Terenzio Tocci (; 9 March 1880 – 14 April 1945) was an Italo-

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 ...

politician of Arbëresh origins. Distinguished for patriotic activities before the Albanian independence he went on to serve during

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

Chairman The chair, also chairman, chairwoman, or chairperson, is the presiding officer of an organized group such as a board, committee, or deliberative assembly. The person holding the office, who is typically elected or appointed by members of the gro ...

of the Superior Fascist Corporative Council () from 1940 to 1943.
- Republika e Shqipërisë KUVEND. Tiranë 2005 In 1945 Tocci was condemned in

communist Albania The People's Socialist Republic of Albania, () was the Marxist-Leninist state that existed in Albania from 10 January 1946 to the 29 April 1991. Originally founded as the People's Republic of Albania from 1946 to 1976, it was governed by the Pa ...

for high treason and

collaboration Collaboration (from Latin ''com-'' "with" + ''laborare'' "to labor", "to work") is the process of two or more people, entities or organizations working together to complete a task or achieve a goal. Collaboration is similar to cooperation. The ...

with fascism and sentenced to death.

Biography

Terenzio Tocci was born on 9 March 1880 in

San Cosmo Albanese San Cosmo Albanese (; Calabrian: ) is a village and ''comune'' in the province of Cosenza in the Calabria region of southern Italy. In the territory of the current village a tiny rural settlement called Santo Cosma, formerly dependent on the loca ...

Calabria Calabria is a Regions of Italy, region in Southern Italy. It is a peninsula bordered by the region Basilicata to the north, the Ionian Sea to the east, the Strait of Messina to the southwest, which separates it from Sicily, and the Tyrrhenian S ...

Kingdom of Italy The Kingdom of Italy (, ) was a unitary state that existed from 17 March 1861, when Victor Emmanuel II of Kingdom of Sardinia, Sardinia was proclamation of the Kingdom of Italy, proclaimed King of Italy, until 10 June 1946, when the monarchy wa ...

, he was Albanian by birth. He received a degree in law. In 1908-09 he went to the United States and conducted a campaign of sensibilization for the Albanian-Americans on the necessity of Albania's independence. Later on Tocci went to Albania and participated in the Albanian Revolt of 1910 and that of

1911 Events January * January 1 – A decade after federation, the Northern Territory and the Australian Capital Territory are added to the Commonwealth of Australia. * January 3 ** 1911 Kebin earthquake: An earthquake of 7.7 m ...

. On 26/27 April 1911 in

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 ...

, Tocci gathered the

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, ...

chieftains and proclaimed the independence of Albania, raised the

flag of Albania The flag of Albania () depicts a silhouetted black double-headed eagle in the center of a red background. The red stands for bravery, strength, valour and bloodshed, while the Eagle – traditionally the symbol of Albanians – represents the so ...

and established a

provisional government A provisional government, also called an interim government, an emergency government, a transitional government or provisional leadership, is a temporary government formed to manage a period of transition, often following state collapse, revoluti ...

. After Ottoman troops entered the area to put down the rebellion, Tocci fled the empire abandoning his activities. He was one of the participants of the

Albanian Congress of Trieste The Albanian Congress of Trieste () was a congress of Albanians held in Trieste, Austria-Hungary in the period between 27 February – 6 March 1913, organized by Faik Konica and Sotir Kolea with strong support from the Austrian authorities. Dev ...

in 1913. Tocci served in Albanian governments of

King Zog King is a royal title given to a male monarch. A king is an absolute monarch if he holds unrestricted governmental power or exercises full sovereignty over a nation. Conversely, he is a constitutional monarch if his power is restrained by fi ...

prior to the Italian Invasion as Minister of National Economy.Shqiperia me 1937, pg. 41
During the Italian presence in Albania in World War II Tocci served at the Superior Fascist Corporative Council () as a member of the parliament, most notably as its

from 1940 to 1943. After World War II Tocci was accused in

Communist Albania The People's Socialist Republic of Albania, () was the Marxist-Leninist state that existed in Albania from 10 January 1946 to the 29 April 1991. Originally founded as the People's Republic of Albania from 1946 to 1976, it was governed by the Pa ...

for high treason and collaboration with Nazi Germany.

The trial ''The Trial'' () is a novel written by Franz Kafka in 1914 and 1915 and published posthumously on 26 April 1925. One of his best-known works, it tells the story of Josef K., a man arrested and prosecuted by a remote, inaccessible authority, wi ...

started on March 1, 1945, and was headed by

Koçi Xoxe Koçi Xoxe (pronounced ; 1 May 1911 – 11 June 1949) was an Albanian politician who served as Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of the Interior of the People's Socialist Republic of Albania. He was supported by Yugoslav leader Josip Broz Tito ...

, then head of the political police. It is not known if Tocci was given the chance to defend himself in trial. The verdict was given on March 13, 1945. Tocci, along with 16 other people, were condemned to death. The execution occurred one day later, on March 14, 1945. Tocci and the others were all thrown in a common grave.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Tocci, Terenzio 1880 births 1945 deaths People from the Province of Cosenza Italian people of Arbëreshë descent Government ministers of Albania Economy ministers of Albania Speakers of the Parliament of Albania Members of the Parliament of Albania Albanian people executed by the communist regime Albanian activists Albanian fascists Italian expatriates in Albania

External links

* https://vimeo.com/ondemand/terenziotocci ''Il miraggio adriatico. Terenzio Tocci, il liberatore d'Albania'', (2016), documentary by Gilberto Martinelli in Italian and in Albanian. Executed Albanian collaborators with Fascist Italy Executed Albanian collaborators with Nazi Germany