The Battle of Deçiq (;

Serbian Serbian may refer to: * Pertaining to Serbia in Southeast Europe; in particular **Serbs, a South Slavic ethnic group native to the Balkans ** Serbian language ** Serbian culture **Demographics of Serbia, includes other ethnic groups within the co ...

: / Битка код Дечића) was a battle between Albanian tribesmen and Ottoman forces during the Malësori uprising of 1911. It was a turning point for Albania's secession from the

Ottoman Empire The Ottoman Empire (), also called the Turkish Empire, was an empire, imperial realm that controlled much of Southeast Europe, West Asia, and North Africa from the 14th to early 20th centuries; it also controlled parts of southeastern Centr ...

Dedë Gjo Luli Dedë Gjon Luli Dedvukaj, also referred to as Ded Gjo Luli and Deda (November 1840 – 24 September 1915), was an Albanian guerrilla leader most notable for commanding the Malissori uprising against Ottoman troops. He was posthumously awarded t ...

, the organiser of the Albanian tribal forces, raised the Albanian flag for the first time since 1479 on the mountain of Deçiq after the Albanians had achieved victory over the Ottoman Turks.

Location and Background

The battle took place in Deçiq, south of the town of

Tuzi Tuzi (, ; or ''Tuzi'') is a small town in the central region of Montenegro, and the seat of Tuzi Municipality. It is located along a main road between the city of Podgorica and the Albanian border crossing, just a few kilometers north of Lake S ...

(in modern-day

Montenegro , image_flag = Flag of Montenegro.svg , image_coat = Coat of arms of Montenegro.svg , coa_size = 80 , national_motto = , national_anthem = () , image_map = Europe-Mont ...

), within the Gruda tribal territory. Tuzi is the town center of the

Malësia Malësia e Madhe ("Great Highlands"), known simply as Malësia (, ), is a historical and ethnographic region in northern Albania and eastern central Montenegro corresponding to the highlands of the geographical subdivision of the Malësi e Madhe ...

region in Montenegro, whereas the town center of ''Malësia E Madhe'' is

Koplik Koplik (also known as Koplik i Poshtëm) is a town and former municipality in the northwestern tip of Albania. At the 2015 local government reform, it became a subdivision, and the seat of the municipality Malësi e Madhe. It was the seat of the ...

. Malësia is simply translated to "The Highlands," referring to the rough mountainous terrain that characterizes the region. Inhabitants of Malësia are predominantly

Roman Catholic The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics worldwide as of 2025. It is among the world's oldest and largest international institut ...

, although the region also has a sizeable Muslim population (including Koplik itself). The tribesmen of Malësia are also known as ''Malësorët'' (singular: ''Malësor),'' meaning Highlanders. The battle occurred during the Albanian Uprising of 1911, in which the Malësor tribes undertook multiple successful military campaigns against the Ottoman Empire. During the first days of April, there was fighting around Dinosh-Deçiq. Reports at the time indicated that this force consisted of around 2,500 Malësor Albanian tribesmen; of which 900 belonged to the Gruda, 600 to the

Kelmendi Kelmendi is a historical Albanian tribes, Albanian tribe (''fis'') and region in Malësia (Kelmend (municipality), Kelmend municipality) and eastern Montenegro (parts of Gusinje Municipality). It is located in the upper valley of the Cem (river), ...

, 400 to the Hoti, 250 to the

Shala Shala (Šala) was a Mesopotamian goddess of weather and grain and the wife of the weather god Adad. It is assumed that she originated in northern Mesopotamia and that her name might have Hurrian origin. She was worshiped especially in Karka ...

, a small number to the Shkreli tribe and unknown numbers from Kastrati, Triepshi and

Koja e Kuçit Koja e Kuçit (Koja of Kuçi) is a historical Albanian tribe and region in Malësia. Koja is a Catholic region located between Triepshi and Kuči. The people of Koja are referred to as ''Kojanë'' or ''Koqas''. History Koja is the smallest ...

. The Ottomans had initiated the offensive, burning Vuksan Lekaj and attacking Humi, Deçiq, Tuzi, etc. The Hoti tribesmen in Helm managed to hold off the Ottomans, killing 25 soldiers, wounding roughly the same amount, and capturing 20.

The Battle

The main portion of the battle took place between Tuzi and

(in modern-day

Albania Albania ( ; or ), officially the Republic of Albania (), is a country in Southeast Europe. It is located in the Balkans, on the Adriatic Sea, Adriatic and Ionian Seas within the Mediterranean Sea, and shares land borders with Montenegro to ...

