King Zog I of Albania King of the Albanians

Ahmed Bey Zogu, King of the Albanians

Hereditary Governor of Mati in 1911.

Prime Minister of Albania between 3 December 1922 and 10 June 1924.

Prime Minister of Albania between 21 January 1925 and 1 September 1928.

King Zog I of the Albanians (styled as Mreka in Albanian) on 1 September 1928.

On 8 April 1939 he left Albania.

Deposed as King of Albania on 8 April 1939

Links:

Thepeerage: http://www.thepeerage.com/p10133.htm#i101321

Predecessor Monarchy established

Successor Victor Emmanuel III of Italy

Wikipedia:

English: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zog_of_Albania

http://www.royalark.net/Albania/zogu2.htm

http://genealogy.euweb.cz/balkan/zogu.html#Z1

Zogu family

Xhemal Zogu Pasha, Hereditary Governor of Mati, *Burgajet ca 1860, +Mati 1904/11; 1m: Mati 1880 Melek Zogu (*Burgajet, +Burgajet 1884); 2m: Mati 1891 Sadijé Toptani, who was accorded the title "Queen Mother of the Albanians" in 1928 (*28.8.1876, +Tirana 25.11.1934)

• A1. Pr Xhelal Bey Zogu, *Burgajet 14.5.1881, +Istanbul 26.2.1944; 1m: Burgajet 1908 (div 1912) Ruhijé Doshishti (*Dibra 9.3.1881, +Cannes 6.12.1956); 2m: Burel 1931 Ikbal Pekkini (*Pekkini, +Burel 3.5.1932); 3m: Burel 2.8.1932 (div 1933) Faika Minxhalliu (*Delvine 1897, +Kruja 9.12.1935); 4m: Burel 1933 Hyrijet Allaj (*Elbasan 1916, +Alexandria 17.10.1993)
  • ...
• A2. Pss Adilé, *Mati 25.2.1894, +Paris 1966; m.Emin Agolli Doshishti (*1890 +1938)
• A3. Amet Bej Zogu, ruler of Albania, became King ZOG I of the Albanians (1.9.1928-IV.1939), fled from the country, *Burgajet 8.10.1895, +Paris 9.4.1961; m.Tirana 27.4.1938 Gfn Geraldine Apponyi de Nagy Appony (*6.8.1915, +22.10.2002)
  • B1. Leka, who, on his father's death, assumed the title King LEKA of the Albanians, *Tirana 5.4.1939; m.Biarritz 7.10.1976 Susan Barbara Cullen-Ward (*Waverly, New South Wales 28.1.1941)
    • C1. Pr Leka Anwar Zog Reza Baudoin Msiziwe, *Johannesburg, South Africa 26.3.1982
• A4. Pss Nafijé, *Mati 12.9.1900, +Egypt 21.3.1955; m.1922 Ceno Bey Kriziu (*Kosova 1887, +assasinated at Prague 14.10.1927)
• A5. Pss Senijé, *Mati 15.11.1908, +Cannes 15.4.1969; m.Tirana 12.1.1936 (div 1949) Pr Mehmen Abid of Turkey (*Yildiz 17.9.1905, +Paris 8.12.1973)
• A6. Pss Myzejen, *Mati 10.11.1909, +Cannes 10.4.1969
• A7. Pss Ruhijé, *Mati 23.12.1910, +Cairo 31.1.1948
• A8. Pss Maxhidé, *Mati 8.10.1911, +Cannes 12.10.1969

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I. Zogu[1] vagy I. Zog (teljes királyi nevén I. Zogu III. Szkander bég, albánul Zogu I Skënderbeu III, eredetileg Amet Zogolli, majd Amet Zogu bég, albánul Amet Bej Zogu; Burgajet, 1895. október 8. – Suresnes, Párizs mellett, Franciaország, 1961. április 9.) albán politikus, 1922–1925 között két ízben miniszterelnök, 1925-től 1928-ig köztársasági elnök, majd 1939-ig Albánia királya. Európai muszlim uralkodó. Albánia két világháború közötti történelmének legmeghatározóbb alakja. Nevének elterjedt, gyakori írásmódja Ahmet Zogu vagy Ahmed Zogu.

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Part 2 of the Wartime story of Queen Geraldine of Albania.

After an attack on their rented home at Pontoise, Queen Geraldine and her husband, King Zog of Albania, relocated to Paris’ Hôtel Plaza Athénée in early June 1940. The Albanian Queen was growing increasingly anxious: Geraldine rarely saw her husband who was always occupied with meetings, while hotel life was not at all to her liking. Furthermore, her fourteen-month-old child, Leka, exasperated at being constantly on the move, screamed loudly when anyone tried to pick him up. But even more disturbing was the sound of gunfire from advancing German troops, who were now literally on the outskirts of Paris. Why, the Queen demanded of her husband, were they still in Paris?

Perhaps to placate his wife, the King had rented a hotel-pension at Royan, near Bordeaux. Yet, still he prevaricated. Indeed, it was only at eight o’clock on the eve of German troops entering Paris, that Zog finally agreed to travel south, by which time the Diplomatic Corps and French Government had long departed for Tours. The Albanian convoy was composed 36 people travelling in six cars with a luggage lorry bringing up the rear. The King and Queen’s car was a large, scarlet Mercedes-Benz, which had been their wedding gift from Hitler.

Conditions on the road to their first stop at Orleans were hazardous. The cars were not permitted to use their headlights and were forced to edge their way in the darkness through a continual stream of refugees coming out of Paris. By the following morning, the Albanian party had only travelled twenty kilometres. However, they were at least thankful that they were still ahead of the Germans who had now entered Paris. Later in the day, the convoy was brought to an abrupt halt when it was discovered that the car carrying little Leka, his nurse and bodyguard (along with the Queen’s jewels and a box of gold Napoleon coins) had disappeared. Fortuitously, the vehicle soon re-joined the convoy: the Hungarian driver, being unsure of the roads, had taken a wrong turning amid the chaos of soldiers retreating from the front.

The outskirts of Orleans were reached in the afternoon to the noise of an air raid overhead. While most people sheltered in the ditches, Queen Geraldine and her son took refuge in a nearby station building. King Zog remained resolutely in his car. The town was by now full of refugees and with no accommodation being available, the entourage moved on, eventually stopping for the night at a shooting lodge. The next few days were equally harrowing, with long delays caused by a shortage of petrol and nights spent together out of doors, huddling together for comfort.

It was fully a week before Royan was reached, a journey which would normally have taken a day. Unfortunately, the military commander of the town had requisitioned the property the King had leased but the local Mayor, taking pity on Queen Geraldine and her child, arranged for the duo to stay in a local hotel, while the others had the use of his summer residence nearby. Eventually, all were reunited in an abandoned convent only a few kilometres away.

The King, meanwhile, travelled into Bordeaux where he eventually made contact with the British Consul, Oliver Harvey, requesting visas and sea transport to England. Zog also backed this up with a telegram to King George VI. However, although the British were courteous, the Albanian King was required to prove that he had the financial wherewithal to support both himself, his family and an entourage of around thirty. Having satisfied the British as to his liquidity, the King and his party boarded the SS Ettrick (which was already full of returning wounded soldiers) at St Jean-de-Luz on the evening of 24 June. The boat was due to set sail for Liverpool next morning. However, just as the Queen was about to embark, some drunken soldiers snatched her personal jewellery case. This was later ‘rescued’ thanks to the efforts of Geraldine’s Hungarian chauffeur.

It was with a sense of relief that the Albanian royal party now sailed to England where, as I will reveal in a later article, they set up home in rural Buckinghamshire.