International Gendarmerie
Encyclopedia
The International Gendarmerie was the first law enforcement agency
of the Principality of Albania
. It was established by the decision of the ambassadors of the six Great Powers that participated in the London Peace Conference
. This decision was made on the basis of the London Treaty signed on May 30, 1913. Since most of the members were from the Netherlands
, this force was also known as the Dutch Military Mission.
The first gendarmerie members arrived in Albania
on November 10, 1913. They were soon faced with a peasant revolt
. One International Gendarmerie officer was killed and many were imprisoned after the revolt erupted in June 1914. Dutch officers were gradually replaced by officers from Austria-Hungary
and Germany
, who arrived in Durrës
on July 4. Soon, World War I
broke out and by August 4, most of the Dutch officers had returned to the Netherlands. By September 19, 1914, the last two imprisoned officers were released.
s decided to constitute the Principality of Albania on July 29, 1913 during the 54th meeting of the London Conference. The new country needed a sovereign, borders, government and military police force. To ensure the gendarmerie's neutrality, the Powers decided that its members should come from a different country. Their first choice was Sweden
, but that country was already busy with a similar mission
in Persia, they chose the Netherlands
for its neutrality, lack of direct interest in Albania and extensive colonial experience in the Dutch East Indies
. On October 15, 1913 they established the International Commission of Control
to administer the country until its own political institutions were established. Wilhelm of Wied was selected as the first prince.
Lodewijk Thomson
to head the Gendarmerie, but after a Dutch unrelated political crisis and the formation of a new government, the new Minister appointed Colonel
Willem De Veer instead, placing Thomson as his second-in-command on October 20, 1913.
De Veer and Thomson prepared a classified 150-page report on the setting up of the gendarmerie. There were discussions of 5,000 gendarmes led by Dutch officers provided by the government of the Netherlands. On February 24, 1914, 13 Dutch officers arrived at Vlorë
: Captain Fabius, Major Kroon, Major De Waal, Major Sluys, Captain Doorman, Major Roelfsema, Dr. De Groot, Captain Sar, Major Verhulst, Major Snellen van Vollenhoven, First Lieutenant Mallinckrodt, Captains Reimers and Sonne.
; peasant rebels in central Albania; Essad Pasha's gendarmerie; volunteers from Kosovo
led by Isa Boletini
; and Mirdita Catholic volunteers from the northern mountains under the command of Prênk Bibë Doda
.
One of the first tasks of the new gendarmerie was to train Albanian recruits in order to take control of southern Albania after the Northern Epirote Declaration of Independence
of February 28, 1914.
Essad Pasha Toptani, as minister of war and interior, was against a peaceful solution of the problem. He opposed the International Commission of Control which believed that the problem could be solved by diplomatic means. The Prince and his cabinet accepted Essad Pasha's proposals for a military solution. Several thousand Italian rifle
s and Austrian machine
and mountain gun
s were purchased and distributed to the (predominantly Muslim
) population of central Albania. They believed that the new regime was a tool of the (Christian
) Great Power
s and the landowners that owned half of the arable land. On the basis of those beliefs they revolted
.
When thousands of rebels surrounded Shijak
on May 17 (only 10 kilometres (6.2 mi) from Durrës
), Essad Pasha was accused of fomenting the revolt against William of Wied. He was exiled to Italy
on May 20, without trial.
The revolt intensified after Essad's exile
. In order to gain support from the 1,000 Mirdita Catholic
paid volunteers from the northern mountains, Prince of Wied appointed their leader, Prênk Bibë Doda, as foreign minister. Isa Boletini
and his men, mostly from Kosovo
also joined the International Gendarmerie to fight the rebels. Dutch gendarmes together with the Mirdita attempted to capture Shijak, but when they engaged on May 23, they were surrounded and captured, along with another expedition from Durrës which attempted to release the captured gendarmes. Captain Sar did not know that the northern Catholic tribes refused to fight the rebels because General Besa
was agreed when the Prince of Wied took over the throne. Rebels attacked Durrës, firing on it with light weapons. The people in Durrës panicked and the Prince took his family to shelter in an Italian ship
anchored in the bay.
During the early morning surprise attack, on June 15, 1914 Thomson was shot in the chest (despite the fact that rebels were attacking behind him) and died within a few minutes. It is probable that an Italian sniper
was responsible.
