By Ali Hasani

The War for the Defense of Shkodra, 1912-1913, is the most difficult war of the Albanian people for the defense of their territorial integrity, as well as a glorious page in the history of Albania. It was a completely modern, well-organized war, which, due to its duration in a 6-month Serbian-Montenegrin siege, constitutes the most unique case of the heroic resistance of the Albanians in the First Balkan War. But, unfortunately, very little has been written about this historical event in the basic textbooks of the History of Albania, in both academic publications, both in 1965 and in the one of 2002. I would say that in a way, for the way it developed, for the intensity, the number of victims and the role it played in the fate of the Albanians, the Albanian historiography and academic world has a “debt” to this historical event.

We must be grateful to several Albanian and foreign authors who, better than the "official" historians, have shed light, written diaries and good works about this war, on whom we have relied in drafting this article, such as: Edith Durham in "The Worries of the Balkans"; Zambuar, "The Siege of Shkodra" and "The Siege of Shkodra", Gino Berri, as well as a book about the siege of Shkodra and especially a more complete work, about the defense of Shkodra, by the former Vlora soldier, Përparim Rexhepi.

The Siege of Shkodra began on October 20, 1912 and ended on April 23, 1913. But to understand this event well, one must see the historical context of the time: The general uprisings of the Albanian people against Turkey and the Young Turks in the years 1910-1912 are the precursors of the historic act of declaring the Independence of Albania, which was crowned on November 28, 1912, by the Elder of Vlora, Ismail Qemali. The Turkish army had received a heavy blow from the Albanian insurgent forces. On the other hand, other Balkan states had also declared war on Turkey. Tension had increased in the Balkans and beyond, so the Balkan War had begun. Serbia, supported by Russia, became the initiator of a new Balkan alliance against Turkey.

In the spring of 1912, the Serbian-Bulgarian agreement was reached in which Montenegro and Greece also entered into the alliance. The alliance was called "anti-Turkish", but for Albania and the Albanians it was a new plan of attack, occupation and division. These "allies" did not come to us as liberators, but as invaders. The Serbian army occupied the Vardar Valley, Sandzak, Novi Pazar, the Dukagjin Plain and headed for the Adriatic. The Greeks occupied Himara and reached the Llogara Pass. Meanwhile, the Montenegrin army began fighting and besieged Shkodra, as did Russia, Austria, Italy, and especially the southern Slavs, who were trying to establish their power all the way to the Adriatic.

King Nikola conditioned the existence of Montenegro, with Shkodra, which he "dreamed" of as the capital of his state. The Montenegrin army launched the first attack against Turkey, hoping to achieve its objectives before the great powers, primarily Austria-Hungary, reacted. Thus, Montenegro, without any fighting tradition, entered Shkodra with 30 thousand troops, on October 8, 1912. The war began as a hilarious grotesque, accompanied by a cannon shot in the direction of Shkodra, by Prince Mirko.

"This shot signaled the beginning of Montenegro's war against Turkey, but also that of the First Balkan War". Within a week, the armies of the Serbian and Montenegrin armies, in complete "synchronism", began to invade the lands of northern Albania, aiming for Shkodra. Over 3000 Albanian highlanders, bought or deceived, were also deployed on the side of the Montenegrin army, whom Montenegro never recognized as allies in the war against the Turkish army.

In this difficult situation of occupation, Albanians from all over Albania rose up to save the existence of their homeland and turned their weapons against the new invaders. According to Serbian and Turkish sources, 24 thousand forces of the Turkish Corps participated in the defense of Shkodra, under the command of Hasan Riza Pasha, deployed in 5 regions: Shtoj, Bardhaj, Berdicë, Tarabosh, Tepe Region. To help him, under the leadership of Esat Pasha, more than 15 thousand Albanian reserve defenders were deployed around the city, coming from the districts of Lezhë, Dibër, Mirditë, Krujë, Tirana, Shijak, Durrës, Kavajë, Elbasan, Gramsh, Peqin, Pukë and Shkodër (5 thousand people). The Turkish headquarters had foreseen everything needed for the defense of Shkodra.

Albania was on the threshold of a new dawn, when thousands of shells and tons of iron and fire were poured on Shkodra. In December 1912 and January 1913, the Tarabosh mountain, the hills of Beltojë, Berdica and Bardhajve became the arena of bloody battles that history had not known until then. In this theater of war, to support Montenegro, Serbia came into play, which on November 10, 1912, ordered two divisions, “Shumadija” with 6500 troops and “Drina 2” with 9219 troops, to leave one from Prizren to Durrës and the other from Gjakova to Shëngjin, to invade Albania.

