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Flag of Albania

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This is an old revision of this page, as edited by 167.187.101.222 (talk) at 22:25, 24 May 2022 (Not a historical flag of the Albanian state. Flag already is shown in the article as a standalone thumbnail with the description.). The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this revision, which may differ significantly from the current revision.

Republic of Albania
Flamuri Kombëtar
UseNational flag
Proportion5:7 (1:1.4 by law)
Adopted1443; 581 years ago (1443)
1912; 112 years ago (1912) (general scheme)
10 January 1946; 78 years ago (1946-01-10) (star added)
7 April 1992; 32 years ago (1992-04-07) (star removed)
22 July 2002; 22 years ago (2002-07-22) (standardized)[1]
DesignA red field with a black two-headed eagle in the center.[2]
Designed bySadik Kaceli (original concept)[3]

The flag of Albania (Template:Lang-sq) is a red flag with a silhouetted black double-headed eagle in the center. The red stands for bravery, strength, valour and bloodshed, while the Eagle represents the sovereign state of Albania. The flag was established as the national flag of Albania when the country gained its independence from the Ottoman empire in 1912.

Origin

Trionfo di Mardocheo by Paolo Veronese in the church of San Sebastiano, Venice, 1556. According to a modern analysis of the painting, Skanderbeg who holds the Albanian flag is depicted as the Biblical hero Mordechai who saved the Hebrews in the Babylonian Empire.[4]

During John Hunyadi's campaign in Niš in 1443, Skanderbeg and a few hundred Albanians defected from the Turkish ranks; for twenty-five years he scored remarkable victories against the Ottomans. He adopted the similar Byzantine imperial flag, with the double-headed eagle and the red background, and his victories brought him the papal title Athleta Christi.[5] The eagle was used for heraldic purposes in the Middle Ages by a number of noble families in Albania and became the symbol of the Albanians.[6] The Kastrioti's coat of arms, depicting a black double-headed eagle on a red field, became famous when he led a revolt against the Ottoman Empire resulting in the independence of Albania from 1443 to 1479. This was the flag of the League of Lezhë, which was the first unified Albanian state in the Middle Ages and the oldest representative political body in the country with extant records.[7][8][9][10]

Double-headed eagle found in a mural inside the Shën Ndoji church in Rodon, possibly dating from the 15th century
Illustration of the flag given in 1510 to Mercurio Bua (naval commander of Arvanites origin) by Emperor Maximillian I, found in a manuscript written by Ioannes Coroneos, a contemporary of Bua. It shows the Byzantine double-headed eagle, the Cross of Burgundy and the four "B"s or firesteels, used in the Paleologi arms but also linked to the House of Habsburg's Order of the Golden Fleece.[11]

The symbol of the double-headed black eagle on a red background was re-used by Albanian nationalists during the 19th and early 20th centuries as a symbol of their campaign for their country's independence from the Ottoman Empire.[12][6][13] In Ottoman territory, the first time it was raised in possibly over 400 years is the Battle of Deçiq (6 April) in the Albanian revolt of 1911. It was raised by the rebellion leader Ded Gjo Luli on the peak of Bratila (present-day Tuzi Municipality) after victory was secured. The phrase Tash o vllazën do t’ju takojë të shihni atë që për 450 vjet se ka pa kush (Now brothers you have earned the right to see that which has been unseen for 450 years) has been attributed to Ded Gjo Luli by later memoirs of those who were present when he raised the flag.[14] It was one of three banners brought to Malësia by Palokë Traboini, student in Austria. The other two banners were used by Ujka of Gruda and Prelë Luca of Triepshi.[15]

Albanian flag on a pole at the entrance of Krujë Castle

The Albanian flag has gone through a number of changes over the years as different regimes have modified it. During the reign of King Zog (r. 1928–1939), a crown was added to the flag and was replaced by two fasces during the Italian occupation of Albania. After World War II, the communist regime added a five-pointed golden star, which was removed on 7 April 1992 after the communist government in Albania collapsed.

Albania's maritime flags—the civil ensign and the naval ensign—are both different from the national flag. The civil ensign consists of three horizontal bands of red, black, and red. The naval ensign is similar to the national flag, except that the eagle is on a white field, and the lower portion of the flag has a red stripe. The eagle of the flag of Albania is depicted on the reverse of the Albanian five lekë coin, issued in 1995 and 2000.[16]

Beginning in 1969, the flag of Albania was widely unofficially flown in Kosovo by the country's ethnic Albanian population.[17] The flag was the symbol of the self-declared proto-state Republic of Kosova during the 1990s. Kosovo uses a different flag that was designed to avoid any symbols associated with a particular ethnic group, similarly to the flags of Bosnia and Herzegovina and Cyprus.

