King zog of albania biography graphic organizer

Kingdom in Europe between and

This article is about the kingdom under King Zog I. For the subsequent periods of foreign occupation during world War II, see Italian protectorate of Albania (–) and German occupation of Albania.

The Albanian Kingdom (Tosk Albanian: Mbretëria Shqiptare) was the official name of Albania between and Albania was declared a monarchy by the Constituent Assembly, and President Ahmet Bej Zogu was declared King Zog I.

The kingdom was supported by the fascist regime in Italy, and the two countries maintained close relations until Italy's sudden invasion of the country in Zog fled into exile and never saw his country again. The Communist Party of Labor of Albania gained control of the country toward the end of World War II, established a communist government, and formally deposed Zog.

Zog's kingdom

In , President Zogu secured the parliament's consent to its own dissolution.^[how?] A new constituent assembly amended the constitution making Albania a kingdom and transforming Zogu into Zog I, "King of the Albanians".

Tom hayden: Article Talk. Although Zog's regime ended in failure, it was significant for having established the foundations for a cohesive and centralized Albanian state. His political supporters included many southern feudal landowners called beys , Turkish for "province chieftain" with title variations including Beyg, Begum, Bygjymi. After the royal house's exile, he moved to France, where he died in August , aged

International recognition arrived forthwith. The new constitution abolished the Albanian Senate and created a unicameral Assembly. Although nominally a constitutional monarch, in practice King Zog retained the dictatorial powers he had held as President Zogu. Civil liberties remained more or less nonexistent, and political opponents were frequently imprisoned and killed.

Thus, for all intents and purposes, Albania remained a military dictatorship.^[3]

Soon after his official swearing in as monarch, King Zog broke off his engagement to Shefqet Vërlaci's daughter, and Vërlaci withdrew his support for the King and began plotting against him. Zog had accumulated a great number of enemies over the years, and the Albanian tradition of blood vengeance required them to try to kill him.

Zog surrounded himself with guards and rarely appeared in public. The King's loyalists disarmed all of Albania's tribes except for his own Mati tribesmen and their allies, the Dibra. Nevertheless, on a visit to Vienna in , Zog and his bodyguards fought a gun battle with would-be assassins on the Opera House steps (Zog I of Albania §&#;Assassination attempts).

Zog remained sensitive to steadily mounting disillusion with the Kingdom of Italy's domination of Albania. The Royal Albanian Army, though always 15, strong, sapped the country's funds, and the Italians' monopoly on training the armed forces rankled public opinion. As a counterweight, Zog kept British officers in the Royal Albanian Gendarmerie despite strong Italian pressure to remove them.

In , King Zog openly stood up to the Italians, refusing to renew the First Treaty of Tirana.

During the crisis of –, Zog asked the Italians for a loan of million gold francs in , and the request was approved by the Royal Italian Government.^{[citation needed]} In and , Albania could not make the interest payments on its loans from the Society for the Economic Development of Albania.^{[citation needed]} In response, Rome turned up the pressure, demanding that Tirana name Italians to direct the Gendarmerie, join Italy in a customs union, grant Italy control of the country's sugar, telegraph, and electrical monopolies, teach the Italian language in all Albanian schools, and admit Italian colonists.^{[citation needed]} Zog refused.

Instead, he ordered the national budget slashed by 30 percent, dismissed the Italian military advisers, and nationalised Italian-run Catholic schools in the northern part of the country.^{[citation needed]}

By June , the Albanian Kingdom had signed trade agreements with the Kingdom of Yugoslavia and Greece, and Benito Mussolini had suspended all payments to Tirana.^{[citation needed]} An Italian attempt to intimidate the Albanians by sending a fleet of Regia Marina warships to Albania failed because the Albanians only allowed the forces to land unarmed.^{[citation needed]} Mussolini then attempted to buy off the Albanians.^{[citation needed]} In , he presented the Albanian government with 3 million gold francs as a gift.^{[citation needed]}

Zog's success in defeating two local rebellions convinced Mussolini that the Italians had to reach a new agreement with the Albanian monarch.

Relations with Italy were improved in A government of young men led by Mehdi Frashëri, an enlightened Bektashi administrator, won a commitment from Italy to fulfill financial promises that Mussolini had made to Albania, and to grant new loans for harbour improvements at Durrës and other projects that kept the Royal Albanian Government afloat.

Soon Italians began taking positions in Albania's civil service, and Italian settlers were allowed into the country.

