William of Albania
Encyclopedia
Prince William of Wied, Prince of Albania (26 March 1876 – 18 April 1945) reigned briefly as sovereign of Albania
as Vidit I from 7 March 1914 to 3 September 1914 when he left for exile. His reign officially came to an end on 31 January 1925 when the country was declared a Republic.
Outside the country and in diplomatic correspondence, he was styled "sovereign
prince
", but in Albania
he was referred to as mbret, or king. He was also styled Skanderbeg II, in homage to Skanderbeg
, the national hero.
am Rhein, near Koblenz
, as Prince William of Wied
. He was the third son of William, 5th Prince of Wied
(brother of Queen Elisabeth of Romania
), and his wife Princess Marie of the Netherlands
(sister of Queen Louise of Sweden
).
His paternal grandparents were Hermann, Prince of Wied
, and Princess Marie of Nassau
. Marie was a daughter of William, Duke of Nassau
and his first wife Princess Louise of Saxe-Hildburghausen
, the daughter of Frederick, Duke of Saxe-Altenburg and Duchess Charlotte Georgine of Mecklenburg-Strelitz
.
His maternal grandparents were Prince Frederick of the Netherlands
and Princess Louise of Prussia. Louise was a daughter of Frederick William III of Prussia
and Duchess Louise of Mecklenburg-Strelitz
.
Prince William served as a Prussian
cavalry officer before becoming a captain in the German General Staff
in 1911.
, on learning that the Great Power
s were looking for a prince to rule over Albania, asked Take Ionescu
to attempt to persuade them to appoint her nephew to the post.
Eventually the European Great Powers — Austria-Hungary
, the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland
, the French Third Republic
, the German Empire
, the Russian Empire
and the Kingdom of Italy
— selected William, a member of the German princely house of Wied
, to rule over newly independent Albania. The announcement was made in November 1913 and the decision was accepted by Ismail Qemali
, the head of the provisional government. The offer of the Albanian throne was first made to him in the spring of 1913 but he turned it down. Despite rejecting the offer, the Austrians put pressure on Prince William in an attempt to change his mind.
Western Europeans considered Albania to be a poor, lawless and backward country in 1913, and some foreign opinion was scathing. The French press referred to Wilhelm as "le Prince de Vide", meaning "the prince of emptiness"; vide being a pun
on his homeland of Weid.
He let the Great Powers know on 7 February 1914 that he would accept the throne. On 21 February 1914 a delegation of Albanian notables and arbëreshë
ones (ruled by Luigi Baffa and Vincenzo Baffa Trasci), led by Essad Pasha Toptani, made a formal request, which he accepted thereby becoming By the grace of the powers and the will of the people the Prince (Mbret) of Albania. One month after accepting the throne on 7 March, he arrived in his provisional capital of Durrës
and started to organise his government, appointing Turhan Pasha Përmeti
to form the first Albanian cabinet. This first cabinet was dominated by members of nobility (prince Essad Pasha Toptani defence and foreign affairs, prince George Adamidi bey Frachery finances, prince Aziz pacha Vrioni agriculture).
His brief reign proved a turbulent one. Immediately following his arrival revolts of Muslims broke out in central Albania against his Chief Minister, Essad Pasha, and against foreign domination. Greece
encouraged the formation of "provisional government of North Epirus
". Although an agreement was made to grant extra rights to the Greek minority, the Hellenic Army
occupied Southern Albania excluding Berat
and Korçë
. William's position was also undermined by own officials, notably Essad Pasha himself, who accepted money from Italy to finance a revolt and to stage a coup against William. Pasha was arrested on 19 May 1914 and tried for treason and sentenced to death. Only the intervention of Italy saved his life and he escaped to Italy in exile.
The outbreak of World War I
presented more problems for Prince William as Austria-Hungary
demanded that he send Albanian soldiers to fight alongside them. When he refused, citing the neutrality of Albania in the Treaty of London, the remuneration
that he had been receiving was cut off.
With Albania in a state of civil war since July 1914, Greece occupying the south of the country, the great powers at war with one another, his regime collapsed, and so Prince William left the country on 3 September 1914 originally heading to Venice
. Despite leaving Albania he did so insisting that he remained head of state. In his proclamation he informed the people that "he deemed it necessary to absent himself temporarily."
