Sami Bey Vrioni

Sami Bey Vrioni (1876–1947) was an Albanian politician, diplomat, and a delegate at the Assembly of Vlora which declared the Albanian Declaration of Independence.[1] He was a respected and powerful landowner in the Fier region of Albania.[2]

Biography

Prince Wied with family and members of the Court, Durres, Albania, 1914. Sami Vrioni second from right.

Sami Bey Vrioni was a member of the prominent landowning Vrioni family of Berat, Fier and Myzeqe, formerly cities and regions of the Ottoman Province of Yannina, presently in Albania. His father was Omar Pasha Vrioni II (1839-1928).[3] Sami Vrioni himself was owner of around 5,000 Hectares in the agricultural region of southern Myzeqe.[4]

He was one of the delegates during of the Albanian Declaration of Independence in 1912, representing Berat region. According to some sources, Ismail Qemali wanted him as part of his cabinet, but his father Omer Pasha was skeptical regarding the Qemali's government.[3] Having served as parliamentary Deputy for Berat in 1912, under Prince Wied he served as a seneschal (Court Chamberlain).[2] He was part of the Albanian delegation in Vienna of April 1917 representing the districts of Skrapar and Berat.[5]
Sami Vrioni had graduated as agronomist and engineer. He spoke Turkish, Arabic, Italian, and French.
He was a participant of the Congress of Durrës and was elected Minister of Agriculture of the provisional government that came out of it,[6][7] switching to Minister of Public Works in 1919-1920. According to Sejfi Vllamasi's (1883–1975) memories, Vrioni together with Mustafa Kruja, Fejzi Alizoti, and Myfid Libohova joined the camp of the pro-Italian opponents of the Congress of Lushnjë, with the three others actively trying to persuade or force the delegates not to join the Lushnjë event.[8]
Served as Assemblyman (1924-1925, 1928-1932) and Senator (1925-1928) of the Albanian parliament.[9] Regardless of the fact that he descended from a landowning feudal cast, Sami Vrioni had credibility between the Nolist opposition of early 20s. In February 1924, the opposition was hoping on bringing him up as Prime Minister, which was disregarded by the most powerful group of Ahmet Zogu, who elected Shefqet Vërlaci instead of him.[10] Vrioni was arrested by the communist dictatorship that took power in 1944, he died under torture in 1947[9] or 1952.[3]
Sami Vrioni was married to the daughter of Essad Pasha Toptani.

Political Activity

References

Citations
  1. ↑ Schmidt-Neke 1987, pp. 320.
  2. 1 2 Heaton-Armstrong 2005, pp. 32.
  3. 1 2 3 Fieri, qyteti qe u themelua nga Vrionasit [Fier, the town founded the Vrioni] (in Albanian), Fieri.com, 2007-05-14, retrieved 5 February 2014, Midis shume artikujve te ndryshem eksportohej edhe zhuke, lende drusore, miser, kuaj etj. I fundit i pinjolleve Vrionas i njohur ne vitet e regjimit te Ahmet Zogut si Minister i Botores, ka qene Sami Vrioni. Ka qene i ditur dhe eshte shkolluar ne shkollat dhe universitetet me te mira te Italise dhe Frances. Ne vitet e rregjimit zogist ka qene Minister i Botores. Ka mbaruar per inxhinieri dhe agronomi si dhe ka qene njohes i madh i shume gjuheve si: turqisht, arabisht, italisht, frengjisht...
    Historiani Hysen Emiri ne librin e tij “Historia e Fierit” permende faktin se Ismail Qemali e donte ne qeverine e tij per ta bere minister Sami Vrionin, por i ati i tij Omeri e shikonte me skepticizem kete qeveri dhe i thoshte “shohim e bejme”...
    Sami ka vdekur ne burg ne tortura ne vitin 1952.
  4. ↑ Klan (500-508), "Media 6" Publishing, 2007, p. 259
  5. ↑ Leo Freundlich, An Albanian Delegation Pays Homage to the Emperor in Vienna, Texts and Documents of Albanian History, Robert Elsie, retrieved 5 February 2014, The districts of Berat and Skrapari sent Sami Bey Vrioni, who is the former seneschal of Prinz Wied and son-in-law of Essad Toptani..
  6. ↑ Chekrezi 1919, pp. 186.
  7. ↑ The New York Times Current History: The European war, 19, The New York Times Company, June 1919, p. 70, OCLC 10065049
  8. ↑ Vllamasi 1995, Chapter VI.
  9. 1 2 Herbert 2011, p. 242.
  10. ↑ Clegg Austin 2012, pp. 40.
Source

See also

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