The defeat of the Ottoman army, and the Albanians

In this Prishtina Talks presentation, Shasivar Kabashi — historian and doctoral student at the University of Istanbul — presents the book he translated from Ottoman Turkish: the memoirs of Ahmed Hamdi, a commander of Ottoman artillery during the First Balkan War (1912–13).

The author was present at several of the decisive battles in which the Ottoman defeat unfolded, from Çabrat above Gjakova to Kumanovo, Skopje, Bitola, Preveza, Tepelena and the surrender of Ioannina. Written in 1913 and published in Ottoman Turkish and Arabic, the book lay forgotten for more than a hundred years in the libraries of Istanbul, and appears now for the first time as a work of its own in Albanian.

Kabashi ties the military account to the political tensions of the time — the rising nationalisms, the part the Young Turks played in weakening the army and losing the war, the Balkan-to-Balkan agreements, and the reprisals against Albanians who had risen up only months before.

Some of the points covered: 📌 The story of the book, and its journey from Cairo to Prishtina 📌 Where the defeat begins: why the author starts from 1908 📌 The dictatorial reforms and the resentment of the Young Turks 📌 The battle of Kumanovo as the most decisive clash 📌 The fall of Skopje and the Serbian advance 📌 The assembly of Ferizaj and the position of the Albanians 📌 The surrender of Ioannina, and what happened at Vlora

📍 Prishtina Talks