|Albania Table of Contents Albania's military heritage
antedating World War II is highlighted by the exploits of its
fifteenth-century national hero known as Skanderbeg, who gained
a brief period of independence for the country during his
opposition to the Ottoman Empire. In the seventeenth century,
many ethnic Albanians, most notably members of the Köprülü
family, served with great distinction in the Ottoman army and
administration. National feelings, aroused late in the
nineteenth century, became more intense during the early
twentieth century, and fairly sizable armed groups of Albanians
rebelled against their Ottoman rulers. However, Albania achieved
national independence in 1912 as a result of agreement among the
Great Powers of Europe rather than through a major military
victory or armed struggle. Hardy Albanian mountaineers have had
a reputation as excellent fighters for nearly 2,000 years.
Nevertheless, they rarely fought in an organized manner for an
objective beyond the defense of tribal areas again