Die Schlacht von Deciq
The legendary
Battle of Deçiq marked the beginning of the turning point for
Albanian liberty. It was in this battle that the Flag of Albania was raised for the first time after 442 years of Ottoman occupation. Before this battle, the Albanian flag was last flown in 1480, when the Castle of Shkodra had fallen to the Turks.
The battle took place in both towns of
Koplik (Albania) &
Tuzi (Montenegro). The main battle occurred in Koplik, however the victorious ending was sought in Tuzi. Tuzi is the town center for the region of
Malësia that lies within Montenegro, whereas the capital town for all of Malësia is Koplik. Malësia is simply translated to "The Great Highlands", which is a well depicted name due to the rough mountainous terrain within this region. The region of Malësia is mostly under the
Roman Catholic faith. The tribesman of Malësia are known as Malësor, meaning Highlander. The Malësori people were always a fiercely independent people, with very little suppression from any conquering armies
The main cause to the battle came from the disrespect of the Ottoman government on the Albanian people. The Albanian highlanders (Malësorët) were tricked by the
Young Turks. The Turks promised them independence and freedom only if the Albanians disarmed their weapons. The Albanians trusted the Turks, thinking they would imply the freedom that they longed hoped for. Instead, after the disarming, the Turks started to oppress them like never before.
The backstabbing actions committed by the Turks only infuriated the Albanians and led them to a state of seeking revenge. The highlanders decided to wage a battle against the "Young Turk" regime lead by the infamous leader himself, Shefqet Turgut Pasha. The Albanians, on the other hand, had their own leaders named
Ded Gjo Luli Dedvukaj, from the
Hoti tribe, and
Sokol Baci Ivezaj, from the
Gruda tribe. This very battle happened to determine the independence for the region of
Malësia, as well the spark to
Albanian Independence. The number of soldiers of both combatatting parties are unknown, but both were indicated in the mid-thousands. It was more likely that the Turks had more soldiers.
The main portion of the battle took place in
Koplik (Albania), where the Malësors went against thousands of Turks. Koplik is the largest town in Malësia, right across the border with Montenegro is
Tuzi. During the battle, the women and children were sent to the dark woods within Malësia to keep away from the battle scene and protection from any wandering Turks.
As the fighting proceeded, both armies decided to move north into the town of Tuzi, where the battle ended. It was in this town, where the Albanian flag was raised on the mountain top of Deciq, claiming the victory