Editing Zog I (section)

==Relations with Italy==

The fascist government of [[Benito Mussolini]]'s Italy had supported Zog since early in his presidency; that support had led to increased Italian influence in Albanian affairs. The Italians compelled Zog to refuse to renew the [[First Treaty of Tirana]] (1926), although Zog still retained British officers in the [[Royal Albanian Gendarmerie|Gendarmerie]] as a counterbalance against the Italians, who had pressured Zog to remove them.

During the [[Great Depression|worldwide depression]] of the early 1930s, Zog's government became almost completely dependent on Mussolini. Grain had to be imported, many Albanians emigrated, and Italians were allowed to settle in Albania. In 1932 and 1933, Albania could not pay the interest on its loans from the Society for the Economic Development of Albania, and the Italians used this as a pretext for further dominance. They demanded that Tirana put Italians in charge of the Gendarmerie, join Italy in a customs union, and grant the Italian Kingdom control of Albania's sugar, telegraph, and electrical monopolies. Finally, Italy called for the Albanian government to establish teaching of the [[Italian language]] in all Albanian schools, a demand that was swiftly refused by Zog. In defiance of Italian demands, he ordered the national budget to be slashed by 30 percent, dismissed all Italian military advisers, and nationalized Italian-run Roman Catholic schools in the north of Albania to decrease Italian influence on the population of Albania. In 1934, he tried without success to build ties with [[French Third Republic|France]], [[Nazi Germany|Germany]], and the [[Balkan states]]. Albania then drifted back into the Italian orbit.<ref name="DeGrand">{{citation|jstor=40110895 | publisher=Taylor & Francis, Ltd|issn =1749-6985|oclc=123562997| date=Sep 2007|title=The International History Review|author=Alexander De Grand| journal=Intellectual History Review|pages=655–657|volume=29|issue=3}}</ref>

Two days after the birth of Zog's son and heir apparent, on 7 April 1939 ([[Good Friday]]), Mussolini's [[Italian invasion of Albania|Italy invaded]], facing no significant resistance. The Albanian army was ill-equipped to resist, as it was almost entirely dominated by Italian advisors and officers and was no match for the Italian Army. The Italians were, however, resisted by small elements in the gendarmerie and general population. The royal family, realising that their lives were in danger, fled into exile, taking with them a considerable amount of gold from the [[National Bank of Albania|National Bank]] of [[Tirana]] and [[Durrës]].<ref name="Life">{{citation|access-date=11 October 2013|publisher=Life|title=Royal Claimants| url = https://books.google.com/books?id=IT8EAAAAMBAJ&q=king+zog+gold+took+money&pg=PA98| page = 98|date=24 June 1957}}</ref><ref name="Saltmarshe">{{citation|author=Douglas Saltmarshe| url=https://books.google.com/books?id=_9KFAAAAMAAJ&q=king+zog+gold+took+money| access-date = 2011-10-13| title=Identity in a Post-Communist Balkan State: An Albanian Village Study| page=56|publisher=Ashgate Pub Ltd|date=2001| isbn=978-0754617273}}</ref> Since the royal family had expected an Italian invasion, the gathering of gold had started in advance.<ref>{{citation|access-date=11 October 2013|language=sq| title=Në kërkim të arit| trans-title= In search of Gold| author=Ksenofon Krisafi| url= https://books.google.com/books?id=7ylDAQAAIAAJ&q=mbreti+zog+franga+ar| isbn=978-9994357581| publisher=Dita 2000|year=2008}}</ref> "Oh God, it was so short" were King Zog's last words to Geraldine on Albanian soil. Mussolini declared [[Italian protectorate of Albania (1939–1943)|Albania a protectorate]] under Italy's King [[Victor Emmanuel III]]. While some Albanians continued to resist, "a large part of the population ... welcomed the Italians with cheers", according to one contemporary account.<ref>{{Cite news|title=Fascist Soldiers Take over Tirana (...)|newspaper=[[The New York Times]]|location=[[New York City]]|page=33|date=9 April 1939|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1939/04/09/archives/fascist-soldiers-take-over-tirana-bersaglieri-on-motorcycles-are.html?sq=Fascist+Soldiers+Take+over+Tirana&scp=1&st=p|access-date=14 July 2011}}</ref>