Captain Fabius established a volunteer artillery
unit. According to the Austrian government, the volunteers who bombarded the rebels were recruited by the Albanian Committee in Vienna. Till the end of June 1914 Dutch officers were captured by rebels in most of the central Albania. They were gradually replaced with officers from Austria-Hungary and Germany, who arrived in Durrës on July 4. On July 27, 1914 Colonel De Veer officially tendered the officers' resignations. Soon the First World War broke out and by August 4 most of the officers had returned home. The rebels captured Berat
on July 12 and Vlore
, without fight, on August 21. The last two captured officers (Verhulst and Reimers) were released on September 19, 1914.
, Kingdom of Serbia
, where he and Serbia
n prime minister
Pašić
signed a secret treaty of Serbian-Albanian alliance on September 17. In October 1914 Essad Pasha returned to Albania. With Italian
and Serbian
financial backing he established armed forces in Dibër
and captured the interior and Durrës at the beginning of October, without a fight.
Law enforcement agency
In North American English, a law enforcement agency is a government agency responsible for the enforcement of the laws.Outside North America, such organizations are called police services. In North America, some of these services are called police while others have other names In North American...
of the Principality of Albania
Principality of Albania
The Principality of Albania refers to the short-lived monarchy in Albania, headed by William, Prince of Albania and to the state after the First World War, until the abolition of the monarchy in 1925, when Albania was declared a republic.-Principality:The Principality was established on February...
. It was established by the decision of the ambassadors of the six Great Powers that participated in the London Peace Conference
London Conference of 1913
The London Conference of 1912-1913 was an international summit to discuss issues arising from the declaration of independence by Albania during the First Balkan War.-History:...
. This decision was made on the basis of the London Treaty signed on May 30, 1913. Since most of the members were from the Netherlands
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
, this force was also known as the Dutch Military Mission.
The first gendarmerie members arrived in Albania
Principality of Albania
The Principality of Albania refers to the short-lived monarchy in Albania, headed by William, Prince of Albania and to the state after the First World War, until the abolition of the monarchy in 1925, when Albania was declared a republic.-Principality:The Principality was established on February...
on November 10, 1913. They were soon faced with a peasant revolt
Peasant Revolt in Albania
The Peasant Revolt in Albania, or the Muslim Uprising in Albania, was the uprising of peasants from central Albania, mostly Muslims, against the regime of prince Wilhelm of Wied during 1914, and was one of the reasons for prince's withrawal from the country which marked the fall of the Principality...
. One International Gendarmerie officer was killed and many were imprisoned after the revolt erupted in June 1914. Dutch officers were gradually replaced by officers from Austria-Hungary
Austria-Hungary
Austria-Hungary , more formally known as the Kingdoms and Lands Represented in the Imperial Council and the Lands of the Holy Hungarian Crown of Saint Stephen, was a constitutional monarchic union between the crowns of the Austrian Empire and the Kingdom of Hungary in...
and Germany
German Empire
The German Empire refers to Germany during the "Second Reich" period from the unification of Germany and proclamation of Wilhelm I as German Emperor on 18 January 1871, to 1918, when it became a federal republic after defeat in World War I and the abdication of the Emperor, Wilhelm II.The German...
, who arrived in Durrës
Durrës
Durrës is the second largest city of Albania located on the central Albanian coast, about west of the capital Tirana. It is one of the most ancient and economically important cities of Albania. Durres is situated at one of the narrower points of the Adriatic Sea, opposite the Italian ports of Bari...
on July 4. Soon, 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...
broke out and by August 4, most of the Dutch officers had returned to the Netherlands. By September 19, 1914, the last two imprisoned officers were released.
Background
The ambassadors of the six Great PowerGreat power
A great power is a nation or state that has the ability to exert its influence on a global scale. Great powers characteristically possess military and economic strength and diplomatic and cultural influence which may cause small powers to consider the opinions of great powers before taking actions...
s decided to constitute the Principality of Albania on July 29, 1913 during the 54th meeting of the London Conference. The new country needed a sovereign, borders, government and military police force. To ensure the gendarmerie's neutrality, the Powers decided that its members should come from a different country. Their first choice was Sweden
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
, but that country was already busy with a similar mission
Persian Central Government Gendarmerie
The Swedish Gendarmerie, also called the Government Gendarmerie , was the first modern highway patrol and rural police force in Persia. A paramilitary force, it also played a significant part in politics from its establishment in 1910 until the advent of the Pahlavi dynasty in 1921. It continued...
in Persia, they chose the Netherlands
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
for its neutrality, lack of direct interest in Albania and extensive colonial experience in the Dutch East Indies
Dutch East Indies
The Dutch East Indies was a Dutch colony that became modern Indonesia following World War II. It was formed from the nationalised colonies of the Dutch East India Company, which came under the administration of the Netherlands government in 1800....
