35 – Albania Kingdom
December 1, 1914. Imperial Palace, Berlin, German Empire.
“Albania Kingdom has fallen.”
I confirmed the downfall of a nation with a calm expression. The reason why a country that was not even at war with the Allied Powers suddenly collapsed was because Albania was fundamentally a makeshift sandcastle of a nation.
During the First Balkan War, Albania was supposed to be divided between Serbia and Greece, but during the post-war negotiations, Italy and Austria intervened and demanded Albanian independence. Germany, the strongest power in Central Europe, also supported Austria.
Under the pressure of these great powers, Albania was forced to relinquish most of its swallowed territory, and its governance was entrusted to the International Control Commission, composed of the six great powers of Europe (Germany, France, Britain, Russia, Italy, Austria).
In November 1913, the International Control Commission of Albania enthroned Wilhelm, a member of the German noble family of von Bit, as the king of Albania. Wilhelm refused, but unable to withstand the pressure from Austria, he accepted the throne in February 1914.
However, his reign was destined to be short-lived from the very beginning. It was impossible to properly govern a kingdom hastily constructed with the power of the great powers, no matter who was brought in.
The government was exercised by traditional nobles, and externally, Greece and Serbia, who briefly dominated Albania during the Balkan War, sought to regain their share, taken away by the pressure of the great powers. Italy, desiring influence across the Adriatic Sea, and the Ottoman Empire, which had lingering resentment over the territories lost in the Balkan War, also saw an opportunity to interfere in Albania’s internal affairs.
And that danger became apparent from the first day of his reign.
When Wilhelm organized the government as the ruler of Albania in March 1914, a large-scale rebellion erupted that rejected his rule. Starting from Essad Pasha, who was immediately appointed as the Prime Minister, the Turks refused to be ruled by foreigners. In the south, the Greeks declared the Autonomous Republic of Northern Epirus.
And when the World War broke out, Austria demanded the mobilization of the army in exchange for its support to Albania. On the other side, the opposite pressure was applied, demanding that they act against Austria. Wilhelm found it difficult to raise either hand and declared neutrality, unable to make any predictions.
However, his declaration of neutrality was simply ignored.
Serbia-Montenegro repeatedly disregarded Albania’s borders and moved its military and refugees across the land. The neutral declaration of a king who couldn’t even properly control his own country was so meaningless.
The only reason the negotiating parties did not take advantage of the northern part of Albania, as they did in the previous round, was their strategic policy of using the Albanian border for defense.
Thanks to this, Wilhelm was able to hold on to the throne for a longer time than in the previous round, when he had to flee to Venice on September 3, 1914.
But it was impossible for a king without proper governing power to hold on to the throne. On October 11, 1914, Wilhelm’s rule came to an end with the entrance of Camille’s Islamic rebels, who had gained popular support from the Albanian people, into Durrës.
I intended to emphasize the fact that Serbia-Montenegro had arbitrarily violated Albania’s sovereignty, taking advantage of Wilhelm’s expulsion.
By attributing the Muslim rebels who had driven out Wilhelm and other anti-government factions to Serbia-Montenegro’s manipulation, we could create a strong justification for invading Albania.
In the era of imperialism, where everything has its own purpose, this was an excellent opportunity. I planned to surprise the negotiating forces who were staunchly resisting in southern Montenegro by giving them a gift as a shield for Albania, and also distribute the spoils to the allied countries. It would be a profitable business in many ways.
I planned to divide the actual ruling power of occupied Albania between Bulgaria, Hungary, and the Ottoman Empire. To appease the allied countries that might have objections to the post-war distribution, it was necessary to diligently collect and distribute even these small pieces of land.
I rang the bell and called for my secretary.
“Prepare a protest against the illegal infringement of Albania’s sovereignty by the negotiating countries in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.”
Poland was excluded because they had no relation to this matter.
“Yes, understood.”
Miss Bayern quickly scribbled a memo on top of the document with her pen, then took it and left the office.
