Albanians of Romania
Encyclopedia
The Albanians
(Shqiptarë in Albanian
, Albanezi in Romanian
) are an ethnic minority
in Romania
. As an officially recognized ethnic minority, Albanians have one seat
reserved in the Romanian Chamber of Deputies
to the League of Albanians of Romania (Liga Albanezilor din România).
, while the rest mainly live in larger urban centers such as Timişoara
, Iaşi
, Constanţa
and Cluj-Napoca
.
Most families are Orthodox
and trace their origins to the area around Korçë
. Many other Romanian Albanians adhere to Islam
— according to a 1999 article by Romanian scholar George Grigore
, various studies show that about 3,000 members of the Romanian Muslim community
may in fact be Albanian. That section of the Albanian community is traditionally integrated into the Turk
or Tatar groups, which makes its numbers hard to assess.
was first attested in Wallachia
under Prince Michael the Brave: a report drafted by Habsburg
authorities in Transylvania
specified that 15,000 Albanians had been allowed to cross north of the Danube
in 1595; Călineşti (a village in present-day Floreşti
, Prahova County
) was one of their places of settlement, as evidenced in a document issued by Michael's rival and successor, Simion Movilă
, who confirmed their right to reside in the locality. The community's presence was first recorded in Bucharest around 1628. In Moldavia
, an ethnic Albanian, Vasile Lupu
, became Prince in 1634.
The Albanian community was strengthened during the Phanariote epoch
, when numerous immigrants opened businesses in a large number of cities and towns, and were employed as bodyguards of Wallachian princes and boyars (being usually recorded as arbănaşi, akin to Arvanites
, and its variant arnăuţi, borrowed from the Turkish
arnaut
). In 1820, a survey indicated that there were 90 traders from the Rumelia
n town of Arnaut Kioy present in the Wallachian capital, most of whom were probably Albanians and Aromanians
.
The Rilindja Kombëtare
movement of Albanian nationalism
inside the Ottoman Empire
was present and prolific in Wallachia, the center of cultural initiatives taken by Dora d'Istria
, Naim Frashëri
, Jani Vreto
, and Naum Veqilharxhi
(the latter published the first ever Albanian primer
in Bucharest, in 1844). Aleksandër Stavre Drenova
, a resident of Bucharest, authored the lyrics of Albania's national anthem, Hymni i Flamurit
, which is sung to the tune of Pe-al nostru steag e scris Unire, composed by the Romanian Ciprian Porumbescu
. At the time, Albanians were present, alongside other Balkan communities, in Bucharest's commercial life, where many worked as street vendors (specializing in the sale of soft drinks or confectionery
items).
Among the new groups of immigrants from various Balkan
regions to Romania where the families of poets Victor Eftimiu
and Lasgush Poradeci
. At the time, the independence movement gathered momentum, and, for a while after 1905, was focused on the activities of Albert Gjika. An Albanian school was opened in 1905 in the city of Constanţa
— among its pupils was poet Aleksandër Stavre Drenova. In 1912, at a Bucharest meeting headed by Ismail Qemali
and attended by Drenova, the first resolution regarding Albania
's independence was adopted.
In 1893, the Albanian community in Romania numbered around 30,000 persons. In 1920 almost 20,000 Albanians lived in Bucharest. A new wave of Albanian immigrants, many of them Muslims from Yugoslavia
, followed in the wake of World War I
. In 1921, the first translation of the Qur'an
into Albanian
was completed by Ilo Mitke Qafëzezi and published in the city of Ploieşti
. Many Albanians settled in Transylvania
, where they generally established confectionery enterprises.
The community was repressed under the communist regime
, starting in 1953 (when the Albanian cultural association was closed down). Rights lost were regained after the Romanian Revolution of 1989
, but the number of people declaring themselves Albanian has decreased dramatically between 1920 and 2002. Traditionally, members of the community have been included among a special "among others" category in the censuses, but have first received a special seat in Parliament
after the 2000 elections
.
Albanians
Albanians are a nation and ethnic group native to Albania and neighbouring countries. They speak the Albanian language. More than half of all Albanians live in Albania and Kosovo...
(Shqiptarë in Albanian
Albanian language
Albanian is an Indo-European language spoken by approximately 7.6 million people, primarily in Albania and Kosovo but also in other areas of the Balkans in which there is an Albanian population, including western Macedonia, southern Montenegro, southern Serbia and northwestern Greece...
, Albanezi in Romanian
Romanian language
Romanian Romanian Romanian (or Daco-Romanian; obsolete spellings Rumanian, Roumanian; self-designation: română, limba română ("the Romanian language") or românește (lit. "in Romanian") is a Romance language spoken by around 24 to 28 million people, primarily in Romania and Moldova...
