Sami Bey Vrioni

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Sami Bey Vrioni (1876–1947) was an Albanian politician, diplomat, and a delegate at the Assembly of Vlora which declared the Albanian Declaration of Independence.[1] He was a respected and powerful landowner in the Fier region of Albania.[2]

Biography

Prince Wied with family and members of the Court, Durres, Albania, 1914. Sami Vrioni second from right.

Sami Bey Vrioni was a member of the prominent landowning Vrioni family of Berat, Fier and Myzeqe, formerly cities and regions of the Ottoman Province of Yannina, presently in Albania. His father was Omar Pasha Vrioni II (1839-1928).[3][4] Sami Vrioni himself was owner of around 5,000 Hectares in the agricultural region of southern Myzeqe.[5]

He was one of the delegates during of the Albanian Declaration of Independence in 1912, representing Berat region. According to some sources, Ismail Qemali wanted him as part of his cabinet, but his father Omer Pasha was skeptical regarding the Qemali's government.[4] Having served as parliamentary Deputy for Berat in 1912, under Prince Wied he served as a seneschal (Court Chamberlain).[2] He was part of the Albanian delegation in Vienna of April 1917 representing the districts of Skrapar and Berat.[6]
Sami Vrioni had graduated as agronomist and engineer. He spoke Turkish, Arabic, Italian, and French.
He was a participant of the Congress of Durrës and was elected Minister of Agriculture of the provisional government that came out of it,[7][8] switching to Minister of Public Works in 1919-1920. According to Sejfi Vllamasi's (1883–1975) memories, Vrioni together with Mustafa Kruja, Fejzi Alizoti, and Myfid Libohova joined the camp of the pro-Italian opponents of the Congress of Lushnjë, with the three others actively trying to persuade or force the delegates not to join the Lushnjë event.[9]
Served as Assemblyman (1924-1925, 1928-1932) and Senator (1925-1928) of the Albanian parliament.[3] Regardless of the fact that he descended from a landowning feudal cast, Sami Vrioni had credibility between the Nolist opposition of early 20s. In February 1924, the opposition was hoping on bringing him up as Prime Minister, which was disregarded by the most powerful group of Ahmet Zogu, who elected Shefqet Vërlaci instead of him.[10] Vrioni was arrested by the communist dictatorship that took power in 1944, he died under torture in 1947[3] or 1952.[4]
Sami Vrioni was married to the daughter of Essad Pasha Toptani.

Political Activity

  • Delegate of the Albanian Declaration of Independence event in 1912
  • Court Chamberlain of Prince of Albania, 1914
  • Minister of Agriculture: December 1918 - 1919
  • Minister of Public Works: 1919 - January 1920
  • Assemblyman (1924-1925, 1928-1932)
  • Member of Senate (1925-1928)

References

Citations
  1. Schmidt-Neke 1987, pp. 320.
  2. 2.0 2.1 Heaton-Armstrong 2005, pp. 32.
  3. 3.0 3.1 3.2 Herbert 2011, pp. 242.
  4. 4.0 4.1 4.2 Fieri, qyteti qe u themelua nga Vrionasit [Fier, the town founded the Vrioni] (in Albanian), Fieri.com, 14.05.2007, retrieved 5.2.14, "Midis shume artikujve te ndryshem eksportohej edhe zhuke, lende drusore, miser, kuaj etj. I fundit i pinjolleve Vrionas i njohur ne vitet e regjimit te Ahmet Zogut si Minister i Botores, ka qene Sami Vrioni. Ka qene i ditur dhe eshte shkolluar ne shkollat dhe universitetet me te mira te Italise dhe Frances. Ne vitet e rregjimit zogist ka qene Minister i Botores. Ka mbaruar per inxhinieri dhe agronomi si dhe ka qene njohes i madh i shume gjuheve si: turqisht, arabisht, italisht, frengjisht...
    Historiani Hysen Emiri ne librin e tij “Historia e Fierit” permende faktin se Ismail Qemali e donte ne qeverine e tij per ta bere minister Sami Vrionin, por i ati i tij Omeri e shikonte me skepticizem kete qeveri dhe i thoshte “shohim e bejme”...
    Sami ka vdekur ne burg ne tortura ne vitin 1952."
     