Actually, if I thought a little more, I could have condemned the Christian invaders of southern Albania and struck them with a club, but there was no need to unnecessarily increase the number of enemies.
The justification had to be carefully crafted to be acceptable in the international community. It would have been counterproductive to openly reveal the intention to wield invasion as a means.
“I should secure Wilhelm of Albania as well.”
Wilhelm, the king of Albania, was still heading towards Venice. In order for us to make use of him in time, it was necessary for him to be in our territory, not Italy.
Well, even if I didn’t pay much attention to Wilhelm, he would naturally come into the German-Austrian territory, but you never knew how things would turn out.
I picked up the telephone receiver after finishing my thoughts.
“Is this the Eastern Intelligence Bureau Chief?”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
“There is a task to be done by the Eastern Intelligence Agency. Secure King Wilhelm of Albania for us. I would like him to be brought to Austria as quickly as possible. Can this be done?”
“Are you bringing him from Italy?”
“Yes. There is a possibility that it may not be the case, but that’s what I’m saying.”
Of course, now that the vicinity of Albania had become a battlefield, there was a possibility that the king might seek refuge in Greece.
“I will coordinate with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and proceed with the task swiftly.”
“Please do so.”
I put down the receiver and lit a cigarette.
*
December 2, 1914, capital of the Autonomous Republic of Epirus, Gjirokastër, Albania.
When the First Balkan War ended, many Epirotes believed that they would be able to return to Greece and escape the oppression of the Turks. Considering the ethnic makeup of Northern Epirus, it was only natural for them to return to Greece.
However, Greece had to step back from Epirus due to the opposition of the Triple Entente, which had plans to make Albania an independent country. Greece wanted the support of the Triple Entente in the negotiations, but they did not want to break the International Control Commission of Albania.
Greek Prime Minister Venizelos, judging that they could not win in the negotiations, decided to give up Northern Epirus in exchange for occupying the islands in the northeast.
As a result, Southern Epirus became part of Greece, but the north continued to remain in Albania. The Greek army began to withdraw the troops they had stationed in Albania in accordance with the demands of the International Control Commission.
There were significant disturbances, such as the establishment of an autonomous republic by the Epirotes in the north, but the situation was quickly resolved as neither Northern Epirus, the International Control Commission, nor Albania wanted a large-scale armed conflict.
After negotiations on the island of Corfu, both sides signed the ‘Protocol of Corfu,’ which recognized Albanian sovereignty and granted various rights and privileges to the northern Epirus side.
However, this treaty quickly became meaningless with the outbreak of the First World War. With the intervention and interference of neighboring countries, as well as rebellions, Albania practically fell apart, and the Epirotes in the north rose up and attacked the Albanian garrison in the region.
Greek Prime Minister Venizelos saw this as an opportunity and deployed five divisions to Northern Epirus. The great powers were preoccupied with the ongoing war and turned a blind eye to Greece’s actions.
On October 7, 1914, the Greek five divisions submerged the entire Northern Epirus. Since the Epirotes themselves were positive about the incorporation, there was no problem. The one who should have resisted, Wilhelm, was in no position to face the Muslim rebels who had immediately attacked the capital.
Ironically, the fact was that after surrendering the capital, Durres, he had fled to the capital of Northern Epirus, Gjirokastër. It was difficult to understand seeking refuge in the country that had invaded his own country.
From a logical standpoint, it could be considered the right course of action for Wilhelm to go to Italy or Austria, where he could seek assistance. Nevertheless, Wilhelm had sought exile in Italy in the previous chapter.
However, this time Wilhelm chose Northern Epirus. The reason was simple. He did not want to show that he was completely driven out of the country by the rebels. The fact that the German-Austrian alliance now had the advantage in the vicinity of Albania played a significant role in his decision.
While staying in Northern Epirus, Wilhelm planned to receive support from the Austrian army and return to Durres.
“These filthy rebel scum will be easily dealt with if Austria helps. The Greeks who have their eyes on my land will be the same.”
