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Princess Senije also called ''Sanije Zogu'' (1903–1969), was an Albanian princess. She was the daughter of
Dame Grand Cross of the Order of Fidelity (Kingdom of Albania).
Xhemal Pasha Zogu
Xhemal Pasha Zogu (; 1860–1911), also known as Jamal Pasha or Jamal Pasha Zogolli, was the Hereditary Governor of Mati, Albania (at the time part of the Ottoman Empire). He was the father of King Zog I of Albania.
Born at Burgajet Castle, Mati ...
and Sadijé Toptani
Sadije Toptani (Tirana, 28 August 1876 – Durrës, 25 November 1934) was queen mother of Albania from September 1928 until her death. She was the mother of Zog I of Albania.
Biography
Sadije (also Sadijé, Sadiya or Khadija) was a member of the ...
, his second wife, and was the third of six sisters of King Zog I of Albania
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 ...
. When her brother became monarch in 1928, she and her siblings were granted the status of Prince and Princess Zogu. She was the chairperson of the Albanian Red Cross and the women's organisation '' Gruaja Shiqiptare'' in 1928–1939.
Life
Princess Senije (Xenia) was described as the favorite sister of Zog I, and the affection was reportedly mutual. After the death of the queen mother, Princess Senije performed the representational duties of first lady until the marriage of her brother to queen Geraldine in 1938.Public life
In contrast to his two eldest sisters, Princess Adile Zogu and Nafije Zogu, who was seldom seen in public, the king gave his four younger sisters official roles to play in the royal representation. During the first years of his reign, the princesses lived a traditional isolated life in the royal palace complex and seldom appeared outside of the family circle, but this changed by the time of the wedding of Princess Senije in 1936. Her wedding was a public affair, and from that year onward, the king regularly arranged formal royal balls, and had his four younger sisters appear in public on official royal representational assignments: Senije was assigned tasks within health care,Ruhije Zogu
Princess Ruhije Zogu (1906–1948), was an Albanian princess. Patrice Najbor, Histoire de l’Albanie et de sa Maison Royale 1443-2007, 5 vol., Je Publie, 2008.
Life
She was the daughter of Xhemal Pasha Zogu and Sadijé Toptani, and was one of th ...
education, Myzejen Zogu
Princess Myzejen Zogu of Albania ( sq, Princeshë Myzejen Zogu të Shqipërisë; 6 February 1905 – 10 April 1969), was an Albanian princess. Initially excluded from public life and seen little in public, the Princess later represented her brothe ...
culture, and Maxhide Zogu
Princess Maxhide Zogu (1907–1969), was an Albanian princess.Patrice Najbor, Histoire de l’Albanie et de sa Maison Royale 1443-2007, 5 vol., Je Publie, 2008.
Life
She was the daughter of Xhemal Pasha Zogu and Sadijé Toptani, and was one the s ...
attended to tasks within sports. To prepare them for this task, they were given lessons in piano playing, dance, language and riding, and were sent for several trips to Western Europe, where they became known for their expensive shopping trips. When the king banned the hijab in 1937, he made sure his sisters appeared in public without veils and dressed in Western fashion as role models for other women.
Princess Senije was appointed chairperson of the Albanian Red Cross by the king in October 1928. The same year, the king abolished all women's organisations in Albania, and replaced them with a single woman's organisation controlled by the state, the ''Gruaja Shiqiptare''. This organisation was to be chaired by the chairperson of the Albanian Red Cross, who was, in turn, to be appointed by the monarch, and Princess Senije consequently became the chairperson of the '' Gruaja Shiqiptare''. The task of this state woman's organisation was to support the official policy within women's rights rather than to act independently. The government policy was however radical, as the Civil Code of 1928 stated that women had equal right to inheritance and divorce, abolished arranged and forced marriage and polygamy and gave women the right to education and a professional life. Under Princess Senije, the ''Gruaja Shiqiptare'' founded local branches in 20 cities, published its own paper and supported numerous projects in support of the regime's women's policy, especially regarding education; in reality, however, the work did not manage to achieve much success outside of the cosmopolitan elite of the cities.
When the king searched for a spouse in the late 1930s, his sister was given the task to attend balls in Europe in search of a bride among the European nobility. In 1937, Princess Senije, on the king's request, invited the future Geraldine of Albania
Countess Géraldine Margit Virginia Olga Mária Apponyi de Nagy-Appony ( en, Geraldine; 6 August 1915 – 22 October 2002) was Queen of the Albanians from her marriage to King Zog I on 27 April 1938 until the King was deposed on 7 April of th ...
to the new's years eve ball at the royal palace 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 ...
, where he proposed to her. Prior to the royal wedding in 1938, the three youngest princesses made a trip to the USA, where they were given much attention, but Senije did not accompany them.
Exile
Princess Senije left Albania with the rest of the royal family in 1939 upon the outbreak ofWorld 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 ...
, and followed the former monarch in exile to Great Britain
Great Britain is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean off the northwest coast of continental Europe. With an area of , it is the largest of the British Isles, the largest European island and the ninth-largest island in the world. It i ...
in 1940. She, as well as the rest of the sisters except Adile, followed Zog to Egypt
Egypt ( ar, مصر , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a transcontinental country spanning the northeast corner of Africa and southwest corner of Asia via a land bridge formed by the Sinai Peninsula. It is bordered by the Medit ...
in 1946. In Egypt, she and Princess Myzejen, in particular, kept in contact with the Albanian colony there. In 1955, she and the rest of the family followed Zog to France, where he died. She lived in France with her sisters until her death.
Princess Senije married Prince Şehzade Mehmed Abid (1905–1973), son of Abdul Hamid II, in 1936, and divorced him in 1949. They had no children.
Honours
* Dame Grand Cross of the Order of Fidelity (Kingdom of Albania).
Ancestry
References