Bib Doda Pasha (1820–1868) was the ruler of Mirdita. He held the Ottoman rank of ''kapedan'' (captain) and the honorific ''pasha'' (governor).

Family

Bib Doda belonged to the Gjonmarkaj clan which had led Mirdita for a long period. He started ruling his clan at a young age, since his father Gjok Doda was murdered. He married a Muslim woman , Hide (daughter of Hasan Ajazi), from Armalle village in the Lurë region. He was the father of Prenk Bib Doda, who would later play an important role in the Albanian politics of the early 20th century.

Agreement with Serbia

Bib Doda Pasha together with influential

abbot Abbot is an ecclesiastical title given to the male head of a monastery in various Western religious traditions, including Christianity. The office may also be given as an honorary title to a clergyman who is not the head of a monastery. The ...

Gaspër Krasniqi and Mark Prenk Lleshi from Mirdita, as representatives of Mirdita, reached an agreement with

Serbia Serbia (, ; Serbian: , , ), officially the Republic of Serbia (Serbian: , , ), is a landlocked country in Southeastern and Central Europe, situated at the crossroads of the Pannonian Basin and the Balkans. It shares land borders with Hungar ...

n Internal Minister

Ilija Garašanin Ilija Garašanin ( sr-cyr, Илија Гарашанин; 28 January 1812 – 22 June 1874) was a Serbian statesman who served as the prime minister of Serbia between 1852 and 1853 and again from 1861 to 1867. Ilija Garašanin was conservati ...

in 1849 regarding cooperation with Serbia and

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against the Ottoman Empire. Garašanin believed that Albania should be established as an independent state. The eventual Albanian state was to encompass territories between rivers Drin and Vjosë.

Activities against Albanian rebels

Bib Doda Pasha aided the Ottoman raids against the Albanian rebels of Dervish Cara, during the

Albanian Revolt of 1843–44 The Albanian Revolt of 1843–1844, variously also known as the Revolt of 1844 or the Uprising of Dervish Cara ( sq, Kryengritja e Dervish Carës),Albanische Geschichte: Stand und Perspektiven der Forschung Volume 140 of Südosteuropäische Arb ...

in the sanjaks of Prizren, Scutari and

Ohrid Ohrid ( mk, Охрид ) is a city in North Macedonia and is the seat of the Ohrid Municipality. It is the largest city on Lake Ohrid and the List of cities in North Macedonia, eighth-largest city in the country, with the municipality recording ...

. He played a significant role in the expedition, and was decorated and awarded an honorary sabre and pistols. Doda received the title "Pasha" in 1849 and allowed to maintain an army up to 10,000 people. His name came in the center of attention during the

Montenegrin–Ottoman War (1861–62) Montenegrin–Ottoman War may refer to: *Montenegrin–Ottoman War (1852–53) * Montenegrin–Ottoman War (1861–62) *Montenegrin–Ottoman War (1876–78) Montenegrin–Ottoman War may refer to: *Montenegrin–Ottoman War (1852–53) *Montenegrin ...

. Northern Albanian Catholic tribes were organized to start an uprising against the Ottomans led by abbot Gaspër Krasniqi, with the support of French emissaries of

Napoleon III Napoleon III (Charles Louis Napoléon Bonaparte; 20 April 18089 January 1873) was the first President of France (as Louis-Napoléon Bonaparte) from 1848 to 1852 and the last monarch of France as Emperor of the French from 1852 to 1870. A nephew ...

. Bib Doda who was still getting paid well by the Ottomans was not convinced of the benefits of the uprising and stayed out, thus not staying by his previous agreement with Garašanin. In spring 1862 he even tried to recruit some volunteers to aid the Ottomans. This led to a general mistrust and rage against him. Mirdita rebels raided and burnt his properties in Kallmet. Meanwhile, other rebels cut the roads that connected Shkodra with Prizren. Ottomans intervened and Gaspër Krasniqi was arrested. The Albanian uprising did not happen.

Death

With the death of Bib Doda Pasha in 1868, the Ottomans assigned a ''

kaymakam Kaymakam, also known by many other romanizations, was a title used by various officials of the Ottoman Empire, including acting grand viziers, governors of provincial sanjaks, and administrators of district kazas. The title has been retained a ...

'' from his own family, but removed his young son Prenk and exiled him to Turkey. He was buried in Shkodër.

Legacy

Bib Doda Pasha was regarded by the Albanians as a "murderer of his own people", in particular his role in the Uprising of Dervish Cara. There were allegations that the

British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories, and Crown Dependencies. ** Britishness, the British identity and common culture * British English, ...

and

Austro-Hungarians Austria-Hungary, often referred to as the Austro-Hungarian Empire,, the Dual Monarchy, or Austria, was a constitutional monarchy and great power in Central Europe between 1867 and 1918. It was formed with the Austro-Hungarian Compromise of 1 ...

were behind all this, interested in having the Ottoman Empire still strong in the

Balkans The Balkans ( ), also known as the Balkan Peninsula, is a geographical area in southeastern Europe with various geographical and historical definitions. The region takes its name from the Balkan Mountains that stretch throughout the who ...

References

Sources

* * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Doda, Bib 19th-century people from the Ottoman Empire 19th-century Albanian people Ottoman military officers Albanian Pashas Ottoman Albanian nobility People from Mirditë Albanians from the Ottoman Empire Albanian Roman Catholics 1820 births 1868 deaths Albania–Serbia relations