Education

Education in the Kingdom of Albania was divided into two levels: primary education and secondary education. According to the Organic Law of Education (June ), the purpose of early education was to raise children morally, to develop their spiritual and physical strength and to equip them with knowledge and skills necessary for their private and social life.

Initial education was compulsory and was given free of charge. Primary schools was done over a five-year span and the lessons taught were:

• Moral and civic knowledge.
• Singing and writing.
• Language (Dictation, Drafting and Grammar).
• Arithmetic and geometric elements.
• History of the Albanian Nation and the most important events from General History.
• Geography.
• Elements of natural and physical sciences with applications in agriculture and hygiene.
• Drawing.
• Music.
• Manual work and home economics.
• Gymnastics.
• Practical work of agriculture.

Primary education was compulsory for males and females from the age of 6 to Excluded from the obligation were:

• Those who took lessons at home.
• Those who had contagious diseases.
• The blind, the mute and the deaf (they had to attend special schools).

The state assumed only the expenses of teaching staff of primary schools, the expenses for the maintenance of buildings, furniture and tools as well as those for their maintenance were charged to the municipality, which for this purpose was obliged to allocate in its budget at least 5 percent of its income.

Among the primary schools, the following are appointed as teachers:

• Those who had completed a Normal school for teachers.
• Those who had finished a Lyceum and who have a didactic course or after a pedagogical exam.
• In the absence of the above, those who had finished the 4-year gymnasium and other schools equivalent to these can be appointed as assistant teachers, and after serving for four years, they could be appointed as definitive teachers according to an aptitude test.

Secondary education was organized "in the most suitable way to strengthen the will and discipline in the work of the Albanian youth and to awaken the sense of duty towards oneself and towards the Motherland and equip it with a general and national culture."^[4]

The types of secondary schools were: gymnasium and lyceum where all subjects were taught in French; Normal commercial institutes, city schools and technical institutes.

In secondary schools, lessons were extended: eight years in full gymnasium, nine years in lyceum, of which one is preparation; normally four years; in the commercial institute four years; 4 years in the city and 4 years in the Technical Institute. The normal school of the commercial institute was considered as a high level school, the city school is the lower level and the technical institute high level.

King zog of albania biography graphic organizer printable Zog I in He lived in England during the Second World War but was barred from returning to Albania by the anti-monarchist government led by Enver Hoxha. Prime Minister of Albania — In the politically unstable period from to Zog advanced his influence at every opportunity through the Albanian military and the Legislative Assembly.

The branches that a city school could have, the division of which begins in the third year, were: trade, woodworking, ironworking, animal husbandry, agriculture and home economics.

The grades used in secondary schools were: 1 (very good); 2 (good); 3 (fairly good): 4 (passable); 5 (bad); 6 (very bad). In the lyceum of Korça, the system of grades was different: 10 was the best grade, 5 was a passing grade, and 0 was the worst grade.

The following lessons were taught in high schools and lyceums:

• Civil and moral knowledge.
• Language and literature.
• Mathematics.
• History.
• Geography.
• Biology.
• Old Greek.
• Latin.
• Elements of philosophy.
• Elements of political economy and law.
• Calligraphy and Drawing.
• Music.
• Gymnastics.^[5]

Economy

Main article: Economy of the Kingdom of Albania ()

In , the Basic Statute was adopted, along with a Civil Code and agrarian reform was instituted, removing ferexhesë.^{[clarification needed]} The Islamic law was replaced by the Swiss Civil Code, following the model of Mustafa Kemal Atatürk in Turkey.

King Zog supported the introduction of modern architecture, and sought to improve welfare, the balance of trade, and the education of Albanian youth.

In , the world was caught by a major crisis caused by overproduction.^{[dubious &#; discuss]} Its effects were very damaging to Albania. During this year, Zog saw the first signs of the crisis, mainly in the financial and monetary system; they became more sensitive in The peak of the crisis was between and Most industries were paralyzed or went bankrupt.

The crisis deeply affected all credit systems. At this time, due to the ongoing budget deficit, and financial difficulties evident in many areas and sectors of the country, loans were taken from Western countries, but the majority were from Italy.

In , Albanian agriculture was affected by a major drought which caused serious consequences in the national food supply.

In , as a result of this situation, 33% more wheat and corn was imported.

The crisis of – differs in many ways: the percentage of the population living with non-agricultural employment was reduced from % in to % in Albanian exports grew from 2 million gold francs to 12 million between and , but fell back to levels within the next two years.

