Çerçiz Topulli and Ali Pasha Tepelena – Two Pillars of Albanian Identity from the South
By Flamur Bucpapaj
Albanian identity knows no regional borders
A nation is not just geography. It is memory. It is language. It is shared reverence. And whenever we remember Çerçiz Topulli and Ali Pasha, we do not do so for the past, but for the future—a future we must strive to deserve.
We must teach future generations what manhood, self-sacrifice, and love of country truly mean. These two great men are among the brightest chapters in that grand national lesson.
Çerçiz Topulli is not merely a figure of national history, but a timeless moral project: he embodies the human being who exists not to simply live, but to understand the meaning of sacrifice in the name of others. In him coexist the force of action and the depth of conscience—where the rifle is not a weapon, but an extension of a soul that refuses bondage. In a world where the individual seeks personal salvation, Çerçiz chose physical disappearance to save a collective ideal. This is the highest act of freedom: self-sacrifice for a future you yourself will never live to see.
I have often felt the urge to write about two monumental figures of our national history: the Renaissance patriot and hero Çerçiz Topulli, and the distinguished statesman Ali Pasha Tepelena. Though separated by time and circumstance, they represent a shared ideal: an unbreakable, honorable, and free Albania.
Some time ago, I visited the grave of Ali Pasha in Ioannina. I paid my respects with humility and reverence, because I believe every Albanian—regardless of region or religion—must know and honor the great men of our nation. Those who bowed to no empire, who refused division and humiliation. Those who represent our deepest identity.
But above all, I am deeply moved by the figure of Çerçiz Topulli—a man who, for me, is the bravest hero I have read about and studied. 110 years ago, on July 15, 1915, in the city of Shkodra, he fell as a martyr, killed by Montenegrin forces. He was not from Shkodra, but from Gjirokastra. He wasn’t at his home, but he was in his homeland. And he said it himself, with a response that should be taught in every Albanian school:
“We did not fight for our house, but for our country, and our country is everywhere the Albanian language is spoken and where Albanians live on their ancestral lands. This too is Albanian soil.”
What courage! What heart! What national and civic awareness! He was not only a fighter with a rifle, but also a deep thinker of the nation. He understood Albania as a whole—beyond provincial borders, beyond religious or personal interests. For Çerçiz, being Albanian was an ideal worth living and dying for.
Figures like him and Ali Pasha are beacons that light our path through the murky chapters of history. Both were from the south, but they acted for the whole country. Both left behind a great legacy that must be preserved with dedication and dignity.
Today, more than ever, we need to bring attention back to these men of the nation. They are not just names of streets or statues—they are our symbols of resistance, wisdom, and national consciousness.
Çerçiz Topulli remains a hero for all Albanians. Just as Ali Pasha remains a brilliant example of Albanian diplomacy, endurance, and glory during difficult times.
Albanian patriots like Çerçiz Topulli were not just warriors with guns in their hands, but above all, they were warriors with great spirits and enlightened minds. They understood that freedom is not just the absence of a foreign occupier—it is a spirit embodied in language, in culture, in love for the land and the nation. Çerçiz, along with his brother Bajo Topulli, Mihal Grameno, Hilë Mosi, and many others, founded the first patriotic guerrilla bands that fought the Ottoman occupiers with the ideal of a united and free Albania.
At a time when other nations had their states, we Albanians had only hope. And that hope rested on the shoulders of men like Çerçiz Topulli. He understood that to have an Albania, there first needed to be an Albanian—conscious of his mission. These movements were not mere local uprisings, but the deep roots of modern Albanian national consciousness.
On the other hand, Ali Pasha Tepelena was a forerunner of this consciousness. He built a de facto state within the Ottoman Empire—a state with diplomacy, an organized army, laws, and international alliances. He understood the importance of controlling territory, of unity through culture and strength. And although he is often described as harsh or self-interested, we must acknowledge that Ali Pasha preserved the identity of Albanian lands during the most difficult times. He gave Epirus and Southern Albania real de facto autonomy, a political experience that later served the generations of the National Awakening.
My visit to his grave in Ioannina was not just a tribute to a leader of the past. It was a bow before a spiritual strength and state-building mind that history has rarely recognized as it should. If we were more just with ourselves, we would place Ali Pasha where he belongs—not only as a ruler, but as a precursor of independence. Albanianhood Knows No Regional Borders
When Çerçiz Topulli was asked before his execution what a southerner was doing in the north, he responded with grandeur:
“Our homeland is wherever the Albanian language is spoken.”
This is perhaps the most powerful sentence a new generation of Albanians can learn in an era when we are often divided by empty words, unnecessary quarrels, and the forgetting of our roots. Çerçiz was not merely from Gjirokastra — he was from every corner of Albania. Just like Ali Pasha, who saw Ioannina, Tepelena, Preveza, Delvina, and Berat as parts of one great Albanian community.
They may belong to the south, but they remain heroes of the entire nation.
In these times, when history is often rewritten for narrow interests, and when forgetfulness threatens our collective memory, it is both a civic and national duty to remember these names — not as silent statues, but as living inspirations for building a more dignified future.
