Prek Cali

Cali was born in Vermosh, part of the Kelmendi tribe, at the time part of the Scutari Vilayet (now northern Albania). He became the bajraktar ("flag-bearer") of Kelmendi.{{cite book|last=Neuwirth|first=Hubert|title=Widerstand und Kollaboration in Albanien 1939-1944|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Hs4hAQAAIAAJ&q=prenk+cali|year=2008|publisher=Harrassowitz Verlag|isbn=978-3-447-05783-7|page=216|quote=... Prenk Cali, dem Bajraktar von Vermosh...(Prenk Cali, the Bayraktar of Vermosh)}}

After the fall of Fan S. Noli's cabinet (1928), Cali came in conflict with King Ahmet Zogu.{{cite book| url=https://books.google.com/books?id=0WP5UXsrAP4C&pg=PA12| author=Zef Pllumi| page=12| title=Live to Tell: A True Story of Religious Persecution in Communist Albania| volume=1, 1944-1951| year=2008| publisher=IUniverse, Inc| isbn=978-0595452989| quote = ..and who had led Kelmendi people against the Montenegrins... He also led them in opposing King Zog, insisting that Kelmendi remain Kelmendi, without having to submit to anybody}} He led his tribe against Montenegrin forces.

At the beginning of World War II Prek Cali had between 200{{cite book|last=Borozan|first=Đorđe|title=Velika Albanija: poreklo - ideje - praksa|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=UFstAQAAIAAJ|year=1995|publisher=Vojnoizdavački insitut Vojske|page=503}} and 1,200{{cite book|location=Belgrade|title=Zbornik dokumenata i podataka o narodnooslobodilačkom ratu naroda Jugoslavija|year=1969|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=gJvzAAAAMAAJ|publisher=Vojnoistorijski institut|page=203|quote=...са Пренк Цалем налази се око Врмоше око 1.200 бораца}} armed men around Vermosh under his command. His forces took control over Plav and Gusinje in 1941, before Italian forces occupied it.{{cite book|last=Kostić|first=Dušan|title=Krajevi i ljudi|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=RH0-AAAAIAAJ|year=1954|publisher=Narodna knjiga|page=27}}

Cali participated in the Italian counter-offensive in August 1941, crushing the Uprising in Montenegro. Italian General Alessandro Pirzio Biroli reported that Albanian forces from Vermosh commanded by Cali supported Division Venezia that advanced from Podgorica to insurgent-controlled Kolašin and Andrijevica and re-occupied them despite fierce resistance.{{cite journal|last=Gobeti|first=Erik|title=CRNA GORA U OČIMA PIRCIJA BIROLIJA AVGUSTA 1941.|journal=Matica|issue=Winter 2011|page=445|url=http://www.maticacrnogorska.me/files/48/20%20pircio%20biroli.pdf|access-date=15 March 2014|publisher=Matica Crnogorska|language=Montenegrin}}

By the end of the war, the main military and political force of the country, the Albanian Communist Partisans, concentrated towards the north of Albania in order to destroy the anti-Communist forces and to eliminate their rivals. They met an open resistance in Nikaj-Mërtur (now in Tropojë District), Dukagjin and Kelmend, whose chieftains were openly anti-Communists. On 15 January 1945, a battle between the 1st Brigade Partisans (supported later by the 23rd and 24th brigades plus Yugoslav Partisan forces) and anti-Communist forces was fought at the Tamara Bridge. The Partisans had 52 losses. About 150 Kelmendi people were killed. Their leader Prek Cali was surrounded in a cave in Vukël for a week, after which he surrendered. He was executed by the Communists on the feast day of Palm Sunday.{{citation| url=https://books.google.com/books?id=cq7Md0pmam4C&pg=PA144| isbn= 978-3447047845|title=Geschichte der Katholischen Kirche in Albanien 1919-1993|page=144| author=Markus W. E. Peters| date=31 October 2003| publisher=Harrassowitz Verlag| quote=Und am 25 März, so der Päpstliche Gesandte, werden auf dem katholischen Friedhof der katholische Menschenrechtler Prek Cali und der Pfarrer Dom Ndre Zadeja zusammen mit drei muslimischen Intellektuellen der Stadt erschossen.(According to the envoys of the Pope, on March 25th the catholic human rights activist Prek Cali and the priest Dom Ndre Zadeja were shot on the catholic graveyard together with 3 of the town's Muslim intellectuals)}}{{unreliable source?|date=March 2016}}

After fall of communism in Albania, Prëk Cali was decorated and honored with the Medal "Martyr of Democracy" in 1993 by President of Albania Sali Berisha.{{citation| language=Albanian| access-date=2014-01-23| url=http://www.trepca.net/2005/07/050708_kk_historia_pavdekshme_baces_kelmendit_oreke_pjeter_cali.htm| publisher=Trepca.net| author=Klajd Kapinova| title=Historitë e pavdekshme të Bacës së Kelmendit Prekë Pjetër Cali (1872 - 1945)| date=8 July 2005| quote=...Martiri i Demokracisë: Prek Pjetri (Cali) Hasanaj...[Martyr of Democracy - Prek Pjeter (Cali) Hasanaj]| archive-date=7 March 2014| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140307013319/http://www.trepca.net/2005/07/050708_kk_historia_pavdekshme_baces_kelmendit_oreke_pjeter_cali.htm| url-status=dead}} Seven years later, in 2010, then-current President of Albania Bujar Nishani honored him with Order "Honor of Nation".{{citation| url=http://www.kosova.com/artikulli/96551| language=Albanian| access-date=2014-01-23| author=Frank Shkreli| title=Kelmendi, Nderi i Kombit| publisher=Kosova.com| trans-title=Kelmendi, Honor of the Nation| quote=Presidenti Nishani ia dorëzoi Këlmendit – fisit të luftëtarit legjendar Prek Cali - dekoratën Nderi i Kombit gjatë aktivitetit artistik dhe kulturor (President Nishani handed over the decoration Honor of the Nation to the Kelemendi - tribe of legendary fighter Prek Cali)| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140202181330/http://www.kosova.com/artikulli/96551| archive-date=2 February 2014| url-status=dead}} In 2000 the monument of Prek Cali was set put in Shkodër.{{cite video| url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oULH8ODOwfE| language=Albanian| title=Monumenti i Prek Calit Shkoder 2000-Fjala e Gjovalin Bzheta| trans-title=The monument of Prek Cali in Shkoder, 2000 - Gjovalin Bzheta's speech| people=Gjovalin Bzheta| medium=YouTube}}

