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Most scholars consider that Albanians are direct
descendants of an Illyrian tribe that was named "Albanoi,"
which was located in modern-day Albania[citation needed].
Some scholars dispute this while others claim that
Albanians and Illyrians are descendants of the ancient
Pelasgians, making their history go back at least four
thousand years before Christ. Their presence can be traced
back to the formulation of their political structure in the
seventh and sixth centuries BC. Excellent metal craftsmen
and fierce warriors, the Illyrians formed warlord-based
kingdoms that fought amongst themselves for most of their
history. Only during the sixth century BC did the Illyrians
venture significant raids against their immediate
neighbours: the kingdom of the Molossians in southern
Albania, the kingdom of Macedon, and the kingdom of Paionia.
The lands that are today inhabited by Albanians were first
populated in the Paleolithic Age (Stone Age), over one
hundred thousand years ago. The first zones that were
initially settled were those with adequate geographical
conditions. In Albania, the earliest settlements have been
discovered in the Gajtan cavern (Shkodra), in Konispol, at
mount Dajti, and at Xara (Saranda)[citation needed].
Primitive peoples lived in secluded groups, mainly in dry
caves that would also protect from the wind. They used
stones and bones as their tools. Places such as caverns and
terrains close to rivers were used to work on stone. In any
case, the tools from this age were simple and created
primarily from stone. Paleolithic peoples fed on collected
products from plants and hunted wild animals. Because of
the harsh conditions that they lived in, they had a short
lifespan of around twenty-one to thirty years, with higher
youth mortality. The fight against harsh living conditions
led to strengthened connections among the members of each
group and in a change of organization of primitive peoples.
At the end of the Paleolithic Age, the primitives
transformed into a grouping among bloodlines where the
origins were traced to the mother. Thus a matriarchal
society developed, which became common in later periods in
the Neolithic age (New Stone Age). The inhabitation of
Albanian lands increased in the Neolithic age. People began
to abandon caverns and settle in open areas. Neolithic
people were more prone to build their settlements in open
fields or next to rivers. A large number of such
settlements are discovered in Albania, Kosovo, Montenegro,
and the Republic of Macedonia.
Pelasgians
The Bronze Age is characterized with shifting demographics.
Stockbreeding people came from the east around the mid
3000s B.C. to the early 2000s B.C. They mixed with the
indigenous peoples and thus created the Indo-European
peoples of the Balkans. This population is believed to be
the ancient Pelasgians, which have been mentioned
frequently by ancient writers such as Homer, Herodotus, and
Thucydides. The Pelasgians are known as the most ancient
inhabitants of the Balkan Peninsula, living before Illyrian
or Greek times. From their first appearance in the region,
the Pelasgians adopted a matriarchal system. Several
different opinions arise when their ethnicity is analyzed.
From the seventeenth century, specifically from the
Albanian Rilindja (Rebirth), the theory that the Pelasgian
language was connected with Albanian was dominant among
Albanian and foreign researchers. The most active supporter
of this theory was Austrian linguist Hahn.
The differentiation of populations by ethnicity began
during the Bronze Age. Herodotus, an ancient Greek
historian in the fifth century BC, writes about the
Pelasgians that continued to live in Greece. According to
him, the language of the Pelasgians was different from
Greek. They dealt with agriculture and the sea and were
excellent builders. The Pelasgians built the wall around
the Acropolis of Athens and were rewarded with lands in
Attica by the Athenians. These worthless lands were turned
into excellent agricultural resources by the Pelasgians.
Illyrians
The Illyrians created and developed their culture, language
and anthropological features in the western part of the
Balkans, where ancient writers mention them in their works.
The regions that the Illyrians inhabited are considerably
expansive. They include the entire western peninsula, north
to central Europe, south to the Ambracian Gulf (Preveza,
Greece), and east around the Lyhind Lake (Ohrid Lake).
Other Illyrian tribes also migrated and developed in Italy.
Among them were the Messapii and Iapyges. The name 'Illyria'
is mentioned in works since the fifth century BC while some
tribe names are mentioned as early as the twelfth century
BC by Homer. The ethnic formation of the Illyrians,
however, is much older.
The beginning of Illyrian origins in by the fifteenth
century BC, from the mid-Bronze Age, when Illyrian ethnic
features began to form. By the Iron Age, the Illyrians were
fully distinct and had inherited their developing
anthropological features and language from the Neolithic
and Bronze ages. The old theory that the Illyrians came
from Central Europe during the seventh to ninth centuries
has been disproved and disbanded by studies performed
following World War II. The fact that graves with urns,
characteristic of Central Europe, are not found in Illyrian
settlements severely damage the theory. Central European
influence on the Illyrians is a result of cultural
exchanges and movement of artisans.
