King Zog Named Himself The King Of Albania, Then Survived Over 50 Assassination Attempts
King Zog I of Albania was a ruler whose reign was characterised by both grandeur and paranoia. Born Ahmet Muhtar Bej Zogolli in 1895, he grew up in a turbulent period in Albania’s history, where national identity was being forged out of centuries of foreign rule. Zog's journey to power and his subsequent reign were marked by a deep mistrust of others, fuelled by a remarkable number of assassination attempts—reportedly around 55 in total.
Early Life and Rise to Power
Zog's early years were defined by his involvement in the fight for Albanian independence from the Ottoman Empire. As a young colonel, Zog displayed extraordinary courage, leading 2,000 troops in Albania's mountainous regions against Ottoman forces when he was just 17. This earned him a reputation as a bold and effective leader, and by the time World War I ended in 1918, he was already a figure of significance in Albanian politics.
At this point, Albania was in a state of disarray. Ottoman rule had collapsed, and though other powers such as Austria and Hungary had briefly occupied the country, their withdrawal left a power vacuum. Italy stepped in, but the interim government they supported did little to satisfy the needs of the Albanian people. It was during this chaotic period that Zog seized the opportunity to further his political ambitions. By 1922, he was elected as Albania’s prime minister.
Zog's time as prime minister, however, was fraught with danger. From the very beginning, political violence was a feature of his rise to power. In 1924, he survived a near-fatal assassination attempt. On February 23rd of that year, as he entered Albania’s parliament, he was shot twice by a man named Beqir Valteri. One bullet hit Zog in the hand, and another struck his hip. In a remarkable display of calm, Zog reportedly sat down at his desk and continued working, later standing to address those present, stating, “Such things happen often – we cannot tell when or where – and therefore let us take the matter calmly.”
Zog’s insistence on downplaying the attempt on his life did little to calm his political opponents. The murder of Avni Rustemi, a popular political figure suspected of being involved in the assassination attempt, only intensified tensions. In June of that same year, Zog and his supporters were forced into exile. But this was far from the end of his political career.
Return to Power and Coronation
Zog returned to Albania in early 1925, orchestrating a coup that saw him regain control. Parliament subsequently elected him prime minister for a seven-year term. In 1928, he declared himself king, officially becoming Zog I of Albania. His rise to the throne was supported by neighbouring Italy, and Benito Mussolini provided substantial financial backing—millions of dollars, in fact—to help Zog build two grand palaces befitting his new royal status.
While Zog lived in luxury, much of Albania's population remained in dire poverty. His lavish lifestyle contrasted sharply with the lives of ordinary Albanians, many of whom were peasants or former military personnel struggling to survive.
Zog’s mistrust of others grew during this period, and his fear for his own safety became all-consuming. He seldom ventured out in public and entrusted only his mother with preparing his meals, deeply afraid of being poisoned. His personal security detail was made up almost entirely of men from his own tribe, the Mati, who had served his family for generations. This tight-knit group was fiercely loyal, and Zog felt safest surrounded by those he knew well.
The Many Assassination Attempts on King Zog I
King Zog I's reign was under constant threat, with assassination attempts becoming a nearly routine occurrence. His rule was punctuated by a series of close calls that underscored the perilous nature of his leadership and the fragility of power in Albania during that time. Some of these assassination attempts were the work of political rivals, while others were carried out by disgruntled military members or those disillusioned by his leadership. Zog’s ability to remain calm under fire became legendary, but each attempt fuelled his growing sense of paranoia and isolation.
One of the earliest, and most dramatic, assassination attempts occurred on February 23, 1924, when Zog was shot twice as he entered Albania's parliament building. The gunman, Beqir Valteri, was a disillusioned revolutionary who opposed Zog’s policies and his perceived autocratic tendencies. Valteri managed to shoot Zog once in the hand and once in the hip. In a remarkable display of composure, Zog sat down at his desk and continued working, refusing to show any sign of weakness.
He later addressed the assembly, advising them to remain calm, remarking, “Such things happen often – we cannot tell when or where.” While Zog may have been outwardly composed, this event set the tone for his reign, where assassination attempts became a persistent threat.