He returned to Germany and rejoined the Imperial German Army
under the pseudonym "Count of Kruja". The name derived from the city of Krujë
in Albania. When the Austro-Hungarians forced the Serbian
and Montenegrian
armies out of Northern Albania in the early months of 1916, William's hopes of being restored were raised although ultimately they came to nothing. After the war, he still harboured ambitions that he might be restored, but the participants at the Paris Peace Conference
were unlikely to restore to the throne someone who had just fought against them.
Although several of the factions competing for power in postwar Albania billed themselves as regencies for William, once central authority was definitively restored in 1924 the country was declared a republic
on 31 January 1925, officially ending his reign.
With the monarchy in Albania set to be restored with President Ahmet Zogu becoming king, Prince William reaffirmed his claim to the throne announcing he still claimed the throne for himself and his heirs.
Prince William died in Predeal
, near Sinaia
, in Romania
leaving his son Hereditary Prince Carol Victor
as heir to his Albanian claims. He was buried in the Lutheran
church in Bucharest
.
, Prince William married Princess Sophie of Schönburg-Waldenburg
(1885–1936); she was distantly related to the Orthodox
Ghika family of Albanian origin. They had two children:
, which takes place during his reign. He is played by the German actor Thomas Heinze.
|-
King of Albania
While the medieval Angevin Kingdom of Albania was a monarchy, it did not encompass the entirety of the modern state of Albania. The latter has been a kingdom on two occasions. The first time was after it was declared independent in 1912...
as Vidit I from 7 March 1914 to 3 September 1914 when he left for exile. His reign officially came to an end on 31 January 1925 when the country was declared a Republic.
Outside the country and in diplomatic correspondence, he was styled "sovereign
Sovereign
A sovereign is the supreme lawmaking authority within its jurisdiction.Sovereign may also refer to:*Monarch, the sovereign of a monarchy*Sovereign Bank, banking institution in the United States*Sovereign...
prince
Prince
Prince is a general term for a ruler, monarch or member of a monarch's or former monarch's family, and is a hereditary title in the nobility of some European states. The feminine equivalent is a princess...
", but in Albania
Albania
Albania , officially known as the Republic of Albania , is a country in Southeastern Europe, in the Balkans region. It is bordered by Montenegro to the northwest, Kosovo to the northeast, the Republic of Macedonia to the east and Greece to the south and southeast. It has a coast on the Adriatic Sea...
he was referred to as mbret, or king. He was also styled Skanderbeg II, in homage to Skanderbeg
Skanderbeg
George Kastrioti Skanderbeg or Gjergj Kastrioti Skënderbeu , widely known as Skanderbeg , was a 15th-century Albanian lord. He was appointed as the governor of the Sanjak of Dibra by the Ottomans in 1440...
, the national hero.
Family and early life
William was born on 26 March 1876 in Schloss NeuwiedNeuwied
Neuwied is a town in the north of the German state of Rhineland-Palatinate, capital of the District of Neuwied. Neuwied lies on the right bank of the Rhine, 12 km northwest of Koblenz, on the railway from Frankfurt am Main to Cologne...
am Rhein, near Koblenz
Koblenz
Koblenz is a German city situated on both banks of the Rhine at its confluence with the Moselle, where the Deutsches Eck and its monument are situated.As Koblenz was one of the military posts established by Drusus about 8 BC, the...
, as Prince William of Wied
Wied
Wied was a County of Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany, located on the river Wied where it meets the Rhine. Wied emerged as a County earlier than many other German states. From 1243–1462, Wied was united with an Isenburgian County as Isenburg-Wied. Wied was partitioned twice: between itself and...
. He was the third son of William, 5th Prince of Wied
William, Prince of Wied
William V, Prince of Wied was a German officer and politician, elder son of Hermann, Prince of Wied. He was the father of William, Prince of Albania and brother of Queen Elisabeth of Romania.-Early life:...
