Kachaks ( sq, kaçak, sr, качаци / ''kačaci'') is a term used for the

Albanian Albanian may refer to: *Pertaining to Albania in Southeast Europe; in particular: **Albanians, an ethnic group native to the Balkans **Albanian language **Albanian culture **Demographics of Albania, includes other ethnic groups within the country ...

bandits active in the late 19th and early 20th century in northern

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 ...

Montenegro ) , image_map = Europe-Montenegro.svg , map_caption = , image_map2 = , capital = Podgorica , coordinates = , largest_city = capital , official_languages = M ...

Kosovo Kosovo ( sq, Kosova or ; sr-Cyrl, Косово ), officially the Republic of Kosovo ( sq, Republika e Kosovës, links=no; sr, Република Косово, Republika Kosovo, links=no), is a partially recognised state in Southeast Euro ...

and Macedonia, and later as a term for the militias of

revolutionary organizations against the

Kingdom of Serbia The Kingdom of Serbia ( sr-cyr, Краљевина Србија, Kraljevina Srbija) was a country located in the Balkans which was created when the ruler of the Principality of Serbia, Milan I, was proclaimed king in 1882. Since 1817, the Princi ...

(1910–18)

Kingdom of Yugoslavia The Kingdom of Yugoslavia ( sh-Latn-Cyrl, separator=" / ", Kraljevina Jugoslavija, Краљевина Југославија; sl, Kraljevina Jugoslavija) was a state in Southeast Europe, Southeast and Central Europe that existed from 1918 unt ...

(1918–24), called the "Kaçak movement".

Etymology

The word is derived from Turkish '' kaçmak'' for "outlaw".

Background

History

1920–24 Kachak movement

The Committee for the National Defense of Kosovo () was created in

Shkodër Shkodër ( , ; sq-definite, Shkodra) is the fifth-most-populous city of the Republic of Albania and the seat of Shkodër County and Shkodër Municipality. The city sprawls across the Plain of Mbishkodra between the southern part of Lake Shkod ...

, under

Hasan Prishtina Hasan bey Prishtina ( tr, Priştineli Hasan Bey, Hasan Bey Priştine and ''Vulçitrnli Hasan Bey''), originally known as Hasan Berisha (27 September 1873 – 13 August 1933), was an Ottoman, later Albanian politician, who served as the 8th Prime ...

, in 1918. The committee organizationally and financially supported the

kachak Kachaks ( sq, kaçak, sr, качаци / ''kačaci'') is a term used for the Albanian bandits active in the late 19th and early 20th century in northern Albania, Montenegro, Kosovo and Macedonia, and later as a term for the militias of Albania ...

s in Albanian-populated areas of Yugoslavia, in

and

Skopje Skopje ( , , ; mk, Скопје ; sq, Shkup) is the capital and largest city of North Macedonia. It is the country's political, cultural, economic, and academic centre. The territory of Skopje has been inhabited since at least 4000 BC; r ...

(the former Kosovo Vilayet). Kachaks were also active around Ohrid and Bitola. On 6 May 1919 the Committee called for a general uprising in Kosovo and other Albanian-inhabited regions in Yugoslavia. The Kachaks were popular among

Albanians The Albanians (; sq, Shqiptarët ) are an ethnic group and nation native to the Balkan Peninsula who share a common Albanian ancestry, culture, history and language. They primarily live in Albania, Kosovo, North Macedonia, Montenegro, Se ...

, and local support to them increased in the 1920s when Hasan Prishtina became a member of the Albanian parliament, Hoxhe Kadriu became Minister of justice, and

Bajram Curri Bajram Curri (16 January 1862 – 29 March 1925) was an Albanian chieftain, politician and activist who struggled for the independence of Albania, later struggling for Kosovo's incorporation into it following the 1913 Treaty of London. He wa ...

became Minister of war (1921). All three were

Kosovar Albanians The Albanians of Kosovo ( sq, Shqiptarët e Kosovës, ), also commonly called Kosovo Albanians, Kosovar/Kosovan Albanians or Kosovars/Kosovans, constitute the largest ethnic group in Kosovo. Kosovo Albanians belong to the ethnic Albanian sub-gr ...