Both Serbian units, on the way, encountered Albanian resistance. Meanwhile, the Montenegrin troops commanded by King Nicholas had declared that they would fight until the last bullet to take Shkodra. But, although they had many Serbian forces in their support, they failed every time they tried. This happened because the Turkish-Albanian troops were better prepared in the military field, in armament and fortification, and were more resistant.

Hundreds of Shkodra citizens, men and women, worked in the rear, digging trenches, laying barbed wire, collecting food reserves and fuel, transporting combat materials and opening new roads. Others were involved in transporting and treating the wounded, sewing clothes for freedom fighters, etc. The Turkish-Albanian command had established good relations with the city's elite. Shkodra was defended in two defensive lines: One, from the slopes of Tarabosh, the hills in Berdice and Vukatanë, while the second, from the hills of Tepe, Bardhaj, the shore of Kiri, Golem and Dobraç, etc. Artillery was placed in Tarabosh, Berdice, Tepe, Bardhaj and Shtoj. The key to the defense of Shkodra was considered the Tarabosh mountain. Whoever defended Tarabosh had Shkodra in his hands.

The battles for its defense were connected with field-type fortifications with lines and trenches, which gave security to the city's resistance. The safest areas were: Shtoji, Bardhaj, Taraboshi, Tepja and Berdica. The garrison of Shkodra. The communication system was also well organized, from the main headquarters in the fortress to those in the defense regions. The Shkodra defenders were supplied with weapons, food and clothing for a certain time, but many of the shortages were filled with the contribution of the Shkodra people, who shared even the last bite with their defenders during the Serbian-Montenegrin siege.

On December 3, a ceasefire was signed between the Turkish-Albanian army and the Balkan allies. King Nicholas ordered a cessation of hostilities, but Hasan Riza Pasha replied: “Shkodra is now an Albanian city that cannot take orders from a Turkish command and that the city wants to defend its independence against the Montenegrins.” To save Albania and ensure its independence, Shkodra had to be defended. Therefore, the Turkish General, at that time, declared: “Shkodra can resist for another 6 months.”

On December 5, 1912, the Montenegrins launched a large-scale attack from Bardhaj to the lake shore. In the darkness of the night, hand-to-hand fighting took place, with knives and bayonets, the battlefield became smoke and flame from the discharge of rifles, machine guns and cannons that hit incessantly. When the day dawned, many Montenegrins remained on the battlefield, killed and hanging from the wires, trenches and trenches. In this case too, the fate of the fighting was decided by the Turkish artillery, which attacked all positions with shrapnel volleys.

Hasan Riza Pasha won the bet because Shkodra heroically stood firm in a more than complete siege. On December 9, he suddenly attacked the Serbs in Shiroka, Bushat, Bardhaj, and then in Oblikë. On December 16, he recaptured Pistulli, Paqram, Hajmel, Shelqeti. On December 29, the last attack for 1912 was made on all fronts of the fighting, where the Albanians distinguished themselves as invincible masters in the conditions of complete siege. Giani B. Macario writes: "The city of Shkodra was mainly defended by Albanians..." Therefore, Hasan Riza Pasha, seeing that Shkodra was lost to Turkey, declared that in addition to the Turkish flag, the Albanian flag should also be raised in the fortress, to link Shkodra with the government of Vlora, putting the Serbo-Montenegrins in front of a fait accompli.

At the same time, Valiu also received the support of the Albanian highlanders, who, having understood the “game” of Montenegro, declared that they would fight for freedom and independence and not for Montenegro, and Vienna was also informed of his plan. January 31 was set as the day for the raising of the Albanian flag over Rozafa, as well as the attack of the Shkodra Garrison forces on the Serbo-Montenegrin ones. But, the day before, after the meeting between Valiu and the archbishop of Shkodra to recognize this plan, unfortunately, Hasan Riza Pasha was killed at the door of his house.

After him, the command of the Shkodra Garrison was taken by Esat Pasha, who did not recognize the declaration of independence of Albania and the government of Ismail Qemali and did not continue the resistance against the Serbs and Montenegrins. On February 2, 1913, through a letter sent to King Nikola, he requested a ceasefire, while the Montenegrin side chose the alternative of using force. But even in this case, the attack of Montenegro and Serbia on Berdica and Bardhaj ended in a real massacre after they were severely hit, leaving over 2500 soldiers on the battlefield.

