Labëria is a historic region that is roughly situated in southwestern
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 ...
. Its inhabitants are known as Labs (referred to as , pl. ''Lebër'', also dial. sing. ''Lap'') and its boundaries reach from
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 ...
to
Himara in the south, to the
Greek border near
Sarandë
Sarandë (; sq-definite, Saranda; ) is a List of cities and towns in Albania, city in the Republic of Albania and the seat of Sarandë Municipality. Geographically, the city is located on an open sea gulf of the Ionian Sea within the Mediterrane ...
, incorporating the
Kurvelesh region of
Gjirokastër District and extending east to the city of
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 ...
.
Name
The toponym ''Labëri/-a'' and the name of the
Albanian sub-group: ''Lab'' (also ''Labe'', ''Labi''), pl. ''Lebër'', are endonyms formed from the root ''*arb/*alb'' (cf. the ancient ethonym
Αλβανοί, ''Albanoi'' by
Ptolemy
Claudius Ptolemy (; , ; ; – 160s/170s AD) was a Greco-Roman mathematician, astronomer, astrologer, geographer, and music theorist who wrote about a dozen scientific treatises, three of which were important to later Byzantine science, Byzant ...
, and Αλβανοί, Αρβανίται in
Byzantine
The Byzantine Empire, also known as the Eastern Roman Empire, was the continuation of the Roman Empire centred on Constantinople during late antiquity and the Middle Ages. Having survived the events that caused the fall of the Western Roman E ...
sources). The variant ''lab-'', which goes back to ''*alb-'', resulted from a
metathesis characteristic of
Common Slavic, and was
reborrowed in that form into Albanian.
[. "Die besondere ethnische Stellung der Labëri tritt auch in den Benennungen ''lab'' 'Labe', ''Labëri'', Arbëri hervor, die von der Wurzel *''alb''-/*''arb''- gebildet sind und die alte Selbstbenennung der Albaner enthalten. Der Bewohner von Labëri wird auch jetzt lab, best. ''labi'' genannt, eig. ‘der Albaner’. Der Wandel *''alb''- > ''lab'' zeigt die für das Slawische typische metatheseerscheinung. [The particular ethnic position of ''Labëri'' emerges also in the names lab, 'Labe', Labëri, Arbëri that from the root *''alb''-/*''arb''- formed and included the old self-designation of the Albanians. The residents of Labëri is also now lab, spec. ''labi'' called proper 'the Albanians'. The change *''alb''>''lab'' shows the typical metathesis for the Slavic.]"] The toponym ''Arbëri'', now used as a variant of ''Labëri'' and only to refer to a small mountainous region extending within the triangle:
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 ...
-
Sarandë
Sarandë (; sq-definite, Saranda; ) is a List of cities and towns in Albania, city in the Republic of Albania and the seat of Sarandë Municipality. Geographically, the city is located on an open sea gulf of the Ionian Sea within the Mediterrane ...
-
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 ...
, formerly had a broader usage referring in the old times generally to Albania and Albanians (''arbëror'', subst. ''arbëresh''). The variants Arbëri/Labëri were used narrowly to designate a country inhabited by the Labs, i.e. Albanians proper.
The link to the older form of the toponym was preserved until the late
Ottoman period as suggested in documents of the court of
Ali Pasha of Tepelena and other publications. As reported by
Hahn (1854), at his time the toponym ''Arbërí'' was used in the strict sense to denote the highland area at the back of
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 ...
, i.e.
Kurvelesh and Labëria; however, according to him, it was used in a wider sense including also
Himarë
Himarë ( sq-definite, Himara; , ''Chimara'' or Χειμάρρα, ''Cheimarra'') is a Municipalities of Albania, municipality and region in Vlorë County, southern Albania. The municipality has a total area of and consists of the administrative ...
up to
Delvinë, that is the ancient
Chaonia.
In Ottoman times, the region became known as ''Laplık'' in
Turkish, comprising the areas of
Delvinë, Avlonya (
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 ...
