Murad bej Toptani (13 July 1867 – 11 February 1918) was an
Albanian poet, artist and activist 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 ...
.
Along with his relative
Abdi Toptani
Abdi Toptani (28 August 1864 – 1 August 1942) was a 19th-century Albanian politician. He was one of the signatories of the Albanian Declaration of Independence along with his relative Murat. He served as Minister of Finances in the Provisional ...
he became one of the signatories of the
Albanian Declaration of Independence
The Albanian Declaration of Independence ( Albanian: ''Deklarata e Pavarësisë'') was the declaration of independence of Albania from the Ottoman Empire. Independent Albania was proclaimed in Vlorë on 28 November 1912. Six days later the Ass ...
in 1912.
As a sculptor, Toptani created the first
bust
Bust commonly refers to:
* A woman's breasts
* Bust (sculpture), of head and shoulders
* An arrest
Bust may also refer to:
Places
* Bust, Bas-Rhin, a city in France
*Lashkargah, Afghanistan, known as Bust historically
Media
* ''Bust'' (magazin ...
of
George Kastrioti Skanderbeg
, reign = 28 November 1443 – 17 January 1468
, predecessor = Gjon Kastrioti
, successor = Gjon Kastrioti II
, spouse = Donika Arianiti
, issue = Gjon Kastrioti II
, royal house = Kastrioti
, father ...
, the national hero of
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 ...
.
Life
Family
He was born in 1867 in the
Caucasus Mountains
The Caucasus Mountains,
: pronounced
* hy, Կովկասյան լեռներ,
: pronounced
* az, Qafqaz dağları, pronounced
* rus, Кавка́зские го́ры, Kavkázskiye góry, kɐfˈkasːkʲɪje ˈɡorɨ
* tr, Kafkas Dağla ...
, where his father Seit was interned as a political prisoner.
From 1875 to 1881, their family lived 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 ...
, capital of the
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) ...
, but they settled again in the Caucasus Mountains, where Seit was again interned because of his membership in 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 ...
.
In the early 1890, he studied in Istanbul, where he lived in
Naim Frashëri
Naim bey Frashëri, more commonly Naim Frashëri (; ; 25 May 184620 October 1900), was an Albanian historian, journalist, poet, rilindas and translator who was proclaimed as the national poet of Albania. He is regarded as the pioneer of modern ...
's house. There he met his future wife Asije Frashëri, daughter of Sherif Frashëri, younger brother of Naim.
In 1895, he married Asije Frashëri and moved to
Tirana
Tirana ( , ; aln, Tirona) is the capital and largest city of Albania. It is located in the centre of the country, enclosed by mountains and hills with Dajti rising to the east and a slight valley to the northwest overlooking the Adriatic Sea ...
, where he later died, age 50–51, in 1918. His three sons were: Enver, Sherif and Ibrahim.
Toptani's younger brother Refik was the head of the local branch of ''Bashkimi'' in Tirana. His sister Vesime was married to Mehmet Frashëri, another brother of Naim Frashëri.
Exile
During 1897, Toptani along with
Faik Konitza
Faik Bey Konica (later named ''Faïk Dominik Konitza'', 15 March 1875 – 15 December 1942) was an important figure in Albanian language and culture in the early decades of the twentieth century. Prewar Albanian minister to Washington, his litera ...
visited the Albanian diaspora in
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 ...
and he proposed that Albanian guerilla bands be formed to combat Ottoman, Bulgarian and Greek forces.
In Tirana, Toptani was active in the promotion of education in Albanian. In 1897, Toptani successfully requested the instruction of all lessons in Albanian in the newly founded Austrian school of the city. His activities and influence led to his arrest
on 28 October 1897 by the Ottoman authorities.
Toptani was exiled
and initially interned in
Manastir and later in
Galipoli, from where he was sent to
Tripoli
Tripoli or Tripolis may refer to:
Cities and other geographic units Greece
*Tripoli, Greece, the capital of Arcadia, Greece
* Tripolis (region of Arcadia), a district in ancient Arcadia, Greece
* Tripolis (Larisaia), an ancient Greek city in ...
. In 1898, he escaped and migrated to Italy, where he settled in
Naples
Naples (; it, Napoli ; nap, Napule ), from grc, Νεάπολις, Neápolis, lit=new city. is the regional capital of Campania and the third-largest city of Italy, after Rome and Milan, with a population of 909,048 within the city's adminis ...
and
Brindisi. On 14 July 1898, he protested against his sentence and requested amnesty from the
wali
A wali (''wali'' ar, وَلِيّ, '; plural , '), the Arabic word which has been variously translated "master", "authority", "custodian", "protector", is most commonly used by Muslims to indicate an Islamic saint, otherwise referred to by the ...
of Manastir, but did not receive any reply.
While in Italy, he created the first bust of Skanderbeg, the Albanian national hero. In 1899, he spent a few months in
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 ...
and finally returned to Istanbul, where he received amnesty. However, in 1900 he was again interned and held in indefinite detention in
Çanakkale
Çanakkale (pronounced ), ancient ''Dardanellia'' (), is a city and seaport in Turkey in Çanakkale province on the southern shore of the Dardanelles at their narrowest point. The population of the city is 195,439 (2021 estimate).
Çanakkale is ...
and
Konya
Konya () is a major city in central Turkey, on the southwestern edge of the Central Anatolian Plateau, and is the capital of Konya Province. During antiquity and into Seljuk times it was known as Iconium (), although the Seljuks also called it ...
until 1908, when many prisoners were given amnesty.
Legacy
A pedestrian road in the center of Tirana is named after ''Murat Toptani''.
See also
*
List of Albanian writers
*
List of sculptors
This is a list of sculptors – notable people known for three-dimensional artistic creations, which may include those who use sound and light. It is incomplete and you can help by expanding it.
__NOTOC__
A
B
C
D
E
F
G
H
I
J
...
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Toptani, Murat
Date of death missing
1867 births
1918 deaths
19th-century Albanian poets
19th-century Albanian politicians
19th-century sculptors
20th-century Albanian poets
20th-century Albanian politicians
20th-century Albanian sculptors
Activists of the Albanian National Awakening
Signatories of the Albanian Declaration of Independence
Murat Murat may refer to:
Places Australia
* Murat Bay, a bay in South Australia
* Murat Marine Park, a marine protected area
France
* Murat, Allier, a commune in the department of Allier
* Murat, Cantal, a commune in the department of Cantal
Elsewhe ...
Politicians from Tirana
All-Albanian Congress delegates