National flag

The national flag of Albania was standardized by Law Nr.8926, dated 22 July 2002 of the constitution and defined in articles II, III and IV.[18]

Note: The color scheme shown below is laid out beginning with the peripheral color followed by the nearest color.

 RED: #FF0000 

RGB: 255–0–0
HSL: 0°–100%–100%
HSV: 0°–100%–50%
CMYK: 0 –100% – 100% – 0
XYZ: 41.2400–21.2600–1.9300
LAB: 53.2329–80.1093–67.2201
Luminance: 54%
Distance: 1

  BLACK: #000000 

RGB: 0–0–0
HSL: 0°–0%–0%
HSV: 0°–0%–0%
CMYK: 0 – 0 – 0 –100%
XYZ: 0.0000–0.0000–0.0000
LAB: 0.0000–0.0000–0.0000
Luminance: 0%
Distance: 0

A summarized translation of the law is written below:

§ Article II – Definition

1. The national flag is a national symbol.

§ Article III – Shapes and dimensions of the national flag
1. The national flag represents a blood red field, with a black double-headed eagle in the center, with open wings on the sides. Each of the eagle's wings has nine feathers, while the tail has seven feathers.
2. The dimensions of the national flag have an aspect ratio of 1:1.4
3. The appearance of the national flag, the strength of its colors and the ratios are those defined in appendix no.1, which is attached to this law and is an integral part of it.

§ Article IV – Usage of the national flag
1. Every Albanian citizen has the right to hold, raise or use the national flag.
2. All public institutions are obliged to place the national flag inside or outside their facilities. It is forbidden to raise or place foreign flags, except in cases of receptions or protocol ceremonies and other solemnities, provided by law, but always accompanied by the national flag. In this case the national flag can not be smaller than other flags.
3. The national flag is used in cases of ceremonial meetings of state institutions with representatives of foreign countries; freely at the desks of officials in state institutions and by legal entities; in buildings and vehicles of representatives of the Republic of Albania serving abroad and in all cases when Albania is officially represented as an involved party. The national flag is layed in the most visible place or in the same place where the other flags are layed.

4. In case of a national mourning, announced by a decision of the Council of Ministers, the national flag is raised at half-mast.

Presidential flag

Flag of the President of Albania

The symbols of the Presidency which include the flag, the emblem and the "Mother Teresa" Decoration, were approved by a presidential decree dated 10 July 2014 by president Bujar Nishani. The presidential flag is described as follows:[19]

"The predominant colors are the colors of the national flag (red background and black eagle) and the golden color has been added which symbolizes strength, prosperity and endurance. The decorative symbols of the flag are the black eagle taken from the coat of arms of the House of Kastrioti, accepting it as one of the most ancient symbols used by the Albanian leader, the (golden) Skanderbeg helmet positioned in a straight frontal stance, symbolizing impartiality and determination in representing national unity, as well as oak (golden) leaves which represent longevity, strength and dignity, also taken as a symbol from antiquity used by King Gentius of the Illyrians. The use of the crown-shaped oak branches is also seen as a plinth which holds the other elements in place. Dimensions are specified as 140cm x 100 cm."

Historical flags

Flag of the Bajrak of Kashnjeti (1878)

Flag of the Bajrak of Kashnjeti

Ded Kol Bajraktari, the chieftain of the Bajrak of Kashnjeti (Dibrri) had unfurled this flag, on 10 June 1878, at the event known as the Albanian League of Prizren, swearing in the name of his bajrak, to preserve it with honor and glory. The flag with the inscription "Mirdita", is considered an object of great historical importance and a symbol of resistance for the people of the Mirdita region and areas of Northern Albania.

The flag's dimensions are 95 cm x 75 cm. A field of blood-red cloth is made of a two-piece loom, of cotton thread. In the middle of the flag is the black double-headed eagle, above it is a silver shining sun and below the eagle is embroidered with Latin letters the name "MIRDITA".

