Bajo Topulli (1868 – 24 July 1930), born Bajram Fehmi Topulli, was an Albanian nationalist figure of the

Albanian National Awakening The Albanian National Awakening ( sq, Rilindja or ), commonly known as the Albanian Renaissance or Albanian Revival, is a period throughout the 19th and 20th century of a cultural, political and social movement in the Albanian history where the ...

. Bajo was the older brother of

Çerçiz Topulli Çerçiz Topulli (20 September 1880 – 17 July 1915) was an Albanian revolutionary and guerrilla fighter involved in the national movement operating in the mountainous areas of southern Albania. He was the younger brother of Bajo Topulli. He w ...

Early life

In Monastir while he was a director in the Ottoman Secondary school (idadiye) Topulli founded in November 1905 the Secret Committee for the Liberation of Albania. Members of the committee were tasked with preparation for armed activities against the Ottoman Empire and Topulli was sent for agitation to the

Prespa Prespa ( mk, Преспа, sq, Prespa, el, Πρέσπα) is a region shared between North Macedonia, Albania and Greece. It shares the same name with the two Prespa lakes which are situated in the middle of the region. The largest town is Rese ...

and

Korçë Korçë (; sq-definite, Korça) is the eighth most populous city of the Republic of Albania and the seat of Korçë County and Korçë Municipality. The total population is 75,994 (2011 census), in a total area of . It stands on a plateau som ...

regions. In March 1906 at the

Bektashi The Bektashi Order; sq, Tarikati Bektashi; tr, Bektaşi or Bektashism is an Islamic Sufi mystic movement originating in the 13th-century. It is named after the Anatolian saint Haji Bektash Wali (d. 1271). The community is currently led by ...

tekke of

Melçan Melçan is a community in the Korçë County, Albania. At the 2015 local government reform it became part of the municipality Korçë. History During the 1920s, when the Bektashi Order and its headquarters in Hacıbektaş, Turkey were banned, the ...

he and his brother Çerçiz founded the first Albanian nationalist armed guerrilla band. It was based in the Kolonjë region and consisted of several of his students from Monastir who had left their studies and some local peasants to fight against Ottoman rule. The group was active for three years, with both brothers taking a winter break during 1906-1907 and spending it in

Sofia Sofia ( ; bg, София, Sofiya, ) is the capital and largest city of Bulgaria. It is situated in the Sofia Valley at the foot of the Vitosha mountain in the western parts of the country. The city is built west of the Iskar river, and h ...

and

Bucharest Bucharest ( , ; ro, București ) is the capital and largest city of Romania, as well as its cultural, industrial, and financial centre. It is located in the southeast of the country, on the banks of the Dâmbovița River, less than north of ...

. Both brothers had been professionals who decided to engage in guerilla warfare after leaving the comforts of town life. The guerilla band viewed the Ottoman regime of Abdul Hamid II along with Greeks and Slavs as the enemy. On September 22, 1906 Bajo Topulli's band killed the Greek Orthodox bishop of Görice (now

Photios Photios I ( el, Φώτιος, ''Phōtios''; c. 810/820 – 6 February 893), also spelled PhotiusFr. Justin Taylor, essay "Canon Law in the Age of the Fathers" (published in Jordan Hite, T.O.R., & Daniel J. Ward, O.S.B., "Readings, Cases, Materia ...

, "On September 22, 1906 men of Bajo Topulli's band murdered the Metropolitan of Korçë, Photios." who was said to be responsible for the death of Papa Kristo Negovani and to avenge the Albanian priest. "In one case, a guerilla band executed Father Kristo Negovani (1875-1905) on 12 February 1905, two days after he had performed a church service in Albanian. To avenge his death, a guerilla leader named Bajo Topulli (1868-1930) waylaid and murdered Phiotos, the bishop of Görice, in September 1906." During 1907 the Bashkimi (Union) Society in

sent Topulli to

Boston Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the state capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the United States. It is the 24th- mo ...

on a mission to the

Albanian diaspora The Albanian diaspora ( sq, Mërgata Shqiptare or Diaspora Shqiptare) are the ethnic Albanians and their descendants living outside of Albania, Kosovo, southeastern Montenegro, western North Macedonia, southeastern Serbia, northwestern Greece a ...

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...

to collect funds and recruit young men to join guerilla bands back in Ottoman Albania and prepare to fight in a planned uprising for 1908. In 1908, Topulli along with

Shahin Kolonja Shahin bey Kolonja ( tr, Şahin Teki Kolonya; 1865–1919) was an Albanian journalist, politician, and member of the Ottoman Parliament during its Second Constitutional Era. Life Shahin Kolonja was born in Starje, Ottoman Empire, today's southe ...

went to Üsküb (modern

Skopje Skopje ( , , ; mk, Скопје ; sq, Shkup) is the capital and List of cities in North Macedonia by population, largest city of North Macedonia. It is the country's political, cultural, economic, and academic centre. The territory of Sk ...

) to establish an Albanian club for local Albanians.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Topulli, Bajo 1868 births 1930 deaths People from Gjirokastër People from Janina vilayet Albanian schoolteachers Albanian military personnel Activists of the Albanian National Awakening 19th-century Albanian educators 20th-century Albanian educators Heroes of Albania Mayors of Gjirokastër