  5. Klan (500-508), "Media 6" Publishing, 2007, p. 259 
  6. Leo Freundlich, An Albanian Delegation Pays Homage to the Emperor in Vienna, Texts and Documents of Albanian History, Robert Elsie, retrieved 5.2.14, "The districts of Berat and Skrapari sent Sami Bey Vrioni, who is the former seneschal of Prinz Wied and son-in-law of Essad Toptani.." 
  7. Chekrezi 1919, pp. 186.
  8. The New York Times Current History: The European war 19, The New York Times Company, June 1919, p. 70, OCLC 10065049 
  9. Vllamasi 1995, Chapter VI.
  10. Clegg Austin 2012, pp. 40.
Source
  • Michael Schmidt-Neke (16 November 1987). Entstehung und Ausbau der Königsdiktatur in Albanien (1912-1939): Regierungsbildungen, Herrschaftsweise und Machteliten in einem jungen Balkanstaat. Oldenbourg Wissenschaftsverlag. ISBN 978-3486543216. 
  • Constantin Anastas Chekrezi, ed. (February 1919). "The Provisional Albanian Government - Hail, Free Albania!". The Adriatic Review (Boston, MA: Vatra) 1 (5-6). Retrieved 16.12.13. 
  • Sejfi Vllamasi (1995). "VI". Ballafaqime politike në Shqipëri (1897-1942): kujtime dhe vlerësime historike [Political confrontations in Albania (1897-1942): memories and political evaluations]. Shtëpia Botuese "Marin Barleti". OCLC 37228559. "Për ta vënë në jetë projektin e tyre, ata e ftojnë Abdyl Ypin në mbrëmjen e 16 janarit 1920, në shkollë, në Durrës, për një bisedim. Abdyl Ypi, pa të keq, shkon në shkollë në orën e caktuar. Salih Xhuka bën manevra të ndërlikuara në hapjen e derës së shkollës dhe po në atë çast Ypi vritet prej Sul Mërlikës, kushëririt të parë të Mustafa Krujës...
    Fejzi Alizoti, në telegramin që i bëri Rexhep Shalës, prefekt i Shkodrës në Lezhë, i shkruante që të merrte masat e nevojëshme për moskalimin e delegatëve të Veriut për Lushnjë, dhe shtonte duke thënë se edhe Abdyl Ypi u vra…
    Mustafa Kruja në Durrës e bindi Hysni Currin, i cili ka patur një karakter të lëkundshëm, që të shkojë në Krujë në vend që të shkonte në Lushnjë, ku ish deleguar...
    Mustafa Kruja shkon në Krujë dhe urdhëron H. Berberin të mos shkojë ne Lushnjë mbasi Italia, simbas mendimit të tij, qenka e vetmja fuqi që e ndihmon Shqipërinë. Hysni Berberi e kundërshton dhe niset për Lushnjë, por Mustafa Kruja ia pret rrugën dhe me forcën e armëve e ndalon të shkojë...
    Myfit Libohova shkoi në Vlorë dhe, në bazë të marrëveshjes së fshehtë të Qeverisë së Durrësit me Komandën e Përgjithëshme Italiane në Shqipëri, mundohet ta bindë gjeneral Piaçentinin të merrte masa ushtarake kundër Kongresit të Lushnjës..."
     
  • Aubrey Herbert (June 15, 2011). Bejtullah Destani, Jason Tomes, ed. Albania's Greatest Friend: Aubrey Herbert and the Making of Modern Albania: Diaries and Papers 1904-1923. I. B. Tauris. ISBN 978-1848854444. 
  • Robert Clegg Austin (September 26, 2012). Founding a Balkan State: Albania's Experiment with Democracy, 1920-1925. University of Toronto Press, Scholarly Publishing Division. ISBN 978-1442644359. 
  • Duncan Heaton-Armstrong (August 25, 2005). The Six Month Kingdom: Albania 1914. I. B. Tauris. p. 32. ISBN 978-1850437611. 

See also

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