Albania
| Albania | |
|---|---|
| Kingdom of Albania | |
| Mbretëria Shqiptare | |
 | |
 Location of Albania | |
| Established | Angevin Kingdom of Albania- 1272
Skanderbeg´s League of Lezhë - 1444 Independence from the Ottomans - 1939 |
| Capital | Tirana |
| Largest City | Tirana |
| Government Type | Constitutional Monarchy |
| Languages | Albanian (Official) Greek, Arromanian |
| Currency | Albanian Lek |
Albania (Albanian: Shqipëri or Shqipëria), officially the Kingdom of Albania (Albanian: Mbretëria Shqiptare) is a country in Southeast Europe. It is located in the Balkans, on the Adriatic and Ionian Seas within the Mediterranean Sea, and shares land borders with Illyria to the north, Rumelia to the east and Hellas to the south.
Tirana is the capital and other major cities in the country include Durrës, Vlorë, and Shkodër.
History
The Albanian people inhabited the west of Lake Ochrida and the upper valley of River Shkumbin and established the Principality of Arbanon in 1190. After its dissolution, Charles of Anjou, King of Naples and Sicily, concluded in 1272 an agreement with the Albanian rulers, promising to protect them and their ancient liberties, resulting in the establishment of the First Kingdom of Albania, which waged several wars against the Byzantine Despotate of Epirus.
In the first half of the 15th century, the Ottoman Empire invaded most of Albania. Despite a prosperous and longstanding revolution with the formation of the League of Lezhë under Skanderbeg, which consistently defeated major Ottoman armies, Albania eventually fell. The Ottoman conquest was accompanied with the gradual process of Islamisation and the building of many mosques. Albanians would make up a significant proportion of the Ottoman military and bureaucracy. Many Muslim Albanians attained important political and military positions and culturally contributed to the broader Muslim world.
National Awakening & Independence (1910 - 1939)
In 1888, the Ottoman Grand Congress was established, and a slow period of reform in the Ottoman Empire began. The Orkhonists, which promoted the Turkification of the state, were able to capture the majority in the Grand Congress in 1910 with the support of the new sultan, Bejasid IV. Due to the shift towards a more Turkish identity, the positions of power within the Ottoman government came under the exclusive control of the Turks, and the power and influence of the Albanian beys disappeared. This generated resentment in Albania, as they had traditionally enjoyed many privileges within the Empire, and numerous Albanian groups began attempting to regain power over their homeland, either from within the Ottoman Empire, or outside of it. The latter were well received in Naples, which had traditionally supported the establishment of a friendly Albanian state across the Adriatic. There had been previous attempts to gain independence from Ottoman rule before, but most lacked popular support and despite the support from Naples they eventually failed.
The Great War (1935-1939) changed drastically the situation for Albanians. As the Ottoman Empire was being partitioned in the Congress of Amsterdam, Neapolitan politicians working alongside independent Albanian groups successfully pushed for the creation of an Albanian state against the territorial claims of Illyria, Rumelia, and the newly created Hellas. Under British supervision, a new constitutional monarchy was established, and the newly independent Albania joined the ODN upon its creation.
