Ismail Qemali
Encyclopedia
Ismail Qemal Bej Vlora or commonly Ismail Qemali and in Turkish
İsmail Kemal Bey
or İsmail Kemal Vlora (16 January 1844 – 24 January 1919), was a distinguished leader of the Albanian
national movement, founder of the modern Albanian state and its first head of state and government.
, in 1859 he moved to Istanbul
where he embarked on a career as an Ottoman
civil servant, being identified with the liberal reform wing of the service under Midhat Pasha, and was governor of several towns in the Balkans. During these years he took part in efforts for the standardization of the Albanian alphabet and the establishment of an Albanian cultural association. By 1877, Ismail seemed to be on the brink of important functions in the Ottoman
administration, but when Sultan Abdulhamid II dismissed Midhat as prime minister, Ismail Qemali was sent into exile in western Anatolia
, though the Sultan later recalled him and made him governor of Beirut
. However, his liberal policy recommendations caused him to fall out of favour with the Sultan again, and in May 1900 Ismail Qemali boarded the British ambassador's yacht and claimed asylum. He was conveyed out of Turkey and for the next eight years lived in exile, working both to promote constitutional rule in the Ottoman Empire and to advance the Albanian national cause within it. After the Young Turk Revolution
of 1908, he became a deputy in the restored Ottoman Parliament, working with liberal politicians and the British. In 1909, during a rising against the Young Turks, he was briefly made President of the Ottoman National Assembly but was forced to leave Istanbul forever a day or two later. Thereafter his political career concentrated solely on Albanian nationalism.
During the Albanian Revolt of 1911
he joined the leaders of the revolt at meeting in a village in Montenegro
(Gerče) on June 23rd and together they draw up "Gerče Memorandum" (sometimes referred to as "Red Book" because of the color of its covers ) which addressed their requests both to Ottoman Empire
and Europe (in particular to the Great Britain).
He was a principal figure in the Albanian Declaration of Independence
and the formation of an independent government of Albania in 28 November 1912. This signaled the end of almost 500 years of Ottoman rule in Albania. Together with Luigj Gurakuqi
, he raised the flag
on the balcony of the two-story building in Vlorë where the Declaration of Independence had just been signed. He was prime minister of Albania from 1912 to 1914.
During World War I, Ismail Qemali lived in exile in Paris, where, though short of funds, he maintained a wide range of contacts and collaborated with the correspondent of the continental edition of the Daily Mail
, Somerville Story, to write his memoirs. His autobiography, published after his death, is the only memoir of a late Ottoman statesman to be written in English and is a unique record of a liberal, multicultural approach to the problems of the dying Empire. In 1918 Ismail Qemali travelled to Italy to promote support for his movement in Albania, but was prevented by the Italian government from leaving Italy and remained as its involuntary guest in a hotel in Perugia, much to his irritation. He died of an apparent heart attack at dinner there one evening.
Ismail Qemali is depicted on the obverse
s of the Albanian 200 lekë
banknote of 1992–1996, and of the 500 lekë banknote issued since 1996.
Turkish language
Turkish is a language spoken as a native language by over 83 million people worldwide, making it the most commonly spoken of the Turkic languages. Its speakers are located predominantly in Turkey and Northern Cyprus with smaller groups in Iraq, Greece, Bulgaria, the Republic of Macedonia, Kosovo,...
İsmail Kemal Bey
Bey
Bey is a title for chieftain, traditionally applied to the leaders of small tribal groups. Accoding to some sources, the word "Bey" is of Turkish language In historical accounts, many Turkish, other Turkic and Persian leaders are titled Bey, Beg, Bek, Bay, Baig or Beigh. They are all the same word...
or İsmail Kemal Vlora (16 January 1844 – 24 January 1919), was a distinguished leader of the Albanian
Albanians
Albanians are a nation and ethnic group native to Albania and neighbouring countries. They speak the Albanian language. More than half of all Albanians live in Albania and Kosovo...
national movement, founder of the modern Albanian state and its first head of state and government.
Life
He was born in Avlonya (present-day Vlorë) to a noble family. Having finished the primary education in his hometown, and the gymnasium Zosimea in IoanninaIoannina
Ioannina , often called Jannena within Greece, is the largest city of Epirus, north-western Greece, with a population of 70,203 . It lies at an elevation of approximately 500 meters above sea level, on the western shore of lake Pamvotis . It is located within the Ioannina municipality, and is the...