It is the only surviving flag of the twelve bajraks of Mirditë.[20]

Flag of Aladro Kastriota (1902)

Flag of Aladro Kastrioti as shown in a 1902 postcard

A document from the Ottoman archives of 1902, explains how Juan Pedro Aladro Kastriota, a Spanish citizen who claimed descent from Skanderbeg, a famous 15th century Albanian nobleman that rebelled against the Ottomans and became an obstacle to their early expansion — thus making him a pretender to the Albanian throne — distributed postcards throughout several European capitals, namely Paris, Rome, Athens and Saint Petersburg, featuring a photograph of himself next to a variant illustration of the Albanian flag. The postcards were found alongside a calendar printed in Albanian and were in the possession of two individuals, Nuri Frashëri and Basco Barbatassi, who attempted to distribute them throughout the Ottoman Empire.[21]

In excerpts published by the French literary journal "L'Écho des Jeunes" from its 238th issue, dated 1 October 1903, a brief profile of Don Juan de Aladro Kastrioti is given which includes a speech he had made on 31 January 1902 and addressed to the Albanian people that mentions the following:[22]

"The glorious name of Skanderbeg is our banner. With that cry on my lips, in the shade, with this flag, let us all unite..."

The double-headed eagle in Aladro's flag is later seen in a publication of the nationally syndicated Minerva Magazine, Issue 004–005, Page 26, Year 1932.

Flag of Isa Boletini (1910)

Recreation of the flag used by Isa Boletini.

The flag of Isa Boletini was used for the first time at the Assembly of Isniq in 1910. It was later raised on top of a hill in Visekovc and on 12 August 1912, Boletini with thirty of his men, carried it through the streets of Skopje, which at the time was part of the Vilayet of Kosovo. The same flag was used in Vlorë, when Boletini and a cavalry of four hundred fighters entered the city on the day Albania declared its independence.

The flag is made of red silk, edged with golden fringes and has in the center a black double-headed vulture with the heads of a serpent looking down.[23]

Awarded the Hero of the People title, Boletini was a prominent figure in the movement for an independent Albania. He is featured in a painting by Nikolet Vasia which inspired the famous scene in the 1982 film Nëntori i Dytë, where Boletini is seen kneeling down and kissing the Albanian flag while Ismail Qemali and other participants look on.[24]

Flag of the Albanian revolt of 1911

Vectorized depiction of Flamuri i Liris, the flag raised in Deçiq by Kol Ded Gjoni on 6 April 1911.

In the spring of 1911, teacher and poet Palok Traboini, then serving as personal secretary to Ded Gjo Luli, while journing through Dalmatia brought along with him three flags[25] and delivered them to Ded Gjo Luli, Dok Ujka of Grudë and Prel Luca of Triepshi respectively. The flags had been fabricated in Vienna, Austria at the request of Aladro Kastriota and were a gift for the fighting insurgents of Malësia e Madhe. One of the flags was first unfurled at the Church of Traboini in Hot on 6 April 1911 by Kol Ded Gjoni, son of Ded Gjo Luli and later raised several times by his fighters on top of the Bratila peak.[26] Placed on the flag was a piece of cloth with the inscription "Flamuri i Liris" Mars 1911 and on the carrying spear can be seen the figurine of an eagle with flapping wings. The flag appeared in the form of a labarum, in the style of Roman legions.

On 13 July 1911, the Basque magazine Euskal-Herria published a letter addressed to the senior editor of the magazine that was written by Juan Aladro de Kastriota and signed in Euskara:[27]

«The signs of sympathy that I have received from everywhere on the occasion of my last campaign, are to me comforting in a high degree and give me strength to continue the titanic and unequal struggle to give my poor Albania her freedom. God will have mercy on us and he will surely help us. The Battle of Derelik, new Albanian Covadonga, confirms my faith. Now I am here, resting my old bones and ready to start the fight, if the Turks do not give us the promised autonomy."

Milloi bat ezker bere maitagarria gatik ta eskumuñak.

— ALADRO.»

The only remaining evidence of the flag is a photograph by Kel Marubi which is presently archived at the National Museum of Photography.

State flags

Flag raised on Independence Day (1912)
According to researcher and art conservator Frederik Stamati and his colleague Ariola Prifti, an ethnographic fund specialist at the Center for Albanological Studies, there is no trace evidence of the original flag that was raised in Vlorë on 28 December 1912, the day Albania declared its independence.[28] This viewpoint is reaffirmed in an editorial by news media Top Channel dated 1 November 2012 and titled "The mystery of the first Albanian flag". It concludes that "there is no definitive proof" on how the raised flag looked on the day Albania declared its independence, while providing ten hypotheses.[29]

Postcard showing an illustration of the Albanian flag alongside a photograph of Aladro Kastriota (c.1913)

