Haxhi Ymer bey Effendi Prizreni or Ymer Drini (c. 1820 – 12 June 1887) was an Ottoman-Albanian

'alim In Islam, the ''ulama'' (; ar, علماء ', singular ', "scholar", literally "the learned ones", also spelled ''ulema''; feminine: ''alimah'' ingularand ''aalimath'' lural are the guardians, transmitters, and interpreters of religious ...

hoxha Enver Halil Hoxha ( , ; 16 October 190811 April 1985) was an Albanian communist politician who was the authoritarian ruler of Albania from 1944 until his death in 1985. He was First Secretary of the Party of Labour of Albania from 1941 unt ...

and the

political leader A politician is a person active in party politics, or a person holding or seeking an elected office in government. Politicians propose, support, reject and create laws that govern the land and by an extension of its people. Broadly speaking, a ...

of the

League of Prizren The League of Prizren ( sq, Besëlidhja e Prizrenit), officially the League for the Defense of the Rights of the Albanian Nation ( sq, Lidhja për mbrojtjen e të drejtave te kombit Shqiptar), was an Albanian political organization which was offi ...

. He was Prime Minister of its Autonomous Provisional Government, formed in the period 1880–1881.

Life

He was born around 1820, descending from a family of müderris, landlords in the area of Zgatar, near

Prizren ) , settlement_type = Municipality and city , image_skyline = Prizren Collage.jpg , imagesize = 290px , image_caption = View of Prizren , image_alt = View of Prizren , image_flag ...

and nearby. He was the son of Müderris Sylejman Ali Nuhi. His grandfather was Müderris Ali Nuhi, known in the region of Opojë as founder of the first mosque in Zgatari, on 10 May 1814. It is not known when his father Sylejman settled in Prizren. Sylejman served as

Imam Imam (; ar, إمام '; plural: ') is an Islamic leadership position. For Sunni Muslims, Imam is most commonly used as the title of a worship leader of a mosque. In this context, imams may lead Islamic worship services, lead prayers, serve ...

in the Bajrakli Mosque, owner of land, stores and

mill Mill may refer to: Science and technology * * Mill (grinding) * Milling (machining) * Millwork * Textile mill * Steel mill, a factory for the manufacture of steel * List of types of mill * Mill, the arithmetic unit of the Analytical Engine early ...

s in Prizren area. All three sons Ali, Ymer and Osman went through high education. The only descendants of the family today come from Ymer's brother Ali. Ymer followed elementary and middle education in his town. Then he went to

Istanbul ) , postal_code_type = Postal code , postal_code = 34000 to 34990 , area_code = +90 212 (European side) +90 216 (Asian side) , registration_plate = 34 , blank_name_sec2 = GeoTLD , blank_i ...

where he studied

Islamic theology Schools of Islamic theology are various Islamic schools and branches in different schools of thought regarding '' ʿaqīdah'' (creed). The main schools of Islamic Theology include the Qadariyah, Falasifa, Jahmiyya, Murji'ah, Muʿtazila, Batin ...

and jurisdiction. After the studies he worked in the ''

madrasa Madrasa (, also , ; Arabic: مدرسة , pl. , ) is the Arabic word for any type of educational institution, secular or religious (of any religion), whether for elementary instruction or higher learning. The word is variously transliterated '' ...

'' of Prizren, where he distinguished himself as a main supporter of the lower classes against the injustices of the corrupt 19th-century Ottoman administration. Once the

Russo-Turkish War The Russo-Turkish wars (or Ottoman–Russian wars) were a series of twelve wars fought between the Russian Empire and the Ottoman Empire between the 16th and 20th centuries. It was one of the longest series of military conflicts in European histo ...

started off in (1877–1878), he set up together with other Albanian leaders, to work for the protection of Albania's territorial integrity and to seek its national rights in international level. He organised self-defence committee for the

Sanjak of Prizren The Sanjak of Prizren or Priştine ( tr, Prizren Sancağı, sq, Sanxhaku i Prizrenit, sr, Призренски санџак / ''Prizrenski sandžak'') was one of the sanjaks in the Ottoman Empire with Prizren as its administrative centre. It was ...

and elsewhere, and organised other committees that were formed in

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 international recognition of Kosovo, partiall ...

League of Prizren

In 1877 he was elected member of the first Ottoman Parliament (1876–1878). In the same year he became a member and a founder of the

Central Committee for Defending Albanian Rights The Central Committee for Defending Albanian Rights was formed in the city of Istanbul, Turkey, then Ottoman Empire on December 18, 1877, by an influential group of Albanian intellectuals, patriots, and politicians, such as Hasan Tahsini, Abdyl Fras ...

( sq, Komiteti Shqiptar i Stambollit) which was formed under the chairmanship of

Abdyl Frashëri Abdyl Dume bey Frashëri ( tr, Fraşerli Abdül Bey; 1 June 1839 – 23 October 1892) was an Ottoman Albanian civil servant, politician during the First Constitutional Era of the Ottoman Empire, and one of the first Albanian political ideologue ...

, whom he was connected for the rest of his life. In the spring of 1878, he chaired the committee that organised in Prizren General Assembly meeting, who founded the Albanian League. In October 1879 he was elected chairman of the League, and in January 1881, and the head of the Autonomous Provisional Government. As its chairman, he directed political activity that led to the establishment of the Vilayet of Albania, administration and organisation of armed resistance against the Ottoman armies which were coming to crush it in the spring of 1881. After suppression of the League of Prizren, Ymer Prizren escaped from falling into the hands of the Ottoman authorities and to refuse the submission, by settling in Ulcinj, although sultan promised forgiveness and high posts to corrupt him in order to have him return. He was not subdued nor his Albanian ideology, and died in Ulcinj where his tomb still lies. He was allegedly murdered and all his archive of documents was stolen. Lately, his remains were examined. The medical expertise verified the assumptions that he was murdered.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Prizreni, Ymer 1820 births 1887 deaths Albanian politicians Kosovo Albanians Albanians from the Ottoman Empire 19th-century Albanian people Albanian Sunni Muslims People from Prizren People from Kosovo vilayet Activists of the Albanian National Awakening