Isa Boletini

Isa Boletini in 1914

Isa Boletini (15 January 1864 - 23 or 24 January 1916), Hero of Kosovo and Hero of Albania, was a prominent Albanian patriot, strategist, military leader, visionary and believer in fair pacifism who fought for the remaining of Kosovo within Albania. Isa was born in Boletin, Zvečan, his real name was Isa Shala. Isa joined the Albanian Prizren League forces when he was only 17, and fought in the battle of Slivova against Ottoman forces. Later, Boletini became a major figure of Albanian resistance against the Ottomans, Serbia and Montenegro.

Sourced

• The Turk is cruel, but he is perfectly stupid , and is no match for the sagacious Albanian.
  • New York Times (September 12th, 1912) [1].

• "When the spring comes, we will manure the plains of Kosova with the bones of Serbs, for we Albanians have suffered too much to forget." — Isa Boletini, Albanian leader 1913
  • Paulin Kola: The search for Greater Albania. Hurst, London 2003, ISBN 1-85065-664-9, S. 4. Page 1.

• In March 1913, Boletini accompanied Ismail Qemal bey Vlora to London to seek British support for the new country. Historian Edwin Jacques reports the anecdote that “upon entering the British Foreign Office building to plead his nation’s cause, the security police asked him to remove the pistol from his belt and check it in the vestibule. He complied with no objection. Following the interview, the foreign secretary, Sir Edward Grey, accompanied Boletini to the vestibule where he put the pistol back in his belt. The foreign secretary remarked with a smile, ‘General, the newspapers might record tomorrow that Isa Boletini, whom even Mahmut Shefqet Pasha could not disarm, was just disarmed in London.’ Boletini replied with a broad smile, ‘No, no, not in London either,’ and he withdrew from his pocket a second pistol.”
  • 1912 Aubrey Herbert Meeting with Isa Boletini