A model of the flag often perceived as the original is seen in a 1913 postcard that shows alongside it a photograph of Don Aladro Kastriota in uniform.[30] Eqrem bey Vlora writes in his memoirs,[31] published posthumously as "Lebenserinnerungen", Munich (1968–1973), that sometime in 1909 while visiting Paris, he had the good fortune to meet Don Aladro, a wealthy spanish-basque diplomat and a strong supporter of the Albanian cause who at one point had announced his candidacy for the Albanian throne by claiming descent from the House of Kastrioti through his paternal grandmother, a noblewoman that lived during the era of Charles III. With his financial means and some propaganda, he made known the Albanian cause for independence in European political circles. During their meeting, Vlora asserts the following episode occurred:[32]

"After dinner, a servant brought a red velvet box on a silver tray and placed it in front of Don Aladro. He got up and gave a beautiful speech… and then opened the velvet box and took out an Albanian flag, a black double-headed eagle on the red field and gave it to me…"

For five years I kept this flag in the bedroom hanging with a nail on the side of the bed, until the day really came that Don Aladro had prophesied. Suddenly and quite by chance, this flag was raised as a symbol of Albania's Independence. Well, on November 28, the main object of the day, the flag as a symbol of independence, with that typical Albanian carelessness was forgotten… then, my friend Hydai efendi gets up and says that in the bedroom of Eqrem bey hangs an Albanian flag on the wall, enclosed in a beautiful frame and asked if it could be picked up without being neat there? Ismail bey gave him permission and so the flag that Don Aladro had once solemnly given me in Paris, traveled to the neighboring guest house and fell into the hands of Ismail bey, who handed it over to Murad bey Toptani, with the order to hang it outside, while he himself stood in the window."

Lebenserinnerungen", Munich (1968–1973)

— Eqrem Vlora

More support is given to this thesis in the testimony of Syrja bey Vlora who in his book of memoirs titled "From the End of Ottoman Rule to the War of Vlora", writes in page 70 the following: "On 28 November, with the desire and consent of all, it was decided to raise the flag of Albania and declare National Independence. As it was not possible to prepare the flag that day, a flag was taken from our house, which my son Eqrem had been guarding with full respect since 1908(?). It rose amid the cheerful manifestations and cheers of the people."[33]

Historian Valentina Duka provides further insights into this argument in her book "History of Albania, 1912–2000", where she publishes authentic documents from the archives of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. From these documents, we learn of the efforts made by the government of Prime Minister Kostaq Kotta, to collect historical objects of this era and to house them at the National History Museum. In 1930, the minister of foreign affairs Rauf Fico, began a correspondence with Eqrem bey Vlora, who at the time was serving as the ambassador of Albania in Athens. In these communications, Eqrem bey strongly emphasizes that the flag raised on the day of the declaration of independence is indeed the one that was given to him by Aladro Kastriota. He goes on to explain that the flag along with other personal possessions, were confiscated and burned during 1915, by the government of the so called Autonomous Republic of Northern Epirus in the home of a family friend in Delvinë. They had been transferred there for safekeeping from the rebel forces of Central Albania that had invaded Vlorë.[34]

This postcard by Spiridon Ilo, was printed as a sign of gratitude for the US assistance in reaffirming the legitimacy of the new Albanian State. The postcard came into circulation in 1920, the year when President Woodrow Wilson famously arbitrated his support for the independence of Albania at the Paris Peace Conference.[35]

Kristo Floqi writes in the weekly newspaper Arbënia in 1936,[36] that "the national flag that was raised for the first time had been "crafted" with her own hands by Marigo Posio from a cloth purchased by a local drapery merchant named Diamanti and based on the model drawn by Dom Mark Vasa and Petro Fotografi". In a later correspondence that Floqi writes to the editor of Drita Newspaper, dated 17 January 1937 and titled "The designer of the flag that was flown in Vlorë for the declaration of our independence", in response to Kol Rodhe, the flag is described as "a thin red woven cloth, 3 meters long and 2 meters wide and on which a black double-headed vulture was branded". Floqi may have had such knowledge of the flag as his brother Thanas was one of the signatories of the Declaration of Independence and Floqi himself was married to Urani Poçi, the sister of Marigo Posio.[37] This second hypothesis is also supported by Posio's assistant, Thina Ferra who claims the following:

Marigo painted the eagle with black holes herself and that I warmed this flag near the brazier to dry it quickly. The flag that we did was a bit like whitened, in red pepper paint. We painted a lot of other flags to distribute to the people, including a small Albanian eagle that we sealed on the white shell caps of all the labs who participated in the manifestations.