On April 10, 1913, the Serbian Prime Minister Pašić ordered the Serbian forces to abandon the siege of Shkodra. Thus, after 6 months of a heroic defense of Shkodra, it was said that as a result of “running out of food” for the Turkish units and the civilian population, Esat Pasha asked the Montenegrin command to set the terms of surrender of the fortress. Instead of handing over the hill to Albania, he sold it to Serbia, committing one of the most shameful and unscrupulous acts of betrayal against his own nation. The Shkodra garrison should and could have continued its resistance for another three weeks, because the international factor, and especially Austria-Hungary, had given its verdict that Shkodra should remain with the Albanian state. They had even sent their Battle Fleet to the Adriatic coast.

On April 23, King Nikola signed the agreement to surrender Shkodra. So Esat Pasha withdrew, Shkodra was betrayed, sold to the enemy. Despite the difficulties of the siege, bombing, lack of food and medicine, the people of Shkodra never accepted the surrender of their city. Meanwhile, Esat Pasha quickly forgot Hasan Riza Pasha's last bequest. He did not take into account the position of the Shkodra nobility not to surrender the city, and contrary to them, signed the surrender of Shkodra to the Montenegrins. Despite Esat Pasha's light and shadow, the surrender of Shkodra on his part has been called an attempt against the independence of Albania.

The news of the occupation of Shkodra in Serbia was greeted with joy and ecstasy. But it was not long before, as a result of international pressure, on May 4, King Nikola declared: "We must withdraw", and on May 9 he signed the agreement of surrender of Shkodra, according to which it passed for administration to the International Military Commission. This was finalized on May 14, 1913 with the departure of the Montenegrin troops from the siege of Shkodra who, in their flight, burned and looted half of the Shkodra bazaar, took the city archives and looted the collection of weapons in the fortress. They had received orders to withdraw. Therefore, a few days before the departure they decided to burn the city market.

After a year of international administration, the northern city joined Independent Albania. The defense and siege of Shkodra, for Albanian historiography, literature, arts and beyond, will be a strong point of reference and inspiration for all of us. They constitute a culminating event in the history of Albania towards affirmation as a nation and as a state. Hasan Riza Pasha also remains an honored and respected figure for Albanians. Father Gjergj Fishta said on this occasion: “Hasan Riza Pasha will be remembered as the best patriot for our salvation from the clutches of the Montenegrins… He deserves to be remembered equally with the heroes of the Albanian nation”. Gratitude to the defenders of Shkodra!

A treacherous murder that put Shkodra on an even more miserable path

Hasan Riza Pasha, the governor of Shkodra, who was preparing to transfer Shkodra from the Turks to the Albanians, was killed by his Albanian deputy, Esat Pasha Toptani, so that he could be free to give it to the Serbs as he had given it to them. Hasan Riza Pasha and the most controversial figure in the recent history of Albania, Esat Pasha Toptani, both lived in large houses in Fushë-Çela, very close to each other.

On January 30, 1913, Hasan Rizai and Esat Pasha discussed the issues of the day at length in Toptanas' house. At 6:45 p.m., as he was returning alone, without a guard or aide-de-camp, he set off for the house opposite. In the darkness of the night, three strangers came upon him. Two of them shot him with revolvers. The guards and officers, who rushed out of both houses, found the commander lying in the street, covered in blood. Hasan Riza Pasha died a few hours later.

Before his death, he asked Esat Pasha to take care of sending his family to Istanbul after the war, while his officers, gathered around his bed, were asked not to surrender the city in any way and under any circumstances. The general was buried the next day in the Parruca Mosque in the presence of the entire population of the besieged Shkodra. The Young Turks collaborated with Esat Pasha, while the latter agreed, tempted by the fact that after the assassination of Hasan Riza Pasha, the command of the city would remain with him. As it turned out later, Esat Pasha had intended to enter into an agreement with the Montenegrins for the sake of his own interests.

Hasan Riza Pasha was the most complete and intelligent officer and a great commander of the Turkish staff, who loved Albania. Riza Bey, the brave and loyal Turkish soldier, even at the last moment of his life showed rare qualities, he said to the officers who were standing next to him: "Swear that you will protect Shkodra until death". The Turkish Minister of War Mehmet Pasha, when he heard the news of the murder of Hasan R. Beg, said: "..., they killed a great hero in treachery".

Miss Durham wrote: “Osman Bali and Mehmet Kavaja, two servants of Esat Pasha, were later praised for the work they had done”. 13 years later, on September 8, 1926, Osman Bali would be killed by Lam Leka and Myslym Peza. He had managed to become a major of the National Rank. From all the various archival and historical sources, the elimination of Hasan Riza Pasha has been described as an organized murder./ Memorie.al