The War of Vranina and the heroic act of Oso Kuka

Oso Kuka's name is Osman Bejtullah age Kuka and he was born in Shkodër, around 1820, in a family of knights with early origins from Kukësi. The house of ghosts became known to Ibrahim Kuka, the grandfather of Osos, who in 1802 was equipped with a timar for military services, the income of which was extracted in kind from the villagers of Mes, Egërç, Lopç of Rranxave of Mbishkodra. On the basis of the sultanic decrees, Ibrahimi was appointed qehaja i kala, a rank that was compared to assistant commander or intendant. Beitullah aga Kuka was among the courtiers of the Vizier, Mustafa Pasha. Popular records show that the Bushatllin viziers kept the Kukei as their flag bearers. Jusuf aghe Kuka the second, brother of Osos, was in the administrative unit of Shkodra Vilayet in 1897. It appears that he was a company commander of the Reç e Lohe mountains. With the death of Ibrahimi, the above-mentioned timar in 1815 passed to the name of his son, Jusuf aghe Kukës, who also enjoyed the rank of qehaja for the reservists who served in the fort. Oso spent his youth for 27 years on the roads of Kurbet, in Anatolia, in Tarabulluz, in Aleppo and then in Rumeli. Finally, he crossed Dibra and several other Albanian villages. In 1859, he received the rank of captain and was assigned the duty of commander of the border guards at the time of Abdi Pashë Çekrezi. This task was assigned to him at the proposal of Hodo Sokol, at that time gendarmerie commander, being appointed captain of the guards on the Ottoman-Montenegro border, on the island of Vranina, north of Lake Shkodra.

From: Ndue Bacaj

The island of Vranina has existed at least since 2500 years ago. This is proven by the archaeological remains discovered long ago, but also by the oral traditions handed down to this day, which prove to us that there were two temples on the island of Vranina. The first temple is that of Teuta (the Illyrian queen) and the second temple was called "Slate of the White Star". The temples were located on two ridges of Vranina, and every spring the local residents and the surrounding areas of the lake (Shkodra) went up there and slaughtered cattle making sacrifices (ferliq), thus celebrating the arrival of spring. These rites belonged to the pagan rites that were inherited until recently after the birth of the Christian doctrine, which the Vraninas, like all other Illyrians, embraced without hesitation.

The name Vranin did not exist until "late" (XIII-XIV centuries). The island had the name "Eye of the Lake", where it is said that there was a fairly developed town that is thought to have been part of early Hoti. There are rumors that the parents of the Roman Emperor of Illyrian origin, Diocletian, lived temporarily in this town. The name Vranin is thought to have replaced the name "Eye of the Lake" when the Asian hordes attacked and destroyed this 2000-year-old "town". In addition to the damage to buildings and civilization, so many residents were killed in this town (who were protecting this Albanian territory) that it was called the "Eye of Blood".

The murders and horrors continued even after the Ottoman occupation, but above all it became a center where the Ottomans gathered and killed all opponents of the empire, be they Albanians or other Balkans. This place already began to be known by the name of the place where people were killed, even for short it was called Vra-njerez, until it took the forms of the united name Vranierz, which gradually Ottoman writers, who generally paid as such Slavic wage earners (shkje), and transformed into the well-known name Vranina, thus giving it the forms of a Slavic word that the Montenegrin neighbors later used as an argument to convince Europe that this strategic island belongs to them, which the Turks allegedly "Albanianized" over the centuries .

The island of Vranina was a wonderful place for the inhabitants in all seasons, where autumn had wonderful climatic values. Also, it was a convenient fishing spot and checkpoint of the military "garrisons" of the lake and surrounding areas. Of course, the Ottoman conqueror also used this island as an important military "point", making the relevant constructions...

The 1862th century with its developments put the Albanians more than ever between two fires: the invading Ottoman Empire and the reawakening of the predatory greed of the Slavic neighbors. The Asian empire in the XNUMXth century was in fact introduced to itself in the middle of many fires, such as the liberation wars of the peoples who sought freedom and the European powers that were in constant danger of its collapse. Under these conditions, the Ottomans began to yield to many of Europe's demands. Russia, as one of the great powers, strongly supported its brothers, the Slavs of the Balkans and the neighbors of the Albanians, to expand their territories from the fat parts of European Turkey, which were actually parts of ethnic Albania. Under these conditions, the neighboring Montenegrins sought to benefit as much as possible from the lands of Northern and Northwestern Albania. Precisely, in order to realize these predatory goals, in June XNUMX the Montenegrins set their sights on the strategic and wonderful island of Vranina. The military preparations and the help from Russia for Kral Nikola had been carried out and the attack on Vrania was expected from moment to moment, but for this the "cause" had to be found, which of course was invented without delay.