Vinçenc Prennushi (O.F.M.) wrote in "Gjeth e Lule" his immortal romance "Grueja Shqyptare" which is thought to have been inspired by Marigo Posio.[38]

Flag of the Provisional Government (1912–1914)

Illustration of the flag found on the cover page of the 7th issue of Zër' i Popullit newspaper, dated 17 December 1912.

The weekly Albanian language newspaper Zër' i Popullit (Template:Lang-sq), based in New York City, published on the cover page of its 7th issue, dated 17 December 1912, a color illustration of the Albanian flag. It shows a striking resemblance to another illustration found on the cover page of the 16th issue of the 2nd annual edition of Perlindja e Shqipëniës newspaper, the official publication of the newly formed Albanian State, dated 7 March 1914.[39]

Flag of the self-proclaimed Republic of Central Albania (1913–1914)

Personal flag of Essad Pasha

Recently, while researching the archives of the German Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Fund Section R–130365), scholar Marenglen Kasmi observed a paper envelope which contained a letter signed by Essad Pasha Toptani and addressed by the Austro-Hungarian royal imperial embassy in Berlin to the German Ministry of Foreign Affairs, dated 7 May 1915. In it, a piece of cloth roughly 20 by 30 cm in length, in light red color with a white star polygon at the lower right corner is presented as the "national flag" with Essad Pasha identifying himself as interim president and general supreme commander. What stands out about this flag is its resemblance to the Ottoman flag, where only the crescent has been removed.[40]

Flag of the Principality of Albania (1914)

Flag of the Principality of Albania that was once in the possession of Italian diplomat Baron Carlo Aliotti.

The National History Museum presently has in its archive a total of 15 flags that date as far back as 1880. One of these flags belongs to the period of Prince Wilhelm's reign. It was given to the museum as a gift by diplomat Rauf Fico who had found it abandoned in the prince's palace some years later. The flag is in a rather poor state making it difficult to restore and digitally reconstruct.[41] A slightly different image of the flag is found in Jaho Brahaj's book "Flamuri i Kombit Shqiptar"[42] that shows the flag in a deteriorated form, without the shielded peacock and with a gold star on top. A similar model can be corroborated in Artan Lame's book "Princi i Shqiptarëve" that shows a shielded purple-colored peacock and the eagle wingspan in a more compact form with the historically accurate five-pointed white star hovering at the top. A 2012 auction in Genoa, Italy unveiled for the first time the flag of the principality, physically intact, displayed inside a square laminated wooden frame with the descriptive title shown at the bottom in golden letters embossed onto a black coated strip. The flag which was found in Durrës on 20 December 1915, had been taken from there by italian diplomat Baron Carlo Aliotti aboard the Austrian destroyer SMS Lika.[43]

Flag of the Autonomous Province of Korçë (1916–1920)

Flag of the Autonomous Province of Korçë

The protocol agreement on the Autonomous Province of Korçë states in Article IX:

"The flag of the Korça kaza will be the traditional flag of Skanderbeg with the tricolor stripes of the French flag".[44]

A different flag was raised from the balcony of city hall by the prefect of police Themistokli Gërmenji on 10 December 1916 where he proclaimed Korçë an autonomous province. Present in the public ceremony were the french commander Henri Descoings and his military personnel. Official surviving flags of this period are currently housed at the Flag Museum in Korçë.[45]

Flag of the Committee for the National Defence of Kosovo (1918)

Flag of the Committee for the National Defence of Kosovo

The Committee for the "National Defence of Kosovo" was established in Shkodër on 1 May 1918. Its main goal was an independent Albania that was excluded from any kind of protectorate and the inclusion of Kosovo within its borders. The general program of the NDK Committee in Article II stated: "That this Albania will have the same borders that belong to it geographically according to the Wilson principles, which aim to fully ensure the undeniable rights of the Albanian nation".

The top symbol of the flag used by the committee, a pentas flower shaped star, can be seen in a 1916 photograph of a banner hanging at a children's school in Gjakovë which indicates that it was a commonly used symbol in this region. The black double-headed eagle is an exact replication of the eagle found in the flag used by the "Besa-Besën Society".[46]

Flag of the Congress of Lushnjë (1920)

The flag held at the Congress of Lushnjë.

The flag used at the Congress of Lushnjë was identified for the first time on 25 November 2011 inside the archives of the Ethnographic Fund at the Center for Albanological Studies.

