Ismet Bey Kryeziu (1889–1952) was an Albanian political figure during the 1930s and 1940s.

Life

Kryeziu was born in Yakova, Sanjak of İpek,

Ottoman Empire The Ottoman Empire, * ; is an archaic version. The definite article forms and were synonymous * and el, Оθωμανική Αυτοκρατορία, Othōmanikē Avtokratoria, label=none * info page on book at Martin Luther University) ...

in 1889, or 1888. He descended from the well known Kryeziu family, landowners and politically influential during the Ottoman rule. He was the nephew of

Ali Pasha of Gucia Ali Pasha Shabanagaj (Serbian: Али-паша Шабанагић, Ali-paša Šabanagić; 1828 – 5 March 1888), was an Albanian Muslim military commander and one of the leaders of the League of Prizren. He governed, as an Ottoman ''kaymaka ...

, a prominent member and contributor of the

League of Prizren The League of Prizren ( sq, Besëlidhja e Prizrenit), officially the League for the Defense of the Rights of the Albanian Nation ( sq, Lidhja për mbrojtjen e të drejtave te kombit Shqiptar), was an Albanian political organization which was offi ...

of 1878. Kryeziu had studied in

Istanbul ) , postal_code_type = Postal code , postal_code = 34000 to 34990 , area_code = +90 212 (European side) +90 216 (Asian side) , registration_plate = 34 , blank_name_sec2 = GeoTLD , blank_i ...

. After

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

, he was elected Assemblyman at the

Parliament of Serbia The National Assembly ( sr-cyr, Народна скупштина, Narodna skupština, ) is the unicameral legislature of Serbia. The assembly is composed of 250 deputies who are proportionally elected to four-year terms by secret ballot. The as ...

in Belgrade. In 1926, after an assassination attempt and land confiscation from the Yugoslav government, he immigrated to

Albania Albania ( ; sq, Shqipëri or ), or , also or . officially the Republic of Albania ( sq, Republika e Shqipërisë), is a country in Southeastern Europe. It is located on the Adriatic and Ionian Seas within the Mediterranean Sea and shares ...

. Kryeziu was a pro- Zogist. He was one of the trusted man of King Ahmed Zog and exercised influence on him. Together with

Salih Vuçitërni Salih bej Vuçitërni (8 April 1880 - October 1949) was an Albanian political figure and royalist. Life Vuçitërni was born in Vıçıtırın, Vilayet of Kosovo, Ottoman Empire on 8 April 1880. He descended from a Bosnian landowning family. In ...

he was elected from King Zog as the organizers of the Committee of Kosovo. The Committee promoted irredentism and fight against Serbian rule, it had been previously outlawed by Zog during his rise in power of 1924, and had gone quiet after the death of Curri,

Prishtina Pristina, ; sr, / (, ) is the capital and largest city of Kosovo. The city's municipal boundaries in Pristina District form the largest urban center in Kosovo. After Tirana, Pristina has the second largest population of ethnic Albanians and ...

, Hoxha Kadri, and other leaders. The newly reorganized Committee was symbolic and its activity was limited to propaganda. During Zog's regime he served in various prefectures as

Berat Berat (; sq-definite, Berati) is the ninth most populous city of Albania and the seat of Berat County and Berat Municipality. By air, it is north of Gjirokastër, west of Korçë, south of Tirana, and east of Fier. Berat is located in ...

, Vlora,

Durrës Durrës ( , ; sq-definite, Durrësi) is the second most populous city of the Republic of Albania and seat of Durrës County and Durrës Municipality. It is located on a flat plain along the Albanian Adriatic Sea Coast between the mouths of ...

, and Korça. In 1936 he was elected in the Albanian Parliament to represent the Prefecture of Kosovo. After the Italian invasion, he took a strong nationalistic stance. Kryeziu collaborated with

Bedri Pejani Bedri Pejani (or Bedri bej Ipeku; 10 October 1885 – 6 July 1946) was 20th century Albanian politician. During World War II, he was one of the founders of the Second League of Prizren. Biography Pejani was born in the city of İpek (now Pe ...

and

Xhafer Deva Xhafer Deva (21 February 1904 – 25 May 1978) was a Kosovo Albanian politician during World War II. A notable local politician in Kosovo and in Axis-occupied Albania, he took charge of German-occupied Mitrovica and worked with the Germans ...

, the leaders of the

Second League of Prizren The Second League of Prizren was an organisation founded by Albanian officials in Kosovo in September 1943 to campaign for the ethnic unification of Albanians in Albania. From 1918, Kosovo was integrated into the newly formed Kingdom of Yugosla ...

, and working for the unification of Albanian populated territories in one state, which outside of Albania is usually referred as

Greater Albania Greater Albania is an irredentist and nationalist concept that seeks to unify the lands that many Albanians consider to form their national homeland. It is based on claims on the present-day or historical presence of Albanian populations in th ...

. He was elected Minister of the Liberated Areas ( sq, Ministër i Tokave të Çliruara) in the short-lived government of

Eqrem Libohova Ekrem Bey Libohova (24 February 1882 – 7 June 1948) was an Albanian politician and Axis collaborator. He served as the Prime Minister of Albania on two occasions during the Italian occupation of Albania. Political career He was born in Gjirok ...

, 18 January - 11 February 1943, succeeding Tahir Shtylla. He was again elected member of the Parliament in October 1943. Kryeziu was arrested after the communist victory of November 1944. In April 1945 he was given 30 years of prison by the

Special Court An extraordinary court, or special court, is a type of court that is established outside of ordinary judiciary, composed of irregularly selected judges or applies irregular procedure for judgment. Since extraordinary court can be abused to infrin ...

like many other political figures of that time, as "a traitor and enemy of the people". He died in prison in 1952.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Kryeziu, Ismet Bey 1880s births Politicians from Gjakova People from Kosovo vilayet Kosovo Albanians Ottoman Albanian nobility 19th-century Albanian politicians 20th-century Albanian politicians Albanian Sunni Muslims Albanian anti-communists 1952 deaths Government ministers of Albania Defence ministers of Albania Albanian monarchists Yugoslav Albanians Yugoslav emigrants to Albania

Life

See also

References