Shote Galica (born Qerime Radisheva; 10 November 1895 – 1 July 1927) was a Kachak Albanian insurgent. She has been declared a People's Heroine of Albania.

Biography

She was born in Radisheve village of

Drenica Drenica (, ), also known as the Drenica Valley, is a hilly region in central Kosovo, covering roughly around of Kosovo's total area (6%). It consists of two municipalities, Drenas and Skenderaj, and several villages in Klina, Zubin Potok, Mitr ...

region in

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 ...

which was then part 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 ...

. She was the sister of 6 brothers. She married Azem Galica in 1915. In 1919 Shote took part, in the ''Uprising of Dukagjin'' and in Junik in 1921–23. In 1925 after the death of her husband,

Azem Galica Azem Bejta (10 December 1889 – 15 July 1924), commonly known as Azem Galica, was an Albanian nationalist, resistance fighter and rebel who fought for the unification of Kosovo with Albania. He is known for leading the Kachak Movement again ...

, she took over as a head of his band and fought together 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 ...

in Has of Prizren and Lumë. She is remembered for having captured a Serb military commander and a number of soldiers at Çikatova, in July 1927, she withdrew to Albania and spend her final months in Fushë-Kruja, where she died at the age of 31. She is remembered for the saying ''Life without knowledge is like a war without weapons''. The Albanian people honor Galica for defending the national cause, celebrating her as a martyr of the nation. She is one of the principal subjects of the essay collection ''No Man's Lands: eight extraordinary women in Balkan history'', by the Anglo-Kosovan writers Elizabeth Gowing and Robert Wilton.

Family

In July 1924 she took part in the battle for Drenica (''Arbania e Vogël'', Little Albania). In July 1925 after the death of her husband

, she continued to fight and lead

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 ...

warriors of

. Along with hundreds of fighters from the former Kosovo Vilayet in December 1924, interventionist armies fought against Royal Yugoslav forces.

References

1895 births 1927 deaths Heroes of Albania Kosovo Albanians Military personnel from Skenderaj 20th-century Albanian military personnel People from Kosovo vilayet {{Albania-bio-stub

Biography

Family

See also

References