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King Zog of Albania: Europe's Self-Made Muslim Monarch Hardcover – March 1, 2004

by Jason Tomes (Author)

8 customer reviews

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Shortly before 5 p.m. on Saturday, September 1, 1928, Europe gained a new kingdom and its only Muslim king: 32-year-old Zog I of the Albanians. Few foreign journalists were present in the Parliament House in Tirana to hear him swear his oath on the Koran and the Bible, yet the birth of the Kingdom of Albania—a native monarchy, not an alien imposition—did not go unnoticed abroad.

King Zog (1895–1961) was a curiosity, and so he has remained: the most atypical European monarch of the twentieth century, a man entirely without royal connections who created his own kingdom. By contemporaries, he was variously labeled "the last ruler of romance," "an appalling gangster," "the modern Napoleon," "the finest patriot," and "frankly a cad." Even today his reputation is disputed, but Zog is undeniably one of the foremost figures in Albanian history. Though notorious for cut-throat political intrigue, he promised to bring order and progress to a land that had long known little of either. "It was I who made Albania," he claimed.

Zog's reign ended in 1939; Italian Fascists forced him into exile and post-war Stalinists kept him there despite his best efforts to return. In this first full biography, Jason Tomes explores the reality behind the man described in The Times as "the bizarre King Zog" and shows him to have been the product of a unique time and place. Tomes invites readers to set aside their assumptions about modern European monarchy and meet a king who fired back at assassins and paid his bills with gold bullion.

King Zog of Albania: Europe's Self-Made Muslim Monarch

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Editorial Reviews

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"Very well researched, critical yet balanced, this is the best book about Zog to have appeared in any language."

-Bejtullah Destani,Director of the Centre for Albanian Studies

"Vivid and atmospheric, but based on solid and scrupulous research, this is an outstanding account of one of the most intriguing figures in twentieth-century Balkan history. Non-specialists will read it with pleasure and fascination, and even specialists in Albanian history will find much to learn here from Jason Tomes's marvelously lucid analysis of the politics and diplomacy of the period."

-Noel Malcolm,author of Bosnia: A Short History and Kosovo: A Short History

"An outstanding biography of the most unusual and controversial king of the 20th century. Highly recommended."

-CHOICE

About the Author

Jason Tomes has lectured in modern history and politics for the Universities of Oxford, Warsaw, and Boston. He is the author of Balfour and Foreign Policy and over fifty articles for the Oxford Dictionary of National Biography. He lives in England.

Hardcover: 288 pages
Publisher: NYU Press; 1st edition (March 1, 2004)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0814782833
ISBN-13: 978-0814782835
Product Dimensions: 6 x 0.9 x 9 inches
Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
Average Customer Review: 8 customer reviews
Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,740,258 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #2489 in Books > Biographies & Memoirs > Leaders & Notable People > Royalty
- #5117 in Books > Biographies & Memoirs > Leaders & Notable People > Presidents & Heads of State
- #9660 in Books > Biographies & Memoirs > Historical > Europe

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A little known little man

ByT. Stibalon September 25, 2014

Format: HardcoverVerified Purchase

The whole story on the Zogenator, told from a non-Albanian sympathetic viewpoint. And, literally, the only book in English on the topic that is even remotely readable.

Zogu (his given name, if my memory serves) was a guarded man, thrust into a treacherous social scene (where murders and vendettas were as common as pie), yet he managed to unify the notoriously clan-oriented Albanians into something resembling a nation through the 1920s and 1930s. Pulled one way by local clans, and another by Italy, the big fish in the Balkans during the period, he started Albania on the road to modern life.

"Started" is the operative word there, for Albania during the interwar years was a mess, pure and simple. With one port, a limited road network, virtually no industry or natural resources, and not a single mile of operating railroad, Albanians were (for the greatest part) subsistence farmers and bandits. As soon as it was possible, those rising above the mob sought jobs with the government, where they used graft and strong armed tactics to shake down their fellow citizens for a living.

Seemingly a meek and mild little man, King Zog was nevertheless capable of ruthless, murderous conduct when the situation called for it. And, for a few years, it called for it often. Surviving several assassination plots and attempts, Zog (and his coterie of sisters carefully navigated the hazardous waters of national politics, all the while keeping a weather eye on what Italy was up to. It certainly made for an interesting life for the man.

And then came the denouement, with an invasion by Italy prior to World War II. Zog's carefully assembled police force resisted for as long as it could (i.e., not very long), but he was soon heading for the border with his newborn son and critically injured spouse. Driving over rough tracks in the huge Mercedes Benz given him as a wedding present by no less a personage than Adolph Hitler, he managed to reach Greece (and asylum) one step ahead of the invading troops.