) are an ethnic minority
Minorities of Romania
Officially, 10.5% of Romania's population is represented by minorities . The principal minorities in Romania are Hungarians and Roma people, with a declining German population and smaller numbers of Poles in Bucovina...
in Romania
Romania
Romania is a country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeastern Europe, on the Lower Danube, within and outside the Carpathian arch, bordering on the Black Sea...
. As an officially recognized ethnic minority, Albanians have one seat
Romanian ethnic minorities parties
The Romanian Constitution , under the contitions imposed by the Electoral Law, reserves a seat in the Chamber of Deputies for the party and cultural association of each ethnic minority in Romania...
reserved in the Romanian Chamber of Deputies
Chamber of Deputies of Romania
The Chamber of Deputies is the lower house in Romania's bicameral parliament. It has 315 seats, to which deputies are elected by direct popular vote on a proportional representation basis to serve four-year terms...
to the League of Albanians of Romania (Liga Albanezilor din România).
Demographics
In the 2002 census 520 Romanian citizens indicated their ethnicity was Albanian, and 484 stated that their mother tongue was Albanian. The actual number of the Albanian population in Romania is unofficially estimated at around 10,000 persons. Most members of the community live in BucharestBucharest
Bucharest is the capital municipality, cultural, industrial, and financial centre of Romania. It is the largest city in Romania, located in the southeast of the country, at , and lies on the banks of the Dâmbovița River....
, while the rest mainly live in larger urban centers such as Timişoara
Timisoara
Timișoara is the capital city of Timiș County, in western Romania. One of the largest Romanian cities, with an estimated population of 311,586 inhabitants , and considered the informal capital city of the historical region of Banat, Timișoara is the main social, economic and cultural center in the...
, Iaşi
Iasi
Iași is the second most populous city and a municipality in Romania. Located in the historical Moldavia region, Iași has traditionally been one of the leading centres of Romanian social, cultural, academic and artistic life...
, Constanţa
Constanta
Constanța is the oldest extant city in Romania, founded around 600 BC. The city is located in the Dobruja region of Romania, on the Black Sea coast. It is the capital of Constanța County and the largest city in the region....
and Cluj-Napoca
Cluj-Napoca
Cluj-Napoca , commonly known as Cluj, is the fourth most populous city in Romania and the seat of Cluj County in the northwestern part of the country. Geographically, it is roughly equidistant from Bucharest , Budapest and Belgrade...
.
Most families are Orthodox
Albanian Orthodox Church
The Autocephalous Orthodox Church of Albania is one of the newest autocephalous Eastern Orthodox churches. It declared its autocephaly in 1922, and gained recognition from the Patriarch of Constantinople in 1937....
and trace their origins to the area around Korçë
Korçë
Korçë is a city in southeastern Albania and the capital of the Korçë District. It has a population of around 105,000 people , making it the sixth largest city in Albania...
. Many other Romanian Albanians adhere to Islam
Islam
Islam . The most common are and . : Arabic pronunciation varies regionally. The first vowel ranges from ~~. The second vowel ranges from ~~~...
— according to a 1999 article by Romanian scholar George Grigore
George Grigore
George Grigore is a Romanian writer, essayist, translator, professor, researcher in Middle Eastern Studies.-Biography:...
, various studies show that about 3,000 members of the Romanian Muslim community
Islam in Romania
Islam in Romania is followed by only 0.3 percent of population, but has 700 years of tradition in Northern Dobruja, a region on the Black Sea coast which was part of the Ottoman Empire for almost five centuries . In present-day Romania, most adherents to Islam belong to the Tatar and Turkish ethnic...
may in fact be Albanian. That section of the Albanian community is traditionally integrated into the Turk
Turks of Romania
Turks in Romania, also known as Romanian Turks, are ethnic Turks who form an ethnic minority in Romania. According to the 2002 census, there were 32,098 Turks living in the country, forming a minority of some 0.2% of the population.- History :...
or Tatar groups, which makes its numbers hard to assess.
