Kingdom of Albania - House of Zogu

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THE KINGDOM OF ALBANIA

Mbretnija Shqiptare

House of Wied & House of Zogu

The Albanian Kingdom (Gheg Albanian: Mbretnija Shqiptare, Standard Albanian:
Mbretëria Shqiptare) was the constitutional monarchal rule in Albania between
1928 and 1939. Albania was declared a monarchy by the Constituent Assembly,
and Zog I was crowned king. The kingdom was a restoration of the royal identity
surviving from Scanderbeg's reign in the 15th century. It also ensured the permanence

of democracy and order in Albania, which had just regained independence from the

Ottoman Empire in 1912, The kingdom was supported by Italy and the two countries

maintained close relations until Italy's sudden invasion of the country in 1939.

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/dc/Coa_of_prince_of_Albania.png

The Princely House of Wied

Prince William of Wied, Prince of Albania (Wilhelm Friedrich Heinrich) (26 March

1876 - 18 April 1945) reigned briefly as sovereign of Albania 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. Born in Neuwied, he was the third son
of William (Wilhelm in German), 5th Prince of Wied (Prinz zu Wied in German)
(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 Marie Wilhelmine
Friederike Elisabeth of Nassau-Weilburg. Marie was a daughter of Wilhelm, Duke
of Nassau and his first wife Charlotte Louise of Saxe-Altenburg. Charlotte was
a daughter of Frederick, Duke of Saxe-Altenburg and Duchess Charlotte Georgine
of Mecklenburg-Strelitz. His maternal grandparents were Prince Frederik of the
Netherlands and Princess Louise of Prussia. Louise was a daughter of Frederick
William III of Prussia and Louise of Mecklenburg-Strelitz. Prince William served
as a Prussian cavalry officer before becoming a captain in the German General
Staff in 1911.

Prince William's aunt Queen Elisabeth of Romania, on learning that the Great Powers
were looking for a prince to rule over Albania, asked Take Ionescu to attempt to persuade
the great powers 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.

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 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 firt cabinet
was dominated by members of nobility (prince Essad pacha 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 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. 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.

The Family Titles and Styles

The members of this family bore the titles of Prince or

Princess of Albania and Prince or Princess zu Wied together

with the style and appellation of His or Her Highness

The title and style used for the Prince in Albanian was Mbret (King or Emperor)

and Madheri (Majesty), the same terms previously used for the Ottoman Sultan.

The Genealogy of The Princely House

http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_pzICWg_Xk24/R6nT9eZFJYI/AAAAAAAAA6c/var4tPxA39o/s400/William_of_Wied.jpg

WILHELM Friedrich Heinrich Pr zu Wied (see WIED) (Neuwied 26 Mar 1876-Predeal, nr

Sinaia, Romania 18 Apr 1945) assumed the new Albanian throne as Prince of Albania

6 Feb 1914 and fled 5 Sep 1914; he m.at Waldenburg, Saxony 30 Nov 1906 Sophie Pss

von Schönburg- Waldenburg, Potsdam 21 May 1885-Fontaneli, Moldavia 3 Feb 1936)

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3210/2755902975_caa856243a_b.jpg

1a) Karl Viktor Wilhelm Friedrich Ernst Günther, Hereditary Pr of Albania,

Pr zu Wied (Potsdam 19 May 1913- Munich 8 Dec 1973); m.New York 8 Sep

1966 Eileen Johnston (Chester 3 Sep 1922-New York 1 Sep 1985)

2a) Marie Eleonore Elisabeth Cecilie Mathilde Lucie (Potsdam 19 Feb 1909-d.in

internment camp at Miercurea, Romania 29 Sep 1956); m.1st Munich 16 Nov 1937

Alfred Pr von Schönburg-Waldenburg (Droyssig 30 Oct 1905- Zeitz 10 Mar 1941);

m.2d Bucharest 5 Feb 1949 Ion Octavian Bunea (Galatz, Romania 1 Nov 1899-19__)

http://www.ngw.nl/int/oveur/images/albania6.jpg

The Royal House of Zogu

The House of Zogu is a European dynasty founded by Zogu Pasha who
migrated to Mati, Albania in the late 15th century and was then
appointed Governor of Mati by the Ottoman Sultan, with the position
of Governor then becoming hereditary among the Zogu clan. The
ancestral home of the Zogus was Castle Burgajet. The most famous
member of the dynasty is Zog I, Skanderbeg III, who in 1928 was
proclaimed King of the Albanians and ruled until he was deposed
by Victor Emmanuel III of Italy and the Italian invasion in 1939.
Victor Emmanuel subsequently assumed the Albanian throne. The
current head of the dynasty is King Zog's son Leka, Crown Prince
of Albania, known as King Leka.

