announcement that the people from the "northern Albania, Epirus and Bosnia" are willing to defend the "territorial integrity" of the Ottoman Empire "by all possible means" from the troops of the Bulgaria, Serbia and Montenegro
Kararname is a word from Turkish language, and means decree or the government approved decision of the president.[4] Origins of the word are Persian; karar (gharār; قرار in Persian) meaning stability, and Name (Nāmeh; نامه in Persian) meaning letter.
The Kararname represents an initial position, mainly supported by landlords and individuals related to the Ottoman administration, which is also reflected in an early name of the group (The Committee of True Muslims, Albanian: Komiteti i Myslimanëve të Vërtetë). The text of the kararname composed on the first meeting of the league was not based on the nationalistic but the religious solidarity. It said nothing about the reforms, nothing about the schools, nothing about the autonomy or about the union of the Albanian population within one, Albanian vilayet. The participants wanted to return to the status quo before the start of Russo-Turkish War of 1877–1878. The main aim was to defend from immediate dangers.[6][7] Soon that position changed radically and resulted in demands of autonomy and open war against the Ottoman Empire.[8][9]
The text of Kararname had 16 articles. Basically the text contained announcement that the people from the "northern and southern Albania, and Bosnia" are willing to defend the "territorial integrity" of the Ottoman Empire "by all possible means" from the troops of the Bulgaria, Serbia and Montenegro. It was signed by 47 Muslim deputies of the Prizren Committee for National Defence on June 18, 1878.[5] Around 300 Muslims participated on the assembly, including delegates from Bosnia and mutasarrif (sanjakbey) of the Sanjak of Prizren as representative of the central authorities, and no delegates from Scutari Vilayet.[10]
^ abElsie, Robert. "1878 The Resolutions of the League of Prizren". Archived from the original on June 17, 2010. Retrieved February 20, 2011. On 10 June 1878,...The League of Prizren, Alb. Lidhja e Prizrenit, ... On 13 June 1878, the League submitted an eighteen-page memorandum to Benjamin Disraeli, the British representative at the Congress of Berlin
^Gawrych, George Walter (2006), The crescent and the eagle: Ottoman rule, Islam and the Albanians, 1874–1913, London: I.B. Tauris, pp. 46–47, ISBN978-1-84511-287-5, a 16 point "decision memorandum" (kararname) said nothing about reforms, schools, autonomy, nothing even about the unification of the Albanian lands in one vilayet. Nor did it attempt to define the borders of the Albanian vatan. The memorandum thus represented a minimalist position framed within an Islamic-Ottoman medium without any stated national aspirations. Everything pointed to the desire of the participants to return to the status quo prior to the outbreak of the Russo-Turkish War of 1877- 78. Thus, the overall thrust appeared more regional in scope, designed to defend against immediate threats rather than offer a political program of reform for all Albania.
^Kopeček, Michal; Ersoy, Ahmed; Gorni, Maciej; Kechriotis, Vangelis; Manchev, Boyan (2006), Discourses of collective identity in Central and Southeast Europe (1770–1945), vol. 1, Budapest, Hungary: Central European University Press, p. 348, ISBN978-963-7326-52-3, retrieved January 18, 2011, The position of the League in the beginning was based on religious solidarity. It was even called Komiteti i Myslimanëve të Vërtetë (The Committee of the Real Muslims)... decisions are taken and supported mostly by landlords and people closely connected with Ottoman administration and religious authorities..
^Kopeček, Michal; Ersoy, Ahmed; Gorni, Maciej; Kechriotis, Vangelis; Manchev, Boyan (2006), "Program of the Albanian League of Prizren", Discourses of collective identity in Central and Southeast Europe (1770–1945), vol. 1, Budapest, Hungary: Central European University Press, p. 347, ISBN978-963-7326-52-3, retrieved January 18, 2011, there were no delegates from Shkodra villayet and a few Bosnian delegates also participated. Present was also mutasarrif (administrator of sandjak) of Prizren as representative of the central authorities
^Elsie, Robert. "1878 The Resolutions of the League of Prizren". Archived from the original on June 17, 2010. Retrieved February 20, 2011. which served to promote the national awakening, Abdyl bey Frashëri... key assembly of ... landowners at the Bektashi monastery of his native village of Frashër adopted a program for autonomy, which was accepted by the League in Prizren on 27 November 1878.
^Elsie, Robert (2005), Albanian literature: a short history, London: I.B. Tauris in association with the Centre for Albanian Studies, p. 82, ISBN978-1-84511-031-4, retrieved January 18, 2011, Far from an appeal for Albania independence, or even autonomy within empire, Pashko Vasa proposed simply the unification of Albanian speaking territory within one vilayet, and a certain degree of local government