History
An Albanian community inside the Danubian PrincipalitiesDanubian Principalities
Danubian Principalities was a conventional name given to the Principalities of Moldavia and Wallachia, which emerged in the early 14th century. The term was coined in the Habsburg Monarchy after the Treaty of Küçük Kaynarca in order to designate an area on the lower Danube with a common...
was first attested in Wallachia
Wallachia
Wallachia or Walachia is a historical and geographical region of Romania. It is situated north of the Danube and south of the Southern Carpathians...
under Prince Michael the Brave: a report drafted by Habsburg
Habsburg Monarchy
The Habsburg Monarchy covered the territories ruled by the junior Austrian branch of the House of Habsburg , and then by the successor House of Habsburg-Lorraine , between 1526 and 1867/1918. The Imperial capital was Vienna, except from 1583 to 1611, when it was moved to Prague...
authorities in Transylvania
Transylvania
Transylvania is a historical region in the central part of Romania. Bounded on the east and south by the Carpathian mountain range, historical Transylvania extended in the west to the Apuseni Mountains; however, the term sometimes encompasses not only Transylvania proper, but also the historical...
specified that 15,000 Albanians had been allowed to cross north of the Danube
Danube
The Danube is a river in the Central Europe and the Europe's second longest river after the Volga. It is classified as an international waterway....
in 1595; Călineşti (a village in present-day Floreşti
Floresti, Prahova
Floreşti is a commune in Prahova County, Romania. It is composed of five villages: Cap Roşu, Călineşti, Cătina, Floreşti and Novăceşti....
, Prahova County
Prahova County
Prahova is a county of Romania, in the historical region Muntenia, with the capital city at Ploieşti.-Demographics:In 2002, it had a population of 829,945 and the population density was 176/km². It is Romania's most populated county, having a population density double than the country's mean...
) was one of their places of settlement, as evidenced in a document issued by Michael's rival and successor, Simion Movilă
Simion Movila
Simion Movilă, a boyar of the Movileşti family, was twice Prince of Wallachia and Prince of Moldavia on one occasion ....
, who confirmed their right to reside in the locality. The community's presence was first recorded in Bucharest around 1628. In Moldavia
Moldavia
Moldavia is a geographic and historical region and former principality in Eastern Europe, corresponding to the territory between the Eastern Carpathians and the Dniester river...
, an ethnic Albanian, Vasile Lupu
Vasile Lupu
Vasile Lupu was a Moldavian Voivode between 1634 and 1653. Vasile Coci surnamed "the wolf" who ruled as Prince of Moldavia had secured the Moldavian throne in 1634 after a series of complicated intrigues and managed to hold it for twenty years. Vasile was of Albanian origin and Greek education...
, became Prince in 1634.
The Albanian community was strengthened during the Phanariote epoch
Phanariotes
Phanariots, Phanariotes, or Phanariote Greeks were members of those prominent Greek families residing in Phanar , the chief Greek quarter of Constantinople, where the Ecumenical Patriarchate is situated.For all their cosmopolitanism and often Western education, the Phanariots were...
, when numerous immigrants opened businesses in a large number of cities and towns, and were employed as bodyguards of Wallachian princes and boyars (being usually recorded as arbănaşi, akin to Arvanites
Arvanites
Arvanites are a population group in Greece who traditionally speak Arvanitika, a dialect of the Albanian language. They settled in Greece during the late Middle Ages and were the dominant population element of some regions of the Peloponnese and Attica until the 19th century...
, and its variant arnăuţi, borrowed from the Turkish
Turkish language
Turkish is a language spoken as a native language by over 83 million people worldwide, making it the most commonly spoken of the Turkic languages. Its speakers are located predominantly in Turkey and Northern Cyprus with smaller groups in Iraq, Greece, Bulgaria, the Republic of Macedonia, Kosovo,...
arnaut
Arnauts
Arnaut is the Turkish word for the people of Albania. Arnauts in modern Turkey are people of Albanian descent...
). In 1820, a survey indicated that there were 90 traders from the Rumelia
Rumelia
Rumelia was an historical region comprising the territories of the Ottoman Empire in Europe...
n town of Arnaut Kioy present in the Wallachian capital, most of whom were probably Albanians and Aromanians
Aromanians
Aromanians are a Latin people native throughout the southern Balkans, especially in northern Greece, Albania, the Republic of Macedonia, Bulgaria, and as an emigrant community in Serbia and Romania . An older term is Macedo-Romanians...
.
The Rilindja Kombëtare
National awakening and the birth of Albania
The Albanian National Awakening or the National Renaissance or the National Revival refers to the period in the history of Albania from 1870 until the Albanian Declaration of Independence in 1912...
movement of Albanian nationalism
Nationalism
Nationalism is a political ideology that involves a strong identification of a group of individuals with a political entity defined in national terms, i.e. a nation. In the 'modernist' image of the nation, it is nationalism that creates national identity. There are various definitions for what...
inside the Ottoman Empire
Ottoman Empire
The Ottoman EmpireIt was usually referred to as the "Ottoman Empire", the "Turkish Empire", the "Ottoman Caliphate" or more commonly "Turkey" by its contemporaries...
was present and prolific in Wallachia, the center of cultural initiatives taken by Dora d'Istria
Dora d'Istria
Dora d'Istria , pen-name of duchess Helena Koltsova-Massalskaya, born Elena Ghica, was a Romanian Romantic writer and feminist.-Early life:...
