Albanian Kingdom (1939–1943)

Albanian Kingdom
Regno Albanese Mbretëria Shqiptare
Protectorate and dependency of Italy
1939–1943
Flag Royal coat of arms
Motto "FERT"
Anthem Himni i Flamurit Hymn to the Flag Royal anthem Marcia Reale d'Ordinanza Royal March of Ordinance
The Albanian Kingdom in 1942
Capital		Tirana
Languages		Albanian Italian
Religion		Sunni Islam Bektashism Roman Catholicism Albanian Orthodoxy
Government		Fascist one-party state under constitutional monarchy
King
•	1939–1943	Victor Emmanuel III
Lieutenant-General
•	1939–1943	Francesco Jacomoni
•	1943	Alberto Pariani
Prime Minister
•	1939–1941	Shefqet Vërlaci
•	1941–1943	Mustafa Merlika-Kruja
•	1943	Eqrem Libohova
•	1943	Maliq Bushati
Legislature		Parliament
Historical era		Interbellum · World War II
•	Italian invasion	7 April 1939
•	Italian capitulation	8 September 1943
Currency		Franga (1939–1941) Italian lira (1941–1943)
Preceded by Succeeded by Kingdom of Albania (1928–39) Kingdom of Yugoslavia Albanian Kingdom (1943–44)
Today part of		Albania  Kosovo  Serbia  Montenegro  Macedonia

The Albanian Kingdom (Gheg Albanian: Mbretnija Shqiptare, Standard Albanian: Mbretëria Shqiptare, Italian: Regno albanese), also known as Greater Albania, existed as a protectorate of the Kingdom of Italy. It was practically a union between Italy and Albania, officially led by Italy's King Victor Emmanuel III and its government: Albania was led by Italian governors, after being militarily occupied by Italy, from 1939 until 1943. During this time, Albania ceased to exist as an independent country and remained as an autonomous part of the Italian Empire led by Italian government officials, who intended to make Albania part of a Greater Italy by assimilating Albanians as Italians and colonizing Albania with Italian settlers from the Italian Peninsula to transform it gradually into an Italian land.

In the Treaty of London during World War I, the Triple Entente had promised Italy central and southern Albania as a possession as a reward for fighting alongside the Entente. In June 1917, after Italian soldiers seized control of substantial areas of Albania, Italy formally declared a protectorate over central and southern Albania; however this was overturned in September 1920 when Italy was pressured to remove its army from Albania. Italy was enraged with the minimal gains that she received from peace negotiations, which she regarded as having violated the Treaty of London. Italian Fascists claimed that Albanians were ethnically linked to Italians through links with the prehistoric Italiotes, Illyrian and Roman populations, and that the major influence exerted by the Roman and Venetian empires over Albania justified Italy's right to possess it. Italy also justified the annexation of Albania on the basis that because several hundred thousand people of Albanian descent had been absorbed into society in southern Italy already, that the incorporation of Albania was a reasonable measure that would unite people of Albanian descent into one state. Italy supported Albanian irredentism, directed against the predominantly Albanian-populated Kosovo in Yugoslavia and Epirus in Greece, particularly the border area of Chameria, inhabited by the Cham Albanian minority.