Serbia's attitude towards Albania during the period of Wilhelm Wied

• Author: Milazim Elshani
• Position: University of Tirana
• Pages: 265-270

Academic Journal of Business, Administration, Law and Social Sciences

IIPCCL Publishing, Tirana-Albania

Vol. 2 No. 2

July 2016

ISSN 2410-3918

Acces online at www.iipccl.org

265

SerbiasaitudetowardsAlbaniaduringtheperiodofWilhelmWied

PhD (C.) Milazim Elshani

University of Tirana

Abstract

ThismanuscriptanalyzesadistinctiveperiodofAlbanianhistorythataertheBalkanWars

and Conference ofAmbassadors in London a period of external political inuences with

manydierent intereststo implementor preventthe developmentofthenewly createdAl-

banianstateInthiscontextthearticlefocusesintheaitudeofSerbiatowardsAlbaniawith

SerbiasaimtodisabletheconsolidationoftheAlbanianstateIttriedtoinuenceinthepoliti-

cal circumstances regarding the nomination of the ruler prince or at least it tried to alter the

situationintheeldthroughitsdierentexponentsreligiousorpoliticalaliationsinorder

to make the longstanding dream possible to cruise through the Albanian lands. The declara-

tion of Albanian Independence evoked great concern to the Balkans neighboring states who

haddedicatedAlbaniaaswartrophyOntheotherhandtheSerbianpoliticstriedtondele-

ments which would undermine the act of Independence or to put it on a shade in any form.

The interest of Serbian politics towards Albania was consistent. If we want to best understand

theaitudeoftheSerbianpoliticstowardsAlbaniansduringthistimewehavetoanalyzein

a comparative manner Serbia’s politics in Albania and Kosovo and other occupied territories.

WhileinAlbaniaitcommieditselfforaMuslimprinceintheoccupiedAlbanianterritories

it followed a strict anti-Islamic and anti-Albanian policy.

Keywords:AitudeAlbaniaSerbiaPrinceWiedAustroHungarian

Introduction

The Declaration of Independence of Albania and the expansionist politics of Balkans

neighbors propound the quest of Albania, as a European issue, since November 1912.

The disruption of statusquoinBalkanwhichwaskeptarticiallyuntilthenevoked

the controversies and the dierent interests that European powers had between

them in general and in Albania’s case, in particular. The declaration of Independence

of Albania evoked great concerns to the Balkans neighboring states who had

dedicated Albania as war trophy. The Great Powers upon recognition of the Albania’s

Independencefaced someverydiculttasksIn onehandthey hadto harmonize

and keep the balance between each other; on the other hand they had to come to terms

with Serbian’s, Greek’s and Montenegrin’s innumerous claims towards the Albanian

territories and lastly the confrontation with the Albanian population that claimed

the preservation of their ethnic territories. In such a situation these European powers

nottrusting eachother andalsoto preservetheir inuenceinAlbaniaon behalfof

consolidation and country’s leadership, decided to nominate a foreign prince on top

of the Albanian state.

The appointment of foreign monarchs on top of new states in Balkans was an earlier

practiced solution by the Great Powers. Before Albania, the monarchs whether

princes or kings that were placed to lead Greece, Serbia, Bulgaria, during the XIX