Cham Albanians - History

History

Timeline of Cham history
Chronology Events
1358 The Despotate of Arta is established by Peter Losha, an Albanian tribesman.
1380 Gjon Zenebishi, born in Vagenetia, forms the Principality of Gjirokastër, which incorporates the northern part of the Chameria region.
1414 The region falls under Ottoman and Venetian control.
16th century The process of Islamization begins among the Albanians, but initially makes little headway.
1622 A group of Albanian origin, the Souliotes, form a confederation in the mountains of Souli, resisting Ottoman troops.
18th and 19th centuries Widespread Islamization of the population occurs, and the majority of Albanians become Muslims by the late 19th century.
1792–1803 Ali Pasha, who had incorporated all of Epirus into his pashalik, declares war on the Souliotes. The Souliotes are able to resist for nine years, but are eventually defeated and evicted from Souli. The survivors of the population are evacuated to the Ionian islands.
1821–1829 The Greek War of Independence. Revolutionary General of the Greek Army, Markos Botsaris, was ordered by the provisional Greek government to convince the Muslim Chams to join the Greek cause but without success.
1827 The former bishop of Paramythia, Grigorios, translates the New Testament into Albanian, as his flock could not understand the first century Greek of the New Testament well.
1878 The Albanian National Awakening begins. A separatist Albanian movement, the League of Prizren, is established, and names Abedin Dino and Osman Taka as leaders of the local branches in Chameria.
1879 Father Stathi Melani opens the first Albanian-language school of the region in Sagiada.
1912–1913 The Balkan Wars. Epirus is annexed by the Greece. Albania declares its independence from the Ottoman Empire, asking for sovereignty over the whole region of Epirus. Six Cham delegates from Chameria and Ioannina sign the declaration. The Treaty of London gives the majority of Chameria to the Kingdom of Greece, with only a few villages going to Albania.
1922 During the Greek-Turkish population exchange, a few thousands of Cham Albanians leave Chameria. 16,000 Greek refugees are settled in the region.
1926 Albanians are officially recognized as a minority, and are promised compensation for their land and Albanian-language schools.
1927 The new Greek government passes a law that deprives minorities, including Chams, from citizenship, rescinding the earlier concessions.
1928 More than 100 village names are changed to Greek in the prefectures of Thesprotia, Preveza and Ioannina.
1935 Albania and Greece sign an agreement that would allow the creation of Albanian-language schools for the Chams. This agreement too was nullified as a dictatorial regime took power in Greece.
1939 Following the Italian annexation of Albania in March, Albanian conscripts in the Greek Army are disarmed and put to construction work, while others are sent to internal exile in the Aegean Islands.
1940 Italy invades Greece, but is repelled. In April 1941, the German Army conquers Greece.
1941–1944 The Axis Occupation of Greece. Several hundred Muslim Chams actively collaborated with the occupation forces. Another part joined the Resistance in both Albania and in Greece (from May 1944).
1944–1945 Following the withdrawal of German forces, the majority of the Muslim Chams fled or were expelled into Albania by the forces of the right-wing National Republican Greek League.
1946 The Chams are organized as refugees in Albania, and petition unsuccessfully for return to their homeland.
1952 Greece confiscates Cham properties and nullifies their citizenship. The Communist government in Albania gives them compulsory Albanian citizenship.
1991 The National Political Association "Çamëria", a pressure group advocating the return of the Chams to Greece, is established.
1994 Albania passes a law declaring the June 27 The Day of Greek Chauvinist Genocide Against the Albanians of Chameria.
1999 Albania and Greece agree to create a bilateral commission, focusing only about the property issue as a technical problem. It has not yet functioned.
2004 Chams create the Party for Justice and Integration to represent their interests in Albanian politics.
2011 Chams create the PDIU as 2 cham partys where merged.

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