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The Koplik War (Albanian: Lufta e Koplikut) was a series of battles that occurred between Albania and the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes in 1920 and 1921.
Koplik War | |||||||
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Belligerents | |||||||
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Commanders and leaders | |||||||
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Units involved | |||||||
Kelmendi Tribesmen Shkreli Tribesmen Kastrati tribesmen | ![]() | ||||||
Strength | |||||||
3000-3,500 soldiers [1] [2] |
After the retreat of Austria-Hungary on October 31, 1918, Shkodra was controlled by the military force of the victorious Allies of the First World War, commanded by the French general De Fortou.[ citation needed ] After the statement of the American president Woodrow Wilson for not leaving aside the issue of Albania's borders, the statement also stated that no territorial compensation would be accepted in Northern Albania in favor of the Yugoslavia. [3] At the request of the government that emerged from the Lushnja Congress, on March 11, 1920, the French general left Shkodra under the management of the perlimitar and its chairman, Musa Juka. [4]
In July 1920 the Yugoslav Forces started their invasion in Koplik. [5] [6] Then they invaded the tribal regions of Kelmendi, Kastrati, Shkreli and Koplik. [7] [8] Facing the resistance of the Albanian forces, the Yugoslav forces were forced to withdraw back to Montenegro. [9]
Yugoslav forces launched a new offensive on August and occupied Kelmendi, Kastrati, Shkreli and Koplik. [10] To face the Yugoslav aggression, over 3000 Albanian fighters from Shkodra and other districts lined up in front. A 400-strong volunteer force stood on the banks of the Buna in anticipation of a Yugoslav attack in this direction. In the face of the determined resistance of the Albanian forces and isolated in the international arena, the Yugoslav government was forced to remove its troops from the Shkodra Highlands and evacuate Kastrati on 14 February 1921, leaving behind burned villages. [10]
Shortly after the War, the Kingdom of Yugoslavia supported the establishment of the Republic of Mirdita in its efforts to push for more advantageous border demarcation for Yugoslavia. [11] Thus in July 1921 the Kingdom of Yugoslavia again invaded Albania and its forces became engaged, after clashes with Albanian tribesmen, in the northern part of the country. [12] The League of Nations intervened and sent a commission of representatives from various powers in the region. In November 1921, the League decided that the frontiers of Albania should be the same as they had been in 1913, although the United Kingdom insisted on slight adaptations in the region of Debar, Prizren and Kastrati in the interest of Yugoslavia. [11] Yugoslav forces withdrew and the Republic of Mirdita was extinguished by Albanian forces. [13] [12] In an effort to gain the favor of the Border Demarcation Commission the two countries established formal diplomatic relations in March 1922. [11]
Kachaks is a term used for the Albanian rebels active in the late 19th and early 20th century in northern Albania, Montenegro, Kosovo and Macedonia, and later as a term for the militias of Albanian revolutionary organizations against the Kingdom of Serbia (1910–18) Kingdom of Yugoslavia (1918–24), called the "Kachak Movement".
Bjelopavlići is a historical tribe (pleme) of Albanian origin and a valley in the region of the Brda, in Montenegro, around the city of Danilovgrad.
Zajas is a village in the municipality of Kičevo, North Macedonia. Zajas was the seat of the Zajas Municipality, and is now in Kičevo Municipality.
The Battle of Deçiq was a battle between Albanian tribesmen and Ottoman forces during the Malësori uprising of 1911. It was a turning point for Albania's secession from the Ottoman Empire. Dedë Gjo Luli, the organiser of the Albanian tribal forces, raised the Albanian flag for the first time since 1479 on the mountain of Deçiq after the Albanians had achieved victory over the Ottoman Turks.
Fejzi Bey Alizoti was an Ottoman and later Albanian politician who served as the Chairman of the Central Administration of Albania from January 1916 to October 1918. He never held the title "prime minister" as is commonly misconceived.
Opinga are traditional shoes worn by Albanians in Albania, Kosovo, North Macedonia (opinci), Montenegro, Greece, and the Arbëresh villages of Italy. They were also worn by countrymen in Romania (opinca), Serbia, Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina (opanak), Bulgaria (opinka), and other countries. They are made of a single leather skin, formed to the feet with leather or wool strips. A southern Albanian variety of opinga are the typical turned up leather shoes with red and black wool pompoms on the ends, which are often used for folk dances.
The Committee for the National Defence of Kosovo was an Albanian organization founded in Shkodër on 1 May 1918. It mainly consisted of the political exiles from Kosovo and was led by Hoxha Kadri from Pristina. It had existed in looser form since May 1915.
