Zog I, Skanderbeg III of the
AlbaniaAlbania , officially the Republic of Albania , is a Mediterranean country in South Eastern Europe. It is bordered by Montenegro to the north, Kosovo to the northeast, Macedonia to the east and Greece to the south-east...
ns (born
Ahmet Zogolli, later changed to
Ahmet Zogu) (8 October 1895 – 9 April 1961), was King of the Albanians from 1928 to 1939. He was previously Prime Minister of Albania (1922–1924) and President of Albania (1925–1928).
Background and early political career
Zog was born
Ahmet Muhtar Bey Zogolli in
Castle BurgajetCastle Burgajet was a large fortified house, located in the Mat District of Albania. It was the birth-place, and family seat, of King Zog I of the Albanians ....
,
AlbaniaAlbania , officially the Republic of Albania , is a Mediterranean country in South Eastern Europe. It is bordered by Montenegro to the north, Kosovo to the northeast, Macedonia to the east and Greece to the south-east...
, third son to Xhemal Pasha Zogolli, by his second wife
Sadijé ToptaniSadijé Toptani , was born on August 28, 1876 in Tirana as the daughter of Salah Bey Toptani and as sister to Essad Pasha and a member of the powerful Toptani family...
in about 1895. His family was a
beylikBeylik is a Turkish word, meaning:*The territory under the jurisdiction of a Bey*Beuluk, a member of the Ottoman Sultan's janissary bodyguard*Anatolian Turkish Beyliks*Bəylik, places in Azerbaijan...
family of landowners, with feudal authority over the region of
MatiThe District of Mat is one of the thirty-six districts of Albania, part of Dibër County. It is named after the Mat River, that flows through the district. It has a population of 98,000 , and an area of 1,028 km². Its capital is Burrel...
. His mother's Toptani family claimed to be descended from the line of Albania's greatest national hero, the 15th-century general
SkanderbegGjergj Kastrioti Skanderbeg , or Iskander Beg, was a prominent historical figure in the history of Albania and of the Albanian people...
, through the general's sister. Their lands were in the same districts as Skanderbeg's family's had been, and certainly, the Zogu family had deep roots in indigenous clannish nobility.
Zogolli was educated at
Lycée Impérial de GalatasarayGalatasaray Lisesi, known in other languages by its French name Lycée de Galatasaray, was known in Turkish as the Galata Sarayı Enderun-u Hümayunu and later the Galatasaray Mekteb-i Sultanisi. It is one of the most influential high schools of modern Turkey...
in
IstanbulIstanbul is the largest city in Turkey and fifth largest city proper in the world with a population of 12.6 million. Istanbul is also a megacity, as well as the cultural and financial centre of Turkey. The city covers 39 districts of the Istanbul province...
, then the seat of the decaying
Ottoman EmpireThe Ottoman Empire or Ottoman State , also known by its contemporaries as the Turkish Empire or Turkey , was an empire that lasted from 1299 to November 1, 1922 The Ottoman Empire or Ottoman State (Ottoman Turkish: دَوْلَتِ عَلِیَّهِ عُثْمَانِیَّه Dawlet-il ʿAliyyat-il ʿOs̠māniyye, Modern Turkish:...
, which technically controlled Albania. Upon his father's death in about 1911, Zogolli, at about age sixteen, became governor of Mat. He was appointed over his two elder brothers
Xhelal BeyPrince Xhelal Bey Zogu was a son of Xhemal Pasha Zogu and Melek Zogu...
.
As a young man during the
First World WarWorld War I , also known as the First World War, the Great War, and the War to End All Wars, was a global military conflict which involved most of the world's great powers, assembled in two opposing alliances: the Triple Entente and the Triple Alliance...
, Zogolli volunteered on the side of
Austria-HungaryAustria–Hungary, also known as the Austro-Hungarian Empire, the Dual Monarchy or the k.u.k. Monarchy, or Dual State, was a monarchic union between the crowns of the Austrian Empire and the Kingdom of Hungary in Central Europe...
. He was detained at
ViennaVienna is the capital of the Republic of Austria and also one of the nine states of Austria. Vienna is Austria's primary city, with a population of about 1.7 million , and is by far the largest city in Austria, as well as its cultural, economic, and political centre. It is the 10th largest city by...
in 1917 and 1918 and in
RomeRome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated municipality , with over 2.7 million residents in , while the population of the urban area is estimated by Eurostat to be 3.46 million. The metropolitan area of Rome is estimated by OECD to have a population of 3.7 million...
in 1918 and 1919 before returning to Albania in 1919. During his time in Vienna, he grew to enjoy a Western European lifestyle and was rumoured to be very popular among the Viennese women.
