The National Historical Museum has commemorated the birth anniversary of Croatian historian Milan Šufflay, who made an important contribution to the study of Albania’s medieval history.
Milan Šufflay was born on November 9, 1879, in Zagreb. He was a medieval historian and Albanologist, widely regarded as one of the founders of Albanian studies.
Through his major work, “Acta Albaniae”, written in cooperation with scholars Konstantin Jireček and Ludwig von Thallóczy, Šufflay made a valuable contribution to documenting Albanian history.
Between 1908 and 1918, he worked as a professor at the University of Zagreb. However, after the creation of the Yugoslav state, he faced severe political persecution by the Yugoslav regime. Authorities removed him from his academic position, sentenced him to prison and banned him from continuing his academic activities.
Despite these difficulties, Šufflay remained committed to researching and documenting Albanian history.
His important works include “Cities and Castles of Albania, Mainly During the Middle Ages” (1924), “The History of Northern Albania”, “Serbs and Albanians”, and the historical novel “Constantine Balsha” (1920), published under the pen name Alba Limi.
Through his research, he documented the historical roots, continuity and cultural resilience of the Albanian people.
His dedication to historical research and the Albanian cause eventually cost him his life. On February 19, 1931, Šufflay was brutally murdered by Yugoslav police. His death sparked strong international reactions and protests in his defence.
In recognition of his contribution to Albanian studies and his academic work on Albanian history, he was posthumously awarded the “Golden Order of Naim Frashëri” in 2002.
/a.c/
The post Milan Šufflay, the Croatian historian devoted to the study of medieval Albania appeared first on RTSH.
