Albanian Kingdom

The Albanian Kingdom (Gheg Albanian: Mbretnija Shqiptare, Standard Albanian: Mbretëria Shqiptare) was the constitutional monarchal rule in Albania between 1928 and 1939. During this period Albania was a de facto protectorate of the Kingdom of Italy Albania was declared a monarchy by the Constituent Assembly, and Zog I was crowned king. The kingdom was a restoration of the royal identity surviving from Scanderbeg's reign in the 15th century. It also ensured the permanence of democracy and order in Albania, which had just regained independence from the Ottoman Empire in 1912. The kingdom was supported by the fascist regime in Italy and the two countries maintained close relations until Italy's sudden invasion of the country in 1939. It was the only European country headed by a Muslim monarch after the dissolution of the Ottoman Empire in 1922.