Mehdi Frashëri, the Prime Minister of Albania's Quisling government under Nazi Germany, believed that after Cali's death, Albanian and Yugoslav communists disseminated stories about Prëk Cali being a fascist, enemy of Albania, and secret supporter of Chetniks. Frashëri believed such accounts were untrue because Cali and his whole family fought together with the Kelmendi tribe against 800 Serbian partisans, and in August 1912 protected the northern borders of Albania.{{cite book|author=Mehdi Frashëri|title=Kujtime: vitet 1913-1933|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=_3ktAQAAIAAJ|year=2005|publisher=OMSCA-1|page=185|isbn=9789992752609}} Luigj Martini also believes that the claims of cooperation between Chetniks and Cali is Albanian-Yugoslavian communist propaganda.{{sfn|Martini|2005|p=68}}

{{Commons category|Prek Cali}}

Mihailo Lalić (1914–1992) mentioned Cali in his short story Posljednje brdo (1967){{cite book|last=Lalić|first=Mihailo|author-link=Mihailo Lalić|title=Posljednje brdo: Pripovetke|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=T5lHAAAAMAAJ|year=1967|page=211|quote=... води Пренк Цал>о католике од Врмоше и Вусан>це да се нашьач^у и прославе; да иза н>их не заостане,}} and novel Pramen Tame (1979),{{cite book|last=Lalić|first=Mihailo|author-link=Mihailo Lalić|title=Pramen tame: roman|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=27QWAAAAMAAJ|year=1979|publisher=Nolit|page=44|quote=Lijevom stranom, Zeletinom, vodi Prenk Caljo klimenačke palikuće iz Vrmoše da se osvete što su dugih dvadeset godina bili prinuđeni da žive bez pljačke. }} and included him in his collection of memoirs.{{cite book|author=Mihailo Lalić|title=Sabrana dela Mihaila Lalića: . Dokle gora zazeleni|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=aspKAAAAMAAJ|year=1983|publisher=Nolit}}

{{reflist}}

• {{cite book|last=Blumi|first=Isa |title=Reinstating the Ottomans: Alternative Balkan Modernities, 1800-1912|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ca3IAAAAQBAJ&pg=PR16|year=2011|publisher=Palgrave Macmillan|isbn=978-0-230-11908-6}}
• {{cite book|last=Marović|first=Miodrag|title=Balkanski Džoker: Albanija i Albanci : istorijska hronika nastajanja i razvoja albanskog pitanja|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=bXMvAQAAMAAJ|year=1995|publisher=Kulturni centar|isbn=9788670040052}}
• {{cite book|last=Martini|first=Luigj|title=Prek Cali, Kelmendi dhe kelmendasit|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=9p-VGQAACAAJ|year=2005|publisher=Camaj-Pipaj|isbn=978-99943-34-07-0}}
• {{cite book|last1=Milovanović|first1=Nikola B.|last2=Kljaković|first2=Vojmir|title=Draža Mihailović|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=R_McAAAAMAAJ|year=1985|publisher=Centar za informacije i publicitet}}
• {{cite book|author=Narod andrijevičkog sreza |title=VATRE sa Komova: Narod andrijevičkog sreza u NOP 1941-1945|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=heJWNQAACAAJ|year=1978|publisher=Mjesni odbor SUBNORA-a}}
• {{cite book | last = Pajović | first = Radoje | year = 1987 | title = Pavle Đurišić | publisher = Centar za informacije i publicitet | location = Zagreb, Yugoslavia | isbn=978-86-7125-006-1 | language = Serbo-Croatian }}
• {{cite book | last = Pajović | first = Radoje | year = 1977 | title = Kontrarevolucija u Crnoj Gori: Četnički i federalistički pokret 1941–1945 | publisher = Obod | location = Cetinje, Yugoslavia | language = Serbo-Croatian }}
• {{cite book|last=Redžić|first=Vučeta|title=Građanski rat u Crnoj Gori: Dešavanja od sredine 1942. godine do sredine 1945. godine|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=15awAAAAIAAJ|year=2002|publisher=Stupovi}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Cali, Prek}}

Category:1872 births

Category:1945 deaths

Category:People from Malësi e Madhe

Category:People from Scutari vilayet

Category:Albanian Roman Catholics

Category:Activists of the Albanian National Awakening

Category:Albanian anti-communists

Category:Executed Albanian collaborators with Fascist Italy

Category:Executed Albanian collaborators with Nazi Germany

Category:19th-century Albanian military personnel

Category:20th-century Albanian people

Category:People killed by Yugoslav Partisans