. On October 15, 1913 they established the International Commission of Control
International Commission of Control
The International Commission of Control was the commission established on October 15, 1913, on the basis of the decision by the six Great Powers made on July 29, 1913, according to the London Treaty signed on May 30, 1913...
to administer the country until its own political institutions were established. Wilhelm of Wied was selected as the first prince.
Leadership
The Netherlands' War Minister initially chose MajorMajor
Major is a rank of commissioned officer, with corresponding ranks existing in almost every military in the world.When used unhyphenated, in conjunction with no other indicator of rank, the term refers to the rank just senior to that of an Army captain and just below the rank of lieutenant colonel. ...
Lodewijk Thomson
Lodewijk Thomson
Lodewijk Willem Johan Karel Thomson was a Dutch military commander and politician. He served as a member of the Dutch parliament between 1905 and 1913. In 1914 he became the commander of a newly created International Gendarmerie force in the Principality of Albania...
to head the Gendarmerie, but after a Dutch unrelated political crisis and the formation of a new government, the new Minister appointed Colonel
Colonel
Colonel , abbreviated Col or COL, is a military rank of a senior commissioned officer. It or a corresponding rank exists in most armies and in many air forces; the naval equivalent rank is generally "Captain". It is also used in some police forces and other paramilitary rank structures...
Willem De Veer instead, placing Thomson as his second-in-command on October 20, 1913.
De Veer and Thomson prepared a classified 150-page report on the setting up of the gendarmerie. There were discussions of 5,000 gendarmes led by Dutch officers provided by the government of the Netherlands. On February 24, 1914, 13 Dutch officers arrived at Vlorë
Vlorë
Vlorë is one of the biggest towns and the second largest port city of Albania, after Durrës, with a population of about 94,000 . It is the city where the Albanian Declaration of Independence was proclaimed on November 28, 1912...
: Captain Fabius, Major Kroon, Major De Waal, Major Sluys, Captain Doorman, Major Roelfsema, Dr. De Groot, Captain Sar, Major Verhulst, Major Snellen van Vollenhoven, First Lieutenant Mallinckrodt, Captains Reimers and Sonne.
Mission
The International Gendarmerie was only one of numerous armed groups in the principality during Wilhelm's reign. Others included irregular bands of southerners led by local leaders; native outlaws; Bulgarian outlaw Komitadjis; Greek rebels from the Northern EpirusNorthern Epirus
Northern Epirus is a term used to refer to those parts of the historical region of Epirus, in the western Balkans, that are part of the modern Albania. The term is used mostly by Greeks and is associated with the existence of a substantial ethnic Greek population in the region...
; peasant rebels in central Albania; Essad Pasha's gendarmerie; volunteers from Kosovo
Kosovo
Kosovo is a region in southeastern Europe. Part of the Ottoman Empire for more than five centuries, later the Autonomous Province of Kosovo and Metohija within Serbia...
led by Isa Boletini
Isa Boletini
Isa Boletini was an Albanian nationalist figure and guerilla fighter, born in the village of Boletin near Mitroviça, Ottoman Empire...
; and Mirdita Catholic volunteers from the northern mountains under the command of Prênk Bibë Doda
Prênk Bibë Doda
Prênk Bibë Doda was an Albanian leader of the resistance against the Ottoman Empire and politician in the Principality of Albania.-Background:...
.
One of the first tasks of the new gendarmerie was to train Albanian recruits in order to take control of southern Albania after the Northern Epirote Declaration of Independence
Northern Epirote Declaration of Independence
The Northern Epirote Declaration of Independence occurred on February 28, 1914, in Argyrokastron , against the decision of incorporation of Northern Epirus to the newly established Albanian principality....
of February 28, 1914.
Essad Pasha Toptani, as minister of war and interior, was against a peaceful solution of the problem. He opposed the International Commission of Control which believed that the problem could be solved by diplomatic means. The Prince and his cabinet accepted Essad Pasha's proposals for a military solution. Several thousand Italian rifle
Rifle
A rifle is a firearm designed to be fired from the shoulder, with a barrel that has a helical groove or pattern of grooves cut into the barrel walls. The raised areas of the rifling are called "lands," which make contact with the projectile , imparting spin around an axis corresponding to the...
s and Austrian machine
Machine gun
A machine gun is a fully automatic mounted or portable firearm, usually designed to fire rounds in quick succession from an ammunition belt or large-capacity magazine, typically at a rate of several hundred rounds per minute....
and mountain gun
Mountain gun
Mountain guns are artillery pieces designed for use in mountain warfare and areas where usual wheeled transport is not possible. They are similar to infantry support guns, and are generally capable of being broken down into smaller loads .Due to their ability to be broken down into smaller...
s were purchased and distributed to the (predominantly Muslim
Muslim
A Muslim, also spelled Moslem, is an adherent of Islam, a monotheistic, Abrahamic religion based on the Quran, which Muslims consider the verbatim word of God as revealed to prophet Muhammad. "Muslim" is the Arabic term for "submitter" .Muslims believe that God is one and incomparable...