Roman and Byzantine rule
After being conquered by the Roman Empire, Illyria was
reorganized as a Roman province. Illyricum was later
divided into the provinces of Dalmatia and Pannonia, the
lands comprising modern-day Albania mostly being included
in the former. After the fall of the Western Roman Empire,
the Byzantine Empire governed the region. It was also ruled
by the Bulgarian and the Serbian Empire at various points
in the Middle Ages.
Ottoman rule
Statue of Gjergj Kastrioti Skanderbeg. Skanderbeg
is considered the national hero of Albania.In the Middle
Ages, the name Albania (see Origin and history of the name
Albania) began to be increasingly applied to the region now
comprising the nation of Albania. From 1443 to 1468 Gjergj
Kastrioti Skanderbeg led a successful resistance against
the invading Ottomans. After the death of Skanderbeg,
resistance continued until 1478, although with only
moderate success. The loyalties and alliances created and
nurtured by
Skanderbeg faltered and fell apart, and the
Ottomans conquered the territory of Albania shortly after
the fall of Kruje's castle. Albania then became part of the
Ottoman Empire. Following this, many Albanians fled to
neighboring Italy, mostly to Calabria and Sicily. The
majority of the Albanian population that remained converted
to Islam. They would remain a part of the Ottoman Empire
until 1912.
Effects of the Balkan Wars
After the Second Balkan War, the Ottomans were removed from
Albania and there was a possibility of some of the lands
being absorbed by Serbia and the southern tip by Greece.
This decision angered the Italians, who did not want Serbia
to have an extended coastline, and it also angered the
Austro-Hungarians, who did not want a powerful Serbia on
their southern border. Despite Serbian, Montenegrin, and
Greek occupation forces on the ground, and under immense
pressure from Austria-Hungary, it was decided that the
country should not be divided but instead consolidated into
the Principality of Albania. From 1925, the country was
ruled by President Ahmet Zogu, who in 1928 became King Zog
I.
King
Zog Ist, 13 Years of the First Albanian Monarchy
After the Albanian Government changed hands for a few
years,
Ahmet
Zogu came to power. After ruling Albania for a few
years, he declared himself the First Albanian Monarch. He
brought stability to the country after 450 years of the
Ottoman rule. His task was very difficult since the Turkish
mentality was in "good health" among the albanians. He
styled himself as an european king, married a Hungarian
Princess, and introduced the european style of life to the
Albanian people after centuries of living an eastern
lifestyle. Aftr the communist took power, they used the
whole Albanian propaganda machine to demonize him. Even
today he is very little known to the albanians themselves.
World War II and rule of Enver Hoxha
Enver Hoxha
Italy invaded Albania on 7 April 1939, meeting little
resistance, and took control of the country. During this
time, the Italians annexed parts of Montenegro, Kosovo,
Macedonia and Northern Epirus to the country. This led to
an ironic situation for the nationalists: although the
country was occupied, the dream of a Greater Albania was
realized. Albanian communists and nationalists actively
fought a partisan war against the Italian and German
invasions in World War II. The socialists (most often
called communists) took over after World War II. In
November 1944, the communists gained control of the
government under the leader of the resistance, Enver Hoxha.
The Communist Party was created on November 8, 1941 with
the help of Bolshevik Communist Parties, under the guidance
of the Yougoslavian Communist Party..
For the many decades under his totalitarian domination,
Hoxha created and destroyed relationships with Yugoslavia,
the Soviet Union, and China. Towards the end of the Hoxha
era, Albania was isolated, first from the capitalist West
(Western Europe, North America and Australasia) and later
even from the communist East. In 1985, Hoxha died.
Ramiz Alia - Albania's quiet Gorbachev
The signs of democracy had already started in Eastern
Europe. Mikhail Gorbachev had appeared in the Soviet Union
with new policies (glasnost and perestroika).
After Hoxha's death, Ramiz Alia, considered the most
inteligent and the most liberal-minded among the communist
government took power. It was his guidance that stopped the
bloodshed in Albania during 1990-1991 when Albanians rose,
like the rest of Eastern Europe, against the communism.
Thanks to him Albanian did not have the same fate as the
Romanians where 60,000 were killed before Nicolae Ceauşescu,
the communist leader of Romania, was executed in 1989. Alia
signed the United Nations Helsinki Agreement, which had
already been signed by many other countries in 1975, that
respected some human rights. While in power, Ramiz Alia
allowed the people to vote freely. He also allowed
pluralism, and even though his party won the election of
1991, it was clear that change would not be stopped. In
1992 general elections were held again and won by the new
Democratic Party with 62% of the votes. Alia resigned.
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