Guillaume de Wied

Guillaume de Wied (March 26th 1876 with Neuwied - 18 April 1945 Predeal (Romania), was briefly sovereign of Albania February 21st 1914 with the September 3rd 1914.

Born in Germany with Neuwied, it is the third wire of Guillaume (brother of the Queen Elizabeth of Romania) and of his Marie wife of Holland. It makes a military career in the German army and marries the November 30th 1906, Sophie de Schönburg-Waldenburg.

In 1913, the Western great powers of the Europe (the Austria-Hungary, the the United Kingdom, the France, the Germany, the Russia and the Italy) offer to Guillaume the crown of the new State of Albania. A delegation of notable Albanian confirm this choice in February 1914 and in March, Guillaume unloads in the provisional capital of Durrës where it starts to organize his government. So in the international relations he is only sovereign prince, in Albania Guillaume takes the title of mbret , i.e. of king.

Because of its foreign origins and Christian, Guillaume does not manage to affirm its capacity in this country with strong majority Musulman E. This situation derives quickly in a Civil war which is carried out by its former minister for the war, exiled for treason, Essad Pasha. Guillaume leaves finally the country in September 1914, and passes the First World War to Germany. After the war, it tries to regain its throne, but because of its German origins, the leaders of the Conférence of peace of Paris hesitates to restore it.

Although after the war several chiefs of factions to the capacity in Albania declared regents in the name of prince Guillaume, the country becomes a republic in 1925 with for president Ahmed Zogu once the definitively restored central authority.

Guillaume de Wied dies the April 18th 1945 with Preadeal, close to Sinaïa, in Romania.

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