The borders drawn in 1913 leave roughly half of all Albanians outside the new state, most consequentially in Kosovo. That single fact shapes the next hundred years of regional politics.
A brief republic becomes King Zog's monarchy in 1928. Italy invades on 7 April 1939; Zog flees. Occupation and resistance follow, and the war ends with a communist-led partisan movement in control.
And then something genuinely remarkable. Sheltered by families acting on besa, the obligation to protect a guest with your own life, Albania ended the Second World War with more Jews inside it than before. It is the only occupied country in Europe of which that is true. Many of those families are honoured at Yad Vashem as Righteous Among the Nations.
Key points
| 1913 | Borders drawn; roughly half the Albanian population left outside |
| 1928 | Zog declares himself king |
| 7 Apr 1939 | Italian invasion; Zog flees |
| 1943-45 | Jewish refugees hidden under besa, Albania ends the war with more Jews than it began |
Research by ARBËR, the Living Museum of Albania. Published facts are verified or presented as open debate.