The League of Prizren forms in 1878 to resist the partition of Albanian-inhabited lands among neighbouring states, and, more quietly, to argue that Albanians constitute a nation.
The central battle of the Rilindja is over something that sounds small and was not: an alphabet. Albanian had been written in Latin, Greek, Arabic and invented scripts, each tied to a religious community. A single alphabet meant a single people. Before 1908 the language was written in six or more competing alphabets. The Congress of Manastir (14-22 November 1908, Bitola) could not agree on one, it adopted a compromise using two, the Istanbul and the Bashkimi. The Bashkimi alphabet is the direct ancestor of the alphabet in use today. (Corrected 2026-08-14, see Fact Ledger.)
Schools follow. The first school teaching in Albanian opens at Korçë in 1887.
On 28 November 1912, Skanderbeg's date, Ismail Qemali raises the flag at Vlorë and declares independence.
Key points
| 1878 | League of Prizren |
| 1887 | First Albanian-language school opens at Korçë |
| 1908 | Congress of Manastir, two-alphabet compromise; Bashkimi prevails |
| 28 Nov 1912 | Independence declared at Vlorë by Ismail Qemali |
Research by ARBËR, the Living Museum of Albania. Published facts are verified or presented as open debate.