) population of central Albania. They believed that the new regime was a tool of the (Christian
Christian
A Christian is a person who adheres to Christianity, an Abrahamic, monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth as recorded in the Canonical gospels and the letters of the New Testament...
) Great Power
Great power
A great power is a nation or state that has the ability to exert its influence on a global scale. Great powers characteristically possess military and economic strength and diplomatic and cultural influence which may cause small powers to consider the opinions of great powers before taking actions...
s and the landowners that owned half of the arable land. On the basis of those beliefs they revolted
Peasant Revolt in Albania
The Peasant Revolt in Albania, or the Muslim Uprising in Albania, was the uprising of peasants from central Albania, mostly Muslims, against the regime of prince Wilhelm of Wied during 1914, and was one of the reasons for prince's withrawal from the country which marked the fall of the Principality...
.
When thousands of rebels surrounded Shijak
Shijak
-Overview:Shijak is a Town in the country of Albania. Shijak is located within the administration of Durrës, 11 km away from the city of Durrës, and 38 km from the city of Tirana. The communes of Xhafzotaj, Gjepalaj, and Maminas border Shijak. The municipality has a surface area of 3.4...
on May 17 (only 10 kilometres (6.2 mi) from Durrës
Durrës
Durrës is the second largest city of Albania located on the central Albanian coast, about west of the capital Tirana. It is one of the most ancient and economically important cities of Albania. Durres is situated at one of the narrower points of the Adriatic Sea, opposite the Italian ports of Bari...
), Essad Pasha was accused of fomenting the revolt against William of Wied. He was exiled to Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
on May 20, without trial.
The revolt intensified after Essad's exile
Exile
Exile means to be away from one's home , while either being explicitly refused permission to return and/or being threatened with imprisonment or death upon return...
. In order to gain support from the 1,000 Mirdita Catholic
Catholic
The word catholic comes from the Greek phrase , meaning "on the whole," "according to the whole" or "in general", and is a combination of the Greek words meaning "about" and meaning "whole"...
paid volunteers from the northern mountains, Prince of Wied appointed their leader, Prênk Bibë Doda, as foreign minister. Isa Boletini
Isa Boletini
Isa Boletini was an Albanian nationalist figure and guerilla fighter, born in the village of Boletin near Mitroviça, Ottoman Empire...
and his men, mostly from Kosovo
Kosovo
Kosovo is a region in southeastern Europe. Part of the Ottoman Empire for more than five centuries, later the Autonomous Province of Kosovo and Metohija within Serbia...
also joined the International Gendarmerie to fight the rebels. Dutch gendarmes together with the Mirdita attempted to capture Shijak, but when they engaged on May 23, they were surrounded and captured, along with another expedition from Durrës which attempted to release the captured gendarmes. Captain Sar did not know that the northern Catholic tribes refused to fight the rebels because General Besa
Besa
-As an acronym:* Banco Espírito Santo Angola* Bond Exchange of South Africa* British Engineering Standards Association* British Educational Suppliers Association* Begin-Sadat Center for Strategic Studies...
was agreed when the Prince of Wied took over the throne. Rebels attacked Durrës, firing on it with light weapons. The people in Durrës panicked and the Prince took his family to shelter in an Italian ship
Italian Navy
Italian Navy may refer to:* Pre-unitarian navies of the Italian states* Regia Marina, the Royal Navy of the Kingdom of Italy * Italian Navy , the navy of the Italian Republic...
anchored in the bay.
During the early morning surprise attack, on June 15, 1914 Thomson was shot in the chest (despite the fact that rebels were attacking behind him) and died within a few minutes. It is probable that an Italian sniper
Sniper
A sniper is a marksman who shoots targets from concealed positions or distances exceeding the capabilities of regular personnel. Snipers typically have specialized training and distinct high-precision rifles....
was responsible.
