Zylyftar Poda (born Iljaz Poda, 1768-1835) 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 ...

leader, who led several revolts against 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 ...

Life

Zylyftar Poda was born in 1768 in Podë, a village in the region of

Kolonjë Kolonjë is a municipality in Korçë County, southeastern Albania. It was created in 2015 by the merger of the former municipalities Barmash, Çlirim, Ersekë, Leskovik, Mollas, Novoselë, Qendër Ersekë and Qendër Leskovik. The seat of ...

south South is one of the cardinal directions or compass points. The direction is the opposite of north and is perpendicular to both west and east. Etymology The word ''south'' comes from Old English ''sūþ'', from earlier Proto-Germanic ''*sunþa ...

Albania Albania ( ; or ), officially the Republic of Albania (), is a country in Southeast Europe. It is located in the Balkans, on the Adriatic Sea, Adriatic and Ionian Seas within the Mediterranean Sea, and shares land borders with Montenegro to ...

(then

). He became known during his service for

Ali Pasha of Ioannina Ali Pasha (1740 – 24 January 1822), commonly known as Ali Pasha of Yanina or Ali Pasha of Tepelena, was an Albanian ruler who served as Ottoman pasha of the Pashalik of Yanina, a large part of western Rumelia. Under his rule, it acquired a ...

, a semi-independent ruler in

Epirus Epirus () is a Region#Geographical regions, geographical and historical region, historical region in southeastern Europe, now shared between Greece and Albania. It lies between the Pindus Mountains and the Ionian Sea, stretching from the Bay ...

. In January 1821, Poda was among the leaders of a group of Muslim

Tosks Tosks () are one of two major dialectal subgroups of Albanians (the other being the Ghegs) differentiated by their linguistic characteristics. Territory ''Tosk'' or ''Toskëri'' may refer to the Tosk-speaking Albanians, Albanian population of ...

who joined forces with 1,500

Souliotes The Souliotes were an Greek Orthodox Church, Orthodox Christian Albanian tribes, Albanian tribal community in the area of Souli in Epirus from the 16th century to the beginning of the 19th century, who via their participation in the Greek War of ...

to help Ali in his efforts against the Ottomans. On 27 January they agreed with the Souliot captains

Markos Botsaris Markos Botsaris (; 1790 – 21 August 1823) was a Souliot chieftain, general of the Greek revolutionary army and hero of the Greek War of Independence.Brigands with a Cause, Brigandage and Irredentism in Modern Greece 1821–1912, by John ...

, Notis Botsaris, Kitsos Tzavelas for a common struggle to save Ali, as brothers in arms "in soul and body". Their attack helped to temporarily repel the Ottoman troops. On 1 September 1821, Poda was among the signatories of the "Greek-Albanian alliance" at

Peta People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA; ) is an American animal rights nonprofit organization based in Norfolk, Virginia, and led by Ingrid Newkirk, its international president. Founded in March 1980 by Newkirk and animal right ...

, near Arta. Written in Greek, the text was signed by eight Muslim Tosks, eight Souliotes and eight Greek kapetanioi. Its goal was military support for Ali, under the guarantee of besa, an Albanian traditional pledge. After Ali Pasha' death and the eventual destruction of his pashalik, Poda started to take part in revolts against the

. He took part in a meeting of Albanian leaders in 1828 in

Berat Berat (; sq-definite, Berati) is the List of cities and towns in Albania, ninth most populous city of Albania and the seat of Berat County and Berat Municipality. By air, it is north of Gjirokastër, west of Korçë, south of Tirana, and ea ...

. There Poda was one of the three main participants, the others being Ismail Kemal and Shahin bej Delvina. The meeting concluded with requests for Albanian officials in the areas with Albanian population and the removal of Reşid Mehmed Pasha, a local official with considerable power in parts of Epirus, from his official posts in Delvina, Vlora and

Ioannina Ioannina ( ' ), often called Yannena ( ' ) within Greece, is the capital and largest city of the Ioannina (regional unit), Ioannina regional unit and of Epirus (region), Epirus, an Modern regions of Greece, administrative region in northwester ...

. Two years later Reşid invited a number of Albanian leaders to a meeting in

Bitola Bitola (; ) is a city in the southwestern part of North Macedonia. It is located in the southern part of the Pelagonia valley, surrounded by the Baba, Nidže, and Kajmakčalan mountain ranges, north of the Medžitlija-Níki border crossing ...

. Poda decided to not attend, which turned out to be the right decision, as the attendees were massacred. In 1831 Poda led a peasant revolt in the region of Kolonjë and Leskovik, coordinating with other Albanian leaders such as the

Bushati family The Bushati family () is an Albanian Muslim family that ruled the Pashalik of Scutari from 1757 to 1831. Origins They are descendants of the medieval Bushati tribe, a pastoralist tribe () in northern Albania and Montenegro. The name Bushat is c ...

. In 1835 Poda was executed by Ottoman authorities due to his activities for more rights for Albanians.

Legacy

Zylyftar Poda is considered one of the most important Albanian leaders of the early 1800s, and many folk songs have been dedicated to him.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Poda, Zylyftar Year of death missing Rebels from the Ottoman Empire People from Kolonjë Year of birth uncertain