The Independence of Albania in 1912 as Documented in German Diplomatic Archives

Abstract

The events preceding the independence of Albania are documented in detail in German diplomatic archives. German diplomats from the region, in Istanbul, Athens, Sofia, Thessaloniki, Skopje, and Cetinje as well as in the major powers’ capitals – London, Rome, St Petersburg, and Vienna – reported to Berlin on the events in the European part of the Ottoman Empire. The goal of this paper is to study the mentioned documents and make them available to the broader public and younger generations of historians. The bibliography of the German Foreign Ministry, Auswaertiges Amt, Politisches Archiv Findbuch, Auswaertiges Amt 1867 – 1920 Oxford, Teil I und II, 1956, catalogues all available documents on Albania under Ottoman rule till 1914 because the German embassy in Istanbul was responsible for Albania at that time. In 1914, Germany opened its first embassy in Tirana, and from then on documents for Albania were catalogued separately. The archived documents show that Germany was very interested in the events in Albania and actively supported Albanian independence, i.e. the establishment of an Albanian state.