By Maire Rowland
Six Month’s A Kingdom is a lively tale of Captain William Heaton Armstrong’s time spent as a private secretary for King of Albania, William of Wied. His story of the failed rule provide a first-hand account of an important turning point in modern Albanian history.
In 1912 Albania declared its independence, but failed to be recognised internationally until after the First Balkan War. Although it lost significant areas of land it, had resisted being completely carved apart and dished out to hungry neighbouring powers. For the first time in its existence the country had defined territory, outlined in a map drawn by the great European powers, now all it needed was a suitable king that would fashion this mysterious place into a more “civilised” European-like society, while serving the interest of those in charge in Europe.
In 1914 the person chosen for this challenging task was a 35 year-old German army captain, nephew of the Romanian Queen Elisabeth, Prince William of Wied. In the eyes of European leaders, under his guidance Albania would become an independent nation and function as other monarchies in Europe. Few seemed to question the wisdom of appointing a foreign aristocrat to rule a country he had never visited, knew little about and whose language he did not speak.
Yet another unlikely appointment for Albania’s new Court was Captain William Heaton-Armstrong, the author of this story who was chosen as the King’s secretary due to his language skills rather than his clerical abilities.
Heaton-Armstrong was an adventurer, although assigned to administrative tasks we see that he gleams most joy out of recounting tales of insurgents on the battlefield and fine dining with dignitaries. His detailed description of his information gathering during battles against Albanian rebels that opposed the king’s reign along with his near-brushes with bullets take up far more pages than details of his correspondences and work tasks.
A fun-seeking, shallow character though he might be, Heaton-Armstrong offers an important insight into the failures of the German King. Among these is his lack of concern for the powerful and influential rulers in Albania such as Essad Pasha. He believes that failing to involve native rulers more and not listening to their advice resulted in the kingdom’s eventual collapse.
Albania was evidently a place of interest to many of the European powers, Italian, Austrian, Dutch and British officers kept up relations with King Wied. It becomes evident as the king’s rule begins to unravel that there are a lot of conflicting interests among his foreign friends. Heaton-Armstrong is particularly quick to point out the strategic games being played by the Italian cohort who resided in Albania, who he felt had their sights on acquiring more influence in the region. The petty controversies between the various foreign officers based Albania described by the narrator give a fascinating look into the tensions in Europe before the outbreak of the Great War.
While King William was quick to appease foreign officers by appointing them to his cabinet he clearly failed to inspire true loyalty from his Albanian subjects and army. Although Heaton-Armstrong admits that he was given the opportunity to lead many times, the King’s tendency to falter at crucial moments resulted in his followers losing faith.
As for the King himself, the author paints a picture of a kind and amiable ruler, with good intentions but poor decision making skills. Heaton-Armstrong seems to feel that it was King’s hesitation to approve military action that made him look weak in the eyes of both the native Albanians and the European powers. More than once the Captain mentions how the King did not listen to him when he relayed bad news. He saw himself and his Dutch compatriot as the only ones willing to tell their majesty the painful truth.
It is clear from the text, that Heaton-Armstrong is nostalgic of his time spent in Durazzo (Durres). He describes the fanfare and celebrations of the locals upon their arrival in Albania with great fondness and colour. When the tide turns and he and the royal family were forced to flee to Germany he is clearly saddened that his time spent in Albania was so brief.
Captain William Heaton-Armstrong’s account of his time spent as private secretary for the Prince is a lively and enlightening tale. Although there are moments when it is fair to question his reliability as a witness, the Captain provides a fascinating portrayal of Albanian society at the time as well as the great folly of appointing a foreign an inexperienced aristocrat as the King of Albania.
Prince Wied – The Six Month Kingdom, Albania 1914 by Captain D. Heaton Armstrong is available to purchase at Tirana Times Book House
