Syrja Vlora (1860–1940), usually referred as Syrja Bey Vlora ( tr, Avlonyalı Süreyya Bey), was an Ottoman Albanian politician, an active figure of the

Albanian Declaration of Independence The Albanian Declaration of Independence ( Albanian: ''Deklarata e Pavarësisë'') was the declaration of independence of Albania from the Ottoman Empire. Independent Albania was proclaimed in Vlorë on 28 November 1912. Six days later the Assem ...

in 1912 and one of the delegates of the

Assembly of Vlorë The Assembly of Vlorë ( sq, Kuvendi i Vlorës) was an Albanian assembly constituted during the All-Albanian Congress in Vlorë, on November 28, 1912. Background The All-Albanian Congress or ''Albanian National Congress'' or ''Albanian Ind ...

Biography

Syrja Bey was born in Vlorë, back then Ottoman Empire, in 1860. He was a member of the distinguished wealthy landowning Vlora family, historically successful through the ranks of Ottoman administration and military for almost 4 centuries. He was the brother of the

Grand Vizier Grand vizier ( fa, وزيرِ اعظم, vazîr-i aʾzam; ota, صدر اعظم, sadr-ı aʾzam; tr, sadrazam) was the title of the effective head of government of many sovereign states in the Islamic world. The office of Grand Vizier was first ...

Avlonyalı Ferid Paşa (1851-1914) and both were sons of Mustafa Pashë Vlora. Vlora was also related to Ismail Qemali, both being political rivals at the same time. He was married to the sister of Essad Toptani. During the late Ottoman period, Vlora served as economic advisor to 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 ...

. Before the creation of the new Albanian state, he also held the positions of General Director of the Customs of the Ottoman Empire, and was a representative in the Ottoman Parliament from 1908. Vlora thought that Albanians were not ready for independence and favored a future autonomous Albania becoming a protectorate under Austria-Hungary in the advent of collapse of the Ottoman Empire. In 1911 Vlora wrote a chapter on Albanian history focusing on the Ottoman era and subjects like Skanderbeg and

Ali Pasha of Yanina Ali Pasha of Ioannina (1740 – 24 January 1822), was an Albanians, Albanian ruler who served as pasha of a large part of western Rumelia, the Ottoman Empire's European territories, which was referred to as the Pashalik of Yanina. His court was i ...

in an edited book titled ''Musaver Arnavud'' (The Illustrated Albanian) in

Ottoman Turkish Ottoman Turkish ( ota, لِسانِ عُثمانى, Lisân-ı Osmânî, ; tr, Osmanlı Türkçesi) was the standardized register of the Turkish language used by the citizens of the Ottoman Empire (14th to 20th centuries CE). It borrowed extens ...

Dervish Hima Dervish Hima (1872–1928), born Ibrahim Mehmet Naxhi, was a 19th-century Albanian politician and one of the delegates who participated at the Albanian Declaration of Independence. A publisher, he travelled from country to country, promoting Alba ...

. In 1912 during the Albanian revolt and aftermath of the Ottoman parliamentary elections, Syrja Vlora parliamentarian for Berat and Essad Toptani for Durrës 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. After the Declaration of Independence of Albania during November 1912 in his home town, where he was a delegate for the Përmet region, he held minor political positions, known mainly as the Albanian Ambassador in Vienna in 1914. He was the father of the Albanian politician and scholar Ekrem Bey Vlora. Together they had negotiated for Albanian independence in Austria during the pre-independence European tour of Ismail Qemali. He died in 1940.

References

Albanian politicians Albanian diplomats 1860 births 1940 deaths People from Vlorë Politicians of the Ottoman Empire 19th-century Albanian politicians 20th-century Albanian politicians All-Albanian Congress delegates Vlora family {{Albania-bio-stub