Fejzi Bey Alizoti (22 September 1874,

Gjirokastër Gjirokastër (, sq-definite, Gjirokastra) is a List of cities and towns in Albania, city in Southern Albania, southern Albania and the seat of Gjirokastër County and Gjirokastër Municipality. It is located in a valley between the Gjerë moun ...

– 14 April 1945,

Tirana Tirana ( , ; ) is the capital and List of cities and towns in Albania, 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 ov ...

) was an

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 ...

n politician who served as the chairman of the central administration of Albania from January 1916 to October 1918. He was the first interim prime minister of Albania.

Life

Alizoti was born in

, back then

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 ...

in a powerful family. His great-grandfather was Alizot Pasha who had ruled for a very short time (1787) the

Vilayet of Yannina The Vilayet of Janina, Yanya or Ioannina () was a first-level administrative division (vilayet) of the Ottoman Empire, established in 1867. In the late 19th century, it reportedly had an area of .

after the death of Ahmet Kurt Pasha. His father Hasan Bey Alizoti was a local ''

bey Bey, also spelled as Baig, Bayg, Beigh, Beig, Bek, Baeg, Begh, or Beg, is a Turkic title for a chieftain, and a royal, aristocratic title traditionally applied to people with special lineages to the leaders or rulers of variously sized areas in ...

''. At the age of 8, Alizoti was sent to study in

Ioannina Ioannina ( ' ), often called Yannena ( ' ) within Greece, is the capital and largest city of the Ioannina (regional unit), Ioannina regional unit and of Epirus (region), Epirus, an Modern regions of Greece, administrative region in northwester ...

. After that he finished the Classic Gymnasium of

Salonika Thessaloniki (; ), also known as Thessalonica (), Saloniki, Salonika, or Salonica (), is the second-largest city in Greece (with slightly over one million inhabitants in its Thessaloniki metropolitan area, metropolitan area) and the capital cit ...

in 1890 and return to Gjirokastër. After that he left for

Istanbul Istanbul is the List of largest cities and towns in Turkey, largest city in Turkey, constituting the country's economic, cultural, and historical heart. With Demographics of Istanbul, a population over , it is home to 18% of the Demographics ...

, where he studied at

Mekteb-i Mülkiye The Faculty of Political Science of the University of Ankara (, more simply known as "''SBF''") is the oldest institution of administrative sciences in Turkey. It is the successor of the "Mekteb-i Mülkiye" ('), also known simply as "Mülkiye," wh ...

economics and civic administration. After the graduation he was sent in

Syria Syria, officially the Syrian Arab Republic, is a country in West Asia located in the Eastern Mediterranean and the Levant. It borders the Mediterranean Sea to the west, Turkey to Syria–Turkey border, the north, Iraq to Iraq–Syria border, t ...

where he worked as part of the Ottoman administration for 3 years. After succeeding the first assignment he was appointed Prefect of

Homs Homs ( ; ), known in pre-Islamic times as Emesa ( ; ), is a city in western Syria and the capital of the Homs Governorate. It is Metres above sea level, above sea level and is located north of Damascus. Located on the Orontes River, Homs is ...

in the

Tripoli Eyalet Tripoli Eyalet (; ) was an eyalet of the Ottoman Empire. The capital was in Tripoli, Lebanon. Its reported area in the 19th century was . It extended along the coast, from the southern limits of the Amanus mountains in the north, to the gorge o ...

, and later in the

Bilecik Bilecik is a city in northwestern Anatolia, Turkey. It is the seat of Bilecik Province and Bilecik District.High Porte asking to be transferred somewhere in the Albanian areas. With the intervention of some friends of him in the capital, he was transferred as Prefect of

Korçë Korçë (; sq-definite, Korça) is the List of cities and towns in Albania, eighth most populous city of Albania and the seat of Korçë County and Korçë Municipality. The total population of the city is 51,152 and 75,994 of Korçë municipal ...

. After the

Young Turk Revolution The Young Turk Revolution (July 1908; ) was a constitutionalist revolution in the Ottoman Empire. Revolutionaries belonging to the Internal Committee of Union and Progress, an organization of the Young Turks movement, forced Sultan Abdul Hamid II ...

and the new constitution he was sent Prefect in

Prizren Prizren ( sq-definite, Prizreni, ; sr-cyr, Призрен) is the second List of cities and towns in Kosovo, most populous city and Municipalities of Kosovo, municipality of Kosovo and seat of the eponymous municipality and District of Prizren, ...

, Vilayet of Kosovo until March 1910 when the unrest in Albanian ''Vilayets'' would increase following with the Albanian rebellions. Alizoti was recalled to Istanbul and sent to

Romania Romania is a country located at the crossroads of Central Europe, Central, Eastern Europe, Eastern and Southeast Europe. It borders Ukraine to the north and east, Hungary to the west, Serbia to the southwest, Bulgaria to the south, Moldova to ...

for a specialization course. After 6 months he returned and started as Administrator of

Urfa Urfa, officially called Şanlıurfa (), is a city in southeastern Turkey and the capital of Şanlıurfa Province. The city was known as Edessa from Hellenistic period, Hellenistic times and into Christian times. Urfa is situated on a plain abo ...

