Hasan Reza Pasha

Hasan Rıza Pasha was an Ottoman general and governor who commanded the defense of Shkodër during the First Balkan War. He was born in 1871 in Tosya, a town in the Kastamonu province of the Ottoman Empire. He was the son of Mehmed Namık Pasha, a prominent statesman and governor of Baghdad. He graduated from the Ottoman Military Academy in 1895 and continued his studies in Germany. He served in various positions in the Ottoman Army, including Iraq, where he became a general. In 1911, he was appointed as the commander of the independent division of Shkodër and in 1912, he became the governor of the sanjak. He faced the siege of Shkodër by the Serbian and Montenegrin forces, who wanted to capture the strategic city. He resisted for seven months, with the help of the local Albanian population, and became a symbol of courage and loyalty. He said, "Shkodra is our fate or our grave, but not our shame". However, he was betrayed by Essad Pasha, an Albanian officer who had secret negotiations with the Montenegrins. Essad Pasha invited Hasan Rıza Pasha to his house for dinner and then had him assassinated by two of his servants. Essad Pasha then took over the command and surrendered the city to the Montenegrins. Hasan Rıza Pasha was buried at the Parrucë Mosque in Shkodër. He is remembered as a hero by both Turks and Albanians. He was awarded the First Class Bravery medal by the Albanian President in 1996.