Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1913-09-28
ALBANIA, The NEW BALKAN NATION

Austria and Italy il these two may be
In accord.
The Albanian has traversed history.
maintaining still many OF the racial char
acterisucs that have distinguished him
He is descended from the ancient
Peiasges. the progenitors OF the Greeks.
Alexander the Great was Albanian. 40
also was Pyrrhus, King Of Epirus. The
same who led Albanians into Italy and
conquered at Heraclee and at Asculum
(2sO-2i9 y. c.. From Pvrrhus 10 Sea nder-
beg there are seventeen hundred years.
Yet there was no decadence, for $. ander-
beg's patriotism and devotion was ~
less than the grandeur Of Pyrrhus
When Scanderbeg died in 1867 the Turks
vanquished the Albanians. To escape
the yoke OF the tyrant wave OF Al
bantam emigrants flowed to southern
ltaly. where many remained and where
there is numerous colony whose origin
is readily recognized. There IL curious
page OF Albanian history which NAV
serve to throw light upon Italian inter
ests In Albania.
Toward the end of the eleventh cen
fury Robert Guiscard with his AUDI G Gus
Normands. having conquered southern
ltaly, turned his arms AGAINST Albania
and besieged Durazzo The Emperor %
Byzance appealed to the Nenetians who
attacked and defeated the Nofmands in
naval combat.
Subsequently the Normands renew nd
the siege and finally routed the Byanziut
army of 1900. Durazzo again fen into
the hands of the lo-Normands in los.
and these latter occupied Nalluus
Bufrinto. Janina, okhrida and I-skuh
Guiscard attacked the Nenetians anew
and inflicted upon them a bloody defeat
Guiscard the following year willie IN
gagged i'm besieg.ng Cephalonia CONTRACTED
TIE vest and died. and his followers lef,
without chief, returned to southern
Italy.
century later in 11s5. GuilIauma. Kins
OF the TWO Siclies, attempted again "a
reduce Albania. but succeeded only r.
capturing Durazzo
After the Normands the Bourgr,irnons
In the thirteenth century, under Pierre d.
Courfenri. arrived. hesieged purazzo hui
tailed After the Normands. 1.7o 20 1884
the Augevins. under Charles d'Aniou. a,
tackled and took Durazzo The princes
OF the house d'Anjou formed an alliance
with the Alhanians and obliged the kiur
OF Servia. who attempted TO force tn.
Albanians to adhere to th., Greek Church
To recognize the i"ht of Alhanians Ia re-
main Catholics d32D.
Thus. as in the recent war of the Pal
kans' the questions of race and religion
were inseparablv Joined
hellgl0uS The Albanian Catholics ~
Trouhles today. whose iniuenti n
chiefs are attached To- ami
are controlled b. Austria. do the, knov.
or the service rendered to their cult Ia
the princes Of a French dynasty
1t was Tanusios Thopia who avenged
the Albanians and put an end 10 ~.
domination of the Angevins in Albania r.
capturing Durazzo i'm 1869. after n sloga
Naa a
rors of war there was added n .erribt.
pest, which ravaged both camps.
me conquest of the Balkans bv the
Turks In the fifteenth century. the ad-
nesion or a great part of Albania To
Islam the traditional friendship of France
winch since Francis I united his very
christian majesty and the sublime porte
caused the French to turn from Albania
without, however. severing their relations
Later In the century the valiant Al
; nanian Scanderbeg. supported by many
french adventurous soldiers attacked the
, turks Numerous Albanians served in tn.
French armies. among others Merkur.
boFa. VINO fought in the campaigns or
Charles VII and Louis XII. When Rom,
parte expedition established state ~
war between France and Turkey All,
Pasha of Janina attacked the French
tthen occupying the Ionian Islands
! Butcinto, PreveZa and Parla,. and IN,
Albanians, 5000 i'm number, slew or can
tnred the small French force In 1sn;
the french again reoccupied the Ioniar
Islands and the above-named cities ana
held them until 1914
Italian influence in Albania rests
upon something more real than these
remote Italo-Normand incursions. Al
banians vanquished by the Turks In
the nfteenth century emigrated in con-
siderable numbers to southern italy
to the Pouilles. Caiabra. Abruzzo ana
Sicily. These now number $4,000 They
have preserved their traditions. Language
ana customs and maintain their relations
and interests in Albania
X ::
These Italo-AIbanians. PRINCIPALLY or
the Sicilian group. formed twenty or
more years ago what
NallOnal was known as the ma
A,hon;.,s. tionaI Albanian So
ciety, a society which
extended its influence and propaganda Of
Italian interests in Albania. II was that
society that established in Albania jour
mails printed in Italian and entitled
Idea Albanese and La Malone Al
banese. italian influence by this means
was rap'd'y propagated.
The italians have besides rendered
themselves agreeable TO TIE Aiban an
POPULATION by the establishment -
hans" or great tradirc es'a llishmenfs
the same as those irtr NGIred by the
Eenetians who once exploited tie COM
trv commercially
Prior 10 the recent troubles Albania had
a commerce of eXoortation valued ~
two and half m'''ion dollars aad inn
portations Of six millions OF the half
nail ion Go';ars accruing from the cN-
nortation Of hides Italv received one
half a. we'll. as the Greater r7ri Of the
oils woods etc. Italy on The other hand
furnished wines. spices. drfed ttuitS. hour
and the naming veivots'' much IA vogue
have decided commercial advaniaS-s or't
her Austrian rival The Adristic 1uo
central Albania are destined 10 he con
necsed hv railway lines with the Nor
astir-Saloniki road. which must be tho
most favored route 10 and from soith'-"
Italy.
Austrian influence Iva Albania il bases
upon the work OF the Jesuits. who w'i
established first al Scutari IN 49,, IT,
Emperor Francois Joseph subscribed Ntr''
fforins gold. and 1880 annual iDtof0
In 1856 the tlbaHians DESTROYED tr"
Jesuit seminary. but the Turks ""la
obliged to paw the cnsts Of re-"stablish-
ment In central Albania Austrian H.
fiuence is absolutely null and for t~o
and orthodox S'av. and these oicntnts
are anti-Austrian.
Austria possesses verltahie power -
the LloTd NAVIGATION lines running -
the ports of Medua, Durazzo. Na.lona an
Prevesa. italy possesses only slngi"
lire. the Puglia.
Austria Hungary ana Italy's relations
uonular anti-Italian manifestation. f.
Trieste and Vienna. anita Austrian. in