Asia Minor Anatolia (), also known as Asia Minor, is a peninsula in West Asia that makes up the majority of the land area of Turkey. It is the westernmost protrusion of Asia and is geographically bounded by the Mediterranean Sea to the south, the Aegean ...

, and after that as Governor of Al-Khums in Western

Libya Libya, officially the State of Libya, is a country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It borders the Mediterranean Sea to the north, Egypt to Egypt–Libya border, the east, Sudan to Libya–Sudan border, the southeast, Chad to Chad–L ...

. According to Elsie, the Italians arrested him during the

Italo-Turkish War The Italo-Turkish (, "Tripolitanian War", , "War of Libya"), also known as the Turco-Italian War, was fought between the Kingdom of Italy and the Ottoman Empire from 29 September 1911 to 18 October 1912. As a result of this conflict, Italy captur ...

for Libya and interned in a camp in

Italy Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsula, a peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, with the Alps on its northern land b ...

. There he would become one of the greatest Italophiles in Albanian history staying a loyal supporter of Italian interests. According to Albanian sources, he was recalled from the Ottoman authorities and sent as Administrator in the

Dodecanese The Dodecanese (, ; , ''Dodekánisa'' , ) are a group of 15 larger and 150 smaller Greek islands in the southeastern Aegean Sea and Eastern Mediterranean, off the coast of Anatolia, of which 26 are inhabited. This island group generally define ...

islands. After that, with the start of the Albanian Revolt of 1912, the Ottoman authorities sent him together with Abdyl Ypi as a best-fit "mediator" to calm down the Albanian rebels of the

Labëria Labëria is a historic region that is roughly situated in southwestern Albania. Its inhabitants are known as Labs (referred to as , pl. ''Lebër'', also dial. sing. ''Lap'') and its boundaries reach from Vlorë to Himara in the south, to the Gr ...

region who had already gathered an Assembly in Cepo, near

, and aligned their demands with the rebels in the north. The attempts were unsuccessful even though Ypi and Alizoti managed to organize a meeting with rebel leaders in

Tepelenë Tepelenë ( sq-definite, Tepelena) is a city and a municipality in Gjirokastër County, in the south of Albania. The town is on the left bank of the Vjosa River, about three kilometres downstream from its union with the Drino. Until the abolition ...

on August 18. Ismail Kemal wrote to Alizoti and asked to join him in

Vlorë Vlorë ( ; ; sq-definite, Vlora) is the List of cities and towns in Albania, third most populous city of Albania and seat of Vlorë County and Vlorë Municipality. Located in southwestern Albania, Vlorë sprawls on the Bay of Vlorë and is surr ...

after the

Declaration of Independence A declaration of independence is an assertion by a polity in a defined territory that it is independent and constitutes a state. Such places are usually declared from part or all of the territory of another state or failed state, or are breaka ...

. For a short time in 1914 Alizoti was the 2nd Prime Minister under the auspices of the International Commission of Control. Under Prince Wied he served as secretary-general of the Ministry of the Interior, and Prefect of Shkodra, investigating Albanian officers who were suspected to had taken part in the Islamic Revolt. He strongly opposed Essad Toptani and his parallel government in Durrës. During World War I he worked with Austrian occupation forces as Financial Director of the Civilian Administration Council set up by

August Ritter von Kral August Ritter von Kral (June 20, 1869 in Broumov, Braunau, Bohemia - 12 June 1953 in Vienna, Austria) was an Austrian diplomat. August Kral entered the diplomatic service of Austria-Hungary in 1894 and held various posts in embassies in the Ottoma ...

(1869-1953). Alizoti was Minister of Finances of Albania in 1918–1920. He was one of the prominent members of the

Congress of Durrës The Congress of Durrës () was a conference of Albanian political leaders, held from December 25 to December 27, 1918, in Durrës, at the time capital of the Principality of Albania. Mehmet Konica was the Chairman of the Congress, which aimed ...

. Later in 1920 he would take an opponent stance towards 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 21 to January 31, 1920, in Lushnjë, Albania. Its objective was to deal with the is ...

, which replaced the pro-Italian government of Durrës with a new one, establishing the territorial sovereignty of Albania. According to

Sejfi Vllamasi Sejfi Vllamasi (1883–1975) was an Albanian congressman and well-known politician during the first half of the 20th century. He was born in the village of Novoselë, in Kolonjë, Albania (at the time part of the Ottoman Empire). Vllamasi studied ...

's (1883–1975) memories, Alizoti, together with

Mustafa Merlika-Kruja Mustafa Merlika-Kruja (March 15, 1887 – December 27, 1958) was one of the signatories of the Albanian Declaration of Independence. He was Prime Minister of Albania during the Italian occupation from December 4, 1941, to January 19, 1943. E ...