), Tepedelen (
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 ...
), Kurules (
Kurvelesh), and Ergiri (
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 ...
). The
Greek name is Λιαπουριά, ''Liapouriá''.
History
In the Middle Ages the Labs were followers of the
Eastern Orthodox Church
The Eastern Orthodox Church, officially the Orthodox Catholic Church, and also called the Greek Orthodox Church or simply the Orthodox Church, is List of Christian denominations by number of members, one of the three major doctrinal and ...
but many converted to
Islam
Islam is an Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic monotheistic religion based on the Quran, and the teachings of Muhammad. Adherents of Islam are called Muslims, who are estimated to number Islam by country, 2 billion worldwide and are the world ...
during
Ottoman rule, with the bulk of conversion occurring in the 18th century. Conversions were especially intense during years of conflict between the
Russian Empire
The Russian Empire was an empire that spanned most of northern Eurasia from its establishment in November 1721 until the proclamation of the Russian Republic in September 1917. At its height in the late 19th century, it covered about , roughl ...
and the Ottoman Empire, during which some pressure was applied on Orthodox Christians by Ottoman rulers, including even low-scale forced conversion of villages, contradicting the official Ottoman tolerance for Christians.
[Giakoumis, Kosta. ''The Orthodox Church in Albania during Ottoman Rule''. Page 8.] Additional reasons for conversion included discrimination and exploitation of Christians by Ottoman rulers, the previous patterns of conversion between different Christian sects and the diverse pre-Ottoman distribution of Christian faiths in the region (including Orthodoxy,
Catholicism
The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...
,
Bogomilism, and even
Arianism
Arianism (, ) is a Christology, Christological doctrine which rejects the traditional notion of the Trinity and considers Jesus to be a creation of God, and therefore distinct from God. It is named after its major proponent, Arius (). It is co ...
), the poll tax which only Christians had to pay, the poverty of the church, the mass illiteracy of priests and the fact that the language of worship was not the Albanian vernacular.
Tradition holds that a mass conversion of Labs occurred during a famine in which the bishops of
Himara and
Delvina refused to let the Labs break fast and drink milk.
Many Labs were recruited by the Ottoman
Janissary
A janissary (, , ) was a member of the elite infantry units that formed the Ottoman sultan's household troops. They were the first modern standing army, and perhaps the first infantry force in the world to be equipped with firearms, adopted dur ...
corps due to their skills and the Ottomans' initial preference for recruiting Albanians after their invasion of the Balkans. After the disbandment of the Janissary corps by
Sultan Mahmud II in 1826, the
Sufi branch of the
Bektashi Order, a core Janissary institution, was also disbanded, and its followers executed or exiled to Southern Albania. As a result, the majority of the Labs today belong to the Bektashi faith with Orthodox Christians concentrated in the Himara coastal region as well as a few pockets throughout Vlorë district and the southern and eastern parts of the region, around Gjirokastër, Delvine and Sarande.
Ali Pasha of Tepelena or of Yanina (Ioannina), surnamed Aslan, "the Lion", or the "Lion of Yannina" (1740–1822), was born in this region. He ruled the western part of
Rumelia
Rumelia (; ; ) was a historical region in Southeastern Europe that was administered by the Ottoman Empire, roughly corresponding to the Balkans. In its wider sense, it was used to refer to all Ottoman possessions and Vassal state, vassals in E ...
, the Ottoman Empire's European territory which was also called
Pashalik of Yanina. His court was 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 ...
. Ali had three sons: Ahmet Muhtar Pasha (served in the 1809 war against the Russians), Veli Pasha of Morea and Salih Pasha of Vlorë. Ali Pasha of Tepelena died fighting on February 5, 1822, at the age of 82.
