Did you know that the Albanian nation, as a people-group, did not exist during the time of the Roman Empire? Back then, the land that is today Albania was divided between the Roman provinces of Dalmatia and Macedonia. It wasn’t until the 6th century when Slavic people came from the northwest and began to overrun the Roman and Greek colonists that were there. It was these Slavic people that became the modern nation of Albania.
The area, though, remained under Roman control for another four centuries or so. (It was right before this time that the Roman Empire moved its capital from Rome to Byzantium, which was promptly renamed Constantinople – modern-day Istanbul; historians refer to the Roman Empire at this time period as the Byzantine Empire to distinguish from the earlier period.) In the 9th century, the Bulgarian Empire conquered this land area, remaining under their control until the late 12th century.
The first nation-state to be formed utilizing the people known today as Albanians was created in 1190 by someone named Progon, and his state was called the Principality of Arbër. This lasted until the middle of the 13th century, when it was dissolved because of its incorporation into the Despotate of Epirus, a period which only lasted 16 years. This is when Charles of Anjou conquered the area and created the first Kingdom of Albania (1271). He used his power to help spread Roman Catholicism in that Orthodox Christian land.
The next couple centuries saw more turmoil in Albania. The Serbian Empire spent over 20 years, in the middle of the 14th century picking up parts of Albania, piece by piece, until eventually it had conquered the whole country. But this empire did not last long, and when it crumbled, several principalities were formed in its stead. These principalities did not last long, either, as they were united under a single domain by George Castrioti Skanderbeg, who was working for the Ottoman Empire at the time. Later, though, Skanderbeg led a rebellion against Ottoman rule, which makes him a national hero in the Albanian history book.
Finally, in the 15th century, the Ottomans got the upper hand and reconquered Albania. Now, if you know anything about the Ottoman Empire, you know that it was Muslim by religion. This meant that the nation that had a lot of Roman Catholic and Orthodox Christians started to see a growing Muslim influence and population. At first, what you would have witnessed was the large migration of Christians out of Albania and into other parts of Europe. At the same time, Albania was accepting Jewish immigrants who were fleeing the Spanish Inquisition. In the 17th and 18th centuries, large demographic shifts in religion took place that can only be described as dramatic when looking at the big picture: in the 17th century, most Catholics converted to Islam, and in the 18th century, most Orthodox Christians did so.
Finally, just in the last century, things began to change for Albania. The Ottoman Empire was finally defeated and destroyed in the Balkan Wars in 1912, leading Albania, for the first time in centuries, to acquire it independence.
It was a principality at first, became a republic from 1914-1925, was a kingdom from 1925-1928, became a republic again until Fascist Italy invaded in 1939, only to be replaced by Nazi German occupation a few years later, in the middle of World War 2.
After that world war, the Communist Party took over control of the country, which led to some good and some bad: the economy was growing by leaps and bounds and the nation was industrialized quickly, leading to wide levels of prosperity; at the same time, all political and religious freedoms were severely and violently suppressed.
Finally, in 1989, the Albanian people, who were protesting the harsh treatment of individuals and religious groups, got what they wanted. The Communist government was dissolved, and a new constitution was created, allowing for political, civic and religious freedoms. Although other political parties were now free to be elected, a majority of congressional seats were still filled by people from the Communist Party. Amidst corruption and new economic policies, the economy collapsed two years later.
Then, in the mid-to-late 1990’s, all hell seemed to break loose. Many Albanians invested most or all of their savings in what can only be called a Ponzi scheme, causing widespread eradication of the country’s wealth. This led to large-scale protests and violence across the country, and when the Republican Guard, who were controlling the protests abandoned their posts, and left their armories wide open, it led to looting by gangs and militias, and helped arm the people in Kosovo, leading to the Kosovo War. Finally, with help from outside forces, including the United Nations, order was restored by 1997.
In the 21st century, the nation and its economy stabilized and recovered, and today Albania is a candidate for the European Union. The Council of the European Union decided in March 2020 to open accession negotiations with Albania. Today, the nation has 2.8 million people, of which 800,000 or so live in the capital, Tirana, and its metro area.