A difficult situation occurred between and when the government was forced to distribute emergency food aid in poor areas. Places that sold Albanian goods placed tariffs on imports of cheese and butter. The crisis affected the livestock industry, which accounted for 70% of total national exports. Another significant impact was the establishment of the so-called "tax xhelepit", which applied to head/livestock.

In , the state cut the taxes by 50%.

Peasant farmers accounted for the vast majority of the Albanian population. Albania had practically no industry, and the country's potential for hydroelectric power was virtually untapped. Oil was the country's main extractable resource. The Italians took over the oil-drilling concessions of all other foreign companies in by creating the company "Sveja".

A pipeline between the Kuçovë oil field and Vlorë's port expedited shipments of crude petroleum to Italy's refineries. This company dealt with Albania's natural resources. Albania also possessed: bitumen, lignite, iron, chromite, copper, bauxite, manganese, and some gold. Shkodër had a cement factory; Korçë, a brewery; and Durrës and Shkodër, cigarette factories that used locally grown tobacco.

In , the price of the grain reached the lowest level, at about gold francs. A strong decline in prices, mainly in the agricultural and livestock industry, affected the monetary and credit policies of the National Commercial Bank. During the years of the crisis, the bank reduced the amount of currency in circulation, which worsened the deflation.

The artificially increased value of the franc lowered the prices of products. In mid, Albania entered a recovery phase. Industry recovered, and Zogu created tax incentives, especially for cement factories, which were made exempt from taxes for three years.

Between and , economic development emerged in the agriculture, livestock and industrial capital industries.

Construction of roads and bridges began, along with fifty-three telegraph post links.

During much of the interwar period, Italians held most of the technical jobs in the Albanian economy. Albania had four ports: Durrës, Shëngjin, Vlorë, and Sarandë. Albania's main exports were petroleum, animal skins, cheese, livestock, and eggs.

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Primary imports were grain and other foodstuffs, metal products, and machinery. In , the value of Albania's imports was four times that of its exports. About seventy percent of Albania's exports went to Italy. Italian factories furnished about forty percent of Albania's imports, and the Italian government paid for the rest.

In there was a general activation of the national capital in industry. During this period the number of enterprises reached , while the number of employees at State administration rose up to Industrial production rose, while agriculture declined. In , the total area of agricultural land estimated at 1, hectares (2, acres), about % of the occupied state and private property, while smallholders owned 60%.

Cereal production in Albania did not meet its needs. Wheat production was estimated at 38, tons, while production of maize was , tons. After the crisis, the production of industrial crops rose. Tobacco accounted for about 1, hectares (2, acres). Cereal crops were also grown. Framers planted about million roots for cereal crops, , citrus roots, million vineyard roots, and million olive trees roots.

During the period between and the economy recovered. Trade amounted to million gold francs, with 65% growth. Exports grew by % and imports by %. Exports in represented % of the level. During the – period the state budget had increased. The Albanian kingdom period was characterized by the growing number of utility works; in there were thirty-six enterprises in the construction industry.

During this eleven-year period serious efforts were made to create a national road network using an investment of sixty million gold francs borrowed from the Italian Kingdom. During the ten-year period between and &#;km of main roads, &#;km of secondary roads, 4, small bridges 10, miles long, and seventy-six major bridges 2, miles in length were constructed.

This period also introduced the construction of a sewage network, and, for the first time, money was invested to build segments of roads in the northern part of Albania. The most important roads were: Shkodër-Puka, Mat-Bishop Bridge, Krujë-Mat, Tirana-Elbasan, Lushnjë-Mbrostar, Korçë-Burrel, Burrel-Dibër, Tiranë-Shijak-Durrës, Tiranë-Ndroq-Durrës, and Tiranë-Krrabë-Elbasan.

Engineers from Europe were employed to complete these projects. In , the value of investments reached million Albanian Lek ( currency prices). On the eve of the fascist invasion, Albania had trucks, 20 buses, and cars and pickups.

During , 95, tons of cargo were transported, equal to 1 million tons per kilometer.

King zog of albania biography His family was a beylik family of landowners , with feudal authority over the region of Mati. On 30 November , Leka suffered a heart attack and died at the age of Born on 5 April , Crown Prince Leka was the heir apparent to the Albanian throne, and is seen a pretender to the throne, with some of his royal supporters having dubbed him as King Leka I. Political legacy [ edit ].

During the same period, the total turnover of goods in retail trade amounted to 3, million in prices. On 28 November , Radio Tirana, the national radio station began broadcasting. Construction of the port of Durrës began. The construction of brace works, irrigation canals, etc., was interrupted by the beginning of World War II (–).

