Albania as a Kingdom at the beginning of the twentieth century is indisputably the most critical period in Albania’s modern history. Although lagging behind the national movements of the other Balkan nations, the Albanian national movement was obviously being crowned with the creation of an Albanian state at a time when Balkan wars were still going on and nations were rushing towards a greater conflict, the First World War. Albanians proclaimed their independence in 1912, but the country’s recognition as an independent state was one of the core contradictions especially among the Great Powers and the Balkan States. The Accord of the London Conference at the end of the First Balkan war was a reflection of the status of relations in the region and of the international relations at large. This Accord left the definition of Albania’s status in the hands of the Great Powers.
In this context, the newly release book “Prince Wied: The Six Month Kingdom” by D. Heaton Armstrong shares evidence by historians and scholars, but also by the students of political science and international relations and by the wider public. This simple diary of memories re-interprets history outside of an ideological framework, in the light of the scientific facts. As the great Albanian thinker Fan Noli suggested decades ago: “Prince William can be criticized only for being unable to perform miracles.”
