Themistokli Gërmenji

Themistokli Gërmenji
Born 1871
Korçë, Ottoman Empire
Died 1917
Thesaloniki, Greece
Nationality Albanian
Occupation Prefect of police
Religion Orthodox Christian[1]

Themistokli Gërmenji (1871—1917) was one of the activists of the Albanian National Awakening, the leader of the Albanian irregulars from 1909 to 1914, and the prefect of police[2] of Autonomous Albanian Republic of Korçë from 1916 to 1917.

Contents

Biography

Gërmenji was born in Korçë in 1871. After he received his first education in Korçë he left for Bucharest when he was 21. There he fell under the influence of Albanian nationalistic societies. He moved from Bucharest to Bitolj where he and his brother established a hotel named Liria (English: Freedom).[3] That hotel was a centre of Albanian activists of the Albanian National Awakening for planning the Congress of Monastir and Albanian revolts in the period 1909—1912.[4] Gërmenji was a supporter of the cooperation with Bulgarians.[5] In 1911 he was declared persona non grata in Greece because he refused to accept not to carry on nationalistic propaganda south of Vlora as a condition for cooperation with the Greek authorities against the Ottoman Empire.[6] While operating between Saranda and Gjirokastra, attempting to capture the military supplies of Ottoman army, he was seized and imprisoned in Ioannina.[7] He led one of two groups of Albanian irregulars the region of Korçë, when Albania was fragmented during the First World War (the other was led by Sali Butka).

Autonomous Albanian Republic of Korçë

Further information: Autonomous Albanian Republic of Korçë

French officers had a meeting with Gërmenji on November 24, 1916, before the French army occupied Korçë on November 29.[8] Themistokli Gërmenji came to Korçë from Pogradec, which was occupied by the armies of Austria-Hungary and Bulgaria during Austro-Hungarian and Bulgarian occupation of Albania.[9] The French officers appointed a commission led by Gërmenji.

The commission held a meeting on December 10 at 9 a.m. in the Saint George's School and Gërmenji gave a speech to the gathered men; after the meeting he led the commission to the prefecture. In the prefecture they met with Colonel Descoins and other French officers. Haki Shemshedini approached Colonel Descoins on behalf of the commission. Colonel Descoins informed the commission that they should sign a protocol, which they did: the protocol stipulated that an autonomous province would be established on the territories of Korçë, Bilishti, Kolonja, Opar and Gora. It was also agreed that the 14 members of the commission would make up the administrative council, responsible for maintaining the order.[10]

On December 10, 1916, Henry Descoin, the commander of the French garrison of Korçë, after the approval from Maurice Sarrail, declared the Autonomous Albanian Republic of Korçë,[11] and appointed Gërmenji as prefect.[2] The new authorities in Korçë organized the police force and gendarmerie, a post office system and issued the postage stamps.[12]

