History of Albania

Antiquity with the Middle Ages

The occupation of the ground intervenes with the Paleolithic means.

The Albanian historians and other specialists such as Arthur Evans, Stipcevic, Ducellier, Metais, Castellan, P. Cabanes etc, generally consider that the people illyrien, Indo-European people, is the ancestor of the current Albanians. Illyriens appeared approximately 1 000 front J.C., at one transition period enter the Bronze Age and the age of iron. The archeologists associate them with the Culture of Hallstatt. Their civilization developed quickly, as of VIIe century before J. - C., in contact with the Greeks who established, in particular with Épidammon (Durrës) and with Apollonie (close to Fier), of the colonies of which remain of important vestiges. Illyriens, which largely overflowed the limits of the countries now occupied by Albanians, were divided gradually into small enemy States that the Macedonians subjected. The kingdom illyrien of fourth century BC is thus overcome in -359 by Philippe II of Macedonia, father of Alexandre Large the.

Illyriens took again their independence then and the kingdom of Épire had its hour of glory with Pyrrhus. The Roman Empire begins the conquest of this area in IVe front century J. - C. the worldwide was to finally pass, not without evil, under the domination of Rome between second century BC. The major part of current Albania is integrated in the province of Illyrie, created in -9. Little by little Roman civilization was spread, especially on the coasts and along ways of penetration (the Via Egnatia, in particular). The assimilation was to be such as Illyrie, christianized as of the 1st century (with Asti saint in Durrës and holy Donat with Vlora), provides, at the 3rd century, several emperors. After the bursting of the Roman empire in 395, it will become province of the Byzantine Empire. Several waves of cruel invasions will follow (Goths, Huns), then the Slavic surge of the Life and 7th century and it will be subjected to the kingdom of Bulgaria at the 8th century. The populations autochtones take refuge then in the mountains. One sees appearing the term Albanian in 1081 in a writing of a Byzantine emperor. The Serbes occupied in their turn north and is of Albania towards the end of the 12th century, and included it in a transitory empire at the 14th century, directed by Stefan Uroš IV Dušan.

Othoman domination

The Turkish invasion of the end of the 14th century will be countered by Skanderbeg, the Albanian national hero, between 1443 and 1478, with the assistance of the Christian Italian cities and the the Vatican. But finally the Ottoman Empire will end up durably being essential in 1478, twelve years after the death of the Albanian prince. The country will be then largely ized Islam. Thereafter, he will know an important wave of emigration in direction of the Italy, Greece and Egypt. The Albanian people were submitted to a " tax on the sang" ; the families of more than seven members were forced to make to gift of one their children with the Sultan. Thus, the Christian children of the dominant Albanian families will be often converted with Islam, then educated in Turkey. Some will become frightening warriors in the guard of elite of the sultan, the Janissaire S. Of others will play a considerable part in the leader mediums.

On the ground, the Othoman influence became dominating in the plains, but the mountainous areas made it possible Albanian ( Gegs in north and Tosks in the south) to preserve a lifestyle ancestral, patriarchal, which perdure still sometimes today. With the wire of the centuries of occupation, the Othoman central capacity will have more and more difficulties in control these areas in edge of the empire. During the 18th century, the local leaders regain in power, maintaining the armed men, combatant mutually to affirm their capacity. The Ottoman Empire will try to take again the hand during the 19th century, after having reduced inclinations of independence of the family Bushati and of Ali Pasha. The country was redécoupé administratively, of the open Islamic schools and new governors named by the central capacity.

As a whole, in spite of the nationalist deformations defended by the majority of the Albanian historians, the Othoman period allowed a profitable interaction between the various cultures. A rather great religious tolerance allowed the coexistence of Christians, Moslems and Jews. Economic development was stimulated by the existence of a vast commercial space common of the Danube to the limits of Persia.

Birth of a nation

In the Years 1870, the Turkish government realized of the vanity of its efforts to maintain the integrity of the empire. Everywhere in the Balkans developed the idea of nationalism. The Albanians will be among the last to develop this national conscience, on the one hand because of their important bonds with Islam, but also because of their internal dissensions and with fear to fall under the yoke from the emergent close nations (Serbia, Montenegro, Bulgaria and Greece).

The movement was concretized with the constitution of the Ligue of Prizren , in 1878 which claimed autonomy. It is in 1912, at the time of the first Guerre of Balkans, that independence was proclaimed, whereas the country was the covetousness of its neighbors. The European powers recognized it in 1913, but the young State fell quickly into chaos from the First World War. It was occupied in turn by Greece, Italy, Serbia and Montenegro, then by the Austro-Hungarians and Bulgares.

The Inter-war period

The independence of Albania is internationally recognized, by the Traité of Tirana of 1919, in particular under the pressure of the E. - U., whereas certain European states envisaged to divide the country between its neighbors. Albania rather seeks the Italian assistance and protection, like shield against the appetites of the other Balkan States. At that time, the influence of Italy does not cease growing. Ahmet Zog, a Moslem conservative leader, seizes the power and is made proclaim king in 1928, but the fascistic Italy of Benito Mussolini invades the country in 1939 and reverses it.

The Second world war and the Stalinist era

The democratic opening

After the death of Enver Hoxha in 1985, the Communist Ramiz Alia takes the head of the country but the mode opens with the multi-party system while following the movement started in other European post-Stalinist countries. In 1992, the Albanian Democratic party dominates the Party of workers of the former dictator and Sali Berisha becomes the first chair democratically elected. A new constitution ratified in 1998 poses the bases of a rule of law guaranteeing individual freedoms. Since, the majority already changed several times of camp

The situation however remains unstable and the state must fight against corruption and the organized crime. The septentrional territories, which accommodated hundreds of thousands of refugees coming from the Kosovo, are badly controlled by the central government. An accounting scandal (bankruptcy of companies of saving in 1996), by ruining number of Albanian, discredited the political community and showed the economic difficulties which remain to be surmounted.

See too

Bajrak

External bond

Albania, “country of the eagles” by Georges Castellan, Professor emeritus at the National institute of the languages and Eastern civilizations.

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