Naum Veqilharxhi

Naum Veqilharxhi (December 6, 1797 in Bredh at Vithkuq, Korçë county, † 1846 in Istanbul) was an Albanian teacher, teacher, writer and politician. He came to prominence as proponents of Albanian independence from the Ottoman Empire a name and has published numerous educational and political writings and the first textbooks in the Albanian language.

Born in South-East Albanian village Bredh at Vithkuq in the region of Korca 1797 Veqilharxhi completed his studies in Romania, where he had emigrated in 1819 after the destruction of his village. In 1821 he took there in an uprising against the Ottoman Empire in part (so-called Wallachian uprising ). Later he worked as a lawyer in Brăila, where he probably lived until his death.

1845 was Veqilharxhi out the first Albanian primer entitled Evetar which, however, was still written with a borrowed from other languages ​​of the Balkans alphabet. Later, he was one of the founders of Albanian Culture Society in Bucharest. Throughout his life called the teacher Veqilharxhi the introduction of Albanian as the language of instruction in schools in his home country. Basically he wanted to be like many of his contemporaries and successors, the spread of education and the school system in Albania, where many, especially poor people were illiterate. Veqilharxhi expressed his liberal aspirations and ideas once in his company as follows: (. Culture can only be obtained in the native language ). " Kultura mouth të fitohet vetëm në gjuhën amtare "

Veqilharxhi was - probably by Orthodox Greeks - poisoned in 1846 in Istanbul.

Veqilharxhi pioneered the development of a modern Albanian language. He was regarded as a model for his successors, many intellectuals and politicians with nationalist ideas. This age until independence in 1912 is referred to in the Albanian historiography as Rilindja ( rebirth, Renaissance ).

Works (selection)

Naum Veqilharxhi devoted himself to the education system in the former Ottoman Albania.

• Evetar. Primer. Bucharest 1845

Source

• Miranda Vickers: Shqiptarët. Nje histori modern. Bota Shqiptare, 2008 ( Original title: The Albanians - A Modern History, translated by Xhevdet Shehu ), ISBN 978-99956-11-68-2, 1.5 Shfaqja e lëvizjes kulturore shqiptare, pp. 51-52.