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 politician in early 20th-century Albania. Toptani cooperated with the Balkan League after the

Balkan Wars The Balkan Wars refers to a series of two conflicts that took place in the Balkan States in 1912 and 1913. In the First Balkan War, the four Balkan States of Greece, Serbia, Montenegro and Bulgaria declared war upon the Ottoman Empire and defe ...

and established a state in central Albania, based in Durrës, called the

Republic of Central Albania The Republic of Central Albania ( sq, Republika e Shqipërisë së Mesme) was a short-lived unrecognised state established on 16 October 1913, with its administrative centre in Durrës, today in Albania. History The government of the Republi ...

.Robert Elsie, ''Essad Pasha Toptani''

Biography

Early life

Essad Pasha was born in 1863 in Tirana, Ottoman Empire (modern Republic of Albania), the son of Ali Bey Toptani and Vasfije Alizoti. He was a member of the

Toptani family The Toptani family was the leading Albanian noble family in central Ottoman Albania at the beginning of the 20th century. The Toptani family belonged to a small number of noble families appointed by the Ottomans who used local chieftains to contr ...

, a prominent landowning noble family who founded the current city of Tirana. During Ottoman rule, Toptani served as a kaymakam and had command of the gendarmerie in Tirana. In 1908, having served as gendarmerie commander in

Janina Ioannina ( el, Ιωάννινα ' ), often called Yannena ( ' ) within Greece, is the capital and largest city of the Ioannina regional unit and of Epirus, an administrative region in north-western Greece. According to the 2011 census, the c ...

, he joined the Young Turks (CUP) and became a member of the Ottoman parliament as the deputy for Durrës. In the aftermath of the

31 March Incident The 31 March Incident ( tr, 31 Mart Vakası, , , or ) was a political crisis within the Ottoman Empire in April 1909, during the Second Constitutional Era. Occurring soon after the 1908 Young Turk Revolution, in which the Committee of Union and Pr ...

, on 27 April 1909 four CUP members went to inform sultan

Abdul Hamid II Abdülhamid or Abdul Hamid II ( ota, عبد الحميد ثانی, Abd ül-Hamid-i Sani; tr, II. Abdülhamid; 21 September 1842 10 February 1918) was the sultan of the Ottoman Empire from 31 August 1876 to 27 April 1909, and the last sultan to ...

of his dethronement, with Toptani being the main messenger saying "the nation has deposed you". As a result, the focus of the sultan's rage was toward Toptani whom Abdul Hamid II felt had betrayed him. The sultan referred to him as a "wicked man", given that the extended Toptani family had benefited from royal patronage in gaining privileges and key positions in the Ottoman government.

First Balkan War

In 1912 during the Albanian revolt and aftermath of the Ottoman parliamentary elections, parliamentarians Toptani and Syrja Vlora represented the Albanian side in a parliamentary discussion with the Young Turks. Both called for the cessation of government force and implementation of good governance to alleviate the situation in Albanian lands. Amidst the Albanian Revolt of 1912 Essad Pasha Toptani obliged himself to organize the uprising in Central Albania and

Mirdita Mirdita is a region of northern Albania whose territory is synonymous with the historic Albanian tribe of the same name. Etymology The name Mirdita derives from a legendary ancestor named Mir Diti from whom the tribe claims descent. Other ...

. On 30 January 1913,

Hasan Riza Pasha Hassan, Hasan, Hassane, Haasana, Hassaan, Asan, Hassun, Hasun, Hassen, Hasson or Hasani may refer to: People *Hassan (given name), Arabic given name and a list of people with that given name *Hassan (surname), Arabic, Jewish, Irish, and Scottis ...

, commander of

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 ...

, was ambushed and killed by unknown people disguised as women, thought to be Osman Bali and Mehmet Kavaja, two Albanian officers of Essad Pasha. Riza Pasha wanted to keep up the defense of the besieged city, and after his death Essad Pasha continued his resistance until April 1913. He turned the fortress of Shkodër over to Montenegro, only in April 1913 after a prolonged war and great heroism of Albanian and Turkish soldiers. Essad Pasha was allowed in return to leave the town with his army and all their weaponry to become involved in the struggle over power in central Albania.Serbian government and Essad Pasha Toptani
/ref> In July 1913 he was persuaded by the Vlora family to accept a position of minister of the interior in the provisional government, but on 16 October 1913, to frustrate Ismail Qemali, Toptani who depicted Qemali as a Greek agent, set up a rival government of his own in Durrës, called the

. Officially Serbia simultaneously helped a number of other small tribal chiefs who resisted Ismail Qemali's government, directing them towards cooperation with Essad Pasha.