The Family Titles and Styles

The Members of the Royal

Family bear the Titles of

Sovereign: Mbret i Shqiptarëvet

(=King of the Sons of the Eagle),

/ King of the Albanians with

the style of His Majesty.

Heir Apparent: Princ i

Shqiptarëve, Trashëgimtar,

/ Crown Prince of Albania with

the style of His Royal Highness.

Sons of the Sovereign, and male descendants in the

male line: Princ i Shqiptarë, / Prince of Albania

with the formal style of His Royal Highness.

Daughters of the Sovereign, and female descendants

in the male line, if any: Princësh i Shqiptarë, / Princess

of Albania with the style of Her Royal Highness.

http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_Qdr2w1PNnCU/SZB2_O-NN4I/AAAAAAAAAlg/gNR-ips2K5s/s400/Albania%27s+King+Zog.jpg

http://xhaxhai.files.wordpress.com/2009/07/geraldina.jpg

The Genealog of The Royal House

Zogu Pasha [Zogu the Great] (b. at Zagut Villiage, Kosova),

migrated to Mati in the late 15^th century, converted to Islam and

appointed as Governor of Seli-Mati by the Sultan of Turkey.

Zogu the Small
Governor of Mati

'Abdu'llah Bey Zogolli (ygst son)
(k. in battle for independence, 1621, bur. Burgejet)

Ahmad Bey Zogolli

(k. beheaded by the Turks at Ohrid, 1633?)
Governor of Mati

Mahmud Pasha Zogolli

http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_Qdr2w1PNnCU/SZB204HJvjI/AAAAAAAAAlY/1wqpJndPj5s/s400/Albanian+King+Zog+in+Costume.jpg

http://russkiymir.org/common/img/uploaded/journal/rm04_08/16_ping-pong/pp2_rmru04.jpg

Amet Bej Zogu became ruler of Albania after the First World War,

and on 1 September 1928 was proclaimed "King of the Albanians".

He ruled until the Italian invasion in April 1939. When he became

king he granted royal rank to his mother and siblings. The siblings

were accorded the style "Highness". The issue of the king were

accorded the style "Royal Highness". The titles of the issue of Zog's

siblings is unclear, but they seem to be "Prince (or Princess) Zogu"

Xhemal Zogu Pasha, Hereditary Governor of Mati, b.Burgajet ca 1860,

d.Mati 1911 (1904?). He m.1st at Mati in 1880 Melek Zogu (Burgajet 18__

-Burgajet 1884); m.2d at Mati 1891 Sadijé Toptani, who was accorded

the title "Queen Mother of the Albanians" in 1928

(28 Aug 1876-Tirana 25 Nov 1934)

1a) Pr Xhelal Bey Zogu (Burgajet 14 May 1881-Istanbul 26 Feb 1944);

m.1st Burgajet 1908 (div 1912) Ruhijé Doshishti (Dibra 9 Mar 1881-

Cannes 6 Dec 1956); m.2d Burel 1931 Ikbal Pekkini (b.at Pekkini, d.

Burel 3 May 1932); m.3d Burel 2 Aug 1932 (div 1933) Faika Minxhalliu

(Delvine 1897-Kruja 9 Dec 1935); m.4th Burel May 1933

Hyrijet Allaj (Elbasan 1916-Alexandria 17 Oct 1993)

1b) Said (b.and d.

Burgajet 1909)

2b) Melek (b.and

d.Burgajet 1911)

3b) [Pss?] Elvira, b.Burel 3 May 1932; m.Alexandria, Egypt 10

Jun 1955 (sep 1986) Ibrahim Hadidi (b.Alexandria 9 Oct 1934)

4b) [Pr?] Skender, b.Davos 3 Jun 1933; m.Compiègne 10 Nov 1962

Jacqueline Cosme (b.Bucquy, Pas de Calais 7 Aug 1932)

1c) [Pss?] Virginie Alexandra Geraldine, b.Compiègne 25

Jan 1963; m.St.Jean-de-Luz 6 Jun 1987 Raphael de Urresti

(b.St.Jean-de-Luz 18 Oct 1959)