, Naim Frashëri
Naim Frashëri
Naim Frashëri was an Albanian poet and writer. He was one of the most prominent figures of the Albanian National Awakening of the 19th century, together with his two brothers Sami and Abdyl...
, Jani Vreto
Jani Vreto
Jani Vreto was an Albanian writer, publisher and important figure of the Albanian National Awakening.- Life :Jani Vreto was born in Postenan, a village near Leskovik, southern Albania in 1822...
, and Naum Veqilharxhi
Naum Veqilharxhi
Naum Veqilharxhi born Naum Bredhi was an Albanian lawyer and scholar. In 1844, he created a unique alphabet for the Albanian language using characters he had created himself, the Vithkuqi script...
(the latter published the first ever Albanian primer
Textbook
A textbook or coursebook is a manual of instruction in any branch of study. Textbooks are produced according to the demands of educational institutions...
in Bucharest, in 1844). Aleksandër Stavre Drenova
Aleksander Stavre Drenova
Aleksandër Stavre Drenova, best known under his pen name Asdreni , was one of the most well-known Albanian poets. One of his most recognizable poems is the Albanian National Anthem, Hymni i Flamurit.-Biography:...
, a resident of Bucharest, authored the lyrics of Albania's national anthem, Hymni i Flamurit
Hymni i Flamurit
Himni i Flamurit is the national anthem of Albania. The words were written by the Albanian poet Asdreni . The hymn was first published as a poem in Liri e Shqipërisë , an Albanian newspaper in Sofia, Bulgaria, on April 21, 1912...
, which is sung to the tune of Pe-al nostru steag e scris Unire, composed by the Romanian Ciprian Porumbescu
Ciprian Porumbescu
Ciprian Porumbescu was a Romanian composer born in Şipotele Sucevei in Bukovina . He was among the most celebrated Romanian composers of his time; his popular works include Crai nou, Trei culori, Song for the 1st of May, Ballad for violin and piano, and Serenada...
. At the time, Albanians were present, alongside other Balkan communities, in Bucharest's commercial life, where many worked as street vendors (specializing in the sale of soft drinks or confectionery
Confectionery
Confectionery is the set of food items that are rich in sugar, any one or type of which is called a confection. Modern usage may include substances rich in artificial sweeteners as well...
items).
Balkans
The Balkans is a geopolitical and cultural region of southeastern Europe...
regions to Romania where the families of poets Victor Eftimiu
Victor Eftimiu
Victor Eftimiu was an Albanian-Romanian poet, playwright, and a contributor to Sburătorul, a Romanian literary magazine. His works have been performed in the State Jewish Theater of Romania....
and Lasgush Poradeci
Lasgush Poradeci
Llazar Sotir Gusho, , is a 20th century Albanian poet and writer known by the pseudonym Lasgush Poradeci.-Biography:...
. At the time, the independence movement gathered momentum, and, for a while after 1905, was focused on the activities of Albert Gjika. An Albanian school was opened in 1905 in the city of Constanţa
Constanta
Constanța is the oldest extant city in Romania, founded around 600 BC. The city is located in the Dobruja region of Romania, on the Black Sea coast. It is the capital of Constanța County and the largest city in the region....
— among its pupils was poet Aleksandër Stavre Drenova. In 1912, at a Bucharest meeting headed by Ismail Qemali
Ismail Qemali
Ismail Qemal Bej Vlora or commonly Ismail Qemali and in Turkish İsmail Kemal Bey or İsmail Kemal Vlora , was a distinguished leader of the Albanian national movement, founder of the modern Albanian state and its first head of state and government.-Life:He was born in Avlonya to a noble family...
and attended by Drenova, the first resolution regarding Albania
Albania
Albania , officially known as the Republic of Albania , is a country in Southeastern Europe, in the Balkans region. It is bordered by Montenegro to the northwest, Kosovo to the northeast, the Republic of Macedonia to the east and Greece to the south and southeast. It has a coast on the Adriatic Sea...
's independence was adopted.
In 1893, the Albanian community in Romania numbered around 30,000 persons. In 1920 almost 20,000 Albanians lived in Bucharest. A new wave of Albanian immigrants, many of them Muslims from Yugoslavia
Kingdom of Yugoslavia
The Kingdom of Yugoslavia was a state stretching from the Western Balkans to Central Europe which existed during the often-tumultuous interwar era of 1918–1941...