, in 1859 he moved to Istanbul
Istanbul
Istanbul , historically known as Byzantium and Constantinople , is the largest city of Turkey. Istanbul metropolitan province had 13.26 million people living in it as of December, 2010, which is 18% of Turkey's population and the 3rd largest metropolitan area in Europe after London and...
where he embarked on a career as an Ottoman
Ottoman Empire
The Ottoman EmpireIt was usually referred to as the "Ottoman Empire", the "Turkish Empire", the "Ottoman Caliphate" or more commonly "Turkey" by its contemporaries...
civil servant, being identified with the liberal reform wing of the service under Midhat Pasha, and was governor of several towns in the Balkans. During these years he took part in efforts for the standardization of the Albanian alphabet and the establishment of an Albanian cultural association. By 1877, Ismail seemed to be on the brink of important functions in the Ottoman
Ottoman Empire
The Ottoman EmpireIt was usually referred to as the "Ottoman Empire", the "Turkish Empire", the "Ottoman Caliphate" or more commonly "Turkey" by its contemporaries...
administration, but when Sultan Abdulhamid II dismissed Midhat as prime minister, Ismail Qemali was sent into exile in western Anatolia
Anatolia
Anatolia is a geographic and historical term denoting the westernmost protrusion of Asia, comprising the majority of the Republic of Turkey...
, though the Sultan later recalled him and made him governor of Beirut
Beirut
Beirut is the capital and largest city of Lebanon, with a population ranging from 1 million to more than 2 million . Located on a peninsula at the midpoint of Lebanon's Mediterranean coastline, it serves as the country's largest and main seaport, and also forms the Beirut Metropolitan...
. However, his liberal policy recommendations caused him to fall out of favour with the Sultan again, and in May 1900 Ismail Qemali boarded the British ambassador's yacht and claimed asylum. He was conveyed out of Turkey and for the next eight years lived in exile, working both to promote constitutional rule in the Ottoman Empire and to advance the Albanian national cause within it. After the Young Turk Revolution
Young Turk Revolution
The Young Turk Revolution of 1908 reversed the suspension of the Ottoman parliament by Sultan Abdul Hamid II, marking the onset of the Second Constitutional Era...
of 1908, he became a deputy in the restored Ottoman Parliament, working with liberal politicians and the British. In 1909, during a rising against the Young Turks, he was briefly made President of the Ottoman National Assembly but was forced to leave Istanbul forever a day or two later. Thereafter his political career concentrated solely on Albanian nationalism.
During the Albanian Revolt of 1911
Albanian Revolt of 1911
The Albanian Revolt of 1911 or the Malissori Uprising of 1911 was one of many Albanian revolts in the Ottoman Empire and lasted from March 24, 1911 until August 4, 1911 in the region of Malësia.- Background :...
he joined the leaders of the revolt at meeting in a village in Montenegro
Kingdom of Montenegro
The Kingdom of Montenegro was a monarchy in southeastern Europe during the tumultuous years on the Balkan Peninsula leading up to and during World War I. Legally it was a constitutional monarchy, but absolutist in practice...
(Gerče) on June 23rd and together they draw up "Gerče Memorandum" (sometimes referred to as "Red Book" because of the color of its covers ) which addressed their requests both to Ottoman Empire
Ottoman Empire
The Ottoman EmpireIt was usually referred to as the "Ottoman Empire", the "Turkish Empire", the "Ottoman Caliphate" or more commonly "Turkey" by its contemporaries...
and Europe (in particular to the Great Britain).
Albanian Declaration of Independence
The Albanian Declaration of Independence is the declaration of independence of the Albanian Vilayet from the Ottoman Empire. Albania was proclaimed independent in Vlorë on November 28, 1912.-Background:...
and the formation of an independent government of Albania in 28 November 1912. This signaled the end of almost 500 years of Ottoman rule in Albania. Together with Luigj Gurakuqi
Luigj Gurakuqi
Luigj Gurakuqi was an Albanian writer and politician. He was an important figure of the Albanian National Awakening and was honoured with the People's Hero of Albania medal.- Life :...
, he raised the flag
Flag of Albania
The national flag of Albania is a red flag with a silhouetted black double-headed eagle in the centre. It is the only red and black flag of a recognised sovereign state....
on the balcony of the two-story building in Vlorë where the Declaration of Independence had just been signed. He was prime minister of Albania from 1912 to 1914.
During World War I, Ismail Qemali lived in exile in Paris, where, though short of funds, he maintained a wide range of contacts and collaborated with the correspondent of the continental edition of the Daily Mail
Daily Mail
The Daily Mail is a British daily middle-market tabloid newspaper owned by the Daily Mail and General Trust. First published in 1896 by Lord Northcliffe, it is the United Kingdom's second biggest-selling daily newspaper after The Sun. Its sister paper The Mail on Sunday was launched in 1982...
