Prince Vidi ascended the throne of the Principality of Albania on 7 March 1914, facing a chaotic political situation, both within the country and from its neighbours. With the Treaty of London signed on 30 May 1913, the Great Powers decided to establish an international gendarmerie to take care of public order and security in the territory of the new Principality of Albania. On the same basis, they created the International Control Commission on 15 October 1913, to take care of the administration of the newly formed Albania until its political institutions were in order.
Esad Pasha Toptani, as Minister of War and Interior, was against a peaceful solution to the problem with the Declaration of Independence of Northern Epirus. He opposed the International Control Commission which believed that this problem could be solved by diplomatic means. The Prince and his cabinet accepted Esad Pasha's proposals to decide on a military solution. To increase the military strength of the Principality of Albania, thousands of Italian rifles and Austrian machine and mountain guns were purchased and distributed to the (mainly Muslim) population of central Albania.
Rebellion/First phase
The uprising broke out in May 1914. The pro-Turkish leaders of the rebels, together with the Ottoman emissaries with whom they collaborated, attempted to incite religious prejudice against Prince Vid and to give the war against him and the Albanian state the character of a war for the defense of Islam.
On May 17, Shijak and Tirana were surrounded by rebels, and a day later, Durrës was surrounded. Suspicion of organizing the rebellion fell on Esat Pasha Toptan due to rumors that spread and his past of intrigue, so on May 19, he was arrested. That same day, the rebels took Shijak.
The chaos increased after the expulsion of Esad Pasha. After the capture of Tirana and Shijak at the end of May, the rebellion expanded even further. In early June, they took Kruja and Kavaja. On June 15, they attacked Durrës, which was successfully defended with great sacrifices by government forces led by Gjon Markagjoni, Isa Boletini's mountaineers, and Durrës volunteers led by Luigj Gurakuqi.
On June 17, the rebels attacked Durrës again, but again failed to take it. That day, Lushnja fell. On June 21, Elbasan fell. Then Fier and Berat fell.
Taking advantage of the difficult situation in which the country was located due to the rebellion in Central Albania, the Northern Epirote forces attacked and occupied Kolonjë, Korça and Tepelena.
Në fund të gushtit rebelët u përgatitën të sulmonin Vlorën, por banorët duke dashur të shmangnin luftën e dorëzuan qytetin vetë, me kusht që flamuri shqiptar të mos prekej. Më 1 shtator rebelët hynë në qytet.
Më 5 shtator, dy ditë pas largimit të Princit Vid nga Shqipëria, rebelët hynë në Durrës dhe ngritën flamurin osman. Drejtuesit e rebelëve dërguan një delegacion në Stamboll për t'i paraqitur qeverisë osmane kërkesën për bashkimin e Shqipërisë me Turqi dhe për të marrë udhëzime.
Faza e dytë
Në 2 tetor u kthye në Shqipëri Esat Pashë Toptani. Më parë, kishte firmosur një marrëveshje me kryeministrin serb Nikolla Pashiq me të cilën i premtonte Serbisë ankesimin e Shqipërisë Veriore dhe Lindore, si shpërblim Serbia e ndihmoi me mercenarë dhe me të holla. Në Durrës Esat Pasha shpalli veten kryetar të Qeverisë së Shqipërisë së Mesme. Me anë të grupimeve proosmane të kryengritjes e zgjeroi pushtetin në Shqipërinë e Mesme.
Ai u premtoi kryengritësve se do t'i shpronësonte bejlerët. Pas hyrjes së Perandorisë Osmane në luftë në anën e fuqive të Boshtit, marrëdhëniet e Esat Pashës me rebelët u përkeqësuan. Esati i cili ishte i lidhur me fuqitë e Antantës ndërmori veprime kundër rebelëve proturq kurse këta filluan ta luftonin Esat Pashën si tradhtar të otomanizmit dhe pronar të madh tokash.