, followed in the wake of World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
. In 1921, the first translation of the Qur'an
Qur'an
The Quran , also transliterated Qur'an, Koran, Alcoran, Qur’ān, Coran, Kuran, and al-Qur’ān, is the central religious text of Islam, which Muslims consider the verbatim word of God . It is regarded widely as the finest piece of literature in the Arabic language...
into Albanian
Albanian language
Albanian is an Indo-European language spoken by approximately 7.6 million people, primarily in Albania and Kosovo but also in other areas of the Balkans in which there is an Albanian population, including western Macedonia, southern Montenegro, southern Serbia and northwestern Greece...
was completed by Ilo Mitke Qafëzezi and published in the city of Ploieşti
Ploiesti
Ploiești is the county seat of Prahova County and lies in the historical region of Wallachia in Romania. The city is located north of Bucharest....
. Many Albanians settled in Transylvania
Transylvania
Transylvania is a historical region in the central part of Romania. Bounded on the east and south by the Carpathian mountain range, historical Transylvania extended in the west to the Apuseni Mountains; however, the term sometimes encompasses not only Transylvania proper, but also the historical...
, where they generally established confectionery enterprises.
The community was repressed under the communist regime
Communist Romania
Communist Romania was the period in Romanian history when that country was a Soviet-aligned communist state in the Eastern Bloc, with the dominant role of Romanian Communist Party enshrined in its successive constitutions...
, starting in 1953 (when the Albanian cultural association was closed down). Rights lost were regained after the Romanian Revolution of 1989
Romanian Revolution of 1989
The Romanian Revolution of 1989 was a series of riots and clashes in December 1989. These were part of the Revolutions of 1989 that occurred in several Warsaw Pact countries...
, but the number of people declaring themselves Albanian has decreased dramatically between 1920 and 2002. Traditionally, members of the community have been included among a special "among others" category in the censuses, but have first received a special seat in Parliament
Parliament of Romania
The Parliament of Romania is made up of two chambers:*The Chamber of Deputies*The SenatePrior to the modifications of the Constitution in 2003, the two houses had identical attributes. A text of a law had to be approved by both houses...
after the 2000 elections
Romanian legislative election, 2000
Legislative elections where be held in Romania on November 26, 2000, together with the Presidential election. The Greater Romania Party made big gains, as did the PDSR, which became the ruling party. The formerly governing Romanian Democratic Convention lost all its seats and was shortly...
.
Notable Albanian-Romanians
- Kristaq AntoniuKristaq AntoniuKristaq Antoniu , also known as Cristache Antoniu in Romanian, was an Albanian and Romanian operetta tenor, baritone, and actor...
- Aleksander Stavre DrenovaAleksander Stavre DrenovaAleksandër Stavre Drenova, best known under his pen name Asdreni , was one of the most well-known Albanian poets. One of his most recognizable poems is the Albanian National Anthem, Hymni i Flamurit.-Biography:...
- Victor EftimiuVictor EftimiuVictor Eftimiu was an Albanian-Romanian poet, playwright, and a contributor to Sburătorul, a Romanian literary magazine. His works have been performed in the State Jewish Theater of Romania....
- the Ghica familyGhica familyThe Ghica family were a Romanian noble family, active in Wallachia, Moldavia and in the Kingdom of Romania. In the 18th century, several branches of the family went through a process of Hellenization...
- Oana Manolescu
- Marvin Nallbani
- Lasgush PoradeciLasgush PoradeciLlazar Sotir Gusho, , is a 20th century Albanian poet and writer known by the pseudonym Lasgush Poradeci.-Biography:...
- Ilo Mitkë Qafëzezi
- Naum VeqilharxhiNaum VeqilharxhiNaum Veqilharxhi born Naum Bredhi was an Albanian lawyer and scholar. In 1844, he created a unique alphabet for the Albanian language using characters he had created himself, the Vithkuqi script...
- the LupuVasile LupuVasile Lupu was a Moldavian Voivode between 1634 and 1653. Vasile Coci surnamed "the wolf" who ruled as Prince of Moldavia had secured the Moldavian throne in 1634 after a series of complicated intrigues and managed to hold it for twenty years. Vasile was of Albanian origin and Greek education...
family - Ibrahim Temo
- Dora d'IstriaDora d'IstriaDora d'Istria , pen-name of duchess Helena Koltsova-Massalskaya, born Elena Ghica, was a Romanian Romantic writer and feminist.-Early life:...