Upon his return, Zogolli became involved in the political life of the fledgling Albanian government that had been created in the wake of the First World War. He became leader of a major reformist party, and his political supporters included many southern feudal landowners (called
beyBey is a Turkish title for "chieftain," traditionally applied to the leaders of small tribal groups. In historical accounts, many Turkish, other Turkic and Persian leaders are titled Bey, Beg, Bek, Bay, Baig or Beigh...
s, Turkish for "village chieftain", the social group to which he belonged) and noble families in the north, along with merchants, industrialists, and intellectuals. During the early 1920s, Zog served as Governor of
ShkodërShkodër , is a city located on Lake Shkodër in northwestern Albania in the District of Shkodër, of which it is the capital. It is one of the oldest and most historic towns in Albania, as well as an important cultural and economic centre...
(1920-1921), Minister of the Interior (March-November 1920, 1921-1924), and chief of the Albanian military (1921-1922). His primary rivals were
Luigj GurakuqiLuigj Gurakuqi was an important figure of the Albanian national movement. Born in Shkodër on February 19, 1879, Gurakuqi started his studies there, and he finished them at the University of Naples in Italy, where he was also a student of Jeronim De Rada. He was also a poet and published under the...
and
Fan S. NoliTheofan Stilian Noli, better known as Fan Noli was an Albanian-American writer, scholar, diplomat, politician, orator, and founder of the Albanian Orthodox Church, who served as prime minister and regent of Albania in 1924.Fan Noli is venerated in Albania as a champion of literature, history,...
.
In 1922, Zogolli formally changed his surname from the Turkish Zogolli to Zogu, which in the
Albanian languageAlbanian is a unique Indo-European language spoken by nearly 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, Montenegro, and southern Serbia. Albanian is also spoken by native enclaves...
means "bird".
It was a dangerous time to be an Albanian politician. In 1923, Zogu was shot and wounded in Parliament. A crisis arose in 1924 after the assassination of one of Zogu's industrialist opponents, Avni Rustemi; in the aftermath, a leftist revolt forced Zogu, along with 600 of his allies, into exile in June 1924. He returned to Albania with the backing of Yugoslav forces and
YugoslaviaYugoslavia is a term that describes three political entities that existed successively on the Balkan Peninsula in Europe, during most of the 20th century.The first country to be known by this...
-based
White RussianThe White movement , whose military arm was the White Army aka the White Guard , and as the Whites comprised some of the politico-military Russian forces who unsuccessfully fought the Bolsheviks after the October Revolution and...
troops and became
Prime Minister.
President of Albania
Zogu was officially elected as the first
President of Albania by the Constituent Assembly on 21 January 1925, taking office on 1 February for a seven-year term. Zogu's government followed the
EuropeEurope is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally divided from Asia to its east by the water divide of the Ural Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian Sea, the Caucasus Mountains , and the Black Sea to the southeast...
an model, though large parts of Albania still maintained a social structure unchanged from the days of Ottoman rule, and most villages were serf plantations run by the Beys.
As president, Zogu assumed dictatorial powers. Opposition was not tolerated; dissidents were often killed. The press was also heavily censored. His deputies were four military governors responsible to him alone.
However, Zogu enacted several major reforms. These included the prohibition of veils and prohibitions against cruelty to animals. Zogu's principal ally during this period was
ItalyItaly , officially the Italian Republic , is a country located on the Italian Peninsula in Southern Europe and on the two largest islands in the Mediterranean Sea, Sicily and Sardinia. Italy shares its northern, Alpine boundary with France, Switzerland, Austria and Slovenia...
, which lent his government funds in exchange for a greater role in Albania's fiscal policy. During Zogu's presidency, serfdom was gradually eliminated. For the first time since the death of
SkanderbegGjergj Kastrioti Skanderbeg , or Iskander Beg, was a prominent historical figure in the history of Albania and of the Albanian people...