5b) [Pss?] Melita, b.Burel 18 Jun 1934; m.Alexandria 22

Feb 1958 Abdel Aziz Khadr (b.Alexandria 20 Oct 1927)

6b) [Pss?] Vera, b.Durazzo 3 Feb 1936; m.1st Cairo 24 Dec

1955 (div 1961) Essawi Khadr (b.Mahallah, Egypt 12

Jan 1936); m.2d Cairo 1970 Nasser El Gueneyni

7b) [Pr?] Mirgin, b.Durazzo 3 Sep 1937; m.Cannes 23 Nov 1959

Maryse Alexandrine Juliette Ferrando (b.Cannes 17 Jan 1934)

1c) [Pr?] Alexandre,

b.Paris 10 Jan 1963

2c) [Pr?] Michel, b.

Cannes 16 Sep 1966

8b) [Pr?] Genc (Tirana 3 Nov

1938-Istanbul 17 Apr 1944)

2a) Pss Adilé (Mati 25 Feb 1894-Paris

1966); m.Emin Agolli Doshishti (1890-1938)

1b) Teri Doshishti (d.2001); m.19

46 Robert Henry Cooper (1922-1994)

3a) Amet Bej Zogu, who became King ZOG I of the Albanians 1928, and fled from Albania

in 1939, b.Burgajet 8 Oct 1895, d.Paris 9 Apr 1961; m.Tirana 27 Apr 1938 Geraldine

Gräfin Apponyi de Nagy Appony (Budapest 6 Aug 1915-Tirana 22 Oct 2002)

http://www.smh.com.au/ffximage/2004/07/18/susanandkind_wideweb__430x320.jpg

http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_8L22LhWUsuA/ScOuqz2lIMI/AAAAAAAACy0/mctGX5gv-MI/s400/KingZogofAlbaniawithhiswifeQueenGer.jpg

1b) Leka, who, on his father's death, assumed the title King LEKA of the Albanians,

b.Tirana 5 Apr 1939; m.Biarritz 7 Oct 1975 [per BRF] or 10 Oct 1975 Susan Barbara

Cullen-Ward (Waverly, New South Wales 28 Jan 1941-Tirana 17 Jul 2004)

1c) Pr Leka Anwar Zog Reza Baudoin Msiziwe,

b.Johannesburg, South Africa 26 Mar 1982

4a) Pss Nafijé (Mati 12 Sep 1900-Egypt 21 Mar 1955); m.1922

Ceno Bey Kriziu (Kosova 1887-assasinated at Prague 14 Oct 1927)

http://albanians-in-exile.org/communities/6/004/007/144/966/images/4528533741.jpg

5a) Pss Senijé (Mati 15 Nov 1908-Cannes 15 Apr 1969); m.Tirana 12 Jan 1936

(div 1949) Pr Mehmen Abid of Turkey (Yildiz 17 Sep 1905-Paris 8 Dec 1973)

6a) Pss Myzejen (Mati 10 Nov

1909-Cannes 10 Apr 1969)

7a) Pss Ruhijé (Mati 23 Dec

1910-Cairo 31 Jan 1948)

8a) Pss Maxhidé (Mati 8 Oct

1911-Cannes 12 Oct 1969)

The Line of Succession to the Albanian Throne

The Albanian monarchy was overthrown in 1939 when King Zog fled the country
following an invasion by Mussolini's Italy. The pretender and head of the
House of Zogu since the death of King Zog in 1961 is Zog's son Leka, Crown
Prince of Albania, Leka has one son:

1. Prince Leka of Albania (b. 1982)

Following this the line of succession is unclear, however, if Prince Leka II
dies without issue it is expected he shall appoint a cousin of his father's
to become head of the House of Zogu and, therefore, claimant to the Throne.

Origins
The History of Albania
Illyrians
Illyricum (Roman province)
Albania in the Middle Ages
Albania under the Byzantine Empire
Albania under the Bulgarian Empire
Albania under the Serbian Empire
Principality of Arbër
Kingdom of Albania
Principalities in Middle Ages
League of Lezha
Albania Veneta
Ottoman Albania
Albanian Pashaliks
National Renaissance of Albania
Independence
The Albanian state
Provisional Government of Albania
Principality of Albania
Albanian Republic
Albanian Kingdom
Axis Occupation
Albania under Italy
Albania under Nazi Germany
Communist Albania
Modern
Post-Communist Albania
Albania