QAFLESHI, MUHARREM, AJHC, 2018; 1:8 Review Article AJHC 2018,1:8 American Journal of History and Culture (ISSN:2637-4919) Balkan Wars and the Albanian issue QAFLESHI, MUHARREM , Mr. Sc. Phd (c) PRISHTINA UNIVERSITY, DEPARTAMENT OF HISTORY Albanian Address: Street “Bil Clinton” nr. n.n. 22060 Bellobrad -Kosovo ABSTRACT This paper will elaborate the collapse of the Turkish rule in the *Correspondence to Author: Balkans and the future fate of Albania, embarking on the new QAFLESHI, MUHARREM plans of the invasive politics of the Balkan Alliance, especially PRISHTINA UNIVERSITY, DEPAR- of Serbia, Montenegro and Greece. Then the dramatic events TAMENT OF HISTORY Albanian during the Balkan Wars 1912-1913, the occupation of Kosovo Address: Street “Bil Clinton” nr. n.n. and other Albanian lands by Serbia, the Albanian resistance with 22060 Bellobrad -Kosovo special focus on Luma, Opoja and Gora. It will also discuss the rapid developments of the Balkan Wars, which accelerated the Declaration of the Independence of Albania on 28 November, How to cite this article: 1912, and organization of the Ambassadors Conference in Lon- QAFLESHI, MUHARREM.Bal- don, which decided to recognize the Autonomy of Albania with kan Wars and the Albanian issue. today’s borders. Then, information about the inhumane crimes of American Journal of History and the Serbian Army against the Albanian freedom-loving people, Culture, 2018,1:8. committing unprecedented crimes against the civilian population, is given. Keywords: Serbia, Montenegro, Ottoman Empire, Gora, Opoja, eSciPub LLC, Houston, TX USA. Luma. For ProofWebsite: Only http://escipub.com/ AJHC: http://escipub.com/american-journal-of-history-and-culture/ 0001 QAFLESHI, MUHARREM, AJHC, 2018; 1:8 Collapse of the Ottoman Empire and interested as other Balkan oppressed people to creation of the Balkan Alliance become liberated from the Ottoman yoke. Their representatives made efforts to join their The actions to implement the decisions of the neighbours in the common fight against the Albanian League of Prizren had kept the feeling Ottoman invaders, but these efforts failed, for of Albanians for national independence and the sake of the Balkan Alliance leaders, who unification. This ideal, among other things, was did not want to have Albanians as partners with expressed in the continuation of movements in equal rights in this alliance, for so they agreed broad and active participation in the uprising of between them, to split Albania. Therefore, 1909-1911, particularly in the general uprising participation of Albanians in this alliance, before of 1912, involving all the provinces of Albania. having their rights officially recognized, would Then, Turkish military forces were in Albania, be a suicide. This is proved by a document of while Serbs were militarily attacking Albania. Diplomatic Archive of the Federal Secretariat of This situation has led Albanians to have only Foreign Affairs - Political Department affairs, one solution, to seize their weapons for the titled: "The Directive for Working with Albanian territorial integrity (Defence, 1997, Albanians, which clearly shows that the Serbian 56). Between two evils, one in agony and government had already made a plan for another at its height, the Albanian nation shook occupation of the Albanian lands, where among its ranks, and after paralyzing Turkish military other things this directive stated: "We should forces, it directed its forces against the Balkan with all means help division between Turks and aggressive states, in the face of which they Albanians. Like this, we would achieve to must fight for life or death (Braha, 2000, 2). weaken both, the Turks and the Albanians, and While the Albanian Uprisings were reaching its then we will overwhelm the Turks and peak, in Russia it was openly spoken and Albanians. (Diplomatski Arhiv Saveznog written for the Balkan states agreement (Shala, Sekretarijata Inostranih Poslova – Politčko 1990, 16). The Russian diplomacy actively Odelenje (DASSIP-PO ), Beograd, 1912, 1913, supported formation of the Balkan alliance, 1914. F.V, d. 8 – Direktiva za rad sa considering it as its ally against the Austro- arnautima). When he announced the war Hungarian and German politics. Similarly, against the Ottoman Empire, King Nicholla of Russia hoped that with a Balkan Alliance it Montenegro, invited the Montenegrins to fight: would instil its influence on the Balkan (Cana, 1996.:89) "Montenegrins! There is Peninsula and thus, set a good dam on the righteousness beside us, but the dice is thrown, eastward German penetration (Rrahimi, 1978, and with the Lord’s will the fate of the warriors, 199). On 13 March, 1912, the Bulgarian- too!" (Objava Kralja Nikole, 26 rujan (9 listopad) Serbian agreement was reached, on the basis Cetinja). To cast out the Turks from the Balkans of which the Balkan Alliance (Buda and and to extend the borders to the Albanian Frasheri, 1979, 846) was formed, to which lands. Before and on the eve of the First Balkan Montenegro and