The March of Shkup is an 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...

 folk song composed in 1912, when Albanian revolutionaries captured the city of Skopje

Skopje

Skopje is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Macedonia with about a third of the total population. It is the country's political, cultural, economic, and academic centre...

 from the Ottomans

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...

 after more than 500 years of Ottoman rule.

History

In July 1912 Albanian revolutionaries gathered their forces in Kosovo

Kosovo

Kosovo is a region in southeastern Europe. Part of the Ottoman Empire for more than five centuries, later the Autonomous Province of Kosovo and Metohija within Serbia...

 after capturing most major cities of the region like Pristina

Pristina

Pristina, also spelled Prishtina and Priština is the capital and largest city of Kosovo. It is the administrative centre of the homonymous municipality and district....

, Ferizaj and Gjakova from the 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...

. In early August 1912, the Albanian troops marched southwards towards Skopje, capital of province. On August 13 the first Albanian troops, five hundred under Idriz Seferi

Idriz Seferi

Idriz Seferi born in Sefer, a village in the Preševo Valley he was a distinguished Albanian officer who fought against the Ottoman Empire and Serbia during the Balkan Wars.-References:...

 and Isa Boletini

Isa Boletini

Isa Boletini was an Albanian nationalist figure and guerilla fighter, born in the village of Boletin near Mitroviça, Ottoman Empire...

 entered the city and demanded from the 4000 Ottoman troops of the city to surrender it to the Albanian revolutionaries. On August 14, the Ottoman garrison surrendered, while more Albanian troops reached the city from the areas of Kumanovo

Kumanovo

Kumanovo is a city in the Republic of Macedonia and is the seat of Kumanovo Municipality which is the largest municipality in the country. Municipal institutions include a city council, mayor and other administrative bodies.-Name:...

, Pristina and Dibër. By the end of August, more than 30,000 Albanian troops were stationed in Skopje.

Song

The song March of Shkup was first performed by one of the Albanian Catholic bands—possibly the band of Gjakova—that marched towards Skopje in August 1912. When the Albanian troops entered the city on August 14, Albanian newspapers and magazines like Drita

Drita (magazine)

Drita magazine is an Albanian literary magazine published by the Association of the Young Modern Artists of Albania . Drita was one of the first magazines in the Albanian language. It has been published for 127 years with some interruptions.-History: 1883-1922:Drita was one of the first magazines...

 reported that March of Shkup was sung by a large part of the troops. The song is a call to arms to all Albanians to join the Albanian uprising of 1912 that led to the establishment of the state of Albania.

Lyrics

Part of the lyrics:

Albanian Albanian language Albanian is an Indo-European language spoken by approximately 7.6 million people, primarily in Albania and Kosovo but also in other areas of the Balkans in which there is an Albanian population, including western Macedonia, southern Montenegro, southern Serbia and northwestern Greece...	English
Ngri, Shqyptar flamurin! Tash n'luft' boria na thrret; Me derdh për vend tonë gjakun, Na pushka po na pret.	Raise Albanian the flag! Now to war the command calls us; To shed blood for our land, The weapons await us.