Terenzio Tocci ( sq, Terenc Toçi; 9 March 1880 – 14 April 1945) was an Italo-

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 ...

politician of Arbëresh origins. Distinguished for patriotic activities before the

Albanian independence 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 ...

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 opposin ...

Chairman The chairperson, also chairman, chairwoman or chair, is the presiding officer of an organized group such as a board, committee, or deliberative assembly. The person holding the office, who is typically elected or appointed by members of the grou ...

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 , population_note = , population_blank1_title = , population_blank1 = , demographics_type1 = , demographics1_footnotes = , demographics1_title1 = , demographics1_info1 = , demographics1_title2 ...

Kingdom of Italy The Kingdom of Italy ( it, Regno d'Italia) was a state that existed from 1861, when Victor Emmanuel II of Kingdom of Sardinia, Sardinia was proclamation of the Kingdom of Italy, proclaimed King of Italy, until 1946, when civil discontent led to ...

, 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. On 26/27 April 1911 in

Orosh Orosh (or ) is a small village in Mirditë within the county of Lezhë County, Lezhë in the northwest of the Republic of Albania. Geographically, it is located inside the mountainous region of northern Albania in the Fan (river), Valley of Fan. ...

, Tocci gathered the

Mirditë Mirditë ( sq-definite, Mirdita) is a municipality in Lezhë County, northwestern Albania. It was created in 2015 by the merger of the former municipalities Fan, Kaçinar, Kthellë, Orosh, Rrëshen, Rubik and Selitë. The seat of the municipa ...

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 state ...

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 f ...

. 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

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.

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.

Biography

See also

References

External links