(brother of Queen Elisabeth of Romania
Elisabeth of Wied
-Titles and styles:*29 December 1843 – 15 November 1869: Her Serene Highness Princess Elisabeth of Wied*15 November 1869 – 26 March 1881: Her Royal Highness The Princess of Romania...
), and his wife Princess Marie of the Netherlands
Princess Marie of the Netherlands
Princess Marie of the Netherlands was the fourth child and younger daughter of Prince Frederick of the Netherlands and wife of William, 5th Prince of Wied...
(sister of Queen Louise of Sweden
Louise of the Netherlands
Louise of the Netherlands was the Queen of Sweden and Norway as spouse of King Charles XV of Sweden and IV of Norway.-Birth:...
).
His paternal grandparents were Hermann, Prince of Wied
Hermann, Prince of Wied
Hermann, Prince of Wied was a German nobleman, elder son of Johann August Karl, Prince of Wied. He was the father of Queen Elisabeth of Romania.-Early life:...
, and Princess Marie of Nassau
Princess Marie of Nassau
Princess Marie of Nassau was the eighth child and fourth daughter of William, Duke of Nassau and wife of Hermann, 4th Prince of Wied. She was the mother of Queen Elisabeth of Romania.-Early life:...
. Marie was a daughter of William, Duke of Nassau
William, Duke of Nassau
Wilhelm, Duke of Nassau, Prince of Nassau-Weilburg was the father of Adolphe, Grand Duke of Luxembourg and Queen Sophia .-Biography:Wilhelm was the eldest son of Frederick...
and his first wife Princess Louise of Saxe-Hildburghausen
Princess Louise of Saxe-Hildburghausen
Princess Charlotte Luise Friederike Amalie Alexandrine of Saxe-Hildburghausen, full German name: Charlotte Luise Friederike Amalie Alexandrine, Prinzessin von Sachsen-Hildburghausen was a member of the House of Saxe-Hildburghausen and a Princess of Saxe-Hildburghausen Princess Charlotte Luise...
, the daughter of Frederick, Duke of Saxe-Altenburg and Duchess Charlotte Georgine of Mecklenburg-Strelitz
Duchess Charlotte Georgine of Mecklenburg-Strelitz
Duchess Charlotte Georgine Luise Friederike of Mecklenburg-Strelitz was a member of the House of Mecklenburg-Strelitz and a Duchess of Mecklenburg-Strelitz by birth and a member of the House of Saxe-Hildburghausen and Duchess consort of Saxe-Hildburghausen...
.
His maternal grandparents were Prince Frederick of the Netherlands
Prince Frederick of the Netherlands
Prince Frederick of the Netherlands, Prince of Orange-Nassau , was the second son of king William I of the Netherlands and his wife, Wilhelmine of Prussia....
and Princess Louise of Prussia. Louise was a daughter of Frederick William III of Prussia
Frederick William III of Prussia
Frederick William III was king of Prussia from 1797 to 1840. He was in personal union the sovereign prince of the Principality of Neuchâtel .-Early life:...
and Duchess Louise of Mecklenburg-Strelitz
Louise of Mecklenburg-Strelitz
Duchess Louise of Mecklenburg-Strelitz was Queen consort of Prussia as the wife of King Frederick William III...
.
Prince William served as a Prussian
Kingdom of Prussia
The Kingdom of Prussia was a German kingdom from 1701 to 1918. Until the defeat of Germany in World War I, it comprised almost two-thirds of the area of the German Empire...
cavalry officer before becoming a captain in the German General Staff
German General Staff
The German General Staff was an institution whose rise and development gave the German armed forces a decided advantage over its adversaries. The Staff amounted to its best "weapon" for nearly a century and a half....
in 1911.
Candidate for the Albanian throne
Prince William's aunt Queen Elisabeth of RomaniaElisabeth of Wied
-Titles and styles:*29 December 1843 – 15 November 1869: Her Serene Highness Princess Elisabeth of Wied*15 November 1869 – 26 March 1881: Her Royal Highness The Princess of Romania...