The reason was banal and it was said that the women of the Czechs who lived in a village not far from Vranina, when they went to their gender in another village, the border soldiers (guards) of Vranina robbed and raped them, where to present it with notes as more realistically, I'm quoting a few lines from the book "Shkodra and Motet" of H. Bushat, vol. I, p. 512, where among other things we read:

"... The locals of Lesandra (Leshandrës, NB) and those of Liubotina had quarrels between them, when they went to sex, on their way back they were escorted to their homes. In these cases, some soldiers of Oso Kuka would take the perpeques from the women who were returning to their homes. The men of these families considered this act of the Albanians a matter of honor... For the Montenegrins, it was a pretext for the property kidnapped by the Albanians; their main goal was the conquest of Vranina, because the island of Vranina was almost completely separated from Shkodra...".

In fact, according to the documents of the time, we think that Oso Kuka was the commander of the border guards at that time and for the complaint of the Liubotinas he had taken the necessary measures to never repeat it again, although this could have been some "improvisation" of the Montenegrins themselves. However, the Montenegrins start looting and reprisals on the population of Vranina. The border guards and locals found it impossible to withstand the Cubans and the Montenegrin soldiers. Avdi Pasha (the ruler of Shkodra who is said to be the grandson of the door of the Karaggiorjas of Belgrade) had no intention of sending soldiers of the Empire to the defense of Vranina, but he called Oso Kuka in Shkodra and told him that now that you are here, the Montenegrins with top Vulo Serdar, in Vranina they are killing, cutting and wreaking havoc, while there is no Albanian who goes to become master of this country. I am presenting this dramatic "situation" between the brave Albanian commander Oso Kukë and Avdi Pasha (the ruler of Shkodra) with the wonderful verses of Father Gjergj Fishta in "Lute of Malcia", lines that don't need any comments:

"Lord, what did Avdi Pasha say:
then Albania was left in its infancy,
since I didn't let a boy in,
I left that Cloud today,
in that Cloud, in that pitch black,
where it remains desolate as a cruel weapon,
where it remains as barren as the ground,
where do you leave the fields without cattle,
apart from the Cubans of Montenegro,
that are killing young men,
who are taking cows with calves,
who are cutting the sheep with a knife,
that are burning towers and stanes,
my heart is so dry!
...
Oso Kuka has no idea:
I didn't feel it, yes, I kenka idhnue;
... But the wise man is never in a hurry
of manhood and not of tute,
... Avdi Pashë, he told me slowly
don't say that word twice
that for Dina and Ima,
make them smell black...
... Avdi Pasha kenka go
Osos has a hand in his hand,
approach, you Oso Kuka
that the word and the duke tell you,
that you have let a mountain falcon
choose where to be the point of the boy…”

And indeed, Oso Kuka chose brave and hawkish boys, from Shkodra, Mirdita, Dukagjini and especially from Malësia e Madhe. The group that he created was said to have 40 people who just looked at the mountain that didn't have a son and came forward. This is how Father Gjergj Fishta describes them in "Lute of Malcia", these brave men who were heading towards Vranina, where surely war and death awaited them, not a wedding:

"... Oso Kuka in a golden vest,
back and forth you are shopping,
next to him comes the sword of deka,
Our Soko of Guri t-Leka...
... Back goes the son of the good
Taro The Pigeon of Jugumir.
Then come two cruel clouds,
two boys from Zagore:
Kaçel Doda and Kerni Gila,
It grows like a carnation...
... Do you know the night of Kimezi,
who has a forehead like sin,
who has the goal as duhi
who has shoulders like gold?
He is Mar'Kol Din's Uncle
from Kabashi of Dukagjini...
... they gave me the same thing Jup Qehaja,
Galo Keqi and Sinanaja,
Vuksan Gjeli and Met Zeneli,
and among all the ways that light came in,
Preng Markola from Mirdite..."

And, in this way, all the brave men who left for Vranina were the most chosen of the chosen from the northern regions of Albania, who justified before the motherland the sacred duty of protecting every inch of land of ethnic Albania, and specifically of historical Vranina. In this holy war, hundreds of other brave mountaineers and beyond took part, where it is worth emphasizing the bravery of the mountaineers of Hoti and Gruda, who in May (1862) managed to cut off 30 heads of sheep and kill them in Shkodër. as a sign of bravery and endurance in defense of the Albanian lands that he was coveting, but also "paying" for them quite dearly.

However, Montenegro was already a state that Turkey had recognized as independent, and the Serbian brothers, especially the Russians, were close to them in their predatory intentions. Montenegro had an organized army in considerable numbers and a combat technique quite modern for the time, while the Albanians had an almost "spontaneous" organization that hindered the Ottomans more than it helped them. The only "element" that organized the Albanians was patriotism, the legacy of the ancestors for freedom and freedom, the dedication of our lands that were saturated with the blood of Albanians over the centuries..

Despite the unparalleled resistance of the Albanians, Vranina was falling into the hands of the Montenegrins. In these tragic moments, the brave Oso Kuka, together with about 30 men had passed the defense by entering the gunpowder tower. The tower was surrounded by about three thousand Montenegrin soldiers and officers; it is said that this army was printed by (Prince) Kral Nikola himself. The war broke out between the besieged Albanian resistance fighters and the Montenegrins, who called on them to surrender to the warriors led by Oso Kuka, but the brave men fought like mountain lions, in every turret and corner of the tower. Oso Kuka, although he was wounded, stood and gave courage to his comrades who already faced certain death. For these tragic moments, the people "keep" in their memory the brilliant folk verses that they attribute to one of the warriors of the tower singing on the lute, even though he was wounded:

... A handful of brave men in Vrania
The Ottomans don't want to know,
They fight with Prince and King,
With honor and faith for his own land...