Captain Fabius established a volunteer artillery
Artillery
Originally applied to any group of infantry primarily armed with projectile weapons, artillery has over time become limited in meaning to refer only to those engines of war that operate by projection of munitions far beyond the range of effect of personal weapons...
unit. According to the Austrian government, the volunteers who bombarded the rebels were recruited by the Albanian Committee in Vienna. Till the end of June 1914 Dutch officers were captured by rebels in most of the central Albania. They were gradually replaced with officers from Austria-Hungary and Germany, who arrived in Durrës on July 4. On July 27, 1914 Colonel De Veer officially tendered the officers' resignations. Soon the First World War broke out and by August 4 most of the officers had returned home. The rebels captured Berat
Berat
Berat is a town located in south-central Albania. As of 2009, the town has an estimated population of around 71,000 people. It is the capital of both the District of Berat and the larger County of Berat...
on July 12 and Vlore
Vlorë
Vlorë is one of the biggest towns and the second largest port city of Albania, after Durrës, with a population of about 94,000 . It is the city where the Albanian Declaration of Independence was proclaimed on November 28, 1912...
, without fight, on August 21. The last two captured officers (Verhulst and Reimers) were released on September 19, 1914.
End of the Mission
In autumn 1914 Essad Pasha accepted an invitation from the Senate of Central Albania (established by the rebelling towns in mid and north Albania) to return to Albania to take control. His first task was to provide financial backing for his government. Therefore he travelled to NišNiš
Niš is the largest city of southern Serbia and third-largest city in Serbia . According to the data from 2011, the city of Niš has a population of 177,972 inhabitants, while the city municipality has a population of 257,867. The city covers an area of about 597 km2, including the urban area,...
, Kingdom of Serbia
Kingdom of Serbia
The Kingdom of Serbia was created when Prince Milan Obrenović, ruler of the Principality of Serbia, was crowned King in 1882. The Principality of Serbia was ruled by the Karađorđevic dynasty from 1817 onwards . The Principality, suzerain to the Porte, had expelled all Ottoman troops by 1867, de...
, where he and Serbia
Serbia
Serbia , officially the Republic of Serbia , is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeast Europe, covering the southern part of the Carpathian basin and the central part of the Balkans...
n prime minister
Prime minister
A prime minister is the most senior minister of cabinet in the executive branch of government in a parliamentary system. In many systems, the prime minister selects and may dismiss other members of the cabinet, and allocates posts to members within the government. In most systems, the prime...
Pašić
Nikola Pašic
Nikola P. Pašić was a Serbian and Yugoslav politician and diplomat, the most important Serbian political figure for almost 40 years, leader of the People's Radical Party who, among other posts, was twice a mayor of Belgrade...
signed a secret treaty of Serbian-Albanian alliance on September 17. In October 1914 Essad Pasha returned to Albania. With Italian
Kingdom of Italy (1861–1946)
The Kingdom of Italy was a state forged in 1861 by the unification of Italy under the influence of the Kingdom of Sardinia, which was its legal predecessor state...
and Serbian
Kingdom of Serbia
The Kingdom of Serbia was created when Prince Milan Obrenović, ruler of the Principality of Serbia, was crowned King in 1882. The Principality of Serbia was ruled by the Karađorđevic dynasty from 1817 onwards . The Principality, suzerain to the Porte, had expelled all Ottoman troops by 1867, de...
financial backing he established armed forces in Dibër
Dibër District
The District of Dibër is one of the thirty-six districts of Albania, part of Dibër County. It has a population of 62,825, and an area of 1088 km². It is in the north-east of the country, and its capital is Peshkopi....
and captured the interior and Durrës at the beginning of October, without a fight.
See also
- International Commission of ControlInternational Commission of ControlThe International Commission of Control was the commission established on October 15, 1913, on the basis of the decision by the six Great Powers made on July 29, 1913, according to the London Treaty signed on May 30, 1913...
- Wilhelm of Wied
- Peasant Revolt in AlbaniaPeasant Revolt in AlbaniaThe Peasant Revolt in Albania, or the Muslim Uprising in Albania, was the uprising of peasants from central Albania, mostly Muslims, against the regime of prince Wilhelm of Wied during 1914, and was one of the reasons for prince's withrawal from the country which marked the fall of the Principality...
- Lodewijk ThomsonLodewijk ThomsonLodewijk Willem Johan Karel Thomson was a Dutch military commander and politician. He served as a member of the Dutch parliament between 1905 and 1913. In 1914 he became the commander of a newly created International Gendarmerie force in the Principality of Albania...
External links
- Colonel Thomson and Albania, Harrie Teunissen