Qazim Koculi (August 22, 1887 – January 2, 1943) was an Albanian politician of the early 20th century and one-day acting

Prime Minister A prime minister, premier or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. Under those systems, a prime minister i ...

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 ...

. He was also the principal military commander of the Albanian forces during the

Vlora War The Vlora War or the War of 1920 ( sq, Lufta e Vlorës or ''Lufta e Njëzetës''; it, Guerra di Valona) was a series of battles between Italian forces garrisoned throughout the Vlorë region of Albania (an Italian protectorate) and Albanian nati ...

in 1920. He was honored by the president with the title "Kalorës i Urdhërit të Skënderbeut" in August 2020.

Early life

Qazim Koculi was born in 1887 in the village of Koculi, close to

Vlorë Vlorë ( , ; sq-definite, Vlora) is the third most populous city of the Republic of Albania and seat of Vlorë County and Vlorë Municipality. Located in southwestern Albania, Vlorë sprawls on the Bay of Vlorë and is surrounded by the foo ...

(in the then

Ottoman Empire The Ottoman Empire, * ; is an archaic version. The definite article forms and were synonymous * and el, Оθωμανική Αυτοκρατορία, Othōmanikē Avtokratoria, label=none * info page on book at Martin Luther University) ...

, now modern

) to Muhamet Koçiu. With the help of Syrja bey Vlora, Koculi received his primary education in Vlorë and later moved to Ioannina, today's Greece to attend the well-known

Zosimea The ''Zosimaia'' School ( el, Ζωσιμαία Σχολή, ''Zosimaía Scholí'') of Ioannina (in Epirus) has been one of the most significant Greek middle-level educational institutions (high schools) during the last period of Ottoman rule in th ...

Gymnasium. He accomplished his higher education at the

Kara Harp Okulu The Turkish Military Academy ( tr, Kara Harp Okulu) is a four-year co-educational military academy and part of the National Defence University. It is located in the center of Ankara, Turkey. Its mission is to develop cadets mentally and ph ...

Turkish Military Academy, graduating as a ''Teğmen'' ( Second Lieutenant). He was appointed to the Ottoman Navy as a ''Üsteğmen'' (

First Lieutenant First lieutenant is a commissioned officer military rank in many armed forces; in some forces, it is an appointment. The rank of lieutenant has different meanings in different military formations, but in most forces it is sub-divided into a ...

). He disobeyed a military order in 1909 during a naval battle in

Preveza Preveza ( el, Πρέβεζα, ) is a city in the region of Epirus, northwestern Greece, located on the northern peninsula at the mouth of the Ambracian Gulf. It is the capital of the regional unit of Preveza, which is part of the region of Epiru ...

by refusing to surrender to the Italian Navy. After a warrant for his arrest was issued by the Imperial Command, Koculi fled to

Argentina Argentina (), officially the Argentine Republic ( es, link=no, República Argentina), is a country in the southern half of South America. Argentina covers an area of , making it the second-largest country in South America after Brazil, th ...

, where he resided until 1912. He then returned to Vlorë upon the invitation of President

Ismail Qemali Ismail Qemal bey Vlora, mostly known as Ismail Qemali (; 16 January 184426 January 1919), was an Albanian diplomat, politician, rilindas, statesman and the Founding Father of modern Albania, and one of the most famous Southern Albanian perso ...

. The latter appointed him Director of the Port of Vlorë, a position he held until the takeover of the port by the Italians in October 1914. He withdrew to Brataj, Vlorë and served as a village chief until 1917. He later served as vice prefect of Tepelenë until 1919.

Vlora War and politics

Koculi represented Vlorë in the

Congress of Lushnjë The Congress of Lushnjë (), historically documented by the name ''Mbledhja Kombiare Lushnje'', was a conference of Albanian political leaders held from January 28 to January 31, 1920 in Lushnjë, Albania. Its objective was to deal with the issue ...

, a constituent assembly held in January 1920, and was hence appointed member of parliament. He was also Prefect of Vlorë on May 29, 1920. At the same time he was appointed commander-in-chief of the Vlora War Committee. Koculi led his army against the Italian forces in the Battle of Vlora, at the end of which, on September 3, 1920, he marched into the city and took back the duties of the Vlorë prefecture. Upon the establishment of a democratic government by the Congress of Lushnjë, the first elections for the national legislature were held on April 5, 1921, Koculi won the Vlorë district. Koculi was Minister of Public Works in the Government of Fan Noli by pursuing a policy of opposition to King Zogu. He was one of the founders of

KONARE Konare may refer to: People * Alpha Oumar Konaré Alpha Oumar Konaré (born 2 February 1946) is a Malian politician, who served as President of Mali for two five-year terms from 1992 to 2002 and was Chairperson of the African Union Commission ...

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

in 1925. With 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 ...

of 1939, Koculi returned to Albania. He was one of the Ministers of State during the government of Mustafa Kruja, and was delegated High commissioner in Vlorë, being so the direct governmental authority in the district. After the

Battle of Gjorm The Battle of Gjorm ( sq, Beteja e Gjormit) was a battle of the Albanian Resistance of World War II against the Kingdom of Italy. The battle took place on January 1–2, 1943, in the areas of Gjorm, Vranisht, Dukat, Tragjas and Tërbaç in so ...

, Koculi was murdered in Vlorë by the

militia A militia () is generally an army or some other fighting organization of non-professional soldiers, citizens of a country, or subjects of a state, who may perform military service during a time of need, as opposed to a professional force of r ...

led by Halil Alia.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Koculi, Qazim Government ministers of Albania Prime Ministers of Albania Public Works ministers of Albania Albanian Fascist Party politicians Albanian military personnel Military personnel of the Ottoman Empire Albanian Muslims Assassinated Albanian politicians People from Selenicë Albanian collaborators with Fascist Italy Albanian fascists 1943 deaths 1887 births Zosimaia School alumni People murdered in Albania