Geography
In its most extensive definition, Labëria may be used to include everything from
Mallakastra and the
Vjosa river down to
Saranda, and in its (somewhat more common) most specific definition, it may refer only to
Himara,
Tepelena and
Kurvelesh. In the more extensive definition, in addition to these three regions, other regions included are
Vlore and its surroundings south of the Vjosa river,
Lunxhëria,
Mallakastra,
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 ...
and its surroundings,
Delvinë and its surroundings,
Pogon,
Dropull
Dropull ( sq-definite, Dropulli; ''Dropoli'' or ''Deropoli'') is a municipality in Gjirokastër County, in southern Albania. The region stretches from south of the city of Gjirokastër to the Greek–Albanian border, along the Drino river. The reg ...
,
Saranda and sometimes ( very rarely)
Këlcyra and
Zagori. Bordering regions include
Pogon,
Myzeqe,
Chamëria,
Dangëllia and
Dishnica (as well as the border with Greece).
Culture
Labëria is culturally distinguishable from the rest of Albania in its traditions and folklore. The Labs were warlike pastoral people who lived mainly in the mountains of
Kurvelesh,
Progonat and
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 ...
during the
Byzantine period
The Byzantine Empire, also known as the Eastern Roman Empire, was the continuation of the Roman Empire centred on Constantinople during late antiquity and the Middle Ages. Having survived History of the Roman Empire, the events that caused the ...
and the
Ottoman invasion of Albania. However, due to mass migrations to urban areas following
World War II
World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
, the population is now concentrated in the cities of
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 ...
,
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 ...
,
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 ...
and
Sarandë
Sarandë (; sq-definite, Saranda; ) is a List of cities and towns in Albania, city in the Republic of Albania and the seat of Sarandë Municipality. Geographically, the city is located on an open sea gulf of the Ionian Sea within the Mediterrane ...
.
Pleqërishte is a genre of
Albanian iso-polyphony primarily found in Labëria
Music of Labs is polyphonic, more soft and lyrical than rugged single voiced music of
Ghegs dedicated to heroism.
Similarly to other
clan-based Albanian mountain communities, Labs developed a codex of customary laws, the ''
Kanun of Labëria'' (, ''Kanuni i Papa Zhulit'' or ''Kanuni i Idriz Sulit'').
This set of traditional unwritten laws which survived
Byzantine
The Byzantine Empire, also known as the Eastern Roman Empire, was the continuation of the Roman Empire centred on Constantinople during late antiquity and the Middle Ages. Having survived the events that caused the fall of the Western Roman E ...
and
Ottoman periods in the isolated and inaccessible territories of southwest Albania.
During the regime of
Enver Hoxha
Enver Halil Hoxha ( , ; ; 16 October 190811 April 1985) was an Albanian communist revolutionary and politician who was the leader of People's Socialist Republic of Albania, Albania from 1944 until his death in 1985. He was the Secretary (titl ...
the Labs, Ghegs and Tosks were forbidden to emphasize their identity.
Language
The dialect associated with Labëria is the
Lab dialect, which is particular to the region. The dialect mixes innovative and archaic features, and is closely related to the
Arbëresh spoken by the
old Albanian diaspora 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 ...
, the
Arvanitika of
Arvanites in
Greece
Greece, officially the Hellenic Republic, is a country in Southeast Europe. Located on the southern tip of the Balkan peninsula, it shares land borders with Albania to the northwest, North Macedonia and Bulgaria to the north, and Turkey to th ...
, and
Cham Albanian.
The
Himariote dialect of Greek is also spoken in the region of Himara, which is often considered part of Laberia, and other Greek dialects are spoken in the southern extremes of the region as well as in the villages of
Nartë and
Zvernec.
Aromanian and
Roma minorities that are present in some places may also speak their ancestral languages.
Religion
Historically the Labs were followers of the
Eastern Orthodox Church
The Eastern Orthodox Church, officially the Orthodox Catholic Church, and also called the Greek Orthodox Church or simply the Orthodox Church, is List of Christian denominations by number of members, one of the three major doctrinal and ...