Military

The Royal Albanian Army was the army of the Albanian Kingdom and King Zogu from until Its commander-in-chief was King Zog; its commander was General Xhemal Aranitasi; its Chief of Staff was General Gustav von Myrdacz.

The army was financed mainly by Italy during period between and ^[6] The army had 15, deployed personnel and 29, reserve personnel.

Social conditions

Poor and remote, Albania remained decades behind the other Balkan countries in educational and social development. Only some 13% of the population lived in towns.

Illiteracy plagued almost the entire population. About 90% of the country's peasants practiced subsistence agriculture, using ancient methods and tools, such as wooden plows. Much of the country's richest farmland lay under water in malaria-infested coastal marshlands. Albania lacked a banking system, a railroad, a modern port, an efficient military, a university, or a modern printing press.

The Albanians had Europe's highest birthrate and infant mortality rate, and life expectancy for men was about thirty-eight years.

The American Red Cross opened schools and hospitals at Durrës and Tirana, and one Red Cross worker founded an Albanian chapter of the Boy Scouts that all boys between twelve and eighteen years old were subsequently required to join by law.

Although hundreds of schools opened across the country, in only 36% of all Albanian children of school age were receiving education of any kind.

During the reign of Zog primary education became necessary. Despite meager educational opportunities, literature flourished in Albania between the two world wars. Substantial progress had been achieved in literature, and art publishing operations.

Distinguished writers included: Fan Stilian Noli, Alexander Drenova, Esad Mekuli, Ndre Mjeda, Haki Stermilli, Lasgush Poradeci, Faik Konica, Sterjo Spasse, Ndoc Nikaj, Foqion Postoli, Migjeni and others. A Franciscan priest and poet, Gjergj Fishta, dominated the literary scene with his poems about the Albanians' perseverance during their quest for freedom.

During this period night schools were opened in an attempt to eradicate illiteracy, but in 80% of the adult population was still illiterate.

In Albania had primary schools and 18 high schools. The most important high schools were: Pedagogical school of Elbasan, Lyceum of Korçë, Shkodër Gymnasium, and the Trade school of Vlorë with an enrollment of 5, pupils.

Those who wanted to continue their education often went abroad to Italy, Austria, France etc In about Albanians were studying abroad. Among the literate population people had a university degree and 1, had secondary schooling.

Daily newspapers started publishing, including: Demokracia, Liria Kombëtare, Besa, Hylli i Dritës, and Leka along with a large number of pedagogical and scientific publications.

Organizations such as Gruaja Shqiptare attempted to modernize Albanian society and in the first national Radio station went on-air. These were the first steps toward modernization of the country, but Albania remained Europe's most underdeveloped nation in many respects.

The lack of economic development prompted several strikes.

In , Albanian workers working for foreign companies in the Kuçovë oil field held a strike that was organized by Puna. Another was held in Vlorë and in February a strike was held by workers and craftsmen in Korçë which grew into a demonstration that was known as the "Hunger Strike". Migjeni's works describe the poverty and the social situation of that period.

In a communist society was established but was not supported by Orthodox, Catholic or the Islamic because of its atheistic ideology.

King zog of albania biography graphic organizer pdf Zographou, Lili. Zoellick, Robert Bruce. The Danish monarch has a regent standing in for him. The Italian army was met with little resistance, and Zog fled to Greece on April 8, , to join his wife, Geraldine Apponyi of Hungary, whom he had married a year earlier, and his newborn son, Leka.

Religion

Originally, under the monarchy, religious institutions were put under state control. In , the Albanian Muslim congress convened at Tirana and decided to break with the Caliphate establishing a new form of prayer (standing, instead of the traditional salah ritual), banishing polygamy, and doing away with the mandatory use of veil (hijab) by women in public, which had been forced on the urban population by the Ottomans during the occupation.^[7]

In the Albanian Orthodox Church was declared autocephalous (self-headed).^[8]

A year later, in , the first official religious census was carried out.

Reiterating conventional Ottoman data from a century earlier which previously covered double the new state's territory and population, 50% of the population was grouped as Sunni Muslim, 20% as Orthodox Christian, 20% as Bektashi Muslim. and 10% as Catholic Christian.

The monarchy was determined that religion should no longer be a foreign-oriented master dividing Albanians, but a nationalized servant uniting them.

It was at this time that newspaper editorials began to disparage the almost universal adoption of Muslim and Christian names, suggesting instead that children be given neutral Albanian names.