, on learning that the Great Power
Great power
A great power is a nation or state that has the ability to exert its influence on a global scale. Great powers characteristically possess military and economic strength and diplomatic and cultural influence which may cause small powers to consider the opinions of great powers before taking actions...
s were looking for a prince to rule over Albania, asked Take Ionescu
Take Ionescu
Take or Tache Ionescu was a Romanian centrist politician, journalist, lawyer and diplomat, who also enjoyed reputation as a short story author. Starting his political career as a radical member of the National Liberal Party , he joined the Conservative Party in 1891, and became noted as a social...
to attempt to persuade them to appoint her nephew to the post.
Eventually the European Great Powers — Austria-Hungary
Austria-Hungary
Austria-Hungary , more formally known as the Kingdoms and Lands Represented in the Imperial Council and the Lands of the Holy Hungarian Crown of Saint Stephen, was a constitutional monarchic union between the crowns of the Austrian Empire and the Kingdom of Hungary in...
, the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland was the formal name of the United Kingdom during the period when what is now the Republic of Ireland formed a part of it....
, the French Third Republic
French Third Republic
The French Third Republic was the republican government of France from 1870, when the Second French Empire collapsed due to the French defeat in the Franco-Prussian War, to 1940, when France was overrun by Nazi Germany during World War II, resulting in the German and Italian occupations of France...
, the German Empire
German Empire
The German Empire refers to Germany during the "Second Reich" period from the unification of Germany and proclamation of Wilhelm I as German Emperor on 18 January 1871, to 1918, when it became a federal republic after defeat in World War I and the abdication of the Emperor, Wilhelm II.The German...
, the Russian Empire
Russian Empire
The Russian Empire was a state that existed from 1721 until the Russian Revolution of 1917. It was the successor to the Tsardom of Russia and the predecessor of the Soviet Union...
and the Kingdom of Italy
Kingdom of Italy (1861–1946)
The Kingdom of Italy was a state forged in 1861 by the unification of Italy under the influence of the Kingdom of Sardinia, which was its legal predecessor state...
— selected William, a member of the German princely house of Wied
Wied
Wied was a County of Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany, located on the river Wied where it meets the Rhine. Wied emerged as a County earlier than many other German states. From 1243–1462, Wied was united with an Isenburgian County as Isenburg-Wied. Wied was partitioned twice: between itself and...
, to rule over newly independent Albania. The announcement was made in November 1913 and the decision was accepted by Ismail Qemali
Ismail Qemali
Ismail Qemal Bej Vlora or commonly Ismail Qemali and in Turkish İsmail Kemal Bey or İsmail Kemal Vlora , was a distinguished leader of the Albanian national movement, founder of the modern Albanian state and its first head of state and government.-Life:He was born in Avlonya to a noble family...
, the head of the provisional government. The offer of the Albanian throne was first made to him in the spring of 1913 but he turned it down. Despite rejecting the offer, the Austrians put pressure on Prince William in an attempt to change his mind.
Western Europeans considered Albania to be a poor, lawless and backward country in 1913, and some foreign opinion was scathing. The French press referred to Wilhelm as "le Prince de Vide", meaning "the prince of emptiness"; vide being a pun
Pun
The pun, also called paronomasia, is a form of word play which suggests two or more meanings, by exploiting multiple meanings of words, or of similar-sounding words, for an intended humorous or rhetorical effect. These ambiguities can arise from the intentional use and abuse of homophonic,...
on his homeland of Weid.
Prince of Albania
Arbëreshë
The Arbëreshë are a linguistic and ethnic Albanian minority community living in southern Italy, especially the regions of Apulia, Basilicata, Molise, Calabria and Sicily...
ones (ruled by Luigi Baffa and Vincenzo Baffa Trasci), led by Essad Pasha Toptani, made a formal request, which he accepted thereby becoming By the grace of the powers and the will of the people the Prince (Mbret) of Albania. One month after accepting the throne on 7 March, he arrived in his provisional capital of Durrës
Durrës
Durrës is the second largest city of Albania located on the central Albanian coast, about west of the capital Tirana. It is one of the most ancient and economically important cities of Albania. Durres is situated at one of the narrower points of the Adriatic Sea, opposite the Italian ports of Bari...
and started to organise his government, appointing Turhan Pasha Përmeti
Turhan Pasha Përmeti
Turhan Përmeti was an Albanian politician of the Ottoman Empire, and later prime minister of the Albania.Among the Ottoman posts he occupied were Governor of Crete 1895 and 1896, and ambassador in Saint Petersburg. He was a fluent Greek speaker and considered a capable though rather indecisive...
to form the first Albanian cabinet. This first cabinet was dominated by members of nobility (prince Essad Pasha Toptani defence and foreign affairs, prince George Adamidi bey Frachery finances, prince Aziz pacha Vrioni agriculture).
