The Albanian Question in Serbian-Italian Relations 1914-1918

Abstract

The rivalry between Serbia and Italy over the Adriatic region also involved Albania as a point of dispute. The political leaderships of both countries were driven by the war aim of putting an end to Austro-Hungarian hegemony in south-east Europe and of preventing any other country from taking its place. Each of the two countries sought for some time to establish its influence in Albania either through a local proxy, Essad Pasha Toptani, or by occupying the parts of Albania considered important for its perceived strategic interests after the war.