. Literary evidence by Greek historian Aravatinos records that they converted to
Islam
Islam is an Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic monotheistic religion based on the Quran, and the teachings of Muhammad. Adherents of Islam are called Muslims, who are estimated to number Islam by country, 2 billion worldwide and are the world ...
at a time of great famine during the Ottoman period. One of the reasons was that Christian bishops refused to allow them to consume milk during
fast days.
During the Ottoman era, a minority of Labs converted to Eastern Catholicism under Arberesh-led missionaries (notably in Himara in 1577); although the presence of eastern Catholicism in Labëria remains small today, and receded due to the Islamization of the wider region.
Notable people
*
Kadri Azbiu – Albanian communist politician who was purged by Enver Hoxha
*
Nafiz Bezhani – Albanian jurist, politician, and writer
*
Tafil Buzi – Albanian rebel and warlord during the 19th century
*
Adil Çarçani
Adil Çarçani (5 May 1922 – 13 October 1997) was an Albanian politician who served as the List of Prime Ministers of Albania, 24th Prime Minister of Albania during the Communist era led by Enver Hoxha. He served as the titular head of the Alban ...
– Albanian communist politician
*
Hasan Dosti – Albanian leader of the
Balli Kombëtar, jurist and politician
*
Victor Dosti – son of Hasan Dosti, political prisoner during communism
*
Kadri Gjata – Albanian patriot, writer, and educator
*
Zenel Gjoleka – Leader of the 1847 Southern Albanian Revolt
*
Sinan Idrizi – CEO of Air Albania, born to a Cham father and Lab mother
*
Hysni Kapo – Albanian communist politician, and third in command from 1945 to 1979
*
Qazim Koculi – Albanian military commander during the
Vlora War, and Prime Minister of Albania for one day in 1922
*
Musine Kokalari – founder of Albania's early social democratic parties
*
Ahmet Lepenica – Albanian nationalist, military commander and hero of the 1920 Vlora War
*
Myfit Bej Libohova – Justice Minister, Minister of the Interior, Minister of Finance, and Minister of Culture, of the
Libohova family
*
Jakup Mato
Jakup Halil Mato (16 September 1934 in Fterra, Albania – 30 August 2005 in Tirana, Albania) was an Albanians, Albanian publicist, educational administrator and lector of Tirana University.
He started publishing his articles and research stud ...
– Albanian professor
*
Ava Max – Albanian-American singer with origins from Qeparo and Saranda
*
Skënder Muço – Albanian lawyer, Leader of the Balli Kombëtar, and founder of one of Albania's first social democratic parties
*
Mira Murati – Albanian engineer, and researcher into artificial intelligence
*
Selam Musai – Albanian military commander and nationalist; died during the Vlora War
*
Hodo Nivica – Leader of the 1847 Southern Albanian Revolt
*
Çelo Picari – Albanian revolutionary leader of the 1847 Southern Albanian Revolt
*
Ismail Qemali
Ismail Qemali, or Ismail Kemal, (; 16 January 184426 January 1919), was an Albanian politician and statesman who is regarded as the founder of modern Independent Albania, Albania. He served as the first Prime Minister of Albania, prime minister o ...
– Founding Father of Albania
*
Urani Rumbo – Early Albanian feminist
*
Avni Rustemi
Avni Rustemi (26 September 1895 – 22 April 1924) was an Albanian patriot, revolutionary, teacher, activist and member of the Albanian parliament. Rustemi was the leader of numerous patriotic societies and associations and also a member o ...
– Albanian teacher, militant activist, nationalist, and assassin of Essad Pasha Toptani
*
Igli Tare – Albanian former footballer, coach, and nationalist
*
Ali Pasha Tepelena – Albanian ruler from Tepelena located in the Labëria region
See also
*
Albanian Riviera
*
Albanian culture
Albanian culture or the culture of Albanians ( ) is a term that embodies the Albanian art, artistic, Albanian cuisine, culinary, Albanian literature, literary, Music of Albania, musical, Politics of Albania, political and Traditions of Albania, ...
*
Shushica River
References
Bibliography
*
*
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Laberia
Albanian regions
Albanian ethnographic regions
Historical regions