Çerçiz Topulli (1880–1915) holds a unique place in the pantheon of the Albanian National Renaissance. Born in Gjirokastra, at a time when the Ottoman Empire was clearly disintegrating and Balkan influences were rising, Topulli emerged as a representative of the generation that placed weapons and words in service of national liberation. Unlike political figures who sought compromise with the empire, Çerçiz represented direct action, the guerrilla band (çeta) as a national unit, and Albanianhood as a shared ideal.
Historical Context and the Formation of Çerçiz Topulli’s Ideology
After the League of Prizren and the League of Peja, Albanians were in search of a new formula for national organization. The early 20th century was marked by the rise of national consciousness and efforts to transform that awareness into armed action. It was precisely in this context that Çerçiz Topulli emerged, along with his brother Bajo Topulli and Mihal Grameno, organizing the first armed patriotic bands for national liberation and the spread of the Albanian language.
Ideologically, Topulli was inspired by European Enlightenment ideals as well as the Albanian tradition of popular resistance. His goal was not personal power but the awakening and mobilization of the people for freedom.
The Symbolic Importance of His Action in Shkodër (1915)
The killing of Çerçiz Topulli in Shkodër on July 15, 1915 by Montenegrin forces holds deep symbolic meaning. Before his execution, he was asked by the Montenegrins:
“What is a southerner doing in the north?”
And his answer became eternal:
“We have not fought for our own house, but for our homeland. And our homeland is wherever the Albanian language is spoken, and Albanians live on their own lands.”
This statement is an act of historical consciousness that transcends the provincial concept of homeland and elevates the struggle to a philosophical and national level. For Çerçiz, Albanianhood was universal — beyond south and north, beyond religion or province. In this sense, he was a precursor to the modern nation-state concept.
The Guerrilla Band as an Organizational Form and National Message
In pre-state formations, the çeta (guerrilla band) is often viewed as a primitive form of political organization. However, in the case of Çerçiz Topulli, the çeta represented more than a military unit. It was a miniature society — with structure, discipline, division of responsibilities, and, most importantly, a strong national mission.
His bands promoted Albanian schools, distributed alphabets, protected the defenseless, and punished collaborators of the empire. They were the first institutions of self-governance in the absence of a centralized state. This gives his activity a deep socio-political dimension.
Legacy and Influence on National Identity
Today, Çerçiz Topulli remains a symbol of national unity and self-sacrifice. His image lives on in collective memory through literature, folk songs, films, and the names of institutions. He is not merely a historical hero but an archetype of the conscious, courageous, and devoted Albanian.
At a time when regional and ideological divisions threaten social cohesion, the figure of Çerçiz Topulli offers a model of unity and love for the nation that must be revived in contemporary education.
Çerçiz Topulli as an Anthropological and Cultural Figure
Çerçiz Topulli’s figure cannot be analyzed only in the dimension of military strategy. He is also a cultural construct embodying the archetypal values of the traditional Albanian: manhood, honor, sacrifice, pride, and love for the land. In Albanian ethnology, these are the foundational values that transcend all regions — from north to south — and it is precisely this dimension that made Çerçiz a national figure.
Through his behavior, dress, speeches, and life in the mountains, he constructed a cultural archetype aligned with the figure of the traditional “kapedan” — a popular leader who does not rule from above but leads from within, by example and personal sacrifice. He had no wealth, no land, no privileges — but he left behind an invaluable spiritual legacy.
The Pedagogy of Example: Çerçiz Topulli in Education
One of the fundamental issues in national education is providing inspiring models. Çerçiz Topulli represents an ideal model for the civic and patriotic formation of younger generations. Unfortunately, such figures are still represented in a fragmented manner in school textbooks, often limited to a few chronological sentences with no in-depth analysis.
It is recommended that his figure:
Be included in pre-university curricula not only in history, but also in interdisciplinary subjects such as “Civics,” “Ethics,” or “National Culture”;
Be studied in comparison with other Balkan and European figures who played similar roles in shaping national identity (such as Garibaldi, Skanderbeg, Karadjordjević, etc.);
Serve as a foundation for artistic, theatrical, and cinematic projects that bring children and youth closer to heroism as a moral value — not just a military act.
Çerçiz Topulli and the International Approach to Albanian History
In foreign studies on the Balkans, the figure of Çerçiz Topulli remains largely unknown, although he represents one of the purest figures of the self-determination struggle at the beginning of the 20th century. Unlike political leaders often compromised in international deals, Çerçiz was a man of the field, of morality, and of ideals.
This makes him ideal for international academic inclusion as a representative of indigenous Balkan resistance movements. International Conference on the Study of Nationalism, Anti-Colonialism, and Popular Resistance
Comparative studies on models of national resistance in Southeastern Europe
UNESCO programs for the cultural heritage of non-state figures who have influenced the formation of collective identities
Proposals for Albanian Academic and Cultural Institutions
Based on the above analysis, this study proposes that:
Public universities and the academies of sciences open research lines on the activity of Çerçiz Topulli and his impact on the development of the Albanian nation-state concept;
National centers for cultural and historical studies should organize conferences, exhibitions, and dedicated publications;
The Ministry of Education should include his figure more comprehensively in school curricula, emphasizing the importance of national unity and civic values;
Public and private media should produce high-quality documentaries, based on archival sources and historical testimonies, to bring his figure to the center of public attention.
