World War I in Albania

World War I in Albania
Part of the Balkans theatre of World War I
Esad Toptani in Salonika
Date July 28, 1914 – 11 November 1918 Location Albania Result Eventual Entente victory Establishment of The Italian protectorate over Albania Leading to the Vlora War The French Autonomous Province of Korçë is Established but is Later Handed Back to Albania due to Albanian Pressure and due to the Korçë Crisis Dissolution of the Autonomous Republic of Northern Epirus Most Land Previously owned by Albania is returned after the Paris Peace Conference (1919–1920)
Belligerents
Albania  Serbia  France  United Kingdom  Greece  Italy	Austria-Hungary Albania[a]  Bulgaria  Germany Albanian guerrillas
Commanders and leaders
Essad Toptani (Until 1916) Radomir Putnik Maurice Sarrail Georgios Kosmas Settimio Piacentini	Hermann Kövess von Kövessháza August von Mackensen Georgi Todorov Azem Galica (since 1918)

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 Turkey 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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