State of the Balkan Peninsula, Albania (28 748 km2), is limited to north and the east by Kosovo and Macedonia, to the south by Greece, and gives to the west on the Adriatic Sea.
The Albanians probably go down from Illyriens, populates Indo-European which settled in the area of the Dalmatian coast at the end of the Bronze Age. The name of Albanoï appears for the first time at IIe century of our era, in a text of the Ptolémée geographer. This name reappears then regularly, starting from X E century, under the feather of the Byzantine chroniclers
Antiquity and the Middle Ages
The current territory of the Albanian, colonized by the Greeks to the VII E front century J. - C, passed under the domination of Rome to the II E front century J. - C. After the partition of the Roman Empire in 395, the Albanian territory belonged to the Roman Empire of the East. Thereafter, as the remainder of Balkans, it was invaded to the IV E - VI E centuries by the Visigoths, the Handles, the Lombardic ones, Avars, and finally by the Slavic ones, which were established by successive waves from 580. Province of the Byzantine Empire to the IX E century, the country then is invaded by the Bulgarian ones (IX E - XI E century), then reconquered in 1018 by the emperor Basile II.
To the XI E century, Albania excited the appetites of the Norman ones. The passage of the first crusade (1096) was accompanied by great devastations, but three forwardings Normans, between 1107 and 1185, failed.
In 1190, owing to the weakening of the Byzantine Empire, devastated by the fourth crusade in 1204, creates for itself the principality of Albania which constitutes the first Albanian State: the principality, which extends between the rivers Shkumbin and Drin, establishes its capital with Krujë.
To the XIII E century, the king of Sicily Charles I er of Anjou, brother of Saint Louis, unloads in Albania where he proclaims a transitory kingdom (1272). The domination from Angers collapses indeed soon under the attacks of the Serb Empire of Etienne Douchan (1331-1355), after the death of which it dark country in anarchy.
Of a mosaic of small States governed by Albanian lords in permanent between them, emergent conflict then two rival principalities: one in Durrës with Charles Topia, the other in Shkodër (Shkodra) with princes Balsha.
The Othoman conquest
At the end of the XV E century, Albania is submerged by the Othomans, in spite of a savage resistance gathered behind Gjergj Kastriot Skënderbeg (Georges Castriota Skanderbeg, v. 1403-1468). During nearly a quarter century, this national hero - greeted by the pope Nicolas V of the name of “athlete of Christ” - inflicts hard defeats with the Turkish troops, without however managing to drive out them. After the death of Skanderbeg Albania falls down in feudal tearings, and the sultan Murat II completes to reduce this advanced citadel of Christendom.
The history of Albania under the Othoman occupation, of the XVI E century up to 1912, is a succession of revolts which failed all; most famous remain that of Bushati with Shkodër (1796), and that of Ali Pasha de Tepelena (1822). During XVI E and XVII E centuries, Albania Islamized itself mainly, and provides many soldiers and civils servant (in particular several viziers and five top dogs) to the Ottoman Empire. The reasons of these conversions lay primarily in the social status and the economic interests which rose from the profession of faith in Islam, but also resulted from the plays of alliance between the clans.
The Russo-Turkish war of 1877-1878, concluded by the treaty from San Stefano, causes the alarm clock bursting of the Albanian national feeling. Indeed, this treaty yields to the Powers and victorious Russia of the conquered territories of Albania: the South with the Greeks, North with Serb and Are with the Bulgarian ones. Vis-a-vis this dismemberment, while the congress of Berlin (June 13th, 1878) prepares, the Albanian representatives of the various communities meet in Prizren and decide to create a league armed with an aim of defending the country and of obtaining autonomy. Known under the name of League of Prizren, this league was destroyed by the Turks and the European powers, but it was a big step of the rebirth of the Albanian national feeling.
The XXe century
On November 28th, 1912, after almost five centuries of Othoman occupation, Albania reaches independence finally, but that raises many problems in a Balkan Peninsula torn by the war. On December 17th opens in London the conference of the ambassadors of the six great powers in order to examine the international statute of Albania. This one is recognized, on on July 29th, 1913, like “hereditary sovereign principality and neutral under the guarantee of the great powers”. Its surface is limited to 28 ' 000 km2, and leaves apart from its borders all the area of Kosovo, yielded to Serbia. The new king chosen for Albania is a German prince, Guillaume de Wied (1876-1945), being unaware of all the country, and whose reign will last only 6 months.
At the end of the First World War, during which it was successively invaded by the armies of the two camps, Albania finds a transitory independence. The conference of peace, in Paris, recognizes its international statute and it is allowed at the League of Nations on on December 17th, 1920. The conference of the ambassadors of four countries (France, Italy, Japan and the United Kingdom), charged to fix the borders, restores in Albania the villages of Epire of North, but leaves in Montenegro the localities asserted by Albania.
The first elections of independent Albania proceed in April 1921, opposing the conservatives, gathered around the party progressist, and the reformers organized around the popular party, of which one of the leaders is the bishop and writer Fan S. Noli (1882-1965). It is at that time that intervenes Ahmet bey Zogu (1895-1961), large feudal of the area of Mati and member of the popular party. Home secretary, then Prime Minister (December 1922), it forms a new government, which resigns two years later vis-a-vis the opposition organized behind Fan Noli and Avni Rustemi.