, Albania began to emerge as a nation, rather than a feudal patchwork of local Beyliks. His administration was marred by disputes with
KosovarKosovo is a disputed territory in the Balkans. Its majority is governed by the partially-recognised Republic of Kosovo , a self-declared independent state which has de facto control over the territory; the exceptions are some Serb enclaves...
leaders, primarily Hasan Prishtina and
Bajram CurriBajram Curri was an ethnic Albanian nationalist from Kosovo.Curri was born in Gjakova, Kosova, in the Rumelia Province of the Ottoman Empire . Whilst the present-day regions of Albania and Kosovo were under Ottoman control, Curri represented the interests of the Albanians. He successfully fought...
.
Albanian King
On 1 September 1928 General Zogu was crowned
King of the Albanians (
Mbret i Shqiptarëve in
AlbanianAlbanian is a unique Indo-European language spoken by nearly 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, Montenegro, and southern Serbia. Albanian is also spoken by native enclaves...
), and declared
Field MarshalField Marshal is a military officer rank. Today, it is the highest rank in the armies in which it is used, one step above a general or colonel-general.-Usage and hierarchical position:...
of the Royal Albanian Army on the same day. He proclaimed a
constitutional monarchyA constitutional monarchy is a form of government in which a monarch acts as head of state within the parameters of a written , unwritten or blended constitution...
similar to the contemporary regime in
ItalyItaly , officially the Italian Republic , is a country located on the Italian Peninsula in Southern Europe and on the two largest islands in the Mediterranean Sea, Sicily and Sardinia. Italy shares its northern, Alpine boundary with France, Switzerland, Austria and Slovenia...
, created a strong police force, and instituted the Zogist salute (flat hand over the heart with palm facing downwards). He claimed to be a successor of
SkanderbegGjergj Kastrioti Skanderbeg , or Iskander Beg, was a prominent historical figure in the history of Albania and of the Albanian people...
, through descent through Skanderbeg's sister. Zog hoarded gold coins and precious stones, which were used to back Albania's first paper currency.
Zog's mother, Sadije, was declared Queen Mother of Albania, and Zog also gave his brother and sisters Royal status as Prince and Princesses Zogu. One of his sisters, Senije, Princess Zogu (c1897-1969), married His Imperial Highness Prince Shehzade Mehmed Abid Efendi of Turkey, a son of Sultan
Abdul Hamid IIHis Imperial Majesty, The Sultan Abdülhamid II, Emperor of the Ottomans, Caliph of the Faithful, , was the 34th sultan of the Ottoman Empire...
.
Zog attempted to reinforce his regime's legitimacy further by ruling as a constitutional monarch. His kingdom's constitution forbade any Prince of the Royal House from serving as Prime Minister or a member of the Cabinet and contained provisions for the potential extinction of the Royal Family. Ironically, in light of later events, the constitution also forbade the union of the Albanian throne with that of any other country. Under the Zogist constitution, the King of the Albanians, like the
King of the Belgians, exercised Royal powers only after taking an oath before Parliament; Zog himself swore an oath on the
BibleThe Bible contains the central religious texts of Judaism and Christianity. Modern Judaism generally recognizes a single set of canonical books known as the Tanakh, or Hebrew Bible, as it is written almost entirely in the Hebrew language, with some small portions in Aramaic...
and the
Qur'anThe Qur’an is the central religious text of Islam...
(the king being
Muslim:A Muslim , , is an adherent of the religion of Islam. The feminine form is Muslimah . Literally, the word means "one who submits ". Muslim is the participle of the same verb of which Islam is the infinitive. Muslims believe that there is only one God, translated in Arabic as Allah...
) in an attempt to unify the country.
In 1929, King Zog abolished Islamic law in Albania, adopting in its place a
civil codeA civil code is a systematic collection of laws designed to comprehensively deal with the core areas of private law. A jurisdiction that has a civil code generally also has a code of civil procedure...
based on the Swiss one, as Ataturk's Turkey had done in the same decade.
Zog's regime brought stability to Albania. The King organised an
educationalThe literacy rate in Albania for the total population, age 9 or older, is about 93%. Elementary education is compulsory , but most students continue at least until a secondary education...
system and attempted to modernize the Albanian military, though the costs involved in this project were high.
Life as King
Although born as an
aristocratThe aristocracy are people considered to be in the highest social class in society, who traditionally have land, money, and power. They are often members of a hereditary nobility that derives its stature from a lineage traceable to the original inhabitants or rulers of a region...
and hereditary
BeyBey is a Turkish title for "chieftain," traditionally applied to the leaders of small tribal groups. In historical accounts, many Turkish, other Turkic and Persian leaders are titled Bey, Beg, Bek, Bay, Baig or Beigh...