Identity Discourse and the Legacy of Çerçiz Topulli in Contemporary Albania
The issue of Albanian national identity in the 21st century faces several challenges: globalization, mass emigration, the fading of collective sentiment, and political divisions. Within this troubled context, historical figures like Çerçiz Topulli should not be seen merely as symbolic commemorations, but as active sources for the revival of national consciousness.
Çerçiz was a man of action, but his actions stemmed from a deep ideological conviction: that being Albanian is not only an ethnic belonging, but a moral responsibility and a shared mission. It is precisely this message that is missing today in the Albanian public discourse, where individualism stripped of responsibility dominates, and identity is often treated as either marketing or folklore.
For this reason, the reintroduction of his figure into contemporary discourse is not only useful but urgent, because it:
Inspires an active and conscious identity, not a passive and merely folkloric one;
Brings back to the forefront the concept of unity beyond regional divides;
Offers a model of moral and civic behavior, based on sacrifice, dedication, and integrity.
The Symbolism of His Death: A Sacrifice Beyond Borders
Çerçiz Topulli’s death in Shkodra is not just a geographical coincidence, but a major convergence of Albanian symbolism. A southerner who falls on northern soil is the highest expression of territorial and linguistic unity, and for this reason, his death carries a dual value:
As physical testimony of national unity — he fought for Shkodra as he would for Gjirokastra, because for him, Albania was a single body;
As a moral testament for future generations — he sought no division, but union; no personal glory, but honor for the nation.
Therefore, he should not only be remembered on commemorative dates, but archived in the collective consciousness as a permanent moral and civic leader.
His Value for Younger Generations and the Albanian Diaspora
Çerçiz Topulli remains a figure with extraordinary potential to inspire younger generations growing up in a rootless world, often disconnected from their history and identity. For the Albanian diaspora, he can serve as a point of orientation and pride, showing that belonging is not only language, but also memory and moral obligation.
It is recommended that:
His figure be promoted in Albanian cultural centers abroad;
Be included in Albanian-language educational materials for diaspora children;
Serve as a unifying figure for Albanians beyond state borders, just as he envisioned.
Comparative Analysis: Çerçiz Topulli in the Balkan and European Context
When comparing Çerçiz to other European figures who fought for freedom and national unity, he emerges as one of the few who:
Did not seek personal power, but left his actions as a legacy;
Operated on the ground, close to the people, not from bureaucratic offices;
Maintained ethical, not only political, positions.
In this context, he stands alongside figures like:
Giuseppe Garibaldi in Italy;
Andon Çako in Bulgaria;
Sándor Petőfi in Hungary;
Karađorđe Petrović in Serbia.
But unlike many of them, Çerçiz remained a pure figure, not compromised by major political interests or foreign powers.
Çerçiz Topulli and the Current Crisis of Values
In a society where ideals are often replaced by narrow interests, and national identity is treated as a formal issue, the figure of Çerçiz Topulli offers a powerful moral counterweight. In a world searching for successful models of leadership and active citizenship, Çerçiz represents a model where physical courage coexists with moral wisdom — where the rifle is not fired for personal glory, but for the defense of language, dignity, and land.
Today, as Albanian identity faces challenges such as cultural globalization, assimilation through emigration, political fragmentation, and the lack of shared ideals, Çerçiz can be reconstructed as an educational figure for the moral orientation of society. He is not just a hero of the past, but a paradigm of national behavior that needs to be reawakened. Recommendations for the Institutionalization of Çerçiz Topulli’s Legacy
Based on all elements of the analysis, I recommend:
The establishment of an Institute for Renaissance Studies, where the works and figure of Çerçiz Topulli are continuously addressed through research projects and periodic publications;
The creation of a National Museum of the Renaissance Guerrilla Bands (Çetat e Rilindjes), where his figure holds the deserved place as leader, organizer, and visionary;
The designation of Çerçiz Topulli Day as a national commemorative date in Albania’s official calendar, with educational activities in schools and universities;
The development of documentaries and feature films that recreate his life, not as myth, but as a credible and human model for all generations.
Conclusion
The figure of Çerçiz Topulli embodies the essence of Albanian patriotism: an unconditional love, without borders or personal interests. He was not only a guerrilla leader but a silent philosopher of Albanianhood. Every one of his actions sprang from a consciousness that transcends time, power, and personal honor.
He understood that the homeland is not merely a geographical space, but a feeling, a responsibility, a mission. And for this mission, he lived, fought, and fell.
If we want to build an Albanian future based on values, there is no need to invent new models. It suffices to return to figures like Çerçiz Topulli — not to mythologize them, but to actualize them, to extract from their lives the lessons we lack today: unity, honesty, sacrifice, and dedication to a shared ideal.
Eternal glory to his name.
And always: Albania is our homeland wherever the Albanian language is spoken.
