The truth about the Albanians of Macedonia

The Albanian National Movement, especially the period known in history as the Albanian National Renaissance, which aimed to gather all Albanian lands into a single national state, initially at the level of a united autonomous vilayet within the framework of the Ottoman Empire, then of an autonomous state under the sovereignty or suzerainty of the Turkish sultan, and finally into a completely independent national state, also included the Albanian territories that are today part of the Republic of Macedonia, wrote academic Kristo Frashëri.

As is known, the National Renaissance Movement developed in several directions – sometimes as an armed movement against the administrative reforms of the Ottoman Empire, sometimes as a political movement for the unification of Albanian lands into a single administrative unit, sometimes as a movement to gain the right to education in the native Albanian language, sometimes as a movement to sanction in the international arena the recognition of Albanians, regardless of religious affiliation, as a single nationality, and sometimes as a movement to oppose the fragmentation of Albanian lands by the claims of neighboring monarchies.

The main factor that prevented the realization of the goals of the National Renaissance was the denial of the national rights of the Albanians by the Ottoman Empire and its fragmentation of their ethnic lands into several large administrative units, such as vilayets, which hindered their common life.

The beginnings of the Albanian National Renaissance were evident in the second quarter of the 19th century. They appeared at a time when the Ottoman Empire undertook the implementation of administrative, financial, military, and educational reforms known as the Tanzimat. One of the main measures of the Tanzimat was the administrative reform of the vilayets.

The historical province of Dardania was affected, in terms of administrative boundaries, very little. It was called the Kosovo vilayet, its center was mainly in Skopje, while Skopje itself was elevated to the level of a sanjak. As for the present-day areas of Macedonia, the sanjak of Skopje included the kazas of Skopje, Kumanovo, Kaçanik, Shtip, Radovishte, Kočane, Kratovo, Pećevo and Egri-Palanka. Tetovo was separated from Skopje and included in the sanjak of Prizren. In addition to the Kosovo vilayet, the vilayet of Manastir was also created, which included five sanjaks.

Two of them had Albanian territories that are now part of the Republic of Macedonia – the Sanjak of Manastir, which had the Ohrid kazan (with Struga) and the Kicevo kazan; and the Sanjak of Dibra, which, in addition to the territories that are now part of Albania, also included the Reka kazan. The other three Sanjaks, those of Korça and Elbasan, did not touch the present-day Republic of Macedonia at all, while the Sanjak of Selfixhe did not include any Albanian territories at all.

It is known that the principles of the Tanzimat were proclaimed in Istanbul on November 3, 1839. One of the largest uprisings against the Tanzimat measures broke out among the Albanians of Skopje on July 21, 1843.

From Skopje, the uprising, known by the name of its leader Dervish Cara, quickly spread to other Albanian areas such as Tetovo, Kaçanik, Kumanovo, Gostivar, and then to areas inhabited by Macedonians.

As soon as Dervish Cara’s uprising was suppressed, an uprising broke out among the Albanians in the Sanjak of Dibra, which was also suppressed by the regular Ottoman armies.

However, Albanian uprisings continued even later. Thus, for almost 30 years, uprisings followed one another until in 1875 the Sublime Porte gave up on the violent implementation of Tanzimatist measures in the Albanian highlands.

As soon as the anti-Turkish uprisings ceased, Albanian protests against the Treaty of Saint Stephen and the decisions of the Congress of Berlin began in 1878.

Since the Congress of Berlin decided to cede some Albanian territories in favor of neighboring monarchies, the Albanian National Movement under the leadership of the League of Prizren gained unprecedented momentum until then.

Three of the main centers of the patriotic movement of the League of Prizren were in Skopje, Tetovo, and Dibër. In fact, its first president was from Dibër, Iljaz Pasha Qoku, who was succeeded by a figure from Tetovo, Sheh Mustafa Tetova.

The Albanians of Skopje gave the League of Prizren several very important personalities, one of whom, Jashar bey Shkupi, their main leader, suffered severe internment in the prisons of the Aegean islands.

After the League of Prizren was violently suppressed by Ottoman military forces, the protests of Albanians in these areas continued against the Sublime Porte.

It was precisely at this time that the political movement for the creation of a united and autonomous Albanian vilayet began, which in 1899 had one of its main centers in the city of Dibra.

Source

Kapelajmin.net