Gërmenji was awarded with the Croix de guerre on November 18, 1917, because he participated in the French capture of Pogradec with the battalion from Korçë.[1] At the end of 1917, however, Gërmenji was accused of collaboration with the Central Powers and executed in Thesaloniki after being sentenced to death by a French military court.[13] It later became clear that members of the tribunal had been led astray by Greek informers who wished Germenji removed, since he was a powerful Albanian leader.[1]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b c Pearson, Owen (2004). Albania and King Zog: independence, republic and monarchy 1908-1939. I.B.Tauris. p. 103. ISBN 9781845110130. http://books.google.com/books?id=3_Sh3y9IMZAC&pg=PA103&dq=Themistokli+Germenji&hl=en&ei=rtnSTPpZ6JLiBuHYoaIP&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=2&ved=0CCoQ6AEwAQ#v=onepage&q=led%20by%20Themistokli%20Germenji&f=false. Retrieved 4 November 2010. 
  2. ^ a b Çami, Muin (1999), Shqiptarët dhe francezët në Korçe (1916-1920), Dituria, p. 177, ISBN 978-9992731376, http://books.google.com/books?id=bgu5AAAAIAAJ&q=Shpallje+e+prefektit+t%C3%AB+policis%C3%AB,+Themistokli+G%C3%ABrmenjit&dq=Shpallje+e+prefektit+t%C3%AB+policis%C3%AB,+Themistokli+G%C3%ABrmenjit&hl=en&ei=aiUyTb65N8WBgAfTpbSZCw&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=book-thumbnail&resnum=1&ved=0CCcQ6wEwAA, "Shpallje e prefektit të policisë, Themistokli Gërmenjit" 
  3. ^ Jacques, Edwin E. (1995), The Albanians: an ethnic history from prehistoric times to the present, McFarland & Co., ISBN 9780899509327, http://books.google.com/books?id=IJ2s9sQ9bGkC&printsec=frontcover&dq=Edwin+E+Jacques&hl=el&ei=FmF6TOC7Ecrj4AawiazbBg&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=1&ved=0CCoQ6AEwAA#v=onepage&q&f=false, "...he and his brother opened the Liria (Freedom) hotel ..." 
  4. ^ Jacques, Edwin E. (1995), The Albanians: an ethnic history from prehistoric times to the present, McFarland & Co., ISBN 9780899509327, http://books.google.com/books?id=IJ2s9sQ9bGkC&printsec=frontcover&dq=Edwin+E+Jacques&hl=el&ei=FmF6TOC7Ecrj4AawiazbBg&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=1&ved=0CCoQ6AEwAA#v=onepage&q&f=false, "... hotel soon became the centre for patriotic Albanians. Here they planned the Congress of Monastir, and here they planned the four annual upprisings 1909, 1910, 1911 and 1912..." 
  5. ^ Clayer, Nathalie (2007), Aux origines du nationalisme albanais: la naissance d'une nation, Karthala, p. 666, ISBN 978-2-84586-816-8, http://books.google.com/books?id=umotBF3KFWgC&pg=PA666&dq=Themistokli+G%C3%ABrmenji&hl=en&ei=JGgzTYqHEpPr4gar2PyTCg&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=2&ved=0CCsQ6AEwAQ#v=onepage&q=Themistokli%20G%C3%ABrmenji&f=false, "... ce personnage alla dans le sens d'une cooperation avec les Bulgares...." 
  6. ^ Jacques, Edwin E. (1995), The Albanians: an ethnic history from prehistoric times to the present, McFarland & Co., p. 267, ISBN 9780899509327, http://books.google.com/books?id=IJ2s9sQ9bGkC&printsec=frontcover&dq=Edwin+E+Jacques&hl=el&ei=FmF6TOC7Ecrj4AawiazbBg&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=1&ved=0CCoQ6AEwAA#v=onepage&q&f=false, "Venizelos .... offered them arms, ammunition, free passage trough Greece to the Turkish border, and a "fat salary".... on one condition: not to carry on any nationalistic propaganda south of Vlora, which region he coveted for Greece... became personae non grata on Greek territory" 
  7. ^ Jacques, Edwin E. (1995), The Albanians: an ethnic history from prehistoric times to the present, McFarland & Co., p. 267, ISBN 9780899509327, http://books.google.com/books?id=IJ2s9sQ9bGkC&printsec=frontcover&dq=Edwin+E+Jacques&hl=el&ei=FmF6TOC7Ecrj4AawiazbBg&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=1&ved=0CCoQ6AEwAA#v=onepage&q&f=false, "Operating between Saranda and Gjirokastra,... capture Turkish military supplies.. was seized.. imprisoned in Ioannina" 
  8. ^ Jacques, Edwin E. (1995), The Albanians: an ethnic history from prehistoric times to the present, McFarland & Co., ISBN 9780899509327, http://books.google.com/books?id=IJ2s9sQ9bGkC&printsec=frontcover&dq=Edwin+E+Jacques&hl=el&ei=FmF6TOC7Ecrj4AawiazbBg&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=1&ved=0CCoQ6AEwAA#v=onepage&q&f=false, "On 24 November Germenji went to Korcha to confer with the French" 
  9. ^ Jacques, Edwin E. (1995), The Albanians: an ethnic history from prehistoric times to the present, McFarland & Co., ISBN 9780899509327, http://books.google.com/books?id=IJ2s9sQ9bGkC&printsec=frontcover&dq=Edwin+E+Jacques&hl=el&ei=FmF6TOC7Ecrj4AawiazbBg&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=1&ved=0CCoQ6AEwAA#v=onepage&q&f=false, "in October 1916 he went to Pogradec, the territory occupied by Austrians and Bulgarians" 
  10. ^ Sharxhi, Dergoi Mirel (December 5, 2008). "92 vjet më parë 10 Dhjetor 1916-2008 – KRAHINA “AUTONOME” E KORÇËS" (in Albanian). kosova.albemigrant. Archived from the original on January 14, 2011. http://www.webcitation.org/query?url=http%3A%2F%2Fkosova.albemigrant.com%2F%3Fp%3D4418&date=2011-01-14. Retrieved January 14, 2011. "Haki Mborja i drejtohet komandantit francez e i tregon qëllimin e ardhjes së tyre. Komandanti i priti me buzëqeshje, duke thënë, se duhet bërë protokoll. U bë protokolli. Sipas protokollit të 10 dhjetorit , qyteti i Korcës, Bilishti, Kolonja, Opari dhe Gora, formonin një krahinë “autonome”, që do të administrohej nga shqiptarët, nën mbrojtjen e autoriteteve franceze. Krahina do të administrohej nga një këshill administrativ, i përbërë prej katërmbëdhjetë vetash, i cili do të kishte edhe xhandarmëri për të mbajtur rregullin." 
  11. ^ Sakellariou (1997), Epirus, 4000 years of Greek history and civilization, Greece: Ekdotikē Athēnōn, p. 384, ISBN 9789602133712, http://books.google.com/books?ei=bcUxTcL9NseRswbozbWzCg&ct=result&hl=el&id=UV1oAAAAMAAJ&dq=%22Clearly,+the+French+general's+purpose%22&q=%22albanian+republic+of+Korytsa%22#search_anchor, retrieved January 16, 2011, "On 10 December 1916, Colonel Henry Decoin, the commander of French garrison, proclaimed with the consent of Serrail - the "Albanian Republic of Korytsa"" 
  12. ^ Jacques, Edwin E. (1995), The Albanians: an ethnic history from prehistoric times to the present, McFarland & Co., ISBN 9780899509327, http://books.google.com/books?id=IJ2s9sQ9bGkC&printsec=frontcover&dq=Edwin+E+Jacques&hl=el&ei=FmF6TOC7Ecrj4AawiazbBg&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=1&ved=0CCoQ6AEwAA#v=onepage&q&f=false, "... seting up the police force and gendarmerie... a post office system and issued stamps and paper money" 
  13. ^ Augris, Etienne (December 2000). "Korçë dans la Grande Guerre:Le sud-est albanais sous administration française (1916-1918)" (in French). France: Balkanologie, Vol. IV, n°2. Archived from the original on January 17, 2011. http://www.webcitation.org/query?url=http%3A%2F%2Fbalkanologie.revues.org%2Findex315.html&date=2011-01-17. Retrieved January 17, 2011. "Germenji, dont nous avons vu le rôle et les ambitions est envoyé à Salonique, jugé par un tribunal militaire et exécuté." 

External links