Në nëntor 1914 rebelët dogjën shtëpinë e Esat Pashës në Laprakë dhe hynë në Tiranë ku Haxhi Qamili dogji shtëpitë e bejlerëve dhe agallarëve patriotë. Esat Pasha i cili kishte mbetur i rrethuar në Durrës, mobilizoi me ndihmën e fuqive të huaja rreth 6000 mercenarë për të sulmuar Tiranën, por me të marrë vesh këtë Haxhi Qamili mobilizoi rreth 2000 fshatarë luftëtarë dhe sulmoi ushtrinë e Esatit në fshatin Zezë afër Krujës duke e shpartalluar. Esati u kthye prapë në Durrës.
Në fillim të vitit 1915, Stambolli i cili tashmë kishte pranuar që Shqipëria të mbetej nën ndikimin e aleatit të saj austro-hungarez, u dërgoi rebelëve udhëzime që të orientonin politikën e tyre drejt Austro-Hungarisë dhe jo drejt bashkimit me Turqinë. Kjo kthesë shkaktoi përçarje në mesin e udhëheqësve të rebelimit.
Njëri krah për shkak të orientimit të ri hoqi dorë nga parullat për bashkim me Turqinë, kurse krahu i proturqve fanatikë ku bënin pjesë Haxhi Qamili dhe Man Picari, vazhduan t'i konsideronin parullat proturke si programin kryesor të kryengritjes.
Më 9 maj 1915 në mbledhjen e Këshillit të Përgjithshëm të rebelëve, u zgjodh kryetar Musa Qazimi, kurse më 13 maj Haxhi Qamili, i njohur si person me çrregullime mendore, u zgjodh Komandant i Përgjithshëm. Pas kësaj Qamili nuk pyeste më askënd për veprimet e tij. Persekutonte patriotët dhe u digjte shtëpitë, prandaj filluan ta quanin Haxhi Zjarrmi. Ai shante poshtëronte, arrestonte, burgoste dhe vriste pa gjyq kundërshtarët.
Shtypja e kryengritjes
With the signing of the Secret Treaty of London in April 1915, Serbia's access to the Adriatic through Central Albania was closed. Serbia, feeling that its interests were being violated, decided to seize this region first and reach Durrës. In this way, it also strengthened the shaky positions of its vassal Esat Pasha Toptani, with whom it had favorable agreements.
The Serbian army, faced with Austro-Hungarian pressure, having no other choice, drew up plans to withdraw through Albania and reach the Adriatic Sea ports, from where it would depart with Allied ships. Esat Pasha declared that he would not fight the Serbian forces during the withdrawal.
Sensing danger, at the end of May the pro-Turkish rebels sent two notes to the commander of the Serbian army in Ohrid, in which they affirmed their neutrality, demanded the maintenance of friendly relations, and promised that Serbia would not be harmed by the rebels. But their demands were ignored.
On June 2, 1915, the Serbian army attacked Albania from three directions. In Central Albania, they encountered the insurgents, who defeated them and reached the vicinity of Durrës, freeing Esat Pasha Toptan from a months-long siege.
The leaders of the uprising, Haxhi Qamili and Musa Qazimi, were arrested and brought before Judge Xhelal Bey Zogu, who ordered their execution. Thus ended the Uprising in Central Albania, which had led Albania towards destruction.
cruelty
During the rebellion, the rebels' "disciplinary forces" led by the mufti of Tirana, Musa Qazim, carried out executions with the aim of "purging" the "Bektashi Schismatics". In addition to the "Bektashi Schismatics", other victims of the rebels were Christian Albanian patriotic teachers who used the Latin alphabet and Muslim clerics who supported the Albanian nation.
In the list of those arrested and imprisoned in Berat, in the period January-February 1915, there were only beylers who supported the independence of Albania. In Elbasan, such beylers were also imprisoned and interned, alongside patriots of various social backgrounds. For the leader of the rebellion, Haxhi Qamili, the beylers who wanted the independence of Albania were "spies of the Kaurs", those who wanted Turkey were good.
In the second phase of the uprising (October 1914-June 1915), the leaders of the rebellion killed well-known patriots, such as Ismail Klosi, Hajredin Fratari, Baki Gjebrea, Hysen Gjirokastra, etc. ©LAPSI.al
