Albania Medieval and Modern History

By | January 6, 2022

According to craftinlearning, knowledge of Albania has significantly progressed in the last decade, both by virtue of scientific missions (among them some notable geographic-mountaineering missions in the northern Albanian Alps, such as the Italian Floridia-Allegri 1931), and for the organization of services Albanian public authorities (the “Water Service” Shrebime i Ujnavet, established in 1933; the Statistical Office, the Land Registry Service, etc.), operating almost always with the aid of Italian technicians, both for topographical operations and finally as a consequence the execution of geological-mining research, road construction, agricultural enhancement work, etc.

Medieval and modern history (p. 114). – The proclamation of Ahmed Zogu as king, which took place on 27 November 1928, was followed, on 1 December of the same year, by the promulgation of the new statute drawn up by the Constituent Assembly convened the previous September. Since then, the Albanian state has entered a period of internal settlement and consolidation in relations with neighboring states. The nation, out of the state of constitutional uncertainty, internal conflicts and border threats, which had kept it in turmoil ever since it received autonomy, under the wise government of Zogu I has come to discipline itself and is now definitely on the way to the fulfillment of his spiritual unity. Unfortunately, in these nine years (1928-37) there has been no lack of plots and troubles (on February 20, 1931, King Zogu, finding himself in Vienna for health reasons, it was the subject of an attack which however failed; in August 1935 there was an insurrection in Fieri and in May 1937 a more serious one in Gjirokastra), but they were all the work of a few restless ambitious people and did not find any following in the population. Overall, the nation was not only extraneous to the uprisings but openly condemned them by manifesting its attachment and devotion to the young monarch and to the regime he established.

This internal tranquility has allowed the sovereign, to whom the Albanian statute confers ample directive powers in political life, and the ministers who succeeded the government from 1928 to today (ministry Costia Kotta, September 1928-March 1930; Pandeli Evangjeli ministry, March 1930 -September 1935; Mehdi Frasheri ministry, October 1935-November 1936; Kotta ministry, from November 1936) could devote their activities to restore and elevate the moral climate of the nation and improve its economic conditions. In this work, the Albanian government has found valid support in the Italian government, whose friendship, founded on the pacts of 1926-27, has been increasingly deepened thanks to the conclusion of new agreements of a political, economic and cultural nature, including those of 19 March 1936 stipulated in Tirana are worth mentioning, which concern the granting of loans from Italy to Albania for the reorganization of its budget and for its economic strengthening, the assistance of Italian technicians for the establishment of the tobacco monopoly, etc. When one thinks of the conditions in which Albania was when it acquired independence and observes its current state, it must be recognized that a profitable job has been done and, given the scarce financial resources of the country and its little technical and cultural preparation, truly remarkable. An army has been created; a bank and credit institutions have been organized; founded schools; an important agrarian reform elaborated and partly implemented; established industries, among which the one for the extraction of oil which seems to be rich in the Albanian subsoil (only in the area of ​​the Devoll basin, granted to the Italian company of Albanian oil, more than three hundred tons are extracted a day today); Roads have been opened where previously there were paths and what formerly were miserable villages are being transformed into pretty cities; the port of Durres was equipped with modern systems.

On November 25, 1937, Albania celebrated the 25th anniversary of independence with great holidays and with the participation of the Italian Minister of Finance. On that occasion the people showed their complete adherence to the regime of Zogu I giving the clear feeling that the time of the struggles between the various tribes has definitely passed.

On April 27, 1938, the marriage of King Zogu I to Countess Geraldina Apponyi was celebrated.

Albania Medieval and Modern History