From that point, Zog became another stateless former monarch. Fortunately for him and his family, he also managed to abstract most of the Albanian treasury, and lived high on the hog for the rest of his life. While considering relocation to the United States (where he bought but never occupied an estate on the East Coast, he lived out the remainder of his days, first in England during the war, and later in Paris.

A rough life early on, made somewhat smoother towards the end by all of the gold. And, the cigarettes!!! Zog had to be one of the worst chain smokers of all time, consuming hundreds of the things each and every day. He could have accepted a job as a promoter for the American tobacco industry, if only he had asked.

(Zog's son lived on to the 1990s, finding work as an arms dealer, among other trades. His lovely wife, an Australian girl, has also died, without issue, so the Albanian royal line of succession is now extinct.)

An excellent, readable book on an obscure topic and a forgotten man. Well worth the money and time taken to read it.

And, as a bonus, you get a pronounciation guide for the tongue twisting Albanian language. Once you read it, you can negotiate all of those "j" and "x" combinations that make up Albanian names.

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the best book about King Zog

ByMarenglen Elezion January 24, 2014

Format: HardcoverVerified Purchase

This book is very well constructed and also very friendly. The author does an amazing job to create the atmosphere of duality that characterizes King Zog. Even personally, there are times that I admire this King for building a kingdom out of nothing and there are times when I jump to rational conclusions that he was just a ruthless opportunist, nothing more than just another selfish character of the Albanian history. Great job. 4 stars only for not being sympathetic with the Albanian culture and way of life.

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Fascinating, well-written

ByD. C. Carradon August 4, 2004

Format: HardcoverVerified Purchase

Obscure subject, but a wonderful book -- thorough, well-researched, and well-written. If you're a history buff, this is a must-read.

11 comment 11 people found this helpful. Was this review helpful to you?YesNo

A master juggler in desperate times

Byeltexon December 2, 2011

Format: Hardcover

Perhaps it's never easy to be a king, but Zog had it rougher than most. His country, the poorest and least educated in Europe, was deeply divided not only by clan rivalries but also by religion (Islam,Greek Orthodoxy and Roman Catholicism). Independent since only 1913, Albania also had hostile neighbors in Yugoslavia and Greece, both of which coveted large chunks of its territory, and Italy, across the Adriatic, was just as rapacious.

Small wonder that Zog, born Ahmed Bey Zogolli in 1895, saw little gain in the niceties of democracy. Instead, through ruthlessness, guile, charm and, yes, intelligence, he pushed himself to the top of a messy political system, finally declaring himself king in 1928. That he was able to remain both alive and in power until ousted by the Italians in 1939 is no small achievement. And in this engrossing, well-researched biography, Jason Tomes tells how he did it.

Tomes is scrupulously fair, never airbrushing Zog's faults. He was corrupt, duplicitous, a flatterer, a temporizer, a liar. (Could anything he said be believed since he was, in the words of an Englishman who knew him, "a past master in the arts of insincere amiability"?) While Zog could be harsh toward opponents, he was essentially an almost banal family man who spent the bulk of his free time with his six sisters (who lived with him throughout his life, even when he was married) and his mother. His greatest political skill was in playing one side against another, an essential strategy if he and, indeed, Albania were to survive in the tumultuous 1930s.

Much of Zog's life reads like one of those early movie serials in which each chapter ends with a cliff-hanger. Even when his power was secure within the country, he could never relax because of the continuing threats from without. Money was a constant problem, too, and Zog's persistent efforts to secure a reliable source of income were interwoven with the complexities of international realpolitik.

Zog's role on the world stage essentially ended with his flight to Greece after the Italian invasion in April 1939. He lived until 1961, dying in Paris with his beloved queen, Geraldine, and his son, Leka, at his side. The years in exile had been frustrating. He always insisted that if the West just helped him, he could wrest Albania from Communist control and make it a crucial Western beachhead in the cold war. He can be forgiven his optimism -- or delusion, his critics would say -- since he had navigated equally treacherous shoals so well in his earlier life.

So sit back, read Tomes's biography and enjoy the ride.

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Most recent customer reviews

Excellent biography

If you want to get introduced to Zog and Albania in the pre war period, this book is it. I wish all history books read like this.Read more

Published on July 13, 2012 by Seabreeze

Mezzo mezzo book on a very mezzo guy

I guess this is as good a non-Albanian depiction as one will get of this self-created little tinpot twit.Read more

Published on February 19, 2009 by Alfie Mac

Pulling Your Country out of the Middle Ages by Its' Bootstraps

Ahmet Zogolli (Zogu, King Zog) is one of the great 'characters' of the early twentieth century. Born into a powerful clan in Northern Albania, he was destined to be a leader of...Read more

Published on July 15, 2007 by Grey Wolffe

King Bird the First

In hindsight, it was probably inevitable that King Zog of Albania would be driven from his throne in 1939.Read more

Published on June 13, 2005 by A reader

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