, King Zog was somewhat ignored by other monarchs in Europe because he had no links to European royal bloodlines. Nonetheless, he did have strong connections with Muslim royal families in the
Middle EastThe Middle East is a region that spans southwestern Asia, southeastern Europe, and northeastern Africa. It has no clear boundaries, often used as a synonym to Near East, in opposition to Far East...
and
EgyptEgypt , officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Western Asia...
. As King, he was honored by the governments of
ItalyItaly , officially the Italian Republic , is a country located on the Italian Peninsula in Southern Europe and on the two largest islands in the Mediterranean Sea, Sicily and Sardinia. Italy shares its northern, Alpine boundary with France, Switzerland, Austria and Slovenia...
,
LuxembourgLuxembourg , officially the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg , is a small, landlocked country in western Europe, bordered by Belgium, France, and Germany...
,
EgyptEgypt , officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Western Asia...
,
Kingdom of YugoslaviaThe Kingdom of Yugoslavia was a kingdom stretching from the Western Balkans to Central Europe which existed during the often-tumultuous interwar era of 1918–1941...
,
FranceFrance , officially the French Republic , is a country located in Western Europe, with several overseas islands and territories located on other continents. Metropolitan France extends from the Mediterranean Sea to the English Channel and the North Sea, and from the Rhine to the Atlantic Ocean...
,
RomaniaRomania is a country located in Southeastern and Central Europe, North of the Balkan Peninsula, on the Lower Danube, within and outside the Carpathian arch, bordering on the Black Sea. Almost all of the Danube Delta is located within its territory...
,
GreeceGreece , officially the Hellenic Republic , is a country in southeastern Europe, situated on the southern end of the Balkan Peninsula....
,
BelgiumThe Kingdom of Belgium is a country in northwest Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts its headquarters, as well as those of other major international organizations, including NATO...
,
BulgariaBulgaria , officially the Republic of Bulgaria , is a country in the Balkans in south-eastern Europe. Bulgaria borders five other countries: Romania to the north , Serbia and the Republic of Macedonia to the west, and Greece and Turkey to the south...
,
HungaryHungary , in English officially the Republic of Hungary , is a landlocked country in the Carpathian Basin of Central Europe, bordered by Austria, Slovakia, Ukraine, Romania, Serbia, Croatia, and Slovenia. Its capital is Budapest. Hungary is a member of OECD, NATO, EU, V4 and is a Schengen state...
,
PolandPoland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe . Poland is bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
,
CzechoslovakiaCzechoslovakia was a sovereign state in Central Europe which existed from October 1918, when it declared its independence from the Austro-Hungarian Empire, until 1992...
and
AustriaAustria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.3 million people in Central Europe. It borders both Germany and the Czech Republic to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the west...
. In the absence of nightclubs or theatres in Tirana, the King spent much of his time playing poker, usually with his sisters. He was also a heavy smoker.
Zog had been engaged to the daughter of Shefqet Bey Verlaci before he became King. Soon after his coronation, however, he broke off the engagement. According to traditional customs of blood vengeance prevalent in Albania at the time, Verlaci had the right to kill Zog. The King made more than a few enemies—rumour had it that he was the subject of over 600 blood vendettas in addition to Verlaci's—and he frequently surrounded himself with a personal guard and avoided public appearances. He also feared that he might be poisoned, so the Queen Mother assumed supervision of the Royal Kitchen.
During his reign he is reputed to have survived over 55 assassination attempts. One of these occurred in 1931 while Zog was visiting a
ViennaVienna is the capital of the Republic of Austria and also one of the nine states of Austria. Vienna is Austria's primary city, with a population of about 1.7 million , and is by far the largest city in Austria, as well as its cultural, economic, and political centre. It is the 10th largest city by...
opera house for a performance of
PagliacciPagliacci is an opera consisting of a prologue and two acts written and composed by Ruggero Leoncavallo. It recounts the tragedy of a jealous husband in a commedia dell'arte troupe...
. The attackers struck whilst Zog was getting into his car, and he survived by firing back with a pistol that he always carried. This is the only occasion in modern history when a
Head of StateHead of state is the generic term for the individual or collective office that serves as the chief public representative of a monarchy, republic, federation, commonwealth or other kind of state...
has personally exchanged fire with potential assassins.
In April 1938 Zog married
Countess Geraldine Apponyi de Nagy-ApponyiCountess Géraldine Margit Virginia Olga Mária Apponyi de Nagyappony was the Queen Consort of King Zog I, of the Zogu dynasty of Albania...