Peasant Revolt

He reluctantly stepped down when forced to do so by the

Great Powers A great power is a sovereign state that is recognized as having the ability and expertise to exert its influence on a global scale. Great powers characteristically possess military and economic strength, as well as diplomatic and soft power in ...

on 1 February 1914, being given as a consolation prize the right to lead the Albanian delegation that travelled to Neuwied on the Rhine, in Germany, to offer the Albanian throne to Prince Wilhem zu Wied. Back in Albania, relations between the Prince and the scheming Toptani, now minister of war and minister of the interior soon soured. Essad Pasha led a faction of his own in the

Peasant Revolt in Albania The Peasant Revolt in Albania, also known as the Islamic Revolt or Muslim Uprising in Albania, was the uprising of peasants from central Albania, by mostly Muslims, against the regime of Prince Wilhelm of Wied during 1914. It was one of the reasons ...

against Prince Wilhem. He was the only person in Albania to have a self-contained army of his own, and strove to grab as much of the country as he could. On 9 January, his men tried to take Elbasan, but they were repulsed by the governor of the town,

Aqif Pasha Elbasani Aqif Pasha Biçaku mostly known as Aqif Pashë Elbasani (1860 – 10 February 1926) was an Ottoman Albanian political figure in the Sanjak of Elbasan and after the Young Turk Revolution became an activist for the Albanian national cause. Life Aq ...

. On 19 May 1914, when Toptani refused to lay down his weapons, armed forces under Dutch gendarmerie officer

Johan Sluys Johan * Johan (given name) * ''Johan'' (film), a 1921 Swedish film directed by Mauritz Stiller * Johan (band), a Dutch pop-group ** ''Johan'' (album), a 1996 album by the group * Johan Peninsula, Ellesmere Island, Nunavut, Canada * Jo-Han, a ...

surrounded and shelled his house in Durrës, forcing him to surrender. He was arrested for conspiracy, though after consultations with Prince zu Wied, he was not court-martialled but sent to

Bari Bari ( , ; nap, label= Barese, Bare ; lat, Barium) is the capital city of the Metropolitan City of Bari and of the Apulia region, on the Adriatic Sea, southern Italy. It is the second most important economic centre of mainland Southern Italy a ...

in southern Italy and banned from returning to Albania.

Exile and the Treaty of Niš

From exile in Rome, he maintained close links with the Serbian and Montenegrin governments. After the outbreak of the First World War, Toptani travelled to Niš,

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 ...

, where he and Serbian prime minister Nikola Pašić signed the secret

Treaty of Serbian-Albanian Alliance A treaty is a formal, legally binding written agreement between actors in international law. It is usually made by and between sovereign states, but can include international organizations, individuals, business entities, and other legal perso ...

on 17 September 1914. With Italian and Serbian financial backing he established armed forces, Toptani invaded Dibër on 20 September, and by 3 October 1914 he had taken Durrës without a fight. Serbian Prime Minister Nikola Pašić ordered that his followers be aided with money and

arms Arms or ARMS may refer to: *Arm or arms, the upper limbs of the body Arm, Arms, or ARMS may also refer to: People * Ida A. T. Arms (1856–1931), American missionary-educator, temperance leader Coat of arms or weapons *Armaments or weapons **Fi ...

. His power base in central Albania was weakened in November 1914 by an uprising of Muslim rebels who turned against him, but he managed, with Italian support, to hold on to the town of Durrës. Toptani's rule was not stable because of the First World War. In the end of 1914, Essad secretly agreed with the Greek government to support the annexation of the southern provinces, known to Greeks as Northern Epirus, to the Kingdom of Greece. He soon declared war on Austria-Hungary to show support for the

Entente Entente, meaning a diplomatic "understanding", may refer to a number of agreements: History * Entente (alliance), a type of treaty or military alliance where the signatories promise to consult each other or to cooperate with each other in case o ...

