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The Albanian Gardist Tradition in the Historic Course
 Researcher Ramiz Lushaj
The Albanian Gardist Tradition in the Historic Course
The gardist tradition has its eon beginning, since the military-economic-political rice and separation of the different tribes, but its structural organization at the time, in a documented way we find it about 2000 years B.C in the areas of Mediterranean, especially in the Pelazgs, Hittites, etj.
The pelazg tribes, (so called proto-Illyrian), with a 10.000 years culture in all the fields of the knowledge and activities, somewhere in the 12-13 century B.C, according to the Great Homer etc, took part in the Troy War, where their leaders, besides the mobilized armies, kept even the permanent gard, for instance Priam the Dardan, etc.
The Hittite Kingdom, with a spread in large areas of the Middle East of that time, since the year 1680 B.C, its royal dynasties kept their Gard with specialized bodyguards. In Egypt, in year 1274 B.C, in the Ramses II period, the Gard had up to 5.000 – 6.000 men. The Chinese Dynasty, Tang, in year 617 B.C, had about 30.000 gardist troops, meanwhile in war time they called up to 200.000 warriors. The Persians, in years 547 – 479 B.C, kept an elite gard up to 10.000 men, meantime in the Iran Shah period, in 1978, had an imperial gard with 4.000 – 5.000 men, including a tank battalion.
The pelazg tradition of the elite Gard continued naturally and professionally even in the period of the Illyrian states of the Enkelejds, Taulants, Epir, Dardans and Ardians, from the end of fifth century B.C up to the year 97 A.D. The King of Ardians used an land and naval gard, Pyrro of Epir even elephants, the Dardans an infantry gard, etj. Their Praetorian Gard used to be powerful and loyal that way that the King Gent, in year 168 B.C, after he resisted for long in open field with Romans, along with his Praetorian Gard entered in the Shkodra castle, where gardists were the last remaining warriors who were the first to give their life for the King, though in 15 of June of that year, King Gent surrendered and along with his family and brother was sent in Gubbio, Italy, where died in November of year 146 B.C.
Alexander the Great ( 336-323 B.C), in his powerful Imperial Gard, up to 40.000 men, and in some occasions up to 80.000 men, took mostly Illyrians, even in his last battle to Pakistan, the biggest part of the gard used to be Illyrian, and a big part of that stayed there.
The Roman Empire, in the August period, in years 27-14 B.C, at the beginning kept a gard with an increasing number a forces from 500 up to 1.000; meantime the other emperors expanded the protection from the Praetorian Gard even of the Senate and increased their number greatly. In the first centuries A.D up to the Constantinople fall, especially the Roman Empire of the East (Byzantine Empire) had as core of power of its Praetorian Gard the Illyrians, (also in the Germanic tribes), especially when Illyrian Emperors ruled, even in the 3-5 and 9-th century more than 60 percent of the gardist personnel Illyrians, who took part in very special battles. Even in the Britannic islands, the kings of the first centuries A.D had as primary issue the taking of Vikings in their Praetorian Gard.
The Pope Dom of Rome, from the first Century, in the Apostle Pal period, who tread in with his blessing the Albanian soil, especially after the Illyrian emperor from Nish, the Great Constantine, his guards in the Holy Residence, were almost all of them with Illyrian or Celtic origin and this had continued even after the Skanderbeg death, in the 15 century, the taking of arberesh.
Our National Hero, George Kastriot – Skanderbeg, kept an selected Gard for the Kruja Castle or even in the trips in the country or outside it, or in the wars when those were massive and frontal, menwhile the Praetorian (Royal) Gard of Skanderbeg, in January 1468, went in battle without its valorous chieftain.
In the rule of ottoman empire the High Gate in Istanbul, (but even the Albanians pasha in our ethnic land banks or in other places of this empire), had a large number of Albanians (arbnorë), who served in the Sultan Gard and were called “çaush”. The Pashalleqe (Bushatllinj and Ali Pasha Tepelena) and the Albanian dynasty of Egypt, had the most powerful Gards.
The Gard, in the ancient times up to the late Mediaeval, had as task to protect the chieftains, but also to launch into the military actions in the most difficult battles and critical situations of the wars, meantime in the modern times, its principal and unique task is the guard of the domestic and foreign state high personalities who visits our country and the security of the most important institutions of the state.
Gard, in conditioned time, have had some other leaders of the war and writers like the Archbishop of Skopje, Pjetër Bogdani, who worked too much for the organization of the anti ottoman resistance during the Austrian–Ottoman war. In November 1689, when the Austrians entered in Prishtina, Bogdani mobilized 6.000 and more Albanian warriors in Prizren going toward the Austrians into help. In its Gard, according the Austrian experience, had about 200 brave and loyal Albanians, but in December got sick from the plague and died, and after the demolition of the Austrians, the Turks and tartars put out the grave his body, where former gardists of him resisted against this antihuman act, giving their lives.
