion against the Ottoman Empire in what is today Albania, ...

). After her son became king in 1928, Toptani was raised to the title ''Nëna Mbretëreshë e Shqiptarëve'', or Queen Mother of the Albanians, with the style of Her Majesty on September 1, 1928, a position she held until her death. She supervised the Royal Kitchen to ensure that her son could not be poisoned. She was the official protector of the ''

Gruaja Shqiptare Gruaja Shqiptare was a women's organization in Albania, active between 1928 and 1939. It was a state supported women's rights organization with the task of promoting government policy in women's rights. History Prior to the national organization ...

''. Toptani was a Bektashi Muslim.

Death

Toptani died in the Royal Compound in Durrës and was buried in Tirana the next day. A royal mausoleum was constructed to house her remains. The building was destroyed by Albanian communist forces on 17 November 1944.

Issue

References

Bibliography

* Patrice Najbor, Histoire de l'Albanie et de sa maison royale (5 volumes), JePublie, Paris, 2008, (). * Patrice Najbor, la dynastye des Zogu, Textes & Prétextes, Paris, 2002
O.S. Pearson, ''Albania and King Zog''
I.B. Tauris. 2005 ().

External links

Maison royale d'Albanie, site officiel en langue françaiseFamille royale d'Albanie, site officiel en langue anglaise
{{DEFAULTSORT:Toptani, Sadije Toptani, Sadije Toptani, Sadije 20th-century Albanian people 19th-century Albanian people House of Zogu Queen mothers People from Tirana People from Scutari vilayet Albanian Muslims Sadije Albanian queen mothers Sadije 19th-century Albanian women 20th-century Albanian women