Haxhi Zeka

Haxhi Zeka
Picture of Haxhi Zeka (sitting in the middle) with Ali Pasha of Gucia (sitting, first from the left) with some other members of Prizren League
Born	December 20, 1832 Shoshan, Ottoman Empire (now Shoshani, Tropojë, Albania)
Died	February 21, 1902
Nationality	Ottoman
Occupation	Teacher then commander and leader
Years active	1880-1902
Known for	Fighting Montenegrin forces in Plava and Gucia
Notable work	Cooperated closely with Ali Pashe of Gucia

Haxhi Zeka (Turkish: Haci Zeka; 20 December 1832-21 February 1902) was an Albanian nationalist leader, a member of the League of Prizren, while in 1899 he was part of the establishment and leadership of the League of Peja, another organization seeking autonomy for Albania within the Ottoman Empire. Zeka was assassinated by a Serbian agent in 1902 with the backing of the Ottoman authorities.

Zeka was born on 20 December 1832 in the village of Shoshani (now in Tropojë), from where his family moved to Peć, in the Kosovo Vilayet. He was one of the organizers of the League of Prizren and one of the determined fighters for Albania's autonomy and protection of the integrity of its territory. The Assembly of the first League was held on June 10, 1878, where he was elected member of its Central Committee. He was a military commander, in charge of the forces of the League in action in Gjakova in September 1878 against Mehmet Ali Pasha. Besides other political and military leaders the league struggled in late 1879 and early 1880 for the protection of Plav and Gusinje against the forces of Montenegro. In the spring of 1881 he took part in battles against the army of Dervish Pasha.

In 1884-85, together with Kadri Bajri and Sulejman Vokshi, Haxhi Zeka led anti-Ottoman uprisings, in order to create autonomy. In 1893, Haxhi Zeka and Bajram Curri organized the uprisings in Peć, Gjakova and other regions of Kosovo against the political and economic injustices of the Ottoman Empire. For his patriotic activities in 1893, he was summoned to Istanbul where he was held under arrest until 1896.