Essad Pasha Toptani

Essad Pasha Toptani
4th Prime Minister of Albania
In office 5 October 1914 – 23 February 1916
Preceded by	Turhan Pashë Përmeti
Succeeded by	Turhan Pashë Përmeti
Personal details
Born	c. 1863 Tirana, Ottoman Empire
Died	13 June 1920 Paris, France
Religion	Sufi Islam
Military service
Allegiance	Ottoman Empire
Service/branch	Ottoman Army

Essad Pasha Toptani or Esad Pasha Toptani (Albanian: Esad Pashë Toptani; c. 1863 – 13 June 1920), primarily known as Essad Pasha, was an Ottoman army officer who served as Albanian deputy in the Ottoman parliament. He was a prominent politician in the early 20th century Albania. Toptani cooperated with the Balkan League after the Balkan Wars and established a state in central Albania, based in Durrës, called the Republic of Central Albania. He held the title of Pasha of the Ottoman Empire.

Essad Pasha was born in 1863 in Tirana, Ottoman Empire (today Republic of Albania) the son of Ali Bey Toptani and Vasfije Alizoti. He belonged to prominent landowning family Toptani which founded contemporary Tirana. In 1908, having served as gendarmerie commander in Janina, he joined the Young Turks and became a member of the Turkish parliament as the deputy of Durrës.

During the Albanian Revolt of 1912 Essad Pasha Toptani obliged himself to organize the uprising in Central Albania and Mirdita. On January 30, 1913, Hasan Riza Pasha, commander of Shkodër, was ambushed and killed by Osman Bali and Mehmet Kavaja, two Albanians who were servants of Essad Pasha. Riza Pasha wanted to keep up the defense of the besieged city, and after his death Essad Pasha continued his resistance until April 1913. He turned the fortress of Shkodër over to Montenegro, only in April 1913 after a prolonged war and great heroism of Albanian and Turkish soldiers. Essad Pasha was allowed in return to leave the town with his army and all their weaponry to become involved in the struggle over power in central Albania.

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