Greece joined, as well. War, some foreigners noticed a perfidious Although this alliance proclaimed that the Serbian propaganda aimed at smearing and Balkan War would be directed against Turkey, discrediting Albanians in front of the foreign aiming at Forthe national unification Proofof the Balkan Only public (Shala, 2015, 79), which was also people, and which allegedly was something pointed out by the US Ambassador to Albania, progressive. However, this alliance led by the Charles Erikson, who wrote: “The injustices that military circles of the Balkan countries, primarily the Albanian people had suffered under the Serbia, Montenegro and Greece, would turn to Ottoman rule, had the Albanians impeached war of invasion, especially against Albania and bad names by their enemies, such as Macedonia. The Albanians were as much murderers, killers, captains, barbarians, given AJHC: http://escipub.com/american-journal-of-history-and-culture/ 0002 QAFLESHI, MUHARREM, AJHC, 2018; 1:8 after the blood feud, and that not a single expense of the Albanian people, which also had foreigner had a safe life amongst them. This consequences in both, loss of territories and was an organized, severe and false human lives. The Balkan countries, to further propaganda, developed purposefully to achieve their territorial ambitions in the discredit the Albanian nation in the eyes of the Albanian lands, realized that they had to face western world." (Ericson, 2003.:26). This finding the Ottoman Empire (Ahmeti, 2010, 101-2). is also confirmed by the official stand of the Meanwhile, for the Albanians of the four Serbia and Montenegro politics, which tried vilayets (provinces), the year 1912 would unfold their utmost to present the Albanians in the light the great historical responsibility to protect the of the most negative to the Great Powers fate of their country, Albania. This responsibility (Russia, Austria-Hungary, England, France, was reflected in both sides, to the national Italy and Germany) (Gruda, 2013, 89). One of movement as well as taking the guns to face them was Vladan Đorđević, president of the with the dangers that, according to the English Serbian government, who was committed to scholar Edith Durham, "The First Balkan War launch a distorted picture of the Albanians and was a plot prepared against the Albanian to present them to the public insults and nation. The natural Albania, which was just slanders on the account of the Albanians as being established, was the main cause of the people and as a nation. He made these outbreak of that war "(E. Durham, 1990, 386). declarations, as they can easily be understood, So, the truth is that these dangers were coming to justify the invasive intentions of Serbia and to the Albanians from their Balkan neighbours, Montenegro over the Albanian lands, in front of who had drafted a series of hidden plans for the whole world. While in his book, "Albanians sharing among themselves of the Albanian land and the Great Powers" he wrote: "that historically settled by Albanians. The created Albanians are not a nation but some related circumstances were unfavourable for clans among themselves, living separated from Albanians, especially the patriots, who were each other, without any nation attributes, part of the progressive clubs and societies, without common language, and they do not were disturbed. They declared it publicly: "The have their culture and history" (Djordjevič, neighbours we have around are armed and 1913, 28-29). Even Stojan Protić, who also they are getting armed more and more every exercised the function of the head of the day. They seek their expansion and our Serbian government, in his book, "The Albanian shrinkage. We are not like them, with weapons Issue, Serbia and Austro-Hungary," justified the and organized armies, but we are stronger in aspirations of Serbia and Montenegro to re- the inalienable right to the homeland that we establish the Great and Old Serbia with the have inherited from our grandparents (“The help of Russia, on account of the Albanian Freedom of Albania” – “Liria e Shqipërisë”, lands (Protić, 1913, 13-18). Thus, Serbia using 26.08.1912). For this, Oliver Schmitt wrote: its propaganda, in front of the foreign public and "The Albanian Muslims were unorganized and diplomatic world, was militarily prepared to poorly armed; therefore they were not able, conquer the Albanian territories. after the rapid withdrawal of the Ottoman army, The courseFor of the Serbian-Montenegrin Proof war which had been Onlyweakened by the Muslims operations in the territory of Kosovo (Albanians) uprising of 1909-1912, to resist the regular Serbian and Montenegrin armies, The weakening of the Ottoman Empire, the despite the local uprising efforts (Schmitt, 2012, consecutive loss of battles, both military and 137). "But in spite of this, time could not wait. It diplomatic ones, resulted with creation of some dictated the necessity of a popular people's Balkan states in 1878, like Romania, Bulgaria, resistance (Manaj, 2002, 47).