), whereby 3,000-3,300 Malësors fought against 28,000 Ottoman soldiers. Koplik is the largest town in

and across the border with Montenegro is

. As the fighting proceeded, both armies decided to move north into Tuzi, where the battle ended. The Ottomans had initially attacked Deçiq, which was protected by 600 Albanian tribesmen, with 6 battalions, 2 artillery units, and 9 machine guns. After 12 hours of battle and 300 casualties on the Ottoman side, the Turks retreated to the castle of Shipshanik. On the 6th of April, Nikë Gjelosh Luli,

's brother, raised the Albanian flag on the summit of Bratila in Deçiq. During this offensive, the Ottomans lost around 30 soldiers, whereas the Albanian tribesmen lost 7, one of which was the flagbearer Nish Gjelosh Luli. When raising the flag, Ded Gjo Luli said "''Now, brothers, you will see that which no one has seen in 450 years...''". This was the first time Albanians raised their Flag since the Castle of Shkodër had fallen in 1479. About a year and a half later, the Albanian Flag was officially raised in the southern town of Vlora, Albania. The Hoti and Gruda tribes continued their offensives in Dinosh on 7–8 April, resulting in the recapture of positions lost during the first days of April. On the 13th of April, the combined efforts of Kelmendi, Shala, and Shkreli tribesmen in coordination with Hoti, Gruda, and Kastrati tribesmen led to the successful conquest of strategic positions in Deçiq and close to Tuzi. An Austro-Hungarian military report at the time claimed that the Albanian tribesmen had attacked Tuzi and the hills to the east, which were called ''Mali i Hotit'' (Mountains of Hoti).

Aftermath

In 1913, at the Treaty of London, the powers of Europe decided to grant approximately half of Malësia to Montenegro while the rest was ceded to Albania. Tuzi, along with half of the Hoti (Traboini) tribal territory, all of Gruda, Triesh, and

went to Montenegro.

, the other half of Hoti (Rapsha), Kastrati, Shkreli, and the town of Koplik remained in Albania, but certain parts of Kelmendi, such as Vuthaj, Martinaj, Plav and

Guci In Chinese culture, Guci () are the prosimetric lyrics of '' dagu'', one musical entertainment form in the '' shuochang'' or "speak and sing" genre. The performers narrate a story based on the lyrics, usually accompanied by singing, while beati ...

, went to Montenegro. Most of

Kosovo Kosovo, officially the Republic of Kosovo, is a landlocked country in Southeast Europe with International recognition of Kosovo, partial diplomatic recognition. It is bordered by Albania to the southwest, Montenegro to the west, Serbia to the ...

was annexed to Serbia, with parts of the region of

Metohija Metohija (), also known in Albanian as Dukagjini, (, ) is a large drainage basin, basin and the name of the region covering the southwestern part of Kosovo. The region covers 35% (3,891 km2) of Kosovo's total area. According to the 2024 ce ...

being ceded to Montenegro.

Notable warriors

* Ded Gjo Luli Dedvukaj of Traboin * Lulash Zeke Nicaj of Traboin * Sokol Baci of Gruda * Palok Marku Lulgjuraj of Gruda * Zef miliqi Lulgjuraj of Selishti * Prel Marku Lulgjuraj of Lofka *

Pretash Zeka Ulaj Pretash Zeka Ulaj (1882–1962) was an Albanians, Albanian military figure in the Albanian Revolt of 1911. He was the ''bajraktar'' (flag-bearer) of Koja e Kuçit in Montenegro. He was distinguished Battle of Deçiq, fought near Tuzi in 1911 betwee ...

of Koja * Prek Cali of Kelmend * Dok Prëçi Krcaj of Koja * Gjeto Toma Kolçaj of Koja * Mehmet Shpendi of Shala * Tringe Smajl Martini of Gruda *

Palok Traboini Palok is a village in Bhamo Township in Bhamo District Bhamo District () is a Districts of Burma, district of the Kachin State in northern Myanmar. The capital is the city of Bhamo. The district covers an area of 10,742.9 km2. In 2002, th ...

1888-1951, Secretary of Ded Gjo Lul, teacher, and owner of the Albanian Flag of Deçiq, which he brought from

Vienna Vienna ( ; ; ) is the capital city, capital, List of largest cities in Austria, most populous city, and one of Federal states of Austria, nine federal states of Austria. It is Austria's primate city, with just over two million inhabitants. ...

through Dalmatia.

Location and Background

The Battle

Aftermath

Notable warriors

References

Further reading