Official slogans began to appear everywhere. "Religion separates, patriotism unites." "We are no longer Muslim, Orthodox, Catholic, we are all Albanians." "Our religion is Albanism." The national hymn characterized neither Muhammad nor Jesus Christ, but King Zogu as "Shpëtimtari i Atdheut" (Savior of the Fatherland).

The hymn to the flag honored the soldier dying for his country as a "Saint". Increasingly the mosque and the church were expected to function as servants of the state, the patriotic clergy of all faiths preaching the gospel of Albanism.

Monarchy stipulated that the state should be neutral, with no official religion and that the free exercise of religion should be extended to all faiths.

Neither in government nor in the school system should favor be shown to any one faith over another. Albanism was substituted for religion, and officials and schoolteachers were called "apostles" and "missionaries." Albania's sacred symbols were no longer the cross and the crescent, but the Flag and the King. Hymns idealizing the nation, Skanderbeg, war heroes, the king and the flag predominated in public-school music classes to the exclusion of virtually every other theme.

The first reading lesson in elementary schools introduced a patriotic catechism beginning with this sentence, "I am an Albanian. My country is Albania." Then there follows in poetic form, "But man himself, what does he love in life?" "He loves his country." "Where does he live with hope? Where does he want to die?" "In his country." "Where may he be happy, and live with honor?" "In Albania."^{[citation needed]}

Italian occupation

Main article: Albanian Kingdom (–)

As Germany annexed Austria and moved against Czechoslovakia, Italy saw itself becoming a second-rate member of the Axis.

The imminent birth of an Albanian royal child meanwhile threatened to give Zog a lasting dynasty.

Tom hayden

King zog of albania biography graphic organizer 2nd grade

Geraldine of albania

After Hitler invaded Czechoslovakia (March 15, ) without notifying Mussolini in advance, the Italian dictator decided to proceed with his own annexation of Albania. Italy's King Victor Emmanuel III criticized the plan to take Albania as an unnecessary risk.

Rome, however, delivered Tirana an ultimatum on March 25, , demanding that it accede to Italy's occupation of Albania.

Zog refused to accept money in exchange for countenancing a full Italian takeover and colonization of Albania, and on April 7, , Mussolini's troops invaded Albania. Despite some stubborn resistance, especially at Durrës, the Italians made short work of the Albanians.

Unwilling to become an Italian puppet, King Zog, his wife, Queen Geraldine Apponyi, and their infant son Leka fled to Greece and eventually to London.

On April 12, the Albanian parliament voted to unite the country with Italy. Victor Emmanuel III took the Albanian crown, and the Italians set up a fascist government under Shefqet Verlaci and soon absorbed Albania's military and diplomatic service into Italy's.

After the German army defeated Poland, Denmark, and France, a still-jealous Mussolini decided to use Albania as a springboard to invade Greece.

The Italians launched their attack on October 28, , and at a meeting of the two fascist dictators in Florence, Mussolini stunned Hitler with his announcement of the Italian invasion. Mussolini counted on a quick victory, but Greek resistance fighters halted the Italian army in its tracks and soon advanced into Albania. The Greeks took Korçë and Gjirokastër and threatened to drive the Italians from the port city of Vlorë.

The presence of the Greek troops fighting in Albania cooled the Albanians' enthusiasm for fighting the Italians and the Greeks, and Mussolini's forces soon established a stable front in central Albania.

King zog of albania biography graphic organizer Read Edit View history. Archived from the original on 7 May Zoilo, Annibale. In episode 13 of Monty Python's Flying Circus he is mentioned as a reporter for made-up news show called ProbeAround but suddenly dies.

In April , Germany and its allies crushed both Greece and Yugoslavia, and a month later the Axis gave Albania control of Kosovo. Thus Albanian nationalists ironically witnessed the realization of their dreams of uniting most of the Albanian-populated lands during the Axis occupation of their country.

Legacy

Zog, King of the Albanians was still the legitimate monarch of the country, but he would not get the throne back.

The communist partisans during and after the war, backed by Yugoslavia and the Soviet Union, suppressed the Albanian nationalist movements and installed a Stalinist regime that would last for about 46 years. King Zog was banned from entering Albania by the communists and lived in exile for the rest of his life.

See also

References

Bibliography

• Patrice Najbor, Histoire de l'Albanie et de sa maison royale (5 volumes), JePublie, Paris, , (ISBN&#;).
• Patrice Najbor, La dynastye des Zogu, Textes & Prétextes, Paris,

External links