Sadije Toptani (
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 ...
, 28 August 1876 –
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 ...
, 25 November 1934) was
queen mother
A queen mother is a former queen, often a queen dowager, who is the mother of the monarch, reigning monarch. The term has been used in English since the early 1560s. It arises in hereditary monarchy, hereditary monarchies in Europe and is also u ...
of Albania from September 1928 until her death. She was the mother of
Zog I of Albania
Zog I ( sq, Naltmadhnija e tij Zogu I, Mbreti i Shqiptarëve, ; 8 October 18959 April 1961), born Ahmed Muhtar bey Zogolli, taking the name Ahmet Zogu in 1922, was the leader of Albania from 1922 to 1939. At age 27, he first served as Albania's ...
.
Biography
Sadije (also Sadijé, Sadiya or Khadija) was a member of the powerful
Toptani family, Sadije was the daughter of
Salah Bey Toptani (1843−1910) and his wife, Annijé Toptani (1855−1899), both members by birth of the Toptani family. Also she was a cousin to
Essad Pasha Toptani
Essad Pasha Toptani or Esad Pasha Toptani ( sq, Esad Pashë Toptani; 1863/4 or 1875 – 13 June 1920), mainly known as Essad Pasha, was an Ottoman army officer who served as the Albanian deputy in the Ottoman Parliament. He was a prominent po ...
. She was the second wife of
Xhemal Pasha Zogu
Xhemal Pasha Zogu (; 1860–1911), also known as Jamal Pasha or Jamal Pasha Zogolli, was the Hereditary Governor of Mati, Albania (at the time part of the Ottoman Empire). He was the father of King Zog I of Albania.
Born at Burgajet Castle, Mati ...
after the death of his first wife,
Melek Hanem.
After her son became king in 1928, she was raised to the title ''Nëna Mbretëreshë e Shqiptarëve'', or Queen Mother of the Albanians, with the style of Her Majesty on September 1, 1928, a position she held until her death. She supervised the Royal Kitchen to ensure that her son could not be poisoned. She was the official protector of the ''
Gruaja Shqiptare''.
Sadije Toptani was a
Bektashi Muslim.
Death
Sadije died in the Royal Compound in Durrës
and was buried in Tirana the next day. A
royal mausoleum was constructed to house her remains. The building was destroyed by Albanian communist forces on 17 November 1944.
Issue
References
Bibliography
* Patrice Najbor, Histoire de l'Albanie et de sa maison royale (5 volumes), JePublie, Paris, 2008, ().
* Patrice Najbor, la dynastye des Zogu, Textes & Prétextes, Paris, 2002
O.S. Pearson, ''Albania and King Zog'' I.B. Tauris
I.B. Tauris is an educational publishing house and imprint of Bloomsbury Publishing. It was an independent publishing house with offices in London and New York City until its purchase in May 2018 by Bloomsbury Publishing.
It specialises in non ...
. 2005 ().
External links
Maison royale d'Albanie, site officiel en langue françaiseFamille royale d'Albanie, site officiel en langue anglaise
{{DEFAULTSORT:Toptani, Sadije
Toptani, Sadije
Toptani, Sadije
20th-century Albanian people
19th-century Albanian people
House of Zogu
Queen mothers
People from Tirana
People from Scutari vilayet
Albanian Muslims
Sadije
Sadije
19th-century Albanian women
20th-century Albanian women