The flag is made of dark red silk or taffeta (xanthocellulose artificial silk) and has in its center a black two-headed eagle, stylized in the shape of the same eagle used by the provisional government, since a national flag had not yet been formalized. On one side of the flag there are three metal rings, which serve to tie the flag to the handle. Its dimensions are 121 cm – 70 cm.[47]

The flag was in the possession of patriot Veli Vasjari who had carried it inside the building where the proceedings of the congress were held. In 1928, it was donated to the National History Museum and it has been a part of its ethnographic fund ever since.[48]

Flag of the Vlora War (1920)

Flag raised during the War of Vlora

The flag that was raised during the Vlora War of 1920 was ceded to the Ministry of Education by Lef Nosi in 1932. A letter from 1934, which the National History Museum addressed to the Ministry of Education, where, among other things, it was said that "they had safeguarded a silk flag with gold fringes and a red tie, which was handed over to us by the Ministry of Education on 30 December 1932. The records we have on it say that this flag was unfurled in Vlora, the day the city was liberated from the invading foreign army." This letter can be found at the Ministry of Education archive (A.SH. Fund 295. File 1. Year 1934.) and is written as follows:[49]

Donated: a silk flag (red with a black vulture) with gold fringes, with a red tie and this one likewise with gold fringes. This flag was raised in Vlora after the city was freed by foreign armies in 1920.

Flag of the self-proclaimed Republic of Mirdita (1921)
No records exist of a flag having been used by Kapidan Marka Gjoni during his time as leader of the short lived self-proclaimed Republic of Mirdita. However, old stamps attributed to his governance, otherwise known as "Vetëkeverria e Mirditës", are widely available and they show a unique model of the double-headed eagle in multiple colors. The flag of the Bajrak of Kashnjeti (c.1878) is erroneously depicted as the official flag by some sources.[50]

Flag of the Albanian Republic (1925–1928)

The flag of the republic was depicted in square form as all other flags of this era.

State symbols during the period of the Republic were always shown in square form. This was preponderant with the national flag, state emblem, presidential insignia and even symbols used in commerce. The flag of the republic is seen for the first time in Teki Selenica's encyclopedic guide book Shqipria më 1927, e illustruar, page 124.[51]

Flag of the Albanian Kingdom (1928–1939)

The royal flag was widely used by government institutions, the army and embassies abroad.

Article III of the Fundamental Statute of the Albanian Kingdom describes the flag as red with a black two-headed eagle in the center.[52] A variant of this flag is on display at the Mezuraj Museum. The square-shaped flag, currently in the possession of the Royal Family, was produced in the latter period of King Zog's reign and can be seen in an archived film footage being replaced by fascist officers during the unveiling ceremony of the new fascist flag, on 4 December 1939.[53]

Flag of the Kingdom of Albania (1939–1943)
The Yearbook of the Kingdom of Albania in its 1940–XVIII edition, describes in Title I, Article II of the Constitutional Charter the following:

The Albanian flag is red, charged at the center with the black double-headed eagle and the sign of the lictor fasces.[54]

Images of the flag used during this time are available at the Istituto Luce archive. The flag is displayed at different public events, from the inauguration of a local school by prime minister Shefqet Vërlaci to the opening session of the Albanian Fascist Party congress which was held at the Palace of the Superior Fascist Corporative Council.[55]

Flag of Albania under Nazi Germany (1943–1944)
In October 1943 the union with Italy was officially dissolved and the country reverted to the decrees of September 1928.[56] The pre-Italian flags and symbols were used during this period.

Flag of the Congress of Përmet (1944)

Flag of the Democratic Government of Albania (1946)

Flag used in the opening session of the Constitutional Assembly – 10 January 1946.

The flag used by the Democratic Government of Albania, which was the first ruling government following the war of liberation, was published for the first time in the War Bulletin of National Liberation (Template:Lang-sq), issue nr.51 dated 28 November 1944. The usage of this specific flag is widely seen in public events and military court sessions. It has also been confirmed in the 1980 publication by the Marxist-Leninist Studies Institute titled "Epopeja e Luftës Antifashiste Nacionalçlirimtare e Popullit Shqiptar 1939–1944". Prior to this, a transient flag of a different contour with moderately outstretched wings was used at the Congress of Përmet and subsequently at the first Anti-Fascist Youth Congress (BRASH).[57]

Flag of the People's Socialist Republic of Albania

Flag of the People's Socialist Republic of Albania used from the late 1970s until the early 1980s.

Law nr.5506, dated 28 December 1976 of the constitution of the People's Socialist Republic of Albania in Chapter III, Article I, Title CVIII describes the flag as follows:[58]

§ Article CVIII – Flag
The state flag of the People's Socialist Republic of Albania represents a red field with a black double-headed eagle in the center, on top of which is a red star with five corners, embroidered all around in gold. The ratio between the width and the length of the flag is 1:1-40.

