12. Autonomous Republic of Northern Epirus
This was one of the shorter lived nations to come into existence as a result of the then very fashionable wave of nationalism that swept through the Balkans with the collapse of the Ottoman and Austro-Hungarian empires. It was founded in 1915 by the Greeks living in southern Albania after the Balkan Wars. It had been taken by Greece, but assigned to Albania under the Protocol of Florence. This situation was rejected by the local Greeks and an autonomous government was established. The Protocol of Corfu confirmed a system of self government under nominal Albanian sovereignty – hence the Greek cross and Albanian eagle flag mash-up – but then the Albanian government collapsed. The First World War started and Greece promptly reoccupied the area. Eventually in 1921 the area was fully ceded to Albania and Greece finally abandoned any claim to the region in 1925.
Please accept my apologies for the standard of this image. I’ ve had a few problems getting this one done, which is why it is a little late too. I may eventually re-do it to a clearer standard.