Ismail Qemali, along with patriots like Luigj Gurakuqi, in this diplomatic tour for the Albanian national independence, when arrived in Bucharest, in 3 November of 1912, had 8 Albanian bodyguards, meanwhile in 5 November, in the “Continental” hotel of this capital city, besides 4 representatives of the Albanian colony in Rumania were added 6 more bodyguards for his and the delegation security. In his tour from Vienna ( 7 and 10-11 November), in Budapest ( 8-9 November), Italy (18 November), while arrived in Durrës, with the Austrian ship “Baron Bruck” in 19 November of 1912, since the first day had about 50 volunteer bodyguards. Seeing the tensioned situation in Durrës, where the sea was blocked from the Greek fleet, the despot Jakov had made a compromise with the mufti of the seaside city and the attitude of some Istanbul Albanians, the fact that the Serbs invaders were coming toward the median Albania, the national flag didn’t rise in Durres, according to the plan in 22 November of 1912, but the presence of the “Voluntary Gard” with over 200 men round Ismail Qemali, didn’t enabled arrestments and bloodbath. Ismail Qemali, with the delegates who cames from the aboard and those of the Durrës, Tirana, Shkodra, Kavaja, etc., and after that, those of Elbasani, etc. started toward Vlora and its caravan was escorted with numerous bodyguards, nominated or volunteers who according to the Albanian tradition and the missionary duty, escorted them continuously or from a region to another. This affected that the Turkish General of the Division Kara Seit Pasha, who controlled the area Fier-Lushnje-Berat, not undertake any military action like arrests or stops of the equestrian Independence caravan toward the Historic Vlora. In 27 november of 1912, Ismail Qemali entered in Vlora with his gard and was expected with high enthusiasm from the people, regardless of the Greek ships approached to the city seaport and the Serbs advanced toward the south.
In 4 December of 1912, in the Vlora Government with Head Ismail Qemali, were appointed as Interior Minister, Myfit Bej Vlora and War Minister, Mehmet Pashë Dërralla, who had as principal task the protection and liberation of the country and the reinforcement of the country security. In this time the Interior Minister, among the first organizational actions, installed the official guard of the Chairman of the Albanian Government, and started the sublimation of the Republic Gard in the modern history of Albania, but this isn’t yet documented and furthermore we don’t have to do with a full gardist formation, for the same historical conditions of the time and international diplomacy enterprises of Ismail Qemali.
The Princ Wid, in 7 march of 1914, when he came in Durrës with the Austrian ship “Taurus” and escorted with three ships; British, Italian and French, in his suite had the security bodyguards but in 17 march of 1914, according to the Albania Organic Statue, along with the government composition his bodyguards were added with Albanians but we can’t say that we had an official regular Gard. In this organizational act and process influenced outside and inside factors, the incomplete extension of the rule of Pince Wid in the country and his limited movements, numerous changes in the government, the power conflicts, riots, the composition of the guards with foreign and Albanians nominated and volunteers, etc.
After the Lushnja Congress, in 1920, on the direction of the patriot Sulejman Delvina, we had a good organization of defense security and tranquility of the country. In this view feels the role of Ahmet Zogu as Minister of Interior and starting form 1922 up to 1924 as Prime minister of Albania in the constitution of an effective gardist force, but he didn’t create a praetorian gard of European levels or otherwise we don’t have any legislative or administrative document for this issue. In the 1925, when Ahmet Zogu was selected President of Republic, we know that a presidential gard company existed with a precise organic and budged. Starting from this view we must search from an historic point if the foundation of the Gard is exactly on June of 1925, when, in application of the program of that year march was “abolished” the Ministry of War and was founded a Armada Power with an effective of 5.000 people and a Militia Force with 3.000 people, if it belongs to the August the first of 1925 when the “Traveling Force” was formed, if it belongs to the 8 may of 1926 when the law for the “Service of the Adjutants of the Head of Republic” was decreed. On October of 1926 the Presidential Gard has had 699 forces, among them 25 were officers, 106 nco’s, a cavalry platoon with 71 horses and a presidential band, etc., which it means that we had a organizational tradition created at least two years ago, but if it is a better and longer investigated even in 1923.
As Republic Gard birthday, already is sanctioned officially the 24 June of 1928, taking as a starting-point of the event the Decree-Law on the structure of the Armed Forces, part of which was the Republic Gard, which about two moths later was denominated “The Monarchy Gard of Albania”. With this official act of the Republic Gard birthday a good step was made, because the clock was stacked unjustly on 12 February of 1944, 16 years later and established by political forces which wanted to write their own story. But in the frame of reviewing and rewriting of our national history, the attention of the scholars must be focused even in early times, probably from the Ismail Qemali Government in 1912, in 1923, or, at least the closest year 1925, on contrary the last one, year 1926. We have 95 years of Independence and 80 years of Gard foundation, so the time distance for those two days is distant. This Gard birthday should coincide with the historical reality, with the historic truth. Also we think that in modern history, many European countries, their Royal or Republican Gard have an early birthday than the Republic of Albania. Naturally we are not in date race with the others, but, with this rich history, why should stay beyond them.
Precisely 10 years before, in 1998, when the former President of the Republic, declared in front of the gardists that the Gard and the State, the Gard and the Republic, are a binomial with strong relations between them and the Gard is a mirror of the State, was expressing a dimensional and spectral reality. In may of 1997, starting from the its historic mission, to fulfill the tasks and obligations toward the Homeland and Albanian citizens in the tranquility and order security, the Republic Gard, was thrown and occurred to be in difficult situations of war against crime, when, in 23 may of 1997, in Cërrik, 5 nco’s and gardists gave their lives in a tragic and heroic way, self-sacrificing in the name of Homeland and duty, as: Sali Martinaj, Bashkim Mella, Halit Haxhia, Besnik Syla and Qemal Mehmeti, which nowadays are proclaimed from the actual Government “Martyrs of the Country” and their names are incised in the Memorial of the Republic Gard of Albania.
The important thing is that in these 80 years, the Gard was founded, organized and consolidated in high contemporaneous levels, regardless of the State organization forms, showing a high patriotic devotion, a modern professionalism, a grateful contribution. The Republic Gard, decorated with the “Golden Eagle Medal” (1998) and its Commander Colonel Ndrea Prendi, in December of 2007, appreciated with the “Image in the Armed Forces” price, shows that we have to do with an admirable devotion in its state and civic mission.
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