, a Roman Catholic
aristocratThe aristocracy are people considered to be in the highest social class in society, who traditionally have land, money, and power. They are often members of a hereditary nobility that derives its stature from a lineage traceable to the original inhabitants or rulers of a region...
who was half-
HungarianHungary , in English officially the Republic of Hungary , is a landlocked country in the Carpathian Basin of Central Europe, bordered by Austria, Slovakia, Ukraine, Romania, Serbia, Croatia, and Slovenia. Its capital is Budapest. Hungary is a member of OECD, NATO, EU, V4 and is a Schengen state...
and half-
AmericanThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. Among the wedding gifts was a scarlet Mercedes-Benz 540K from the German Chancellor. Their only child, HRH Crown Prince Leka, was born in Albania on 5 April 1939.
Relations with Italy
The fascist government of
Benito MussoliniBenito Amilcare Andrea Mussolini,
KSMOM GCTE was an Italian politician who led the National Fascist Party and is credited with being one of the key figures in the creation of Fascism. He became the Prime Minister of Italy in 1922 and began using the title Il Duce by...
's Italy had supported Zog since early in his presidency; that support had led to increased Italian influence in Albanian affairs. The Italians compelled Zog to refuse to renew the First Treaty of Tirana (1926), although Zog still retained British officers in the
GendarmerieA gendarmerie or gendarmery is a military body charged with police duties among civilian populations. The members of such a body are called gendarmes. The term maréchaussée may also be used but is now uncommon.-Etymology:The word gendarme comes from Old French gens d'armes, meaning men-at-arms...
as a counterbalance against the Italians, who had pressured Zog to remove them.
During the
worldwide depressionThe Great Depression was a severe worldwide economic depression in the decade preceding World War II. The timing of the Great Depression varied across nations, but in most countries it started in about 1929 and lasted until the late 1930s or early 1940s...
of the early 1930s Zog's government became almost completely dependent on Mussolini, to the point that the Albanian national bank had its seat in
RomeRome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated municipality , with over 2.7 million residents in , while the population of the urban area is estimated by Eurostat to be 3.46 million. The metropolitan area of Rome is estimated by OECD to have a population of 3.7 million...
. Grain had to be imported, many Albanians emigrated, and Italian settlers were allowed to settle in Albania. In 1932 and 1933, Albania was unable to pay the interest on its loans from the Society for the Economic Development of Albania, and the Italians used this as a pretext for further dominance. They demanded that Tirana put Italians in charge of the Gendarmerie, join Italy in a customs union, and grant the Italian Kingdom control of Albania's sugar, telegraph, and electrical monopolies. Finally, Italy called for the Albanian government to establish teaching of the
Italian languageItalian is a Romance language spoken by about 60 million people in Italy, and by a total of around 70 million in the world. In Switzerland, Italian is one of four official languages. It is also the official language of San Marino, as well as the primary language of Vatican City...
in all Albanian schools, a demand that was swiftly refused by Zog. In defiance of Italian demands, he ordered the national budget to be slashed by 30 percent, dismissed all Italian military advisers, and nationalized Italian-run Roman Catholic schools in the north of Albania to decrease Italian influence on the population of Albania. In 1934, he tried without success to build ties with France, Germany, and the Balkan states, and Albania drifted back into the Italian orbit.
Two days after the birth of his son and heir, on 7 April 1939 (
Good FridayGood Friday, also called Holy Friday, Black Friday, or Great Friday, is a holiday observed primarily by adherents to Christianity commemorating the crucifixion of Jesus and his death at Calvary...
), Mussolini's Italy invaded, facing no significant resistance. The Albanian army was ill-equipped to resist, as it was almost entirely dominated by Italian advisors and officers and was no match for the Italian Army. The Italians were, however, resisted by small elements in the gendarmerie and general population. The Royal Family, realising correctly that their lives were in danger, fled into exile. "Oh God, it was so short" were King Zog's last words to Geraldine on Albanian soil. Count Ciano, the Italian Foreign Minister, arrived the following day; on searching the Palace in Tirana, he found the labour room in the Queen's suite; seeing a pile of linen on the floor, stained by the afterbirth, he kicked it across the room. "The cub has escaped!" he said.