As Wilhelm stayed in Northern Epirus with such calculations, Greece became quite troubled. Greece found it inconvenient that the rightful owner of this land was within their territory, as they ultimately wanted to incorporate Northern Epirus into their own territory.
Greece offered Wilhelm the option of a safer and more comfortable life in Athens, but he laughed it off and refused.
“What does Greece have to do with me living in my territory under my scepter? Did I come here to seek refuge on your land?”
In practical terms, that may be the case, but legally, it was not. Northern Epirus was internationally recognized as Albanian territory by the International Control Commission.
Although the Triple Entente supported Greece’s occupation of Northern Epirus, not all the great powers agreed. Not only the powerful Austria and Ottoman Empire in the Balkans, but even Italy across the sea had not approved of Greece’s actions.
Greece could not ignore this fact.
“I had no intention of forcing Your Majesty’s decision. If I was impolite, please forgive me.”
The Greek authorities took a humble step back in front of King Wilhelm, but they understood that they could not leave him alone.
Greece held numerous meetings to figure out what to do with this troublesome burden.
But then an unexpected event occurred.
Italy intervened.
For Greece, it was like a bolt from the blue to have Italy intervene when they were only worried about Austria’s involvement.
But if they thought about it, it was a natural occurrence.
Italy was not blind, and the situation could be easily guessed if Wilhelm stayed in Northern Epirus as it was.
“If Wilhelm is reinstated by the Austrian army, Albania will completely fall under Austria’s sphere of influence. That’s unacceptable. It can’t happen.”
For Italy, which had long had its eyes on Albania, it was necessary to take action before Albania completely fell under Austria’s control. Alessandro Leone, the Italian representative of the International Control Commission in Albania, informed his homeland of this fact, and Rome responded unusually quickly.
They sent a message to Alessandro Leoni, conveying Italy’s position that they could immediately support Wilhelm. The reason they did not give orders to the Greek ambassador was because Italy did not recognize Northern Epirus as Greek territory.
Alessandro Leoni went straight to Giuseppe Castello and delivered Rome’s proposal at the meeting with Wilhelm.
“Your Majesty. The International Control Commission has withdrawn from restoring order in Albania, but the Kingdom of Italy has not forgotten its obligation. With Your Majesty’s permission, we will dispatch our army to suppress the lawless bands in Albania and restore the throne.”
Wilhelm was taken aback by this unexpected proposal but adopted an attitude of considering it further. In times when the price suddenly rose, it was a good strategy to bounce back and buy time.
Thanks to Wilhelm’s initial rejection, Greece avoided waking up and smelling the coffee, but the situation where fire fell on their feet did not change.
The Greeks realized that they needed to negotiate with Wilhelm in order to avoid having to give up the land they had just acquired.
Instead of sending high-ranking officials to show their restraint against Italy, Greece sent Lieutenant Alexandros Kondylis, who was responsible for the city’s administration, to make an unofficial proposal to the king.
“Your Majesty. You must have realized through this incident that Albania’s internal affairs are extremely unstable. With all neighboring countries claiming sovereignty over Albania, how can governance be achieved? Therefore, wouldn’t it be necessary to make at least one side an ally?”
“In exchange for receiving Northern Epirus, I presume?”
Wilhelm replied sarcastically.
“Of course, it’s not for free. We will not only support Your Majesty in restoring the monarchy by providing the necessary army and funds but also conclude an alliance to deal with threats like Serbia and Montenegro. This alliance also includes joint responses to the Muslim rebels within.”
Given the strength of Greece’s power, this was a significant bleeding condition to endure.
“Italy said they would do the same. And Rome didn’t even ask for land like you did.”
Wilhelm was not interested in such talk at all.
“Do you believe those words are sincere? Italy and Austria are countries that have consistently pursued expansionism, using the pretext of manifest destiny.”
“You’re not much different yourselves.”
As Wilhelm said, Greece had endlessly expanded its territory in nearly a century since its founding. In terms of their appetite for expansion, they were no less than Austria or Italy.
“But our greed has its limits. Doesn’t our strength support that?”
