You find the years 1909 - 1924
here!
Postal Stationary you find
here.
A conservative Muslim landlord,
Ahmed Zogu, proclaimed himself president in 1925 and
king - under the name Zog I - in 1928.
King Zog's original
name was Ahmet
Muhtar Bey Zogolli. He was born 8th October 1895
at Castle Burgajet in Albania and died 9th April 1961 in
Hauts-de-Seine in France. Already at the tender
age of 16 he replaced his mentally unfit brother Xhelal
Bey as governor of Mat. After having been detained
at Vienna 1917 - 1918 and in Rome 1918 - 1919, he
returned to Albania in 1919. He served as Governor
of Shkodėr 1920 - 1921 and Minister of the Interior in
March - November 1920 and 1921 - 1924, and he was chief
of the Albanian military 1921 - 1922. Then he
served as Prime Minister of Albania 1922 - 1924, but had
to flee the country after Fan Noli became President.
But Zog returned with an armed force and overthrew Noli
in January 1925. Zog then served as President from
January 31st until 1928. As President, Zog
(meaning "bird" in Albanian) managed to unite Albania as
a nation, but had some trouble with Kosovar leaders.
On
September 1st, 1928, Zog was crowned King of the
Albanians "by the will of the people" (Mbret i
Shqiptarėve in Albanian), and same day declared
Field Marshal of the Royal Albanian Army. He
claimed to be a successor of Skanderbeg, a lineage which
was correct to an extent.
During the worldwide depression of
the early 1930s, Zog's government became almost
completely dependent on Mussolini - even to the point
that the Albanian National Bank had its seat in Rome.
But Zog's
reign was a time of stability for Albania,
although he is said to have survived over
55 assassination attempts. As a curiosity can
be mentioned that his two favorite activities were
playing poker (usually with his sisters) and smoking
perfumed cigarettes - about 150 of them a day!
King Zog married
27th April 1938
Countess Geraldine Margit Virginia Olga Maria Apponyi de
Nagy-Apponyi, born 6th August 1915 in Budapest in
Hungary, died 22nd October 2002), known as Queen
Geraldine and the "White Rose of Hungary". They
had one child, Crown Prince Leka Zogu born April 5th,
1939. Already two days after their son's birth,
the Italians invaded Albania, and the king and his
family had to flee the country. From 1946, they
lived in exile in Greece, Turkey, England, Egypt (where
Zog was a good friend of King Farouk), United States,
France, Rhodesia, Spain and finally South Africa. King
Zog died in Hauts-de-Seine in France in 1961 at the age
of 65. In June of 2002, she was invited by forty
members of the Albanian parliament to return from South
Africa to live in Tirana. She returned, but
continued to assert that her son Leka was the legitimate
ruler of Albania. She died 22nd October 2002 at
the age of 87 in a military hospital in Tirana.
Her son, since the death of his father in 1961 titled
Leka I, King of the Albanians, also lives in Tirana.
1925
Black box
registered letter from Tirane 26th April 1925 to New
York. Transit Bari Ferrovia 27th April and Torino
Ferr. America 29th April, arriving in New York 11th May
and Madison Square Station 12th May 1925.
1926
Letter with
Michel 136A Zogu, cancelled Durres 29th March 1926 and
addressed to Elbasan. Note the
advertisement for Singer sewing machines!
Letter with
Michel 138 Zogu (issued 24th December 1925), cancelled
Korce (southeast) 26th October 1926 and
addressed to Bąle (Biel?) in Switzerland.
1927
Black box
registered, commercial letter cancelled Shkoder 2nd
April 1927, addressed to Chicago, Illinois in USA.
The stamps are attached to the back. Transit
Cetinje 3rd April 1927, arriving in New York 17th April
1927.
1929
Registered
letter with Michel 190 and 193 Zogu proclaimed king,
cancelled Shkodėr 29th May 1928 and addressed to Rome,
Italy. The letter is cancelled in transit in Bari
- Ferrovia 30th May 1928 and arrived 31st May 1928.
Thirty qind. is the correct amount for registered letter
to Italy at this time.
Registered
letter with Michel 194 Zogu proclaimed king, cancelled
Shkodėr 11th January 1928 and addressed to Schwertberg i
Austria. The letter is cancelled in transit in
Bari - Ferovia 13th January 1928 and in Udine 14th
January 1928.
Black box
registered
letter with Michel 194 Zogu proclaimed king, cancelled
Tirane 13th November 1929 and addressed to American
Express office in New York. The letter has also a
violet American Express cancellation on the front side.
Transit cancellations Durres 15th November, Bari
Ferrovia 14th November and Torino Ferr. America 16th
Novermber. The letter arrives in New York 29th
November 1929.