Mussolini declared Albania a
protectorateA protectorate, in international law, is an autonomous territory that is protected diplomatically or militarily against third parties by a stronger state or entity. In exchange for this, the protectorate usually accepts specified obligations, which may vary greatly, depending on the real nature of...
under Italy's King Victor Emmanuel III. Zog and his family were forced into exile. While some Albanians continued to resist, "a large part of the population ... welcomed the Italians with cheers", according to one contemporary account.
Former crown prince
Prior to the birth of Prince Leka, the position of Heir Presumptive was held by Prince
Tati Esad Murad KryziuTati Esad Murad Kryeziu, Prince of Kosova was the heir presumptive to the throne of Albania prior to the birth of Prince Leka in 1939.-Early life:Tati Kryziu was born in Tirana the son of Nafijé Zogu and Cenu Bey Kryziu....
, the son of the King's sister, Princess Nafisa. He was born 24 December 1923 in Tirana. He became honorary General of the Royal Albanian Army in 1928, at age five. He was made Heir Presumptive with the style of His Highness and title of "Prince of Kosova" (
Princ i Kosoves) in 1931. After the Royal House's exile, he moved to France, where he died in August 1993.
Life in exile
The royal family settled in
EnglandEngland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the North Sea to the east, with the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, first at The
RitzThe Ritz Hotel London is a 133-room hotel located in Piccadilly and overlooking Green Park in London.- History :Famed Swiss hotelier César Ritz opened the hotel on May 24, 1906. The building is neoclassical in the Louis XVI manner, built during the Belle Époque to resemble a stylish Parisian block...
in
London[]London is the capital of England and the United Kingdom. It has been a major settlement for two millennia, and the history of London goes back to its founding by the Romans, when it was named Londinium. London's core, the ancient City of London, the 'square mile', retains its medieval boundaries...
, followed by a brief stay in Ascot,
BerkshireBerkshire is a county in the South East of England. It is also often referred to as the Royal County of Berkshire because of the presence of the royal residence of Windsor Castle in the county; this usage, which dates to the 19th century at least, was recognised by the Queen in 1958, and Letters...
in 1941 (near Zog's nieces who were at school in Ascot), and a move in 1941 to Parmoor House,
ParmoorParmoor is a hamlet to the south of Frieth in the parish of Hambleden, in Buckinghamshire, England....
, near
FriethFrieth is a village in the parish of Hambleden, in Buckinghamshire, England. It lies on the top of 'Frieth Hill', which is part of the chalk escarpments of the Chiltern Hills....
in
BuckinghamshireBuckinghamshire is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan home county in South East England. The county town is Aylesbury and the largest town in ceremonial Buckinghamshire is Milton Keynes....
with some staff of the court living in locations around Lane End.
In 1946, King Zog and most of his family left England and went to live in Egypt at the behest of King Farouk, until he was overthrown in 1952.
In 1951, Zog bought the
Knollwood estateThe Knollwood estate was a Gold Coast era castle-esque house and estate. Located in Muttontown, New York, its ruins are now part of the Muttontown Preserve....
in
Muttontown, New YorkThe Village of Muttontown is located within the Town of Oyster Bay in Nassau County, New York, United States. The population was 3,412 at the 2000 census. The name of the village stems from its former use as pasturage for sheep.-History :...
. The sixty-room estate was never occupied and Zog sold the estate in 1955. The mansion was later further vandalized, and parts of it have since been torn down. Ruins of this mansion can still be seen deep in the woods of Muttontown preserve, located on Route 106 in Muttontown, New York. When Zog briefly went to the
United StatesThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, he wanted to bring along his Court, but the immigration authorities allowed only twenty members.
Zog finally chose to make his home in
FranceFrance , officially the French Republic , is a country located in Western Europe, with several overseas islands and territories located on other continents. Metropolitan France extends from the Mediterranean Sea to the English Channel and the North Sea, and from the Rhine to the Atlantic Ocean...
, living the lifestyle of a
RivieraThe Côte d'Azur, often known in English as the French Riviera, is the Mediterranean coastline of the south eastern corner of France, extending from Menton near the Italian border in the east to either Hyères or Cassis in the west....
recluse as favoured by exiled monarchs. He died in Hospital Foch,
SuresnesSuresnes is a commune in the western suburbs of Paris, France. It is located . from the center of Paris. It is one of the most densely populated municipalities in Europe. The nearest communes are Neuilly-sur-Seine, Puteaux, Rueil-Malmaison, Saint-Cloud and Boulogne-Billancourt...
