Albania commemorates today the passing of the Father of the Nation, Ismail Qemali, a leader of the National Movement.
He was born in Vlorë on January 16, 1844, into one of the largest families in Southern Albania. After completing elementary school in his hometown, he continued his studies at the Turkish high school in Thessaloniki, where his family was interned. Later, he attended the “Zosimaia” gymnasium in Ioannina.
In 1860, he worked as a translator at the translation office of the Sublime Porte. From 1862 to 1864, he served in local administration in Ioannina and later transferred to Thessaly and again to Istanbul. He participated, along with Jani Vreto, Hoxhë Tahsini, Kostandin Kristoforidhi, Pashko Vasa, and Sami Frashëri, in the first efforts to establish the Albanian alphabet and the formation of an Albanian cultural society. Ismail Qemali had subsequent high-ranking positions in the Turkish administration, such as Chief Secretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Istanbul, governor of Lower Danube (Tulcea, Bulgaria), etc.
In 1877, the Sublime Porte accused him of opposing the policies of Sultan Abdulhamid II and supporting the liberal views of Mithat Pasha (a high-ranking official of the Empire, reformist, and opposition figure). With these accusations, the Sublime Porte sentenced him to 7 years of exile in the cities of Kütahya, Eskişehir, and Bursa in Anatolia. He was released in 1884 and was appointed governor of the Vilayet of Tripoli in Libya. In 1900, to escape persecution by the Sultan, he fled Turkey and submitted his resignation to the Sultan, justifying his departure from Istanbul by stating that this way, he could better express his ideas and give proper attention to the Albanian cause.
Ismail Qemali stayed in various European countries where he established connections and collaborated with the political circles of the Albanian National Movement. He became active in the Albanian patriotic movement, participated in efforts to establish a common Albanian alphabet, and formed an Albanian cultural society. Ismail Qemali also engaged in intense political activities in Europe for the recognition of the nation and its rights. He soon announced his political platform for the full autonomy of Albania from the Empire in the contemporary press, both domestically and internationally.
He participated in the Young Turk movement, in its progressive wing advocating for the recognition of the rights of the Empire’s nations. However, he opposed the Young Turks when they seized power and established military dictatorship.
In 1909, he participated in the counter-revolution against the Young Turks and was elected chairman of the Liberal Party (Ahrar). He distinguished himself as an inspirer and organizer of the anti-Ottoman uprisings of 1910-1912. Together with Luigj Gurakuqi and other patriots, he drafted the Memorandum of Greçë in June 1911, and at the end of that year, he initiated the organization of the General Uprising of 1912.
On November 19, 1912, he informed compatriots that a National Assembly would be convened in Albania. In this assembly, held under his chairmanship on November 28, 1912, he read the declaration of Albania’s independence and raised the national flag. After this, he was appointed chairman of the Provisional Government and Minister of Foreign Affairs.
In his foreign policy, Ismail Qemali became uncompromising against any encroachment on independence and national sovereignty. Despite difficult internal and external conditions, the government led by Ismail Qemali took a series of measures for the organization and creation of the independent state. In all these activities, Ismail Qemali proved to be a statesman and farsighted diplomat, resolutely defending the independent Albanian state. However, the Great Powers did not recognize his government.
