Çerçiz Topulli

Çerçiz Topulli (20 September 1880 – 17 July 1915) was an Albanian revolutionary and guerrilla fighter involved in the Albanian national movement operating in the mountainous areas of southern Albania. He was the younger brother of Bajo Topulli. He was known for fighting the Ottomans before Albania declared its independence from the Ottoman Empire in 1912, as well as the Greeks and Slavs during the Balkan Wars.

Biography Çerçiz Topulli was the scion of a notable Tosk Albanian family of Gjirokastra who were Bektashi Muslims in faith. He was born to Ago Topulli and Hasije, daughter of Laze Mullai from Kardhiq.

Armed resistance In early 1906, he and his brother Bajo Topulli founded the first Albanian armed guerrilla band.

The purpose was to spread Albanian national consciousness among the people, including the immediate need for administrative autonomy for Albanians within the Ottoman Empire. They also brought books in Albanian for the people. who had brutally suppressed those Albanians working for Albanian political ends. Hyrsev also contacted Hysen Baba, an Albanian Bektashi sheikh from the Melçan tekke who acted as mediator between Topulli and Niyazi that influenced the latter along with other brigand leaders to support the CUP cause. Niyazi viewed the meeting as mainly unimportant due to local Albanians already pledging allegiance to the CUP. The Korçë Albanian committee lent support to Niyazi and at the request of the CUP called upon guerrillas based in the mountains around Korçë to join Ottoman insurgent bands with the Ohri Albanian committee heeding the directive. Topulli was hard pressed by fellow Albanians to meet with Niyazi to talk about joint action and he arrived in Pogradec with his band on 21 July 1908. An oath of alliance was made by Topulli for the CUP cause.

Ottoman documents depicted as the most important Albanian band being the group under Topulli's command consisting of 50 individuals, "Muslims and Bulgarians" while there is no clarity about if these Bulgarians belonged to the Internal Macedonian Revolutionary Organization (IMRO) or they just joined to fight Greek bands. Topulli's guerrilla band gave important support to Niyazi and his forces during their capture of the Resne garrison and the event was a small military victory in the campaign to oust the Hamidian regime. During July 1908, Topulli attempted to take the town of Korçë, but his forces were pushed back by Ottoman troops. Topulli alongside Niyazi and Grameno appeared in photographs taken by the Manakis brothers during the revolution.

Individuals that were less prominent "heroes" of the revolution like Topulli had their image distributed through media tools of the time. For example on postcards Topulli appears in an image alongside Atıf Bey and Adem Bey symbolising the cooperation of different communal groups of people involved in the revolution.

During the 31 March Incident, among the 15,000 volunteers assisting the larger Ottoman army Topulli along with Bajram Curri mobilized 8,000 Albanians that put down the revolt in Istanbul.

Topulli, a former ally of the CUP commented that there was no further need "to shed a single drop of blood for the Turks anymore".

After independence After the proclamation of the independence of Albania on 28 November 1912 Topulli was also active in the defense of national interests after independence.

Topulli went to the north to help with the efforts against Montenegrin forces. He was killed in the Fusha e Shtoit (Shkodër) by the Montenegrin forces.

In 1937 his bones were brought back to Gjirokastër.