, and profited from the situation enormously by taxing all the

Allied An alliance is a relationship among people, groups, or states that have joined together for mutual benefit or to achieve some common purpose, whether or not explicit agreement has been worked out among them. Members of an alliance are called ...

supplies sent to the Serbs. During the Serbian armies retreat through Albania in 1915, troops under Toptani's command gave support and protection to the Serbian column where possible. When Austro-Hungarian forces swept through much of central and northern Albania in the spring of 1916, Toptani fled to Salonika from there went to France, to represent Albania at the

Paris Peace Conference Agreements and declarations resulting from meetings in Paris include: Listed by name Paris Accords may refer to: * Paris Accords, the agreements reached at the end of the London and Paris Conferences in 1954 concerning the post-war status of Germ ...

. For the next two years, Essad Pasha remained in Paris, attempting to organize recognition for Albania from the Great Powers and reject the secret pact of London, which planned the division of Albania. During this time Tirana and much of central Albania was controlled by his Field Commander,

Osman Bali Osman is the Persian transliteration and derived from the Arabic masculine given name Uthman ( ar, عُثْمان, , link=no ''‘uthmān'') or an English surname. It may refer to: People * Osman (name), people with the name * Osman I (1258–1 ...

and his most trusted adviser Ramazan Biba, member of a prominent Tirana family.

Death

On 13 June 1920, Avni Rustemi assassinated Essad Pasha in Paris when he left the

Hotel Continental A hotel is an establishment that provides paid lodging on a short-term basis. Facilities provided inside a hotel room may range from a modest-quality mattress in a small room to large suites with bigger, higher-quality beds, a dresser, a ref ...

. Essad Pasha was buried in the Serbian Military Cemetery in Paris,. after staying for a long time unburied in the mortuary.

Legacy

Awards in his lifetime

For his service in the Greco-Turkish War (1897) the High Porte awarded him with the

Order of Osmanieh The Order of Osmanieh or Order of Osmaniye ( ota, نشانِ عثمانیہ) was a civil and military decoration of the Ottoman Empire. History The order was created in January 1862 by Sultan Abdülaziz. With the obsolescence of the Nişan-i If ...

of 2nd Class and afterwards he was ranked Miralay. Furthermore, for his contribution in the

Macedonian front The Macedonian front, also known as the Salonica front (after Thessaloniki), was a military theatre of World War I formed as a result of an attempt by the Allied Powers to aid Serbia, in the autumn of 1915, against the combined attack of German ...

as an ally of the

, he was awarded with the title ''Officier'' of the Legion of Honour and with the

Croix de Guerre The ''Croix de Guerre'' (, ''Cross of War'') is a military decoration of France. It was first created in 1915 and consists of a square-cross medal on two crossed swords, hanging from a ribbon with various degree pins. The decoration was first awa ...

. He was awarded Order of the White Eagle.

Historical

Essad Pasha had a reputation as an unscrupulous opportunist, Edith Durham viewed Essad Pasha as "a strange relic of the middle ages ... one with the handsome swashbucklers who sold themselves and their services to the rival monarchs, princelings and dukes in the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries, and cheerfully transferred themselves to the enemy if he offered better pay – men in whom the sense of nationality was not developed at all, and whose sense of honour was, to put it mildly, deficient."

Perception

Toptani is remembered among Albanians as one of the most negative historical figures and the symbol of treason. In 2014, the Serbian Minister of Labor, Aleksandar Vulin paid homage at his grave, for his contributions to Serbia.

Films

Two shots in Paris ''( :sq:Dy krisma në Paris)'' is a drama by Sheri Mita,

Pëllumb Kulla Pëllumb Kulla (born 10 January 1940) is a former Albanian diplomat, writer, playwright, satirist, and professor. Kulla was a prominent figure in the field of stage, serving as a professor and later as the Dean of the Faculty of Stage Art at the ...

with the subject of Essad Pasha Toptani murder in Paris and trial of Avni Rustemi

Notes

References

External links

Essad Pasha Toptani, ''Memorandum on Albania'', 1919
* *
Maison royale d'Albanie, site officiel
*
Famille royale d'Albanie, site officiel
*

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
Biodata on Essad Pasha by O.S. Pearson, who authored ''Albania and King Zog''
(), 2005. {{DEFAULTSORT:Toptani, Essad Pasha 1863 births 1920 deaths Albanian people murdered abroad Albanian military personnel Albanian Muslims 19th-century Albanian people Assassinated Albanian politicians Honorary Knights Commander of the Order of St Michael and St George People murdered in France Government ministers of Albania Prime Ministers of Albania Ottoman military personnel of the Balkan Wars Essad Politicians from Tirana Officiers of the Légion d'honneur Recipients of the Croix de Guerre (France) Albanian Pashas