Haxhi Qamili

Haxhi Qamili (1876 – June 1915) was the leader of an egalitarian, pan-Ottoman and an Islamic revolt in 1914–15 in Albania. He was popularly known by his religious name, having been born Qamil Zyber Xhameta.

Biography

Early life

Qamili was a villager from Sharra (in Tirana) and was the Sheikh of a tekke belonging to the Melami order of dervishes that strove for social equality and rejected wealth and luxury.^[1][2][3]

Peasant revolt

The uprising began in mid-May 1914, but had its origins in 1913, when the new puppet government of Vlora was created by the Christian powers of Europe. The Vlora government and later the government of Prince Wied initiated a number of policies of de-Islamization and repression of Islam in the country. These secular policies and the forceful separation of Albanian from the Ottoman state led to a large Islamic revolt. Its base was in the regions of Shijak, Kavaja and Tirana. Muslim Albanians revolted against the Christian powers of Europe which had forcefully separated Albania from the Ottoman state, and now were suppressing Islam.^[4]

On 3 June 1914, the revolutionaries, who were led by mufti Musa Qazim Beqari, made their demands known at a gathering in Kavaja, among which was the overthrow of the Western-installed Protestant Prince Wied. The Muslims demanded the reunion of Albania with the Ottoman state, the reinstatement of the Shariah, the removal of the "Albanian flag" and its replacement with the Ottoman flag. Haxhi Qamili, who felt himself called upon by Islam and his patriotic Ottoman duty to reunite with the Ottoman state led the uprising.^[4]

The Islamic revolt of central Albania was highly successful. Except for Durrës, Vlora and Shkodra, most of the country came under their control.^[4] In August 1914, Haxhi Qamili and his Ottoman loyalists marched on Vlora, defeated weak government forces near Lushnja, and took Vlora on 1 September 1914, raising the Ottoman flag. Two days later, Prince Wied in Durrës was forced to abandon his six-month kingdom for good and the Albanian - Ottoman revolutionaries legislated the re-union of Albania with the Ottoman state.^[4]

With Weid removed, Essad Pasha, who had the support of Italy, returned from exile in October 1914.

War with Essad Pasha

Essad Pasha Toptani, a supporter of the feudal lords, took power with the Serbian support.^[5] Qamili became one of the leaders of the renewed rebellion and was elected by the Islamic rebels as their commander-in-chief.^[6] by the end of November 1914, the rebels had regained the upper hand and burnt Essad Pasha’s palace in Tirana to the ground.^[3] The rebellion achieved rapid successes, confining Essad's government entirely to Durrës itself.^[7]

With the start of the First World War, Albania was invaded by Greek, Italian and Serbian forces, which changed the situation of the uprising entirely. In January 1915 Qamili along with other rebel leaders convened a National Congress in Tirana, declaring on behalf of the whole Albanian people the illegitimacy of Essad's Durrës-based government while affirming Albanian neutrality in World War I.^[8]

Death

In an effort to aid Essad's government and to further its own territorial aims, the Kingdom of Serbia launched an invasion of central Albania on June 2, 1915 but was promptly met by resistance led by Qamili at Qukës where, however, the rebels' outnumbered and outgunned forces were defeated by the Serbs.^[9] Through this intervention the "rebellion with [its] vague, unsettled political objectives, but which did, nevertheless, have both a popular and a social basis" was suppressed.^[7] The Serbian forces arrested Qamili and other rebel leaders and sent them as prisoners to Durrës, where they were tried in a court presided over by Xhelal Bey Zogu and sentenced to be hanged.^[10]

Legacy

Enver Hoxha noted that the peasant movement under Qamili's direction was primarily one of the rural poor, which relied upon traditional forms of government such as village councils to organize and direct a struggle against feudal interests.^[11] Qamili preached that all property in excess of personal needs should be given to the impoverished, quoting the Quran and also expressing the sentiment of the Melami sect, which was against the concept of private property.^[12] The peasant rebels under Qamili's command confiscated the estates of the large landowners, set fire to houses of the beys, and provided support for the poor, infirm and orphans.^[6]

Hoxha summed up Qamili's movement as being "against the feudal lords, pashas, beys and aghas, landowners and privileges in general."^[13]

References

Citations

1. Pearson 2004, p. 84.
2. Elsie 2001, p. 178.
3. Elsie 2012, p. 376.
4. Jazexhi 2011.
5. Pollo & Puto 1981, p. 164.
6. Frashëri 1964, p. 196.
7. Pollo & Puto 1981, p. 165.
8. Pearson 2004, p. 87.
9. Frashëri 1964, p. 198.
10. Pearson 2004, p. 90.
11. Hoxha 1977, p. 142.
12. Pollo & Puto 1981, pp. 164–165.
13. Hoxha 1977, p. 171.

Sources

• Jazexhi, Olsi (2011). Ottomans into Illyrians : passages to nationhood in 20th century Albania. PhD Thesis: EUI.
• Elsie, Robert (2012). A Biographical Dictionary of Albanian History. London: I.B. Taurus & Co Ltd.
• Frashëri, Kristo (1964). The History of Albania: A Brief Survey. Tirana.
• Hoxha, Enver (1977). Vepra 23. Tirana: Shtëpia Botuese "8 Nëntori".
• Pearson, Owen (2004). Albania and King Zog: Independence, Republic And Monarchy 1908–1939. New York: New York University Press.
• Pollo, Stefanaq; Puto, Arben (1981). The History of Albania: From its Origins to the Present Day. London: Routledge & Kegan Paul Ltd.