FILLIMET E INTERESIMIT TË AUSTRISË (AUSTRO-HUNGARISË) PËR ÇËSHTJEN SHQIPTARE
BEGINNING OF AUSTRIA’S (AUSTO-HUNGARY’S) INTEREST ON ALBANIAN ISSUE

Summary/Abstract: In the twentieth century, Ottoman government didn’t recognize the right for education in mother language for subordinated population, including here Albanians. However, it recognized foreign countries the right to open their schools within their territories. This right was used also by the Viennese government, which beginning from the fifties of the nineteenth century started to open its schools in Albania. Initially in these schools lessons were held in Italian language, since those were catholic schools and as such the learning language was Italian. In Vienna’s interest was to gain the sympathy of Albanian popu-lation, since it was aiming to expand its sphere of influence in Balkan Peninsula. In order to achieve this goal, it decided to set Albanian lan-guage in schools financed by it. Since 1861, Albanian language would be more and more present in catholic schools financed by the Hap-sburg Empire in Albania. At the other hand, this action was in the inte-rest of Albanian National Movement. Schools in Albanian language were lacking and development of Albanian language even in religious schools would felicitate the development of this language. These rights (Kultusprotektoratin) Vienna has provided by su-ccessive agreements it had signed with the Government of Istanbul. From the middle of the nineteenth century Austria started to use them more and more. Continuous financial support which Vienna would give regar-ding the development of Albanian education and culture, naturally led to the friendship between Albanian population and Austro-Hungarian government, which continued until the dissolution of this Empire by the end of the First World War.

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