World War I in Albania

World War I in Albania
Part of the Balkans theatre of World War I and the collapse of the Principality of Albania
Esad Toptani in Salonika
Date July 28, 1914 – 11 November 1918 Location Albania Result Entente victory Establishment of the French Autonomous Province of Korçë and the Italian protectorate over Albania Gradual reunification of Albania Albania regains independence after the Vlora War
Belligerents
Entente:  Serbia  Montenegro  France Autonomous Province of Korçë  United Kingdom  Greece  Italy Italian-occupied Albania Senate of Central Albania (until 1916) Albanian Muslim rebels (until 14 November 1914) Anti-Austro-Hungarian Albanian guerrillas (until 1918)	Central Powers:  Austria-Hungary Austro-Hungarian occupied part of Albania[a]  Bulgaria  Germany  Ottoman Empire Albanian volunteers and irregulars Principality of Albania (1914) Catholic Albanian tribes Albanian Muslim rebels (after 14 November 1914) Anti-Serbian Albanian irregulars (1915–1916)
Commanders and leaders
Radomir Putnik Maurice Sarrail Georgios Kosmas Settimio Piacentini Essad Toptani (until 1916) Haxhi Qamili (until 14 November 1914) Azem Galica (until 1918) Shaban Polluzha (until 1918)	Hermann Kövess von Kövessháza August von Mackensen Georgi Todorov Ahmet Zog Wilhelm of Wied (until 1914) Prenk Bib Doda Haxhi Qamili (after 14 November 1914) Isa Boletini † Bajram Curri

In World War I, Albania had been an independent state, having gained independence from the Ottoman Empire on 28 November 1912, during the First Balkan War. It was recognised by the Great Powers as the Principality of Albania, after the Ottoman Empire officially renounced all its rights in May 1913.^[1] Being a fledgling new country, it quickly unravelled and just a few months after taking power, its German ruler, Prince Wilhelm, was forced to flee. After World War I broke out, anarchy took hold of the country as tribes and regions rebelled against central rule. To protect the Greek minority, Greek control was established in the southern districts replacing the Northern Epirote units beginning in October 1914. In response to this, Italy, although officially neutral at the time, also sent troops into the port of Vlorë, while Serbia and Montenegro took control of northern regions. In 1915 Serbia was overrun by combined German, Austro-Hungarian, and Bulgarian forces; the Serbian army retreated across the mountain passes of northern Albania, towards the Adriatic. Italian troops drove the Greeks from southern Albania and brought almost all Albanian territory under their control.^[1] Austrian forces invaded in June 1916; Austro-Hungarian forces remained in Albania until the end of the war when a multinational Allied force broke through and pushed them out in 1918.

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