The aftermath of this particular attempt was severe. Zog’s forces responded by assassinating Avni Rustemi, a highly respected political leader, in April 1924. Rustemi had been linked to the plot against Zog, and his death sent shockwaves through Albania. This bold move demonstrated Zog’s willingness to strike back hard at those who threatened him, and it reinforced his reputation for ruthlessness. However, it also galvanised opposition forces, leading to a brief exile for Zog in June of that year.
One of the more notorious attempts on his life took place in January 1931 during a visit to Vienna, Austria. After attending a performance at the Vienna State Opera, Zog and his entourage were leaving the building when they were ambushed by two former Albanian military officers. The would-be assassins, Leka Hoxha and Aziz Çami, opened fire as Zog was about to enter his car. Although neither managed to hit Zog, the attack resulted in the death of one of his advisors, and another member of his party was wounded.
In a striking turn of events, Zog, ever the survivor, drew his own pistol and fired back at the attackers. While his shots did not hit their targets, this rare instance of a king personally returning fire in the face of an assassination attempt only added to Zog's almost mythic aura of invincibility. The assailants fled the scene but were soon captured by Austrian police. This attack, orchestrated by individuals with military training, underscored the growing resentment within the ranks of Albania's own forces and heightened Zog’s paranoia.
Despite the constant threat of assassination, Zog continued to rule with an iron grip. In many cases, it wasn’t just foreign forces or organised conspiracies plotting against him; much of the danger came from within Albania itself, where opposition forces were emboldened by each failed attempt to take his life.
Many of his political adversaries saw assassination as the only way to remove Zog from power, given his propensity to exile or execute rivals. This cycle of violence and retribution created an atmosphere of perpetual danger, with Zog becoming ever more insulated from the public.
Zog’s paranoia reached its peak in the early 1930s, when he withdrew almost entirely from public life, venturing out only when absolutely necessary and relying heavily on a trusted inner circle of bodyguards, all of whom were from his own Mati tribe. His intense fear of poisoning was such that he would only eat meals prepared by his mother, ensuring his food was safe from tampering. Even when abroad, Zog insisted on bringing his own food and water supplies, fearing that foreign agents might attempt to eliminate him.
Beyond the Vienna opera house incident, there were numerous lesser-known assassination attempts. Some were planned but foiled before execution, while others were amateurish in nature, carried out by lone individuals with personal grievances. For example, in 1932, an Albanian exile living in Egypt attempted to send Zog a poisoned letter, which was intercepted by Zog’s security team. Another attempt in the mid-1930s involved a plot by a group of exiled Albanians in Paris, who aimed to plant a bomb in one of Zog's vehicles, but the plot was discovered before it could be carried out.
In 1937, an assassination attempt involving a sniper targeting Zog during a public ceremony in Tirana was narrowly avoided when the would-be assassin was apprehended just moments before pulling the trigger. This particular incident only reinforced Zog’s decision to minimise his public appearances and avoid large gatherings, where he believed the likelihood of being targeted was highest.
The relentless attempts on his life were not confined to Albania or its immediate neighbours. Even after Zog was forced into exile in 1939 following the Italian invasion of Albania, there were still those who sought to end his life. During his time in exile in Britain, there were rumours of a group of Italian agents who had been dispatched to track down and eliminate the deposed king. While these plots never came to fruition, they added to the mystique surrounding Zog, a ruler whose life seemed perpetually in jeopardy.
Legacy of Survival
King Zog's reign may have been controversial, but his remarkable ability to survive so many assassination attempts remains one of the most extraordinary aspects of his life. He managed to outlive numerous enemies, both within Albania and abroad, and died of natural causes in Paris in 1961. For a man who had survived 55 known assassination attempts, his eventual passing in exile was almost anticlimactic.
While other world leaders like Charles de Gaulle and Fidel Castro also survived numerous assassination attempts, Zog's legacy as a ruler who personally fought off attackers and lived in constant fear of death gives him a unique place in history.
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