The flag symbols were designed by acclaimed painter Sadik Kaceli. On 7 April 1992, the Assembly formed after the early elections, in the afternoon session, voted to remove the communist emblem as the official symbols of the state, the removal of the star from the flag, as well as the establishment of a parliamentary commission tasked studying and proposal of a new emblem of the state.[59]

Diaspora flags

Flag of the Drita Society (1884)

Flag of the Drita Society

Shoqëria Drita was a pan-Albanian organization which aimed to promote Albanian education and political activism. Based in Istanbul, the society had a separate branch in Bucharest, Romania and was led by Pandeli Sotiri. It had a printing house located in Politieri Street, inside the home of an Albanian merchant named Sotir Tarpo. The flag used to identify the branch was submitted in 1946 to the archives of the Institute of Sciences by an anonymous source.

The flag's dimensions are 158 cm by 117 cm. Yellow fringes hang on the sides. In the center, painted in a golden yellow brush is the following text:

SOQÈRÍA E SQIPÈTAREVÈT “DRITA” PÈR MÈSIM NÈ SQIP FILUARÈ NÈ BUCUREȘT 1884 ȘÈ NDREUT 16

Decorations like the laurels, the crescent with the eight-pointed star and the one-headed eagle are also painted in golden yellow.

Noticeable to the naked eye is that above the eight-pointed star is drawn with a carbon pencil an orthodox cross-shaped symbol, which is an overlap from a later period. The crescent was likely used as a symbol of the Ottoman Empire, of which Albania was still a part of.

In explaining the spelling changes in Latin, the Romanian letter "ș" is used, which is pronounced as "sh" in Albanian.[60]

Flag of the Dëshira Society (1904)
In the beginning of the 20th century, the Albanian community in Sofia, then Principality of Bulgaria, commissioned the design and creation of a national flag to represent the recently formed Dëshira Society. A total of 45 gold napoléon coins were collected to fund the project. No information exists of the author who conceived the flag but records show that it was embroidered in silk by Polikseni Luarasi. Its dimensions are 110 cm by 100 cm. With holes on the left side where the stick pole is inserted, it has a field divided into two equal parts, one red and the other white (in concept) but actually having more of a cream or beige hue. The idea was perhaps borrowed from the design of the Bulgarian flag. In the center lays skillfully stitched a large black eagle, unlike today's official eagle found in the national flag. At the time, the design of the double-headed eagle did not have a unified standard which led to the creation of different variants. Under the eagle is written in gold, bright metallic thread the following:

СOQERIA E CQIПETAREVET

“DECIRE”

FlɅUAR ME 1 KOɅOZEG 1893

NE SOFJE.

On the sides hang yellow, heavy fringes, which, like the letters and the two upper tassels, are considered golden. The darkening that the letters have undergone over the years may indicate a metal of low quality. The flag stays taut in any hanging position and weighs 1.5 kg.

The unveiling of the flag took place on August 28, 1904.[61]

Flag of the National Band "Vatra" (1918)

Flag of the national band "Vatra"

The flag was donated by the Drenova Society "Bashkimi" in 1918. On April 2, 1920 the society's musical band arrived in Albania with a group of volunteers at the request of prime minister Sulejman Delvina and participated in the events for the liberation of the country. The flag dangled on a wooden rod, preceding the band's marches.

Produced in 1918, the symbolic flag is of average dimensions, 101 by 66 cm. On the red background of the silk fabric is printed the following:

BANDA KOMBETARE VATRA

DHURATE NGA SHOQERIA DRENOVARE BASHKIMI

1918

A real lace material made of yellow metallic yarn that mimics gold, surrounds the entire flag. The small, round temples sparkle in the lace mesh, giving it an appealing look. On the bottom, hang long, spiral fringes of metal thread. In between, a lyre that shines like gold is made of yellow foil, while the metal thread is in copper, the surface of which is enriched with zinc, giving the brass a golden appearance. For centuries, pure gold was no longer used in embroidery, not even in royal clothing.[62]

Flag of the Djelmoshe Society (1919)
Shoqërija Djelmoshe (Template:Lang-sq), as its name was written in the society's official statute but commonly referred to as Shoqnia Djelmënia was an Albanian organization that promoted education in the mother tongue to the Albanian community living in Istanbul, Turkey, mainly in and around the areas of Topkapı, Eyüp, and Üsküdar. Established on August 1, 1919, its first elected president was Remzi Qyteza.

