Zog I

Zog I Zogu I
Zog I in 1939
King of the Albanians
Reign	1 September 1928 – 9 April 1939 [a][1]
Predecessor	Himself as President
Successor	Victor Emmanuel III
President of Albania
In office	31 January 1925 – 1 September 1928
Predecessor	Office established (de facto) Vilhelm I (de jure, as Prince)
Successor	Himself as King
Prime Minister of Albania
First term	26 December 1922 – 25 February 1924
Predecessor	Xhafer bej Ypi
Successor	Shefqet Vërlaci
Second term	6 January 1925 – 1 September 1928
Predecessor	Ilias Vrioni
Successor	Koço Kota
Born	Ahmed Muhtar Zogolli (1895-10-08)8 October 1895 Burgajet Castle, Burrel, Ottoman Empire
Died	9 April 1961(1961-04-09) (aged 65) Suresnes, Paris, France
Burial	Cimetière parisien de Thiais (1961–2012) Mausoleum of the Albanian Royal Family (since 2012)
Spouse	Géraldine Apponyi de Nagyappony
Issue	Leka, Crown Prince of Albania
Names Ahmet Muhtar Zogolli
House	Zogu
Father	Xhemal Pasha Zogolli
Mother	Sadije Toptani
Religion	Sunni Islam
Signature

This article is part of a series about Zog I
King of Albania 1925 leader of Albania 1922-1939 Government Republic(1925–1928) Kingdom(1928–1939) Royal Albanian Army Zogist salute Franga Treaties of Tirana Albanian nationalism Creation of Bank of Albania 1928 parliamentary election 1932 1937 Battle World War II in Albania Italian invasion of Albania Life in exile and death Life in exile and death Legacy Legality Movement Zogu I Boulevard King Zog (statue) Family House of Zogu
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Zog I (born Ahmed Muhtar Zogolli; 8 October 1895 – 9 April 1961) was the leader of Albania from 1922 to 1939. At age 27, he first served as Albania's youngest ever Prime Minister (1922–1924), then as president (1925–1928), and finally as king (1928–1939).

Born to a beylik family in Ottoman Albania, Zogolli was active in Albanian politics from a young age and fought on the side of Austria-Hungary during the First World War. In 1922, he adopted the name Ahmed Zogu. He held various ministerial posts in the Albanian government before being driven into exile in June 1924, but returned later in the year with Yugoslav and White Russian military support and was subsequently elected prime minister. Zogu was elected president in January 1925 and vested with dictatorial powers, with which he enacted major domestic reforms, suppressed civil liberties, and struck an alliance with Benito Mussolini's Italy. In September 1928, Albania was proclaimed a monarchy and he acceded to the throne as Zog I, King of the Albanians. He married Geraldine Apponyi de Nagy-Appony in 1938, and their only child Leka was born a year later.

Albania fell further under Italian influence during Zog's reign, and by the end of the 1930s the country had become almost fully dependent on Italy despite Zog's resistance. In April 1939, Italy invaded Albania and the country was rapidly overrun. Mussolini declared Albania an Italian protectorate under King Victor Emmanuel III, forcing Zog into exile. He lived in England during the Second World War but was barred from returning to Albania by the anti-monarchist government led by Enver Hoxha. Zog spent the rest of his life in France and died in April 1961 at the age of 65. His remains were buried at the Thiais Cemetery near Paris, before being transferred to the royal mausoleum in Tirana in 2012.

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