“That’s a valid point.”
If their power had been sufficient, they wouldn’t have spat out the swallowed meat.
Wilhelm glanced at the Greek officer before speaking.
“But don’t we have some trust between us? How can we trust you, who broke the treaty before the ink even dried?”
“……”
Colonel Alexandros had no choice but to remain silent.
The contact with the Greeks had ended in failure.
Meanwhile, Germany and Austria had also identified Wilhelm’s whereabouts and attempted to make contact.
Representing their respective governments, Aristoteles Petrovich, an Austrian delegate of the International Control Commission, and Julius Binkel, a German delegate, approached King Wilhelm.
“Your Highness, it is fortunate to see you unharmed. The Lord has been watching over Albania.”
“Thank you.”
When the delegates from various countries, who had only stood by and watched when Dures fell, came to visit, Wilhelm felt a strange sensation. He couldn’t quite put his finger on it, but the situation had drastically changed.
“Your Highness, the Kaiser has a message for you.”
Julius Binkel presented the Kaiser’s message with dignity.
As a German himself, Wilhelm received the message in its original German form.
As he quickly skimmed through the Kaiser’s message, Wilhelm’s expression showed a hint of surprise.
“This means that we will be involved in the World War as well.”
The German delegate nodded as if it was no big deal.
“In order to ensure Your Highness’s restoration of power and the enduring position of the royal family, it is necessary to obtain the recognition of Albania’s sovereignty from neighboring countries. Recognition from Serbia-Montenegro can only be obtained after Albania becomes a member of the alliance.”
“But our country is not in a position to go to war.”
The war had already ended, and the monarch himself had fled, or rather sought refuge. It was purely for the sake of justification that this conversation was taking place. Wilhelm was too afraid to give a definite answer. It was true that an alliance would be advantageous, but no one could predict how the war would unfold.
What if even the mighty Britain, the strongest neutral power, were to intervene in the war tomorrow?
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War was a dangerous gamble that sometimes brought about unimaginable events.
“Would Your Majesty not like to return to the throne?”
“Well, I would like to do so immediately. Why wouldn’t I?”
Before ascending to the throne, he might not have known, but after experiencing the taste of power, he could not forget its sweetness. Wilhelm was not a man of such self-restraint to easily forget the taste of power.
“Then why hesitate to take action? Which country can offer Your Majesty the most certain means of regaining the throne?”
That country was the German-Austrian camp.
Even after being chased from the throne himself, Wilhelm had thought of them first.
“Hmm.”
“Your Majesty, opportunities are not plentiful. If Your Majesty were to reject the proposals of Vienna and Berlin and join hands with Rome, we could make sure that Your Majesty does not achieve your dream, even if we have to ally with the Muslim rebels.”
“……!”
The representatives of the allied side did not sweet-talk like Italy or Greece. They said what was necessary and then showed the retaliation card if they did not respond to their proposals. Faced with the overwhelming power of the strong in diplomacy, Wilhelm did not even have the chance to present his arguments.
“Your Majesty, do not hesitate. We will win this war. Stand on the side of the victor and naturally enjoy the fruits that should be enjoyed.”
Wilhelm bit his lip for a while before nodding his head.
“Very well. It shall be done. However, I have one condition.”
“Please speak.”
“Help me regain Northern Epirus.”
“If it is that issue, we will resolve it within a few days.”
The representatives of both countries spoke confidently.
In fact, because the two great powers were preoccupied with the world war, they paid little attention to Albania, and even just exerting pressure on Greece was enough to make them back down.
The allied council members left Wilhelm behind with the soldiers assigned to protect him and withdrew from the place.
Only then did Wilhelm plop down onto the chair and wipe away the cold sweat with a handkerchief. Despite succumbing to their pressure and granting their demands, he realized that he hadn’t really suffered any losses.
After all, there was nothing left for him to lose as the king in name only.
“Yes. If only I can find the throne.”
Wilhelm thought it was better this way and tried to erase the humiliating emotions from his mind.