,
Hauts-de-SeineHauts-de-Seine is a département in France. It is part of the region of Île-de-France region, and covers the near western suburbs of Paris...
on 9 April 1961 at the age of 65 after being seriously ill for some time. He was survived by his wife and son, and is buried at the Thiais Cemetery in
ParisParis is the capital of France and the country's most populous city. It is situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
. On his death, his son Leka was pronounced H.M. King Leka of the Albanians by the exiled Albanian community.
His widow, Queen Geraldine, died of natural causes in 2002 at the age of 87 in a military hospital in
TiranaTirana is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Albania. It was founded in 1614 by Sulejman Pasha and became Albania's capital city in 1920. The Municipality of Tirana lies on the river Ishëm, about inland and is located at in Tirana District, Tirana County...
, Albania.
Political legacy
During
World War IIWorld War II, or the Second World War , was a global military conflict which involved a majority of the world's nations, including all great powers, organized into two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, there were three resistance groups operating in Albania: the nationalists, the royalists and the communists. Some of the Albanian establishment opted for collaboration. The partisans would not co-operate with the other resistance groups and took control of the country. They were able to defeat the last Nazi remnants as the war ended, with the help of British arms and aid.
Zog attempted to reclaim his throne after the war. Sponsored by the British, some forces loyal to Zog attempted to mount
invasionsThe Albanian Subversion is one of the earliest and most notable failures of the Western covert paramilitary operations behind the Iron Curtain. Based on wrong assessments about Albania, and thinking that the country was ready to shake off its Stalinist regime, the British SIS and the American CIA...
but were continually ambushed due to intelligence sent to the Soviet Union by spy
Kim PhilbyHarold Adrian Russell "Kim" Philby or H.A.R. Philby , was a high-ranking member of British intelligence who worked as a spy for and later defected to the Soviet Union...
—Albania now had a communist government led by
Enver Hoxha' was the Communist leader of Albania from the end of World War II until his death in 1985, as the First Secretary of the Party of Labour of Albania...
, who remained in power for 45 years. A referendum in 1997 proposed to restore the monarchy in the person of Zog's son Leka Zogu who, since 1961, has been styled "Leka I, King of the Albanians". The official results stated that about two-thirds of voters favoured a continued republican government. HM King Leka, believing the result to be fraudulent, attempted an armed uprising: he was unsuccessful and was forced into exile, although he later returned and now lives in Tirana.
A main street in Tirana was later renamed "Boulevard Zog I" by the Albanian government.
In popular culture
A character bearing a striking similarity to the king appeared in the
TintinThe Adventures of Tintin is a series of comic strips created by Belgian artist Hergé, the pen name of Georges Remi . The series first appeared in French in Le Petit Vingtième, a children's supplement to the Belgian newspaper on 10 January 1929...
comic book series as King Muskar XII in "
King Ottokar's SceptreKing Ottokar's Sceptre is the eighth of The Adventures of Tintin, a series of classic comic-strip albums, written and illustrated by Belgian writer and illustrator Hergé, featuring the young reporter Tintin. It was first serialized as a black-and-white comic strip in Le Petit Vingtième on 4 August...
".
In the fourth episode of
Monty Python's Flying CircusMonty Python’s Flying Circus is a BBC sketch comedy programme from the Monty Python comedy team, and the group's initial claim to fame. The show was noted for its surreality, risqué or innuendo-laden humour, sight gags, and sketches without punchlines...
, the first sketch was noted as having been "specially written for the pubescence of Ex-King Zog of Albania." Other passing references to Zog became something of a
running gagA running gag is a literary device which often takes the form of an amusing joke or a comical reference and appears repeatedly throughout a work of literature or other form of storytelling....
on the show.
In
Ian FlemingIan Lancaster Fleming was a British author and journalist. Fleming is best remembered for creating the character of James Bond and chronicling Bond's adventures in twelve novels and nine short stories...
's
James BondJames Bond 007 is a fictional character created in 1953 by writer Ian Fleming, who featured him in twelve novels and two short story collections. The character has also been used in the longest running and most financially successful English language film franchise to date, starting in 1962 with Dr...
novel
The Man With the Golden GunThe Man with the Golden Gun is the thirteenth novel written by Ian Fleming, featuring the fictional British Secret Service agent James Bond. It was published posthumously in the United Kingdom by Jonathan Cape, in 1965...