His brief reign proved a turbulent one. Immediately following his arrival revolts of Muslims broke out in central Albania against his Chief Minister, Essad Pasha, and against foreign domination. Greece
Kingdom of Greece
The Kingdom of Greece was a state established in 1832 in the Convention of London by the Great Powers...
encouraged the formation of "provisional government of North Epirus
Epirus
The name Epirus, from the Greek "Ήπειρος" meaning continent may refer to:-Geographical:* Epirus - a historical and geographical region of the southwestern Balkans, straddling modern Greece and Albania...
". Although an agreement was made to grant extra rights to the Greek minority, the Hellenic Army
Hellenic Army
The Hellenic Army , formed in 1828, is the land force of Greece.The motto of the Hellenic Army is , "Freedom Stems from Valor", from Thucydides's History of the Peloponnesian War...
occupied Southern Albania excluding Berat
Berat
Berat is a town located in south-central Albania. As of 2009, the town has an estimated population of around 71,000 people. It is the capital of both the District of Berat and the larger County of Berat...
and Korçë
Korçë
Korçë is a city in southeastern Albania and the capital of the Korçë District. It has a population of around 105,000 people , making it the sixth largest city in Albania...
. William's position was also undermined by own officials, notably Essad Pasha himself, who accepted money from Italy to finance a revolt and to stage a coup against William. Pasha was arrested on 19 May 1914 and tried for treason and sentenced to death. Only the intervention of Italy saved his life and he escaped to Italy in exile.
The outbreak of World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
presented more problems for Prince William as Austria-Hungary
Austria-Hungary
Austria-Hungary , more formally known as the Kingdoms and Lands Represented in the Imperial Council and the Lands of the Holy Hungarian Crown of Saint Stephen, was a constitutional monarchic union between the crowns of the Austrian Empire and the Kingdom of Hungary in...
demanded that he send Albanian soldiers to fight alongside them. When he refused, citing the neutrality of Albania in the Treaty of London, the remuneration
Remuneration
Remuneration is the total compensation that an employee receives in exchange for the service they perform for their employer. Typically, this consists of monetary rewards, also referred to as wage or salary...
that he had been receiving was cut off.
Exile and death
Venice
Venice is a city in northern Italy which is renowned for the beauty of its setting, its architecture and its artworks. It is the capital of the Veneto region...
. Despite leaving Albania he did so insisting that he remained head of state. In his proclamation he informed the people that "he deemed it necessary to absent himself temporarily."
He returned to Germany and rejoined the Imperial German Army
German Army (German Empire)
The German Army was the name given the combined land forces of the German Empire, also known as the National Army , Imperial Army or Imperial German Army. The term "Deutsches Heer" is also used for the modern German Army, the land component of the German Bundeswehr...
under the pseudonym "Count of Kruja". The name derived from the city of Krujë
Krujë
Krujë is a town in north central Albania and the capital of the municipality and the Krujë District. It has a population of about 15,900. Located between Mount Krujë and the Ishëm River, the city is only 20 km from the capital of Albania, Tirana....
in Albania. When the Austro-Hungarians forced the Serbian
Kingdom of Serbia
The Kingdom of Serbia was created when Prince Milan Obrenović, ruler of the Principality of Serbia, was crowned King in 1882. The Principality of Serbia was ruled by the Karađorđevic dynasty from 1817 onwards . The Principality, suzerain to the Porte, had expelled all Ottoman troops by 1867, de...
and Montenegrian
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...
armies out of Northern Albania in the early months of 1916, William's hopes of being restored were raised although ultimately they came to nothing. After the war, he still harboured ambitions that he might be restored, but the participants at the Paris Peace Conference
Paris Peace Conference, 1919
The Paris Peace Conference was the meeting of the Allied victors following the end of World War I to set the peace terms for the defeated Central Powers following the armistices of 1918. It took place in Paris in 1919 and involved diplomats from more than 32 countries and nationalities...
were unlikely to restore to the throne someone who had just fought against them.
