Zog of Albania

His Majesty King Zog (full ruling name: Zog I. Skanderbeg III.), born Ahmed Bey Zogu (October 8, 1895–April 9, 1961), was an Albanian prime minister (1922-1924), president (1925-1928), and king (1928-1939 and 1943-1946, the latter period in name only).

Problems with Italy

The growing power of Italy in Albania was clear to everyone. The Italians forced Zog to refuse to renew the First Treaty of Tiranë (1926), although Zog still retained British officers in the Gendarmerie as a counterbalance against the Italians, who had pressured Zog to remove them. In 1932 and 1933 Albania was unable to pay the interest payments on its loans from the Society for the Economic Development of Albania, and the Italians used this a pretext for further dominance. They demanded that Tiranë name Italians in charge of the Gendarmerie, join Italy in a customs union, and grant the Italian Kingdom control of Albania's sugar, telegraph, and electrical monopolies. Finally, it called for the Albanian government to establish teaching of the Italian language in all Albanian schools, a demand that was swiftly refused by Zog. In defiance of Italian demands, he ordered for the national budget to be slashed by 30%, dismissed all Italian military advisers, and nationalized Italian-run Roman Catholic schools in the north of Albania to decrease Italian influence on population of Albania.

Related Topics:
First Treaty of Tiranë - 1926 - 1932 - 1933 - Italian language

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