,
Francisco ScaramangaFrancisco Scaramanga is a fictional character and the main antagonist in the James Bond film and novel The Man with the Golden Gun. In the novel, the character is nicknamed "Pistols" Scaramanga and is also called "Paco"...
says that the Rastafarians of
JamaicaJamaica is an island nation of the Greater Antilles, in length and as much as in width, amounting to 11,100 km
2. It is situated in the Caribbean Sea, about south of Cuba, and west of Hispaniola, the island harboring the nation-states Haiti and the Dominican Republic...
owe their allegiance to the ruler of
EthiopiaEthiopia , officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, is a landlocked country situated in the Horn of Africa. Ethiopia is bordered by Eritrea to the north, Sudan to the west, Kenya to the south, Somalia to the east and Djibouti to the northeast. Its size is 1,100,000 km² with an...
, who he identifies as "this King Zog or what-have-you." Actually, the monarch that Scaramanga had in mind was Haile Selassie.
The song "Don Juan" by British synth duo the
Pet Shop BoysPet Shop Boys are an British electronic dance music duo, consisting of Neil Tennant, who provides main vocals, keyboards and occasionally guitar and Chris Lowe on keyboards and occasionally on vocals....
(the B-side to their 1988 single "
Domino Dancing"Domino Dancing" is a song recorded by the British synthpop duo Pet Shop Boys which reached #7 on the UK Singles Chart. It was released as the lead single from their 1988 album, Introspective.- Song :...
") contains the phrase "King Zog's back from holiday,
Marie LupescuElena Lupescu , better known as Magda Lupescu, was the mistress of King Carol II of Romania and later , his wife.-Parents and siblings:...
's grey and
King AlexanderAlexander I Karađorđević was the first king of the Kingdom of Yugoslavia as well as the last king of the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes .-Childhood:Alexander Karađorđević was born in Cetinje in Principality of Montenegro in December 1888...
is dead in Marseilles".
The assassination attempt of 1931 was depicted in the 1987 film
AriaAria is a 1987 British film produced by Don Boyd from Virgin Group's visual section consisting of ten short films by a variety of directors. It was entered into the 1987 Cannes Film Festival....
. Zog was played by
Theresa RussellTheresa Russell is an American actress.-Career:Russell began modeling at the age of 12 and made her film debut in 1976 in The Last Tycoon, starring Robert De Niro...
, and the segment was directed by
Nicolas RoegNicolas Jack Roeg, BSC is an English film director and cinematographer. Contributing to the visual look of Lawrence of Arabia and Roger Corman's The Masque of the Red Death, and co-directing Performance, he would later become the guiding force behind such landmark films as Walkabout, Don't Look...
.
Anecdotes
There are many anecdotes about King Zog:
- After Italy's invasion of Albania in 1939, King Zog, having been exiled by Benito Mussolini
Benito Amilcare Andrea Mussolini,
KSMOM GCTE was an Italian politician who led the National Fascist Party and is credited with being one of the key figures in the creation of Fascism. He became the Prime Minister of Italy in 1922 and began using the title Il Duce by...
, set out with his retinue for the Ritz HotelThe Ritz Hotel London is a 133-room hotel located in Piccadilly and overlooking Green Park in London.- History :Famed Swiss hotelier César Ritz opened the hotel on May 24, 1906. The building is neoclassical in the Louis XVI manner, built during the Belle Époque to resemble a stylish Parisian block...
in London[]London is the capital of England and the United Kingdom. It has been a major settlement for two millennia, and the history of London goes back to its founding by the Romans, when it was named Londinium. London's core, the ancient City of London, the 'square mile', retains its medieval boundaries...
. The hall porter, surprised by the unusual weight of the king's cases, asked him whether they contained anything valuable. "Yes," Zog replied, "gold."
- Zog was described by British Conservative politician Julian Amery as the cleverest man he had ever met.
- Aubrey Herbert
Aubrey Nigel Henry Molyneux Herbert was a British diplomat, traveller and intelligence officer, associated with Albanian independence and twice offered the throne of that country.- Background :...
, who met Zog in 1913 when he was only eighteen, described him as "a reader of Shakespeare and a fine fighting man."
External links
See also
- History of Albania
The History of Albania emerges from the prehistoric stage from the 4th century BCE, 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...
- Self-proclaimed monarchy
A self-proclaimed monarchy is a monarchy that is proclaimed into existence, often by an individual, rather than occurring as part of a longstanding tradition...
|-
|-
|-
|-