, Somerville Story, to write his memoirs. His autobiography, published after his death, is the only memoir of a late Ottoman statesman to be written in English and is a unique record of a liberal, multicultural approach to the problems of the dying Empire. In 1918 Ismail Qemali travelled to Italy to promote support for his movement in Albania, but was prevented by the Italian government from leaving Italy and remained as its involuntary guest in a hotel in Perugia, much to his irritation. He died of an apparent heart attack at dinner there one evening.
Ismail Qemali is depicted on the obverse
Obverse and reverse
Obverse and its opposite, reverse, refer to the two flat faces of coins and some other two-sided objects, including paper money, flags , seals, medals, drawings, old master prints and other works of art, and printed fabrics. In this usage, obverse means the front face of the object and reverse...
s of the Albanian 200 lekë
Albanian lek
The lek is the official currency of Albania. It is subdivided into 100 qindarka , although qindarka are no longer issued.-Names:...
banknote of 1992–1996, and of the 500 lekë banknote issued since 1996.
Cabinet
- Prime Minister: Ismail Qemali
- Deputy Prime Minister: Dom Nikollë KaçorriNikollë KaçorriDom Nikollë Kaçorri , was a prominent figure of the National Renaissance of Albania. A signatory of Albanian Declaration of Independence, Dom Kaçorri served as Vice Prime minister of the Provisional Government of Albania, after the independence.-Life:He was born in 1862 in Lurë, and became a...
- Minister of Foreign Affairs: Ismail Qemali, then Myfit LibohovaMyfit LibohovaMyfit Bej Libohova or Mufid Libohova ,was born in the southern Albanian city of Libohova, scion of a wealthy landowning family. He served initially in the Ottoman administration and represented Albania in the parliament of the Young Turks in 1908...
- Minister of Internal Affairs: Myfit Bej Libohova, then Essad Pasha Toptani
- Minister of War: General Mehmet Pashë DerrallaMehmet Pashë DerrallaMehmet Pashë Derralla was one of the signatories of the Albanian Declaration of Independence. Mehmet Pashë Derralla was the Minister of War in the Provisional Government of Albania....
- Minister of Finance: Abdi Toptani
- Minister of Justice: Dr. Petro PogaPetro PogaPetro Poga was one of the signatories of Albanian Declaration of Independence in 1912 and one of the most important Albanian Rilindas.He was born in Erind, Gjirokastër, Albania . He went to the Zosimea Greek language School of Ioannina, Greece and then graduated in Jurisprudence from the Istanbul...
- Minister of Education: Dr. Luigj GurakuqiLuigj GurakuqiLuigj Gurakuqi was an Albanian writer and politician. He was an important figure of the Albanian National Awakening and was honoured with the People's Hero of Albania medal.- Life :...
- Minister of Public Services: Mit’hat Frashëri
- Minister of Agriculture: Pandeli CalePandeli CalePandeli Cale was one of the signatories of Albanian Declaration of Independence, who subsequently served as Minister of Agriculture in the Provisional Government of Albania...
- Minister of Posts and Telegraphs: Lef NosiLef NosiLef Nosi was an Albanian politician and collaborationist during the Second World War. He was one of the signatories of Albanian Declaration of Independence. Nosi was the first Minister of Post and Telegraphs of Albania...
See also
- Albanian Declaration of IndependenceAlbanian Declaration of IndependenceThe Albanian Declaration of Independence is the declaration of independence of the Albanian Vilayet from the Ottoman Empire. Albania was proclaimed independent in Vlorë on November 28, 1912.-Background:...
- Provisional Government of AlbaniaProvisional Government of AlbaniaThe Provisional Government of Albania is the first Government created by Assembly of Vlorë in 4 December 1912. It was a paternal government, led by Ismail Qemali, until his resignation in 22 January 1914 and by Fejzi Bej Alizoti, until the coronation of William, Prince of Albania.- Government...
- History of AlbaniaHistory of AlbaniaThe history of Albania emerges from the prehistoric stage from the 4th century BC, with early records of Illyria in Greco-Roman historiography. The modern territory of Albania has no counterpart in antiquity, comprising parts of the Roman provinces of Dalmatia , Macedonia , and Moesia Superior...
Sources
- David Barchard, The Man Who Made Albania—Ismail Kemal Bey, Cornucopia Magazine No 34, 2004.
- Ismail Kemal Bey and Sommerville Story, ed. The memoirs of Ismail Kemal Bey. London: Constable and company, 1920. (The Internet Archive, full access)