Between Ottoman loyalty and national awakening: The dual character of the Albanian movement during the Prizren league (1878–1881)

Abstract

This article aims to re-examine the Prizren League (1878–1881) within the framework of the “dual character” of the Albanian national movement. It argues that while the League initially embodied an Islamic orientation devoted to the defense of Ottoman territorial integrity, it gradually evolved into a movement that articulated demands for local autonomy and contributed to the emergence of national consciousness. In this sense, the Prizren League exhibited a dual character, oscillating between loyalty to the Ottoman Empire and aspirations for national awakening. The analysis is based on Ottoman archival documents published by Skender Rizaj (1978) and Iljaz Rexha (1978), as well as contemporary British diplomatic correspondence, memoirs of Albanian intellectuals from the period, and relevant secondary literature. The article provides a detailed analysis of the tensions experienced by the League—both in relation to the centralizing policies of the Ottoman Empire and the interventions of the Great Powers. Moreover, the article highlights the role played by the Bektashi order in the League’s evolution toward a nationalist orientation. It discusses how the League has been ideologically interpreted in post-Ottoman Albanian historiography. A holistic evaluation of the Prizren Alliance and the subsequent developments allows for a more coherent understanding of the activities of the circles that gathered around it; otherwise, fragmentary assessments of its members and actions tend to produce divergent interpretations and scholarly controversies. In conclusion, the Prizren League is assessed as a transitional phenomenon in which Islamic loyalty and national aspirations were intricately intertwined in the formation of Albanian political consciousness.