. During this time, Kosovar Albanians under

Azem Galica Azem Bejta (10 December 1889 – 15 July 1924), commonly known as Azem Galica, was an Albanian nationalist and rebel who fought for the unification of Kosovo with Albania. Biography Early life Azem Bejta was born in the village of Galica in ...

began an armed struggle, also known as the "Kachak movement", a large-scale revolt in

Drenica Drenica ( al, Drenicë, Drenica, ), also known as the Drenica Valley, is a hilly region in central Kosovo, covering roughly around of Kosovo's total area (6%). It consists of two municipalities, Drenas and Skenderaj, and several villages in Klin ...

involving around 10,000 people under Galica. The uprising was quelled by the Yugoslav army. Armed conflicts between the Yugoslav army and the Kachaks took place in the years 1920 and 1921, 1923, with a revival in 1924. One of the achievements was the creation of the "neutral zone" around Junik which would serve for jeopardizing the frontier and providing ammunition and other logistical support for the Kachaks.

Legacy

They are widely depicted in Albanian folklore. Albanian collaborationists in Yugoslavia during World War II were also known as ''Kachaks'' .

Notable people

(1862–1925) *

(1889–1924) * Qerime Shotë Galica (1895–1927) * Zef Kol Ndoka (1883-1924) *

Hysni Curri Hysni Curri (?–1925) was a Kosovar Albanian military figure and a prominent leader of the Kachak movement and the Committee for the National Defence of Kosovo. Life Curri was the nephew and close collaborator of Bajram Curri, a well-known ...

(?-1925) *

Ajet Sopi Bllata Ajet Sopi Bllata (1861–1938) was an Albanian rebel from the village of Jabllanica, in present-day Bujanovac municipality, then part of the Ottoman Empire. From the age of 17 to that of 53, he fought as a kachak against Serbian interests in t ...

Agan Koja Agan Koja (1892-1929) was an Albanian Muslim cleric and political activist from Plav, present-day Montenegro. He was a member of the Committee for the National Defence of Kosovo and fought as kachak against Yugoslav border troops after 1919 when ...

Mehmet Pashë Deralla Mehmet Pashë Deralla ( tr, Kalkandelen'li Mehmed Paşa Deralla, 1843 - 1918) was an Ottoman Albanian military officer and civil servant, and one of the delegates of the Albanian Declaration of Independence."History of Albanian People" Albanian ...

Sali Butka Salih Butka (1852 – 24 October 1938), was an Albanian nationalist figure, kachak, poet, and one of the delegates of the city of Korçë to the Albanian National Congress of Lushnjë.Nikolaeva Todorova Marii︠a︡''Balkan identities: nation ...

Osman Taka Osman Resul Taka (died 1887) was a Cham Albanian dancer and unclear personage from 19th century. The Dance of Osman Taka is named after him. His early life is not clear. He belongs to the Taka clan of Filiates, also known for Alush Taka, an Albani ...

Asllan Curri Asllan Curri (?-1925) was a member of the kachak movement in early 20th century in Kosovo and North Albania. Asllan Curri was the nephew of Bajram Curri, a prominent kachak leader from the Highlands of Djakovica, part of the Krasniqi tribe. Curri w ...

Idriz Seferi Idriz Seferi (14 March 1847 – 25 March 1927) was an Albanian leader and guerrilla fighter (rebel). A member of the League of Prizren and League of Peja, he was the right-hand man of Isa Boletini, with whom he organized the 1910 Uprising agai ...

* Bajram Balota *

Sadik Rama Sadik Rama (18791944) was a Kosovo Albanian ''kaçak'' guerrilla fighter who fought against the Serbian annexation of Kosovo in 1912. Following the Ottoman defeat, he continued to participate along Isa Boletini and Bajram Curri in the national revol ...

Isa Boletini Isa Boletini (; 15 January 186423 or 24 January 1916) was an Albanian revolutionary commander and politician and rilindas from Kosovo. As a young man, he joined the Albanian nationalist League of Prizren and participated in a battle against Ottom ...

* Jusuf Mehonja