Terenzio Tocci ( sq, Terenc Toçi; 9 March 1880 – 14 April 1945) was an Italo-
Albanian politician of
Arbëresh origins. Distinguished for patriotic activities before the
Albanian independence he went on to serve during
World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...
as
Chairman of the
Superior Fascist Corporative Council ( sq, Këshilli i Epërm Korporativ Fashist) from 1940 to 1943.
- Republika e Shqipërisë KUVEND. Tiranë 2005 In 1945 Tocci was condemned in
communist Albania
The People's Socialist Republic of Albania ( sq, Republika Popullore Socialiste e Shqipërisë, links=no) was the Marxist–Leninist one party state that existed in Albania from 1946 to 1992 (the official name of the country was the People's R ...
for high treason and collaboration with fascism and sentenced to death.
Biography
Terenzio Tocci was born on 9 March 1880 in
San Cosmo Albanese,
Calabria,
Kingdom of Italy
The Kingdom of Italy ( it, Regno d'Italia) was a state that existed from 1861, when Victor Emmanuel II of Sardinia was proclaimed King of Italy, until 1946, when civil discontent led to an institutional referendum to abandon the monarchy and f ...
, he was Albanian by birth. He received a degree in law. In 1908-09 he went to the United States and conducted a campaign of sensibilization for the
Albanian-Americans
Albanian Americans ( sq, shqiptaro-amerikanët) are Americans of full or partial Albanian ancestry and heritage in the United States. They trace their ancestry to the territories with a large Albanian population in the Balkans among others to ...
on the necessity of Albania's independence.
Later on Tocci went to Albania and participated in the
Albanian Revolt of 1910 and that of
1911
A notable ongoing event was the Comparison of the Amundsen and Scott Expeditions, race for the South Pole.
Events January
* January 1 – A decade after federation, the Northern Territory and the Australian Capital Territory ...
. On 26/27 April 1911 in
Orosh, Tocci gathered the
Mirditë chieftains and proclaimed the independence of Albania, raised the
flag of Albania
The flag of Albania ( sq, Flamuri i Republikës së Shqipërisë) is a red flag with a silhouetted black double-headed eagle in the center. The red stands for bravery, strength, valour and bloodshed, while the Eagle represents the sovereign sta ...
and established a
provisional government
A provisional government, also called an interim government, an emergency government, or a transitional government, is an emergency governmental authority set up to manage a political transition generally in the cases of a newly formed state or ...
.
After Ottoman troops entered the area to put down the rebellion, Tocci fled the empire abandoning his activities.
He was one of the participants of the
Albanian Congress of Trieste
The Albanian Congress of Trieste ( sq, Kongresi Shqiptar i Triestës) was a congress of Albanians held in Trieste, Austria-Hungary in the period between 27 February – 6 March 1913, organized by Faik Konica and Sotir Kolea with strong support ...
in 1913.
Tocci served in Albanian governments of
King Zog
King is the title given to a male monarch in a variety of contexts. The female equivalent is queen, which title is also given to the consort of a king.
*In the context of prehistory, antiquity and contemporary indigenous peoples, the t ...
prior to the Italian Invasion as Minister of National Economy.
Shqiperia me 1937, pg. 41
During the Italian presence in Albania in World War II Tocci served at the Superior Fascist Corporative Council ( sq, Këshilli i Epërm Korporativ Fashist) as a member of the parliament, most notably as its Chairman from 1940 to 1943.
After World War II Tocci was accused in Communist Albania
The People's Socialist Republic of Albania ( sq, Republika Popullore Socialiste e Shqipërisë, links=no) was the Marxist–Leninist one party state that existed in Albania from 1946 to 1992 (the official name of the country was the People's R ...
for high treason and collaboration with Nazi Germany. The trial
''The Trial'' (german: Der Process, link=no, previously , and ) is a novel written by Franz Kafka in 1914 and 1915 and published posthumously on 26 April 1925. One of his best known works, it tells the story of Josef K., a man arrested and p ...
started on March 1, 1945, and was headed by Koçi Xoxe
Koçi Xoxe (pronounced ; 1 May 1911 – 11 June 1949) was an Albanian politician who served as Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of the Interior of the People's Socialist Republic of Albania. He was supported by Yugoslav leader Josip Broz ...
, then head of the political police. It is not known if Tocci was given the chance to defend himself in trial. The verdict was given on March 13, 1945. Tocci, along with 16 other people, were condemned to death. The execution occurred one day later, on March 14, 1945. Tocci and the others were all thrown in a common grave.
See also
* Kimza Government
The Kimza Government ( sq, Ceveria e Pertasheme Shkipeniis) was the first organized government to formally declare the Independence of Albania from the Ottoman Empire.
Background
For the first time since the death of Albanian national hero Skan ...
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Tocci, Terenzio
1880 births
1945 deaths
People from the Province of Cosenza
Italian people of Arbëreshë descent
Government ministers of Albania
Economy ministers of Albania
Speakers of the Parliament of Albania
Members of the Parliament of Albania
Albanian people executed by the communist regime
Albanian activists
Italian expatriates in Albania
Albanian collaborators with Fascist Italy
Executed Albanian collaborators with Nazi Germany
Albanian fascists
Executed Albanian people
External links
* https://vimeo.com/ondemand/terenziotocci
''Il miraggio adriatico. Terenzio Tocci, il liberatore d'Albania'', (2016), documentary by Gilberto Martinelli in Italian and in Albanian.