At these moments, the ammunition was running out, hand-to-hand combat was impossible, then Osoja and his friends decided to blow up the gunpowder tower, where he would blow up not only himself and his friends, but hundreds of Montenegrins. Thus, it would give the Montenegrins a good lesson that the Albanian lands are not given up without paying for it in blood, while the brave Albanians never surrendered alive, but would die after washing themselves dozens of times.

After Osoja "allowed" the tower to have as many Montenegrins around it and at the door, the barot set fire to it. The tower exploded, taking with it about 200 Montenegrin soldiers and officers who, together with the brave Albanians themselves, fell into pieces, scattering on the land of Vranina and in the waters of the lake. The plume of smoke and flame was seen as far as the palaces of Cetina and Shkodra, while the explosion was heard even further to the palaces of the kingdoms of old Europe, showing that the Albanian lands have a lord, who does not let them go until they have Albanian feet. Oso Kuka and his fellow deka, with this act of self-sacrifice, showed the people of Montenegro that the Albanian lands have not been left nor will they ever be without a son in their heart who became their god, so Father Gjergj recites the words of dedication to the brave Oso Kuka addressed from the patriotic "heaven" to the people of Montenegro:

"Eni, Eni took off,
Come, come to Vranina,
Collect yourself through the slope of the stream
Come on! the courts of your sons;
Even teach the children after today
Don't covet Kastriot's land,
Why did they lie down, because God's faith!
The blood unit that Oso Kuka
Today, you have those sukas,
As for the king, as for the ancestors
The bike is among the Albanians."

Salë Behri, his grandson, died with Oso Kukë, who is said to have been quite young, 15-16 years old. Then Musa Golemi, Met Begoja, Ibrahim Kopliku, Pjetër Berisha, Jusuf Bushati, Met Mala, Sadik Lapi, Myrto Zylfoja, Ferid Hoti, Sali Sakica, Sinan Kerni, Gjergj Cemi (Grudjani), Avdi Hisa, Taro Pëllumbi, Mahmut Zyberi, Met Zeneli, Vuksan Gjeli, Gjeto Gruda, Mal Spahia, Galo Keqi, Çok Mark Kola (Dini), Preng Markola, Sokol Tona and two "cruel clouds" from Zagore (Great Highlands), Kaçel Doda and Kerni Gila, where the highlanders still today not only are they proud of these two heroes, but they also proudly show the lands where they were born... We obtained these names of unforgettable martyrs from some historical materials of the book "Shkodra and Motet", c. I, of H. Bushati, "Oso Kuka" of S. Krasniqi (historical novel), "Maltese Lute" of Father Gj. Fishtë, Sheets of records of the parish of Shkreli (Bzhetë), as well as the legends that circulate even today in Malësi and Montenegro.

The scholar and albanologist Franc Nopça also wrote about the war of Vranina and the brave act of Oso kuka with "his" braves. It is interesting that he "placed" the Vranina war in the month of September, and not in the month of June, when this war actually took place. He also writes that the defenders of Vranina were 28 brave men led by Oso Kuken (the Highland tribes of Northern Albania and their Customary Law). It is interesting that the records of the parish of Shkreli, which were destroyed in the madness of the communists in the years 1967-1968, recorded the names of two Zogorians as killed in the War of Vranina (June 1862), but unfortunately these historical materials no longer exist.

The Vranina War proved once again (like hundreds of times) that the Albanians, although they had different religious "beliefs", had only one faith to become the lord of the homeland, even with the most sublime sacrifice, together as Albanians united by Albanianism . Closing this commemorative writing of the War of Vranina, I cannot find more epitome words than the verses of the National Poet, Father Gj. Fish ("Maltese Lute"), where he "sings" about these heroes of Vranina:

"... Let it be easy for Ledina to fall on her head,
may the weather and the season be gentle,
snow, snow and serotina
until they sing on the mountain, go to the Fairy,
until there is water in the sea and it fell,
they eat until the sun shines,
may they never be forgotten,
in songs and dances, but they sang to them.
I know the blood they have somewhere,
God made it worth it
to warm the heart of the Albanian,
towards the country and language of the first…”

References:

1. Hamdi Bushati, "Shkodra and Weathers" Vol. I., Shkodër 1998, pp. 509-514.
2. Sulejman Krasniqi, "Oso Kuka" historical novel, Tirana 1990...
3. Gjergj Fishta, Lahuta e Malsië (third edition), Rome 1991, pp. 17-62.
4. Franc Nopça, Tribes of the Northern Highlands and their Customary Law, Tirana 2013, pp. 78-79.
5. Sheets of records of the parish of Shkreli (Bzheta) from the years 1860-1870.
6. Folklore collected by the author.