Kastrati is a historical Albanian tribe (fis) and region in northwestern Albania. It is part of the Malësia region. Administratively, the region is located in the Malësi e Madhe District, part of the Kastrati municipal unit. The centre of Kastrati is the village of Bajzë. The Kastrati tribe is known to follow the Kanuni i Malësisë së Madhë, a variant of the Kanun. They are proverbally known for their pride - Kastrati Krenar.
Aqif Pasha Biçaku mostly known as Aqif Pashë Elbasani was an Ottoman Albanian political figure in the Sanjak of Elbasan and after the Young Turk Revolution became an activist for the Albanian national cause.
Marenglen Verli is an Albanian historian and scholar. Since 2009, he is a member of the Academy of Sciences of Albania.
The Convention of Mat was organized on 7 November 1594 by Albanian leaders fighting against the Ottoman Empire. Mat was chosen as the place of the meeting due to its role in Albanian revolts of the 16th century. The aim was a better organization of the revolts to achieve independence from the Ottoman Empire. The convention decided that help should be sought from the Pope, and for negotiations were chosen Tom Plezha, Mark Gjini and Nikollë Mekajshi. However, the Pope refused to give help, claiming that it was not the right time to fight the Ottoman Empire. Another decision of Albanian leaders was to not let the Republic of Venice know about their plans as the latter did not want to open a new conflict with the Ottomans. The news came out and Venetians managed to divide the organizers of the convention between themselves. In the following two years, Albanian leaders continued their work to get help from Christian powers, taking heart from geopolitical circumstances. In 1596, 10,000 men marched towards Vlora in hope of receiving arms from Spain but the arms sent were confiscated by Venetians. The events damaged the relations between Albanian leaders and Christian powers but did not weaken the efforts for independence.
The Convention of Dibra was organized on November 1, 1878, in the city of Dibra, on the initiative of the Committee of the Albanian League for the two Dibras chaired by Iljaz Pasha Dibra. The convention adopted a resolution in the form of a memorandum, drafted by Abdyl Frashëri who participated as representative of the whole of Vilayet of Ioannina.
Andrea Manesi was an Albanian leader who organized a revolt in 1607 against the Ottoman Empire. He declared himself to be the second Skanderbeg, instructed by celestial beings to depose the Sultan and take his place. Gaining fame as having miraculous abilities and helping the poor, he increased the number of his supporters until the revolt was put to an end by Ottoman armies.
Mark Gjini was an Albanian leader chosen at the Convention of Mat to negotiate with the Pope an alliance against the Ottoman Empire.
Kolë Mirdita Helenau was an Albanian drama director, poet and storyteller from Shkodër. He wrote the piece of ”Death of Scanderbeg”. His biography was written in 2011 by Alfred Capakliku. Helenau graduated in the University of Graz in Austria. In 1915, he wrote and published short stories, poetry, drama and tragedies about the death of Skanderbeg. His pseudonym was ”Helenau”. Kol Mirdita died at the age of 36 from tuberculosis.
The Convention of Kuçi was an interregional assembly held on July 14–15, 1614, in the area of the Kuçi tribe in the region of Malësia in modern northernmost Albania and Montenegro. A second assembly was held on September 8, 1614, which reaffirmed the decisions of the July assembly and also had an enlarged participation. Of the 44 representatives of the first assembly, almost all were from the Albanian tribes and the tribes of Montenegro. Several representatives of tribes are mentioned in the reports of the decisions of the assembly like Gjergj Bardhi from Mirdita and Gjin Gjergji from Dukagjin.
At the conclusion of the Albanian-Ottoman Wars in the 15th century, the Albanian people revolted against the Ottoman Empire. These actions during this time continued an extended period of conquest and border expansion into Southeastern Europe. The Ottomans were left in control of all the main Albanian cities, besides Durrës and Ulcinj, which were still controlled by the Venice. Albania would be ruled by the Ottomans for over 400 years, but this rule would be frequently disrupted by revolts and uprisings with varying degrees of success.
Voksh is a village and tribal region situated in western Kosovo[a], which is inhabited by 570 people, all of whom are Albanians. The village of Voksh is also home to the Vokshi tribe which is part of the larger polyphyletic Thaçi tribe.
The Battle of Përmet or Battle of Kuqarit was a battle of the Albanian Resistance of World War II against the Italian Fascists. The battle took place in 1943 near Kuqari.
The Reçi War, was the toughest and most successful resistance against the Italian fascists in the Shkodra region. This war took place in World War II in Albania, 1943 and was the last Albanian war against the Italian invaders.