, Myfit Libohova, and

Sami Bey Vrioni Sami Bey Vrioni (1876–1947) was an Albanian politician, diplomat, and a delegate at the Assembly of Vlora which declared the Albanian Declaration of Independence. He was a respected and powerful landowner in the Fier region of Albania. Biogr ...

would try to prohibit the delegates for joining the Lushnje event.

Ahmet Zogu Zog I (born Ahmed Muhtar Zogolli; 8 October 18959 April 1961) was the leader of Albania from 1922 to 1939. At age 27, he first served as Albania's youngest ever Prime Minister (1922–1924), then as president (1925–1928), and finally as King ...

would call him a "traitor" for that. After the attempts failed, Alizoti escaped shortly to

Corfu Corfu ( , ) or Kerkyra (, ) is a Greece, Greek island in the Ionian Sea, of the Ionian Islands; including its Greek islands, small satellite islands, it forms the margin of Greece's northwestern frontier. The island is part of the Corfu (regio ...

avoiding any reaction from the congress supporters. During the

June Revolution The June Revolution () was a popular uprising in Albania that temporarily overthrew the Zogist regime following the 1923 Albanian parliamentary election and the assassination of popular Albanian activist and politician Avni Rustemi. A new gove ...

of 1924 he supported Ahmet Zogu, who needed him because of his good relations with the Italians. After Zogu's rise in power Alizoti took part in various negotiations between Albania and Italy, always siding with Italy to the detriment of Albanian interests, to the extent that he was called the "kavass of the Italians". From February to October 1927 he was Minister of Finance and shortly substituting his ally and friend Iliaz Vrioni. He played a major role in the proclamation of the Albanian Monarchy in 1928. Alizoti proposed that Zog was called not only "King of Albania" but "King of the Albanians" including so even the Albanian population outside the borders. During the Italian occupation he served again as Minister of Finances in

Shefqet Vërlaci Shefqet Vërlaci bej (; 15 December 1877 – 21 July 1946), also known as Shevket Verlaci, was an Albanian politician and wealthy landowner who served as the 12th Prime Minister of Albania. Biography Shefqet Vërlaci was born on 15 December 18 ...

's government from April 12, 1939, to 1940.

Death and legacy

Arrested on April 14, 1945, by the

Communists Communism () is a sociopolitical, philosophical, and economic ideology within the socialist movement, whose goal is the creation of a communist society, a socioeconomic order centered on common ownership of the means of production, d ...

, under direct orders from the

Communist regime A communist state, also known as a Marxist–Leninist state, is a one-party state in which the totality of the power belongs to a party adhering to some form of Marxism–Leninism, a branch of the communist ideology. Marxism–Leninism was ...

's Special Court, he was sentenced to death by a

firing squad Firing may refer to: * Dismissal (employment), sudden loss of employment by termination * Firemaking, the act of starting a fire * Burning; see combustion * Shooting, specifically the discharge of firearms * Execution by firing squad, a method of ...

. His family would be persecuted. During the

Communist era A communist era is a sustained period of national government by a single party following the philosophy of Marxism–Leninism. Many countries have experienced such a period of communist rule. Current communist states China The Chinese Communist ...

, he would be recalled as "traitor, collaborationist, feudal, corrupt, and Italian agent". His son Riza Alizoti (1915-1947) was arrested and accused of being a spy and a saboteur of the

petroleum Petroleum, also known as crude oil or simply oil, is a naturally occurring, yellowish-black liquid chemical mixture found in geological formations, consisting mainly of hydrocarbons. The term ''petroleum'' refers both to naturally occurring un ...

fields of

Kuçovë Kuçovë ( sq-definite, Kuçova) is a municipality in south-central Albania. It was formed at the 2015 local government reform by the merger of the former municipalities Kozare, Kuçovë, Lumas and Perondi, which all became municipal units. The ...

with a group of other engineers known as "Saboteurs group" (). He was executed on 10 October 1947 by

hanging Hanging is killing a person by suspending them from the neck with a noose or ligature strangulation, ligature. Hanging has been a standard method of capital punishment since the Middle Ages, and has been the primary execution method in numerou ...

. A special reference would be made during the Communist era to one Alizoti's famous sayings regarding higher education ("...there is intellectual overproduction in Albania"), considering that 80-85% of the Albanians were illiterate.

Notes and references

Notes References {{DEFAULTSORT:Alizoti, Fejzi 1874 births 1945 deaths People from Gjirokastër People from Janina vilayet Politicians from the Ottoman Empire 19th-century Albanian politicians 20th-century Albanian politicians Government ministers of Albania Finance ministers of Albania Speakers of the Parliament of Albania Members of the Parliament of Albania State auditors of Albania Albanian people executed by the communist regime Executed Albanian collaborators with Fascist Italy People executed by Albania by firing squad Government of Durrës Congress of Durrës delegates

Life

Death and legacy

See also

Notes and references