THE ALBANIAN MYTH FROM WILLIAM MAXWELL (ALBANIA – GREECE)
American Chronicle
October 05, 2009
Australian Macedonian Advisory Council
With a great surprise we read some amazing historical quotes that
concern various periods from European history that derives from
Prof. William Maxwell and can be found in the article "Journey to
Albania" ().
These quotes read:
"The Albanians are universally acknowledged as the descendants of the
Illyrians who gave the world Alexander the Great, Emperor Constantine,
several other Roman and Byzantine Emperors, one of the popes of the
Roman Catholic Church, several Grand Vizirs of the Ottoman Empire,
Muhammad Ali Pasha, father of modern Egypt, Mustafa Kemal Ataturk,
founder of modern Turkey, as well as Mother Teresa destined for
sainthood because of her services to the poor of India. Albania
was also the only country in Europe that protected all the Jews,
i.e. the only European country where the Jewish population was
increased during WWII."
I will try to analyze step by step the accuracies of the above
quote. Not all of them because I am not expert of all these that
William Maxwell wrote such as the Ottoman history.
"Albanians are universally acknowledged as the descendants of the
Illyrians….."
This myth systemically cultivated from known Albanian centres that
promote the historical revisionism and extreme nationalism in the
Balkans. Albanians are not universally acknowledged as the descendants
of the Illyrians. This confirms from several studies and works such
as ´Illyrians´ by John Wilkes, several works from the expert of
the Albanian history Mrs Miranda Vickers, Albanian identities: myth
and history by Stephanie Schwandner-Sievers and Bernd Jurgen Fischer,
global wide collectively works such as the ancient, modern and medieval
history of the Cambridge and Oxford Universities e.t.c.
And finally: "…Albanians are universally acknowledged…who gave
the world Alexander the Great…"
This is one from the most historical with the FYROM argument that
Alexander The Great was of Slavonic origin. Thousands of historical
works and many writers (Hammond, Worthington, Borza, Stoneman, Ulrich
Wilcken e.t.c.) have agreed that Alexander The Great was born in
July 356 (Arr. 7.28.1, Plut. Alex. 3.5), was the son of Macedonian
Philip´s fourth wife Olympias, a princess from Epirus, situated to
Macedon´s west. None of them mention that Alexander was Illyrian,
and the most inaccurate – Albanian ()
as William Maxwell quoted. Macedonians according the same sources
were a mix of Greek and older ancient tribes or were just Greek
or of unknown origin (Borza). Epirotans according the same sources
were Greeks and the most known tribe was the Mollosian. None of them
mention Illyrian or Albanian.
"Albanians are universally acknowledged…who gave…Emperor
Constantine, several other Roman and Byzantine Emperors (were
Albanians)".
Emperor Constantine and several other Roman and Byzantine Emperors
were not Albanians, as William Maxwell claims. Byzantine Dynasties
were Greek, Armenian, Roman, Anatolian origin. This is also confirmed
from many writers and experts of the Byzantine history like George
Ostrogorski, Paul Stephenson, Cyril Mango, Joan Hussey, John Norwich
as also from global wide collectively works like European medieval
history of the Cambridge, Oxford and Michigan Universities e.t.c..
"Albanians are universally acknowledged…who gave…pope in the
Roman Catholic Church…"
Catholic Encyclopaedia (), the same
source used by William Maxwell doesn´t even mention that any one of
the Popes was Albanian!
" Albania was also the only country in Europe that protected all the
Jews, i.e. the only European country where the Jewish population was
increased during WWII…"
At the 30s and 40s and according the Albanian sources only 200 Jews
lived! Jewish population actually grew during the Axis occupation; it
is estimated that there were 1800 Jews in Albania at the end of war but
th was expelled from the country at the Nazis concentration´s camp.
Albania at the WWII also as is known was allied of the fascist Italy
and thousands Albanians were enlisted in the known SS regiments
(SS Division Skanderbeg and Handschar Division.
CONCLUSION
There is an Illyrian myth, with which Albanian culture has been
flirting for at least 150 years, and as a myth it can’t be questioned
for it has all the answers. There is also a very tentative Illyrian
science, based mainly on archaeology, and on some data transmitted
by Ancient Greek and Roman Historians. Those who are ready to accept
that Illyrians and Albanians were one people should have a look at
the Messapic inscriptions, in Puglia. These inscriptions show that the
Illyrian question is extremely complicated, and that it isn’t likely
to be resolved, unless fundamental epigraphic discoveries are made.
In the real world there are no examples of ancient Illyrian
literature surviving (aside from the Messapian writings if they can
be considered Illyrian), it is difficult to clarify its place within
the Indo-European language family. Albanians first appear in the
historical record in Byzantine sources of the late 11th century. At
this point, they are already fully Christianized. Very little evidence
of pre-Christian Albanian culture survives, and Albanian mythology
and folklore as it presents itself is notoriously amalgamated from
various sources; showing in particular Greek influence. Albanians
are and have been referred to by other terms as well. Some of them are:
ArbÃ"r, ArbÃ"n, ArbÃ"reshÃ"; the old native term denoting ancient and
medieval Albanians and sharing the same root with the latter. At the
time the country was called ArbÃ"r (Gheg: ArbÃ"n) and ArbÃ"ria (Gheg:
ArbÃ"nia). This term is still used for the Albanians that migrated
to Italy during the Middle Ages.
Arnauts; old term used mainly from Turks and by extension by European
authors during the Ottoman Empire. A derivate of ArbÃ"r, Albanian.
Skipetars; the historical rendering of the ethnonym rs) in use from
the 18th century (but probably earlier) to the present, the literal
translation of which is subject of the eagle. The term Å iptari is
a derivation used by Yugoslavs which the Albanians consider derogatory.
There is not any historical record as regards the connection of
the Illyrians (that were last mentioned in 7th century AD, during
the Slavic migration to the Balkans) and Albanians. Also, there is
no linguistic connection of the unknown Illyrian language with the
Albanian language.
Prof. William Maxwell must be more cautious when writing articles
regarding history, as he is not a historical expert. There isn´t much
difference between historical revisionism and historical ignorance;
and this concludes to the legitimate scholastic correction of existing
knowledge about an historical event, or to the illegitimate distortion
of historical records.
Revised from:
m/2009/10/historical-revisionism-or-historical.htm l
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