1930
1933
Card showing a
street in Sckodėr. Note the old system of
disposing affluants from the houses... The stamp
is Michel 221 Zogu, cancelled Shkodra 23rd June 1933,
and addressed to Luton in England. Upon arrival
Luton 28th June 1933 it is readdressed to Wallasey in
Cheshire.
1935
1936
1937
Post card
showing Dürres from the hights behind the city, but
cancelled Vlone-Port 9th May 1937 and sent to Germany,
bearing 5, 10 and 15 q of the 1st September 1930 Achmed
Zogu issues (Mi 219-221).
Registered letter from
Skhodėr 6th December 1937 to Bucks in England, bearing
Mi 102, 25q surcharged with red cross, type II (1924),
and 5, 10 and 25 q of the 1st September 1930 Achmed Zogu
issues (Mi 219, 220 and 222). On the back, the
letter is cancelled transit Rijeka 7th December 1937.
Letter from
Tirane 11th December 1937 to Wien in Austria.
Stamps are attached to the back.
1938
Card from the
wedding of King Zog and
Countess Geraldine Margit Virginia Olga Maria Apponyi de
Nagy-Apponyi on
27th April 1938, bearing 1, 2 and 10 q of the wedding
issue (25th April 1938), Mi 264, 265 and 267, sent to
Belgrad in Yugoslavia.
Italy annexed Albania in 1939.
In March 1939, Italian troops occupied
Albania. Mussolini ordered on October 28th 1940
Italian troops from Albania to invade Greece.
Surprisingly, the Greeks not only stopped the Italian
advance, but pushed them back into Albania. And in
the process, they again occupied the disputed area from
World War 1, southern Albania (Nothern Epirus).
And again the Greeks drew support from the regional
Greek minority. But when Germany forced a military
alliance including Hungary, Romania and Bulgaria and
launched the Balkan campaign in June 1941, the Greek
front falter. All of Yugoslavia and Greece were
occupied. All areas with Albanian population
majority, i.e. Albania proper, Kosovo, a strip of land
in western Macedonia and Greek Epirus, were now under
Italian administration. Italy signed an armistice
in September 1943, and German troops now took over the
hitherto Italian administrated regions on the Balkans
peninsula, including Albania proper. In September
/ October 1944 the German occupation force withdrew from
Greece, and on November 29th 1944, the Communists, lead
by Enver Hoxha, were in control of Albania.
1939
Registered letter from
Dürres 1st May 1939 to Basel in Switzerland, bearing the
5 and a block of 4 of 15 q of the 12th April 1939 issue
(Mi 286 and 288).
It has Basel 1 and Basel 2 arrival cancellations on the back.
Letter from
Dürres 12th May 1939 to Basel in Switzerland, this time
overland, bearing the 10 and 15 q of the 12th April 1939
issue (Mi 287-288).
Air mail letter
cancelled Tirane 27th October 1939 and sent to New York,
bearing 5 and 25 q of the 1939 pictorial series of
Italian Occupation of Albania (Mi 301 and 304), and the
20 q air mail issue of 4th August 1939 showing King
Victor Emanuel III of Italy, and a Savoya-Marchetti S 73
airplane over Albanian mountains. It is also
cancelled on arrival Roma - Ferrovia 27th October 1939.
1940
Postcard sent
from Vlone 26th September 1940 to Switzerland, bearing
four of the 2 q 1939 pictorial series (Mi 299).
The motive of the post card is the coast at the Himara
region of Vlone.
1943
Even though this
cover doesn't carry Albanian stamps, it still belongs in
an Albanian collection. USA issued stamps with
flags from all over the world, and this particular stamp
is for Albania. Good Friday 1939 was the time of
invasion, and the message on the cover is that we will
not forget. Albania will be free one day.
1944
This is a
somewhat strange postcard. It is first cancelled
Tirane 13th June 1933 on a 25 q red cross 1924 type I
(Mi 98), and then 13th March 1944 on a 1 q on 3 q stamp
og 1943. It must surely be a philatelistic product,
but still interesting. The motive is the same as
the card above; the coast at the Himara region of Vlone.
Communist guerillas under Enver
Hoxa seized power in 1944, shortly before the end of
World War II.
A Provisional Government, dominated by
the Communists, was recognized conditionally by the Big
Three in December 1945.
1951
Registered
letter from Tirane 16th April 1951 to Napoli in Italy,
bearing a full set of the 15th December 1950 airmail
stamps (Mi 489-494), cancelled in transit Brennero -
Bologna 27th April and Napoli 28th April 1951 on arrival.
1953
Registered
letter from Tirane 7th May 1953 to Bilisht, with arrival
cancellation on the backside 10th May, bearing the 2.50
and 5 leke stamps from the series commemmorating the
5-year jubilee of the establishment of the Albanian
People's Army, Mi 456-457, and the 0.50 on 2 leke
surcharge (Mi 521) issued 26th December 1952, a very
rare stamp especially on letters.
