Ottoman officer who surrendered Shkodër to Montenegro in 1913 and, allied with Serbia, became prime minister of Albania
Born in Tirana in 1863 to the Toptani landowning family, he served the Ottomans as a kaymakam and gendarmerie commander, joined the Young Turks and the Ottoman parliament in 1908 and in 1909 told Abdul Hamid II that "the nation has deposed you". In the First Balkan War he took over the defence of Shkodër after its commander Hasan Riza Pasha was murdered, a killing he has been accused of, and in April 1913 turned the fortress over to Montenegro, hoping for Montenegrin backing for his rule in central Albania. Expelled in 1914 after resisting Prince Wilhelm, he signed the secret Treaty of Niš with Serbia's Pašić, returned to take Durrës and served as prime minister from 1914 to 1916 at the head of his Republic of Central Albania. Remembered by Albanians as a symbol of treason, he was shot in Paris by Avni Rustemi in 1920.
Also known as: Esad Pasha Toptani
Activities and affiliations
Career Timeline
- 1908Joined the Young Turks; deputy in the Ottoman parliament
- 1912–1913Commanded the defence of Shkodër; surrendered to Montenegro
- 1913Interior minister of the Albanian provisional government
- 1914–1916Prime Minister of Albania