On June 16th, 1924 is formed the democratic and liberal government directed by Fan Noli, who tries, in six months, of the important reforms in order to make pass the country of the feudal stage to a democracy (with the direction which Wilson US president intended to give in this term). But Ahmet Zogu, supported by the Yugoslavians, prepares an military intervention and seizes the power again: on January 31st, 1925, he is elected president of the Republic proclaimed by the Assembled constituent one. On September 1st, 1928, he proclaims king d' Albanie, under the name of Zog I er, and makes work out a new legislation inspired of the European right; he promulgates a civil code, a penal code and a commercial code, and starts an important land reform which fails in front of the reserves of the land great landowners. But it is inserted in the debts towards fascistic Italy, which exerts a political and economic influence increasing in Albania.
On April 7th, 1939, Mussolini addresses to Albania an ultimatum, follow-up of a bombardment; the country is invaded by the fascistic troops, while king Zog flees with his family. The 12, alleged assembled constituent joined together in Tirana offers the government to Victor-Emmanuel III, who assumes the title of king d' Albanie; under the fiction of a personal union, it is a pure and simple annexation of Albania by Italy. Duce imposes the fascistic laws and, at the beginning of the Second world war, endeavors to create Large Albania, territory whose borders corresponded to the ethnic limits of the Albanian people and who included Kosovo, Macedonia and Tchamerie.
However, Albanian resistance is organized around the Communist party of Albania, under the direction of Enver Hoxha and in connection with the movement of Tito in Yugoslavia. In September 1942, the Conference of national release gathers communist and nationalists of various tendencies and gives rise to the national Face of release (FLN). After the capitulation of Italy, on on September 8th, 1943, the country undergoes the occupation Nazi, much bloodier than that of the Italian fascists.
On November 28th, 1944, all Albania is released and in January 1946, the popular republic of Albania is proclaimed. Behind the “iron curtain”, the country engages in the socialist camp.
Post-war period with today
Wanting to affirm an intransigent fidelity with the dogmas of the Marxism-Leninism, Albania broke initially with Yugoslavia in 1948, then with the USSR in 1961, and finally with China Maoist in 1977. After this separation of with the whole of the socialist camp, instead of approaching Europe, Albania is locked up on the contrary in a total insulation. Directed of an iron hand by Enver Hoxha, the country then becomes one of the hardest dictatorships of the Eastern European countries. Ramiz Alia succeeded Enver Hoxha, deceased in 1985.
From spring 1990, vis-a-vis general dissatisfaction, the Communist government was brought to announce political reforms and economic. But one needed the fall of the Berlin Wall, the revolution in Romania, the massive exoduses of July 1990, the intensification of the international pressure and the revolt of the students of Tirana so that, on on December 11th, 1990, the multi-party system is finally founded. At the time of the first free elections (March 1991), the Communists with the power managed to secure the majority at the Parliament, and Ramiz Alia was re-elected in charge of the State in April 1991.
But strikes and demonstrations forced the government to organize legislative elections (March 1992), which were gained by the democratic party. After the resignation of Ramiz Alia, Sali Berisha was elected president of the Republic, but the victory of the socialist opposition to the legislative elections of June 29th, 1997, forced it to resign. One month later, Rexhep Mejdani, the general secretary of the Socialist party, elected official to the presidency of the Albanian Republic, the state of emergency in force raised since five months and appointed Fatos Nano Prime Minister. A little later the soldiers of the Multinational force of protection (FMP) left the country, while the governmental forces took again the control of the territory gradually.
The political life however was long in being standardized, the Democratic party of S. Berisha boycotting work of the Parliament and organizing almost daily demonstrations. In September 1998 burst of new riots, S. Berisha trying to take again the power with the support of the street. It reproached in particular the government F. Nano its lack of engagement with respect to the tragedy which was tying itself in Kosovo, whereas itself took makes and causes for the Army of release of Kosovo (UCK).
In this crisis, F. Nano indeed adopted a moderate position and stuck to a constant alignment on the positions of the Group of contact. In October however, under the pressure of the protest movements orchestrated by the partisans of S. Berisha, the Prime Minister was constrained to resign and chair it Mejdani indicated Pandeli Majko to succeed to him in charge of the government.
The failure of the negotiations of Rambouillet on Kosovo, in March 1999, and the development of the exactions of the military forces and the Serb militia in this area, caused an surge of refugees (nearly 400 ' 000 completely stripped people coming in a few weeks to be added to some 50 ' 000 that Albania had already accommodated for one year) putting to the test the capacities of reception and adaptation of this small country convalescent.
Deprived of any means in front of the crisis which struck them, and worry about the play that Belgrade seemed to wish to see them playing in this conflict, the Albanian authorities largely opened their territory with the forces of NATO and the humanitarian organizations. At the end of the year, the Prime Minister Pandeli Majko, politically weakened, was replaced by the Socialist, Ilir Meta, which was surrounded by twelve of the sixteen members of the old government.