Ndok Gjeloshi (15 November 1893 – 11 April 1943) was an Albanian army officer and Militia commander during World War II.

Life

Gjeloshi was born in Mekshaj, Shalë municipality of Dukagjin region in North Albania. He studied in the

Franciscan , image = FrancescoCoA PioM.svg , image_size = 200px , caption = A cross, Christ's arm and Saint Francis's arm, a universal symbol of the Franciscans , abbreviation = OFM , predecessor = , ...

College in Shkodër, and after that finished the

Military Academy of Modena The Military Academy of Modena ( it, Accademia militare di Modena) is a military university in Modena, northern Italy. Located in the Palazzo Ducale in the historic center of the city, it was the first such military institution to be created in ...

. Gjeloshi supported Prince Wied during his short reign of the

Principality of Albania The Principality of Albania ( al, Principata e Shqipërisë or ) refers to the short-lived monarchy in Albania, headed by Wilhelm, Prince of Albania, that lasted from the Treaty of London of 1913 which ended the First Balkan War, through ...

, and like many other pro-Wied nationalists he was a member of the short-lived "Albanian Nationalist Party" ( sq, Partia Nacionaliste Shqiptare). Supporter of Fan Noli's political ideas, he was an active participant of the

June Revolution The history of Albania forms a part of the history of Europe. During classical antiquity, Albania was home to several Illyrian tribes such as the Ardiaei, Albanoi, Amantini, Enchele, Taulantii and many others, but also Thracian and Greek tribe ...

, and was promoted "Captain" of the border guard. After Ahmet Zogu's return from

Yugoslavia Yugoslavia (; sh-Latn-Cyrl, separator=" / ", Jugoslavija, Југославија ; sl, Jugoslavija ; mk, Југославија ;; rup, Iugoslavia; hu, Jugoszlávia; rue, label=Pannonian Rusyn, Югославия, translit=Juhoslavija ...

, he fled the country and went in exile. In 1926, together with Loro Caka, a Catholic priest, Gjeloshi organized a rebellion in Dukagjin. The rebellion could not spread in nearby regions; it remained isolated and was quelled by Zogist forces. Gjeoloshi fled again. He joined the Albanian political ''

émigré An ''émigré'' () is a person who has emigrated, often with a connotation of political or social self-exile. The word is the past participle of the French ''émigrer'', "to emigrate". French Huguenots Many French Huguenots fled France followin ...

'' in

Vienna en, Viennese , iso_code = AT-9 , registration_plate = W , postal_code_type = Postal code , postal_code = , timezone = CET , utc_offset = +1 , timezone_DST ...

Austria Austria, , bar, Östareich officially the Republic of Austria, is a country in the southern part of Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine states, one of which is the capital, Vienna, the most populous ...

and became member of the "National Union" ( sq, Bashkimi Kombëtar), an organization of anti-Zog activists in exile, which was formed in 1925 in

Vienna en, Viennese , iso_code = AT-9 , registration_plate = W , postal_code_type = Postal code , postal_code = , timezone = CET , utc_offset = +1 , timezone_DST ...

with the initiative of

Ali Kelcyra ʿAlī ibn Abī Ṭālib ( ar, عَلِيّ بْن أَبِي طَالِب; 600 – 661 CE) was the last of four Rightly Guided Caliphs to rule Islam (r. 656 – 661) immediately after the death of Muhammad, and he was the first Shia Imam. ...

, Angjelin Suma, Xhemal Bushati, and Sejfi Vllamasi.

Zog's assassination attempt

In 1931, he was arrested along with Aziz Çami for an assassination attempt against

King Zog I 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 ...

. According to Gjeloshi memories' he studied very well the scene before the assassination attempt occurred. His memories contrast with the official version given later that state the Zogu fired back and Topallaj (got killed by Gjeloshi) hurried to cover Zogu with his body. He was sentenced to 3 years and 6 months by the court, together with Çami (2 years and 6 month). The other organizers, between them

Qazim Mulleti Qazim Mulleti (1893–1956) was an Albanian politician, nationalist and mayor of Tirana from 1939 through 1940 and its prefect from 1942 to 1944. Life Early life Qazim Mulleti was born in " Sulejman Pasha" (Mulleti) neighborhood, in Tirana, Alba ...

Mustafa Merlika-Kruja Mustafa Merlika-Kruja (March 15, 1887, Akçahisar, Ottoman Empire (modern-day Krujë, Albania) – December 27, 1958, Niagara Falls, New York) was one of the signatories of the Albanian Declaration of Independence. He served as Prime Minister ...

Rexhep Mitrovica Rexhep Mitrovica (15 January 1888 – 21 May 1967) was a Prime Minister of Albania's government under Nazi Germany. A staunch nationalist, he was elected head of the Second League of Prizren. Biography Early life Rexhep was born to a wealthy ...

, Angjelin Suma, Sejfi Vllamasi, etc. were released soon after their arrest. They were expelled from Austria and most of them moved to

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), ma ...

. Gjeloshi would remain in

Prague Prague ( ; cs, Praha ; german: Prag, ; la, Praga) is the capital and List of cities in the Czech Republic, largest city in the Czech Republic, and the historical capital of Bohemia. On the Vltava river, Prague is home to about 1.3 milli ...

after the release.

Return to Albania

Gjeloshi returned to Albania after King Zog's exile during the

Italian invasion of Albania The Italian invasion of Albania (April 7–12, 1939) was a brief military campaign which was launched by the Kingdom of Italy against the Albanian Kingdom in 1939. The conflict was a result of the imperialistic policies of the Italian prime m ...

. Because of his nationalistic ideas, considering that

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 other regions joined the new Albanian state, he joined the local militia with the rank of Major. He was assassinated in Spring 1943 by a communist activist, Myslym Keta, in one of the main streets of

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 ...

References

External links

www.shkoder.net
{{DEFAULTSORT:Gheloshi, Ndok Shala (tribe) Assassinated Albanian people 1943 deaths Albanian collaborators with Fascist Italy Military education and training in Italy Albanian nationalists Balli Kombëtar 1893 births 20th-century Albanian military personnel Albanians from the Ottoman Empire Albanian emigrants to Austria Albanian anti-communists Albanian Roman Catholics Assassins