Kachaks ( sq, kaçak, sr, качаци / ''kačaci'') is a term used for the Albanian bandits active in the late 19th and early 20th century in northern

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 ...

Montenegro ) , image_map = Europe-Montenegro.svg , map_caption = , image_map2 = , capital = Podgorica , coordinates = , largest_city = capital , official_languages = M ...

Kosovo Kosovo ( sq, Kosova or ; sr-Cyrl, Косово ), officially the Republic of Kosovo ( sq, Republika e Kosovës, links=no; sr, Република Косово, Republika Kosovo, links=no), is a partially recognised state in Southeast Euro ...

and Macedonia, and later as a term for the militias of Albanian revolutionary organizations against the Kingdom of Serbia (1910–18)

Kingdom of Yugoslavia The Kingdom of Yugoslavia ( sh-Latn-Cyrl, separator=" / ", Kraljevina Jugoslavija, Краљевина Југославија; sl, Kraljevina Jugoslavija) was a state in Southeast and Central Europe that existed from 1918 until 1941. From 1918 ...

(1918–24), called the "Kaçak movement".

Etymology

The word is derived from Turkish '' kaçmak'' for "outlaw".

Background

History

1920–24 Kachak movement

The Committee for the National Defense of Kosovo () was created in Shkodër, under Hasan Prishtina, in 1918. The committee organizationally and financially supported the kachaks in Albanian-populated areas of Yugoslavia, in

and

Skopje Skopje ( , , ; mk, Скопје ; sq, Shkup) is the capital and List of cities in North Macedonia by population, largest city of North Macedonia. It is the country's political, cultural, economic, and academic centre. The territory of Sk ...

(the former Kosovo Vilayet). Kachaks were also active around Ohrid and Bitola. On 6 May 1919 the Committee called for a general uprising in Kosovo and other Albanian-inhabited regions in Yugoslavia. The Kachaks were popular among Albanians, and local support to them increased in the 1920s when Hasan Prishtina became a member of the Albanian parliament, Hoxhe Kadriu became Minister of justice, and Bajram Curri became Minister of war (1921). All three were

Kosovar Albanians The Albanians of Kosovo ( sq, Shqiptarët e Kosovës, ), also commonly called Kosovo Albanians, Kosovar/Kosovan Albanians or Kosovars/Kosovans, constitute the largest ethnic group in Kosovo. Kosovo Albanians belong to the ethnic Albanian sub-gr ...

. During this time, Kosovar Albanians under

Azem Galica Azem Bejta (10 December 1889 – 15 July 1924), commonly known as Azem Galica, was an Albanian nationalist and rebel who fought for the unification of Kosovo with Albania. Biography Early life Azem Bejta was born in the village of Galica in ...

began an armed struggle, also known as the "Kachak movement", a large-scale revolt in Drenica involving around 10,000 people under Galica. The uprising was quelled by the Yugoslav army. Armed conflicts between the Yugoslav army and the Kachaks took place in the years 1920 and 1921, 1923, with a revival in 1924. One of the achievements was the creation of the "neutral zone" around Junik which would serve for jeopardizing the frontier and providing ammunition and other logistical support for the Kachaks.

Legacy

They are widely depicted in Albanian folklore. Albanian collaborationists in Yugoslavia during World War II were also known as ''Kachaks'' .

Notable people

* Bajram Curri (1862–1925) *

(1889–1924) * Qerime Shotë Galica (1895–1927) * Zef Kol Ndoka (1883-1924) *

Hysni Curri Hysni Curri (?–1925) was a Kosovar Albanian military figure and a prominent leader of the Kachak movement and the Committee for the National Defence of Kosovo. Life Curri was the nephew and close collaborator of Bajram Curri, a well-known ...

(?-1925) * Ajet Sopi Bllata *

Agan Koja Agan Koja (1892-1929) was an Albanian Muslim cleric and political activist from Plav, present-day Montenegro. He was a member of the Committee for the National Defence of Kosovo and fought as kachak against Yugoslav border troops after 1919 when ...

* Mehmet Pashë Deralla * Sali Butka *

Osman Taka Osman Resul Taka (died 1887) was a Cham Albanian dancer and unclear personage from 19th century. The Dance of Osman Taka is named after him. His early life is not clear. He belongs to the Taka clan of Filiates, also known for Alush Taka, an Albani ...

Asllan Curri Asllan Curri (?-1925) was a member of the kachak movement in early 20th century in Kosovo and North Albania. Asllan Curri was the nephew of Bajram Curri, a prominent kachak leader from the Highlands of Djakovica, part of the Krasniqi tribe. Curri w ...

* Idriz Seferi * Bajram Balota * Sadik Rama *

Isa Boletini Isa Boletini (; 15 January 186423 or 24 January 1916) was an Albanian revolutionary commander and politician and rilindas from Kosovo. As a young man, he joined the Albanian nationalist League of Prizren and participated in a battle against Ot ...

* Jusuf Mehonja