Royal Fraud: The Story of Albania’s First and Last King

This book tells the story of Albania's first and only monarch, King Zog I, who became Europe's youngest president in 1925 and king in 1928. He craved the throne to impress his mother and give his sisters an easy social rise, but his accomplishments were meagre. He spent most of his time keeping up appearances as a monarch, and his one great success was having almost all his opponents assassinated. He was ousted in 1939 by his friend Mussolini, leaving Albania almost as he found it, uneducated and impoverished.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 158 pages
Publication date: 01 March 2024
Publisher: Central European University Press

This captivating book, which begins its narrative in 1961, when Albanian King Zog I passed away in a Paris hospital after 22 years in exile, delves into the colorful story of this Balkan country's first and only monarch. The road to becoming Europe's youngest president in 1925 and then king of Albania in 1928 was paved with feuds and assassinations, a common political career path in the region. King Zog craved the throne for several reasons, including the fact that the Balkans were mostly ruled by kings and his desire to impress his mother and provide his six sisters with an easy social rise.

Once crowned, King Zog's accomplishments were decidedly modest. He spent most of his time maintaining appearances as a monarch, despite the obvious fraud he had imposed on an illiterate and uninterested population. His one great success was that he had almost all his opponents assassinated, usually in broad daylight abroad.

Zog retained his power until his friend Mussolini ousted him in 1939. On the surface, a Westernizer, this self-proclaimed ruler left Albania almost as he found it, with almost no roads or trains, thoroughly uneducated, and utterly impoverished.

In his book, Robert Austin combines King Zog's adventurous life story with a scholarly analysis of Albania's political history from the fall of the Ottoman Empire to the threshold of Euro-Atlantic integration. This captivating work provides a deep insight into the complex and fascinating history of this little-known country, offering a valuable perspective on its past and its place in the world.

Weight: 222g
Dimension: 229 x 152 x 9 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9789633867105