Albania's Complex History: Austria-Hungary's Influence

Albania was not a part of the Austria-Hungary Empire. In fact, it gained independence from the Ottoman Empire on 28 November 1912, during the First Balkan War. However, its independence was supported by Austria-Hungary, which saw an independent Albania as a counterweight to Serbian and Russian influence in Southeast Europe. During World War I, Austria-Hungary occupied Albania from 1916 to 1918, and even before that, there were instances of Austrian forces invading Albania.

Albania was an independent state during World War I

However, Albania's independence was short-lived. The country was a fledgling new country, and quickly unravelled. Just a few months after taking power, its German ruler, Prince Wilhelm, was forced to flee.

When World War I broke out, anarchy took hold of the country as tribes and regions rebelled against central rule. Albania's neighbours, including Italy, Serbia, and Montenegro, took control of different regions.

During the war, occupying forces, from both the Central and Allied powers, massacred the Albanian population on multiple occasions.

In 1916, Austrian forces invaded Albania, and remained until the end of the war when a multinational Allied force pushed them out in 1918.

Despite the various occupations, Albania retained its status as an independent state during World War I.

Austria-Hungary invaded Albania in 1916

Albania was not a part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. Albania gained independence from the Ottoman Empire in 1912, and was recognised as the Principality of Albania in 1913. However, in 1916, Austria-Hungary invaded Albania and occupied most of the country until 1918.

Austria-Hungary had been interested in Albania before World War I. They wanted to create a modern, independent Albanian state as a buffer against Serbia, which had access to the sea, and to prevent Russian access to Serbian ports. Austria-Hungary also wanted to counter Italian influence in the region. They supplied weapons to Albania and helped build roads and schools, promoting the development of the Albanian language and orthography.

When World War I broke out, Austria-Hungary demanded that Albania send soldiers to fight alongside them. When the Albanian ruler, Prince Wilhelm, refused, citing Albanian neutrality, the Austrians cut off his remuneration. With central authority in Albania crumbling, Prince Wilhelm was forced to evacuate the country in September 1914.

In February 1916, Austria-Hungary and Bulgaria began their attack on Serbia, forcing the Serbian army to retreat through Montenegro and into Albania. By the end of 1915, Bulgarian and Austro-Hungarian forces had occupied most of Serbia. In February 1916, Essad Pasha Toptani, leader of the Albanian government, was forced to evacuate the country and went into exile as Austro-Hungarian forces advanced on the capital, Durrës.

During the occupation, the Austro-Hungarians left the local administration in place and formed an Albanian gendarmerie. They also attempted to confiscate weapons from the civilian population, which was unpopular. Nevertheless, several thousand Albanians fought alongside the Austro-Hungarian army. The Austro-Hungarians remained in Albania until the end of the war when, in 1918, a multinational Allied force pushed them out.

Austria-Hungary wanted to prevent Serbian sea access

Austria-Hungary wanted to prevent Serbia from accessing the sea because it wanted to create a buffer state in the Balkans. This would have prevented Russia from accessing those ports, which was a threat to both Austria-Hungary and Italy. Serbia's access to the sea could have given Russia a route to invade Austria-Hungary, and so preventing this was a matter of national security.

Austria-Hungary's desire to prevent Serbian sea access was part of a broader strategy to contain and limit Serbian power. Serbia had been growing rapidly, and Austria-Hungary wanted to counter this by setting up a viable independent Albanian state. This would have been an ally to Austria-Hungary, and a counterweight to Serbia. However, these efforts were impeded by the London Conference, where the Entente Powers favoured Greece and Serbia, and gave them important areas settled by Albanians. This undermined the viability of an independent Albania, which was further weakened by internal divisions and the influence of other powers, including Italy, Greece, and Turkey.

Austria-Hungary's desire to prevent Serbian sea access was also influenced by the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand, the heir presumptive to the Austro-Hungarian throne, in 1914. This was carried out by Gavrilo Princip, a Bosnian Serb nationalist, and it led to a series of interrelated diplomatic and military escalations that resulted in the outbreak of World War I. The assassination caused deep shockwaves through the Austro-Hungarian elite, and members of the 'War Party', like Conrad von Hötzendorf, saw it as an opportunity to destroy Serbia's ability to interfere in Bosnia and to re-invigorate the Habsburg monarchy.

Austria-Hungary's efforts to prevent Serbian sea access were ultimately unsuccessful. During World War I, Serbian, Montenegrin, and Greek forces all occupied and claimed parts of Albania. After the war, there were continued efforts by Serbia, Greece, and Italy to exert influence over Albania, and to extinguish its independence.

