Development of a Nation
How Albania became Albania,
and how the Albanians became Albanian.
Albanians as a people, and the country of Albania as a nation-state,
evolved and materialized into current form, in terms of ancestral
bloodlines, the Albanian language, borders, culture, and even how they
received their name.
Development of Language
Formation of Borders
Etymology (How Name Received)
Albania in 2008
- 3000 BC – People along the Baltic coast
centered around modern Lithuania begin speaking the
Proto-Balto-Slavic language, a branch off from
Proto-Indo-European. This serves as the genesis of the Slavic
and Baltic languages/peoples.
- 1000 BC – A group splinters from the
Proto-Balto-Slavic people, migrating southeast into modern Ukraine.
This branch off group were the predecessors to Slavs, who would
ultimately extend outward in all directions.
- In the 6th century, as Germanics
migrated westward, a group of Slavs expanded southward to fill the
void, inhabiting the northern border of the Byzantine Empire
(continuation of the Roman Empire in the Greek world).
- 558 – Avars, a central Asian Turkic people,
driven west into Europe (through modern Ukraine) by Persians and
more powerful Turkic empires, came into contact with the Byzantines.
They were paid off by the Byzantines to settle the area north of the
Danube River, and to subdue barbarian Germanics remaining in the
territory. The Avars succeeded in driving the Germans out of area,
including the Lombards, who were driven into Italy, where they
become the ruling class. At this time, large groups of Slavic
peoples were settled north of the Danube as well. The Avar raids
forced them south into the Balkan peninsula, where they settled
lands abandoned by Germanic peoples, including modern Romania and
Hungary. Slavic peoples would inhabit the entire Balkan region north
of the Greek-inhabited lands at the very southern portion of the
peninsula by 700. The Illyrians, the original inhabitants, would be driven into a remote
mountainous region in modern Albania, becoming forefathers to modern
Albanians, which would also include a Slavic component from
intermixing. Illyrians were the original settlers of the western
Balkan peninsula, north of the ancient Greeks, around modern Serbia,
Albania, Bosnia and Croatia. They inhabited this region during the
centuries the territory was ruled by the Roman Empire, through the
time of the Slavic migrations.
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Development of Albanian
- South Slavs intermixed with Illyrians in the
mountainous region of modern Albania, forming a new Albanian
ethnogroup, beginning in the 6th century, during the time
of the Slavic migrations southward into the Balkan peninsula. The
Illyrian language became dominant among this group.
- The Albanians would soon become part of the
Roman Catholic sphere of influence, largely converting to
Catholicism, causing their language to be influenced by Latin.
- Throughout the remainder of the Middle Ages,
the language would be influenced by Bulgarian, due to a lengthy
stint under Bulgarian rule in region during the formative years of
the language (850 to 1018).
- By the 13th century, the language
and the people in this region would be referred to as Albanian.
- Beginning in the 14th century,
Albania would be under Ottoman rule until early in the 20th
century, gaining many Turkic loan words.
Albanians would fill the void left by Serbs migrating out of modern
SE Serbia to escape Ottoman rule, transforming Kosovo into an
Albanian territory, making Albanian the dominant language in Kosovo
as well (as Albanians are the dominant nationality in this region),
as it remains to this day.
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Formation of Albanian
Rome, the northern section of modern Albanian rested in the ancient
Illyrian Kingdom, while the remaining Albanian lands to the south
were home to Greek city states.
- In 229 BC, the Illyrians were conquered by the
rapidly expanding Roman Empire, becoming the province of Illyricum.
- During the Slavic migrations in the 6th
century into the Balkan peninsula, the Illyrians were pushed into
the mountainous coastal region constituting modern Albania. Shortly
after, the territory was placed under Byzantine Empire rule,
although the inhabitants (Illyrians with a Slavic component) remain
came under Bulgarian Empire rule from the 9th century to
- Byzantines conquer Balkan territories in 11th
century, capturing the territory of modern Albania in 1014, but
later lose control over region.
- 1081 – Northern Albania comes under Serbian
- By about 1350, Serbia had conquered all of
- 1385 – Albania is conquered by the Muslim,
Turkic Ottoman Empire.
- Albania declared independence in 1912, as
Serbia and Greece seized possession of Balkan Ottoman territories,
- The Great Powers (such as the UK) lobby for an
independent Albania, which is
but part of Albanian lands (such as Kosovo, the northwest corner of
Greece, and southern Montenegro) were separated from this new
sovereign state, forming Albania’s modern borders.
- During WWI, Albania fell under Italian and
Serbian occupation. It remained a semi-sovereign state during the
- Albania was invaded by Italy in 1939, just
Albania regained independence at the end of WWII, and has remained
an independent nation to this day.
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“Albania” is derived from
the Slavic term for a mountainous region, first used in the 13th
Albanians largely converted to Islam during the Ottoman reign,
transforming their culture from that of Christianized-Slavic to one
dominated by Islamic principles. However, Albanians and Kosovars exhibit
a low tendency for religious extremism.
Albania in 2008:
Economy: One of the poorest
economies in Europe. Still trying to make the transition from a gray
economy (where goods are not typically sold through typical sales
channels, such as authorized distributors/importers). Unreliable power,
unclear property rights, inadequate infrastructure (such as roads), have
held Albanian back economically.
Government: Democratic Republic
Religion: Muslim (Sunni) 70%, Albanian Orthodox 20%, Roman
Catholic 10%. Serbian population primarily Serbian Orthodox. Albanians
were largely Muslim until after WWII, when it became communist.
Following the Soviet policy on religion, religious practices were deemed
illegal until 1990. But most Albanians are inactive religiously, largely
due to its suppression for nearly 50 years after the war. Christians and
Muslims have generally co-existed peacefully in Albania, as nationalism
has traditionally taken precedence over religious affiliation.
Demographics: Albanian 95%, Greek 3% (southern portion
traditionally Greek territory).
Foreign Policy: Generally focused on maintaining friendly
relations with other Balkan nations, and protecting Albanians in other
Balkan nations, such as Serbia (supporting Kosovar independence for
instance). Has led to conflict with Greece, where there have been issues
with ethnic Albanians.
Population: 3,619,778 (2008)
For females, use maiden name
(last name before marriage)