The Albanian Congress of Trieste (
Albanian: Kongresi Shqiptar i Triestës) was a congress of
Albanians held in
Trieste,
Austria-Hungary in the period between 27 February – 6 March 1913, organized by
Faik Konica and
Sotir Kolea[1][2] with strong support from the Austrian authorities.
The congress recognized the provisional government set up by
Ismail Qemal bey Vlora and discussed the various candidates for the vacant throne. Among the candidates being discussed at the time were
Ferdinand François Bourbon Orléans-Montpensier of France, Albert Ghika of Romania,
Wilhelm Karl, Duke of Urach from Württemberg, the Egyptian prince
Ahmed Fuad, and the Spanish nobleman
Juan Pedro Aladro Kastriota descent from the Kastrioti family through his paternal grandmother, he was the son of the Marchese Castriota (D'Auletta) from
Naples. Baron Nopzsa also proposed himself for the throne.
Austria-Hungary promoted the congress, in particular to ensure the selection of a prince of its choice.[9]
The situation of the
Aromanians in Albania was also discussed. In particular, the Aromanians demanded the establishment of an autonomous canton within Albania. It had also been proposed in the simultaneous
London Conference of 1912–1913 that all lands inhabited by the
Aromanians in the Balkans be given to Albania to protect them from Greek and Serbian assimilation. However, this did not happen, and the Aromanians were not given an autonomous canton in Albania as they did not live in compact areas within this unenlarged Albanian state.[10]
Preparing the request to be sent to the
Great Powers for recognition of the political and economical independence of the
Albania
Treaty of friendship and support of the
Aromanian populations that lived near Albanian-inhabited regions and wanted to be included in the Albanian state.
^Elsie, Robert (1999). "The Viennese Scholar Who Almost Became King of Albania: Baron Franz Nopcsa and His Contribution to Albanian Studies". East European Quarterly. 33.
ISSN0012-8449.
^Nopcsa, Franz.
"The Congress of Trieste". Robert Elsie. Archived from
the original on 23 July 2011. Retrieved 1 March 2011. Nikolla Ivanaj, who endeavoured unsuccessfully to challenge the authority of the chairman simply in order to draw attention to himself.