Ismail Qemali

1844 – 1919

Leader
First Prime Minister

Ismail Qemali Bey came from an old family of beys in Vlora and built a career as a civil servant and deputy of the Ottoman Empire. He was also a publisher and activist for the national cause. He is regarded as the founder of the Albanian State.

Vlorë

Born: 1844Vlorë
Died: 1919Perugia
Role: Prime Minister and Foreign MinisterProvisional Government of Albania, 1912–1914
Former post: Ottoman deputyElected for Berat in 1908
Known as: Ismail Hakki Bey VloraBirth name; later Ismail Qemali
Notable work: The Memoirs of Ismail Kemal BeyPublished in London, 1920

Why He Matters

Founder of the Albanian State
He opened the Assembly of Vlora, was main author of the Declaration of Independence, and became first prime minister of independent Albania.
Diplomat between powers
He won Austro-Hungarian backing and sought support in European capitals.
National figure
He became the 'father of the nation' after independence.

Key Moments

1900
Escape into exile
Appointed governor of Tripoli, he escaped under British protection on 1 May 1900.
1908
Elected deputy
After the Young Turk Revolution he returned and was elected deputy for Berat.
28 Nov 1912
Independence declared
He opened the Assembly of Vlora, where Albania was declared independent.
4 Dec 1912
Government formed
He was appointed first prime minister of the ten-member Provisional Government.
22 Jan 1914
Resignation
The International Control Commission asked him to resign after a plot trial implicated him.
1919
Death in Perugia
He died in Perugia and was buried at Kanina; his remains were moved to Vlora in 1932.