Albania's independence was supported by Austria-Hungary

Albania gained independence from the Ottoman Empire on 28 November 1912 during the First Balkan War. However, its independence was not recognised by the Great Powers until May 1913, when the Ottoman Empire officially renounced all its rights to the territory.

Austria-Hungary played a significant role in the foundation of the Albanian state and supported its independence in several ways. Firstly, they opposed the arrival of the Serbian army on the Adriatic Sea, as they perceived it as a threat to their domination of the Adriatic and feared that a Serbian Adriatic port could become a Russian base. Secondly, Austria-Hungary supported the autonomy of Albania within the Ottoman Empire, and later, its independence. In fact, Ismail Kemal, an Albanian deputy in the Ottoman parliament, secured the support of Austria-Hungary for Albanian autonomy, though not for its independence.

In the lead-up to Albania's declaration of independence, Austria-Hungary continued to play a key role. On 28 November 1912, Ismail Kemal invited the representatives of all parts of Albanian Vilayet to the All-Albanian Congress in Vlorë. During the congress, Kemal emphasised that the only way to prevent the division of Albanian territory between the Balkan allies was to establish it as an independent state, separate from the Ottoman Empire. This proposal was unanimously accepted, and the declaration of independence was signed in the name of the constituted Assembly of Vlorë, with representatives from all regions of Albania.

After Albania's independence, Austria-Hungary continued to support the country by providing military instructors and training officers for the new Albanian army. Count Franz Conrad von Hötzendorf, a prominent Austro-Hungarian military figure, advocated for the creation of a viable independent Albanian state as a counterweight to the rapidly growing Serbia. He believed that an independent Albania with close economic, cultural, and political ties to the Dual Monarchy would be beneficial to Austria-Hungary, particularly in countering Serbian and Montenegrin influence in the region.

However, Austria-Hungary's endeavours to establish a strong and independent Albania were impeded by several factors, including rivalry with Italy, the reluctance of Muslims in Albania to accept a Christian monarch, and the aspirations of Greece to take over Albanian territory. Despite these challenges, Austria-Hungary continued to provide military support and training to Albania, even during the chaotic events of 1914 that led to the fall of Prince Wied, the first monarch of Albania.

In conclusion, Albania's independence was supported by Austria-Hungary through diplomatic recognition, military assistance, and efforts to establish a strong and independent Albanian state. However, this support was not without challenges due to competing interests in the region.

Austria-Hungary wanted to create a modern Albanian army

Albania gained independence from the Ottoman Empire in 1912 and was recognised as the Principality of Albania by the Great Powers in May 1913. However, the country was in a state of flux, with tribes and regions rebelling against central rule. In 1914, Wilhelm of Wied, a German prince, was selected to become the leader of the new Principality of Albania.

> "Albania would, of course, be involved [in the military conflict in Europe]. This country was, however, declared neutral at the London Conference, as guaranteed by the Great Powers. But only military might is of importance in times of war, and it is evident that, should the Triple Alliance be defeated in a European conflict, Albania would, as a natural result, be divided up among its neighbours."

Von Hötzendorf proposed that with "several years of intensive military training," Albania could have around 80,000 men in arms. He recommended a standing army with about two years of military service, which would foster national unity and raise national conscience and loyalty.

Austria-Hungary's efforts to establish an independent Albanian state were hindered by the rivalry between Austria-Hungary and Italy, both of which had interests in the port city of Vlora. Additionally, there was opposition from Muslims in Albania, who were reluctant to accept a Christian monarch and would have preferred a Muslim ruler or the rule of the Sultan.

Despite these challenges, Austria-Hungary continued to pursue its goal of creating a modern Albanian army. In his correspondence with Count Berchtold, von Hötzendorf emphasised the need for Austro-Hungarian instructors to be sent to Albania to train the army. He also suggested that Austria-Hungary should be responsible for training the infantry, while Italy could train the other branches of the military.

However, these plans were disrupted by the outbreak of World War I in 1914. Albania's neutrality in the conflict was a source of contention, as Austria-Hungary demanded that Albanian soldiers fight alongside them, while Prince Wilhelm refused, citing the country's neutrality. This led to a cessation of remuneration that Prince Wilhelm had been receiving.

The instability in Albania continued, with Muslim rebels placing Durrës under siege and ultimately forcing Prince Wilhelm to evacuate the country in September 1914. The "Senate of Central Albania" was then formed by the Muslim insurgents, who invited Essad Toptani to return to Albania and take control. Toptani aligned Albania with the Entente Powers and declared war on Austria-Hungary.

Despite the outbreak of World War I and the changing political landscape in Albania, Austria-Hungary's desire to create a modern Albanian army remained a consistent aspect of their foreign policy in the region.

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