Mbret
| King of Albania | |
|---|---|
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| Details | |
| Style | His Majesty |
| Last monarch |
Zog I (fully recognized) Vittorio Emanuele III (partly recognized) |
| Formation | 7 March 1914 |
| Abolition | 11 January 1946 |
| Residence |
Royal Palace of Durrës Royal Palace of Tirana |
| Appointer | Hereditary |
| Pretender(s) | Leka II |
While the medieval Angevin Kingdom of Albania was a monarchy, it did not encompass the entirety of the modern state of Albania. The latter has been a kingdom on two occasions. The first time was after it declared independence in 1912.
The Albanian Congress of Trieste of 1913 discussed about the future prince and several candidates came through: Baron Franz Nopcsa von Felső-Szilvás, Marchese D'Auletta (claiming descendance from Skanderbeg) with the support of the Arbereshe delegates and Italy, Prince Albert Ghica from Romania supported by the Albanian colony there, and Aladro Kastriota.
Under the independence settlement imposed by the Great Powers, the country was styled a principality, and its ruler, William of Wied (Wilhelm zu Wied in German), was given the title of sovereign prince. However, these styles were only used outside the country. In Albanian, William was referred to by the title mbret, or king. This was because many local nobles already had the title of prince (princ, prinq, or prenk in various Albanian dialects), and because domestically the Albanian sovereign could not be seen as holding a title inferior to that of the King of Montenegro. Prince William's full style was:
By the grace of the powers and the will of the people the Prince of Albania.
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Wikipedia