Although several of the factions competing for power in postwar Albania billed themselves as regencies for William, once central authority was definitively restored in 1924 the country was declared a republic
Republic
A republic is a form of government in which the people, or some significant portion of them, have supreme control over the government and where offices of state are elected or chosen by elected people. In modern times, a common simplified definition of a republic is a government where the head of...
on 31 January 1925, officially ending his reign.
With the monarchy in Albania set to be restored with President Ahmet Zogu becoming king, Prince William reaffirmed his claim to the throne announcing he still claimed the throne for himself and his heirs.
Prince William died in Predeal
Predeal
Predeal is a town in Braşov County, Romania. It is the highest town and one of the most important mountain resorts in Romania, being located on the Prahova Valley at over...
, near Sinaia
Sinaia
Sinaia is a town and a mountain resort in Prahova County, Romania. The town was named after Sinaia Monastery, around which it was built; the monastery in turn is named after the Biblical Mount Sinai...
, in Romania
Romania
Romania is a country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeastern Europe, on the Lower Danube, within and outside the Carpathian arch, bordering on the Black Sea...
leaving his son Hereditary Prince Carol Victor
Carol Victor, Hereditary Prince of Albania
Carol Victor, Hereditary Prince of Albania was the only son of William, Prince of Albania and briefly heir to the Principality of Albania. He held the title of Hereditary Prince of Albania.-Early life:...
as heir to his Albanian claims. He was buried in the Lutheran
Lutheranism
Lutheranism is a major branch of Western Christianity that identifies with the theology of Martin Luther, a German reformer. Luther's efforts to reform the theology and practice of the church launched the Protestant Reformation...
church in Bucharest
Bucharest
Bucharest is the capital municipality, cultural, industrial, and financial centre of Romania. It is the largest city in Romania, located in the southeast of the country, at , and lies on the banks of the Dâmbovița River....
.
Marriage and children
On 30 November 1906 at Waldenburg, SaxonyWaldenburg, Saxony
Waldenburg is a town in the district Zwickau in Saxony, Germany.-Subdivisions:The town of Waldenburg consists of the following subdivisions:*Waldenburg*Dürrenuhlsdorf*Franken*Niederwinkel*Oberwinkel*Schlagwitz*Schwaben-Attractions:...
, Prince William married Princess Sophie of Schönburg-Waldenburg
Princess Sophie of Schönburg-Waldenburg
Princess Sophie Helene Cecilie of Schönburg-Waldenburg was the wife of Prince William of Wied. With her husband's ascension to the Albanian throne she became the Princess of Albania .-Family and marriage:...
(1885–1936); she was distantly related to the Orthodox
Albanian Orthodox Church
The Autocephalous Orthodox Church of Albania is one of the newest autocephalous Eastern Orthodox churches. It declared its autocephaly in 1922, and gained recognition from the Patriarch of Constantinople in 1937....
Ghika family of Albanian origin. They had two children:
- Princess Marie Eleonore (1909–1956)
- Hereditary Prince Carol VictorCarol Victor, Hereditary Prince of AlbaniaCarol Victor, Hereditary Prince of Albania was the only son of William, Prince of Albania and briefly heir to the Principality of Albania. He held the title of Hereditary Prince of Albania.-Early life:...
(1913–1973).
Ancestry
In popular culture
Prince Wilhelm is portrayed in the 2008 Albanian film Time of the CometTime of the Comet
Time of the Comet is a 2008 Albanian historical drama/black comedy film adapted from a novel by Ismail Kadare titled Black Year . The film was directed by Fatmir Koçi, while Blerim Destani and Masiela Lusha starred in the leading roles...
, which takes place during his reign. He is played by the German actor Thomas Heinze.
External links
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