The flag used by the society is 156 cm long and 90 cm wide. Two very high quality silk fabrics are sewn on top of each other. Small red and black tassels hang on the edges, four of which located in all corners are larger in size. In the center is painted with tempera a dark gray patterned eagle and below it the following text:

RROFT SHQIPNIA
GUSHT 1919

The eagle is different from that of the official flag since at the time there were no laws to define the shape of the national symbols. We notice that in this flag there is no place to insert a spear, nor a rope. Was it meant to be hung on a wall or perhaps used as a banner of manifestation?

The flag was donated as a gift to the National Museum in 1931 by Riza Drini, then serving as mayor of Voskopojë and is currently preserved at the ethnographic fund of the Institute for Cultural Anthropology and Art Studies. Owing to laboratory interventions once made, it is in good condition although the tempera paint with which the eagle and the writing are made has long since cracked and splintered.[63]

Usage in stamps

The fiscal stamps of Albania were cataloged for the first time by Alfred Forbin in 1915, in the third and last edition of his world tax catalog. A few years later, the Yvert et Tellier catalog dedicated to Albania in its 1924 edition lists among other things a series of stamps issued during the pre and post independence period. And in 1987, a priced catalog appeared in England, the "Alnis Guide to Albanian Revenues" by Relbmar, which included issues up to the 1950s.


The very first image of the black double-headed eagle in official stamps, as it relates to the modern state of Albania, can be attributed to the pre-independence period, starting with the Autonomous Administration of 1908–1910. The stamps of this era depict the image of the black double-headed eagle accompanied by the crescent half-moon with its star, which was the symbol of the Ottoman Empire, on the lower bottom is highlighted the word SHQIPËNIA (gheg: ALBANIA) and to the left side can be seen the word "paras" which is the Ottoman-Turkish translation for "money".[64] In the years leading to the consolidation of the new Albanian State, the image of the black double-headed eagle is seen in official government stamps which first entered circulation on 5 May 1913. All components of the stamps or seals were in black ink. The seal was circular in shape and featured the double-headed eagle inside a shield. Around the circle was written the name of the institution it represented. Such institutions were the Ministry of Post-Telegrafs and the State Police Office. A total of 2,232 documents were stamped.[65]

When the International Commission for the Control of Borders managed the affairs of the country for a brief period in 1914, several stamps were issued baring the commission's name, printed in French as "Commission de Contrôle Provisoire", with a unique model of the black double-headed eagle stamped in the center.[66]


Usage in state documents

Model 1
Model 2
The two eagle models pictured above were used during the 1920s as letterhead symbols on the cover pages of documents from various state institutions such as the national council, ministerial offices, the constitutional booklet and other promotional pamphlets.

During the pre-war period, state documents and administrative acts were published in official notebooks called Qarkore (circular) and Fletorja Zyrtare (official gazette). At the top of the cover page of each notebook was displayed a double-headed eagle which varied in design, depending on the ministerial department that published them.[67]

See also

References

Citations

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  2. ^ Law#8926, 22.07.2002 (pages 3-4: CMYK: 0-100-100-0)
  3. ^ Një flamur kombëtar që vjen nga legjenda 100 vjeçare
  4. ^ Nadin, Lucia (2013). Venezia e Albania: una storia di incontri e secolari legami. Regione del Veneto. p. 96. ISBN 978-88-97784-35-7.
  5. ^ Mucha, Crampton & Louda 1985, p. 36.
  6. ^ a b Elsie 2010, "Flag, Albanian", p. 140: "The eagle was a common heraldic symbol for many Albanian dynasties in the Late Middle Ages and came to be a symbol of the Albanians in general. It is also said to have been the flag of Skanderbeg...As a symbol of modern Albania, the flag began to be seen during the years of the national awakening and was in common use during the uprisings of 1909-1912. It was this flag that Ismail Qemal bey Vlora raised in Vlora on 28 November 1912 in proclaiming Albanian independence."
  7. ^ Matanov 2010, p. 363.
  8. ^ Pickard & Çeliku 2008, p. 16.
  9. ^ Schmitt 2009.
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  11. ^ K.N., Hellenika Anekdota, Athens, 1867, vol. 1, Original in a manuscript written by Ioannes (Tzanes) Coroneos, contemporary of M. Bua. It was studied and copied at the library of the King of Italy between 1856-1861 by various Greek researchers and published by K. N. Sathas in 1867.
  12. ^ Elsie 2001, "Eagles", p. 78.
  13. ^ Brahaj 2007, pp. 114–116
  14. ^ Verli, Marenglen (2014). "The role of Hoti in the uprising of the Great Highlands". Studime Historike (1–2).
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Bibliography

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