The Pasha of Shkodra, aware of the importance of this war for the future of his household, decided to act carefully and not to be hasty like his brother or everything may be lost. His adversary was someone with much more experience who could rely on great number of soldiers thanks to his official posts. Furthermore, Ahmet Kurd Pasha also had strong alliances with other Albanian households, and by supporting them, he tried to weaken the influence of the Bushatlis and the families supporting them. In the upcoming confrontation for the city of Durres there were three main actors: the Alltuni family of Kavaja, to which Mahmud’s sister was married; the Bargjinis of Tirana, with Ibrahim Beg, father-in-law of Mahmud,16 who had been exiled to Shkodra after Islam Beg took his place; and finally the Toptani family of Kruje. In the city of Kavaje, the brother-in-law of Mahmud lost his position to Halil Pasha, who, together with Islam Beg of Tirana and the Toptanis of Kruja, was one of the three pillars of the pasha of Berat in the central Albania.
The right moment for Mahmud Pasha came just after the pasha of Berat was dismissed from his position as the governor of the Vlora district and from the post of derbendler başbuğu. With his dismissal from the post of the guardian of the passes, Kurd Ahmed lost a great source of power and influence in the region. In addition to this, he had to deal with a tenacious young pasha from the Moutzohoussates of Tepelena, who was gaining power at the expense of Kurd Pasha. Ali, son of Veli Beg was creating his own influence in the southern Albania, thus making things even
15 Naci, Pashalleku i Shkodres, p. 129.
16 We do not know the exact year when he married the daughter of Ibrahim Beg of Tirana, but according to the records of Pater Balneo, they wed after Mahmud became the governor, thus meaning between the years 1778 and 1779, see: Pllumi, Frati i Pashallareve Bushatli, p. 111.
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more difficult for the pasha of Berat.17 Furthermore, the district of Vlora was given to the son of Abdullah Pasha; ruler of Prizren. And as for Durres, it was again handed over to Hasan Aga from Istanbul and to Adem Aga.18 Now, Mahmud could confront his opponent from a more advantageous position, but nonetheless he avoided direct war and firstly tried to eliminate the allies of Kurd Ahmed Pasha in the vicinity of Durres.
Anarchy in Central Albania
After the battle of Peqini in 1775, where Mustafa Pasha and Bushatlis were defeated, the Pasha of Berat following the escape of Ibrahim Beg Bargjini to Shkodra, took the city of Tirana under his authority by appointing Islam Beg.19 However, Bushatli Mahmud, by taking advantage of the dispute between Kurd Ahmed and the center, sent Ibrahim Beg back to Tirana, so he could reclaim the city again. Considering the importance of this city near Durres, the new pasha of Shkodra tried with one move to break the influence of Kurd Pasha and to eliminate one of his partisan in central Albania. Mahmud deployed five hundred soldiers under the command of Zenel Aga Melika of Lezha (Leş) to ensure his father-in-law could retake the city easily. Ibrahim Aga and the troops faced little resistance, and the notables of city welcomed and accompanied him to the office with great homage.20
As Ibrahim Beg became again the leader of the city, people of his faction attacked and pillaged the estates of Islam Beg and in the end they set fire to his palace.21 The subcontractor of Esma Sultan for the tax-farming of Durres, Hasan Aga, whose seat was in Tirana, did not made any kind of resistance nor oppose the reclaiming of the city by Ibrahim Beg. According to the Venetian consuls, probably the agent of the
17 Skiotis, “From Bandit to Pasha”, p. 231-2.
18 Naci, Pashalleku i Shkodres, p. 129.
19 A.S.V. Cons. di Durrazo let. Dt. 20/IX/1775.
20 Ibid., let. Dt. 22/IV/1779.
21 This kind of situation, where one faction would overthrow a rival one, was a common thing during the period. Following the overthrowing, the winning group would target the belongings and the supporters of the defeated group to eliminate them.
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Ottoman princess may have been bribed by the father-in-law of Mahmud, and the report says the relations between these two were quite good at the time. The other subcontractor of the tax-farming, Adem Aga of the Toptani household, fled to Kruja, and barely saved himself from the wrath of the angry masses who saw him as responsible for the heavy taxes that they had been paying till that time.22 However, the main reason for the neutrality of Hasan Aga over the reclaiming of the city by Ibrahim Beg was likely his need for the support of Bushatli Mahmud and his allies. As the Pasha of Berat was having problems with the central government and had lost almost all his posts, Hasan Aga would likely have found it difficult to protect the interests and the incomes from the tax-farming of Durres by himself.23
In Kavaja, the situation escalated quickly following the reconfirmation of Ibrahim Beg as the new ruler of Tirana. Halil Pasha began to take measures against Suleiman Pasha of the Bushatli faction, fearing that after the overthrow of Islam Beg the turn might come for him as well.24 Following the appointment of Hasan Aga as the subcontractor for the estates of Esma Sultan in Durres, he then later tried to put an end to the anarchy by asking for support from Mahmud Pasha, who apparently acted as if he had nothing to do with the occurrences in central Albania. After the official request, the young Bushatli got the opportunity to reinstate the lost influence over Durres and central Albania. Therefore, he immediately deployed an army of six thousand troops and on 8 May, the pasha of Shkodra entered Kavaja. There, after reading decrees which blamed Halil Pasha and Sali Beg for the oppression of the population, Mahmud Pasha set fire to the palaces of the oppressors and pillaged their estates.
Furthermore, after eliminating the dissidents in Kavaja, he reappointed Suleiman Beg as ruler of Kavaja,25 thus taking the region under his influence again.26
22 A.S.V. Cons. di Durrazo let. Dt. 22/IV/1779.
23 Naci, Pashalleku i Shkodres, p. 130.
24 A.S.V. Ibid.
25 He would stay loyal to Mahmud of Shkodra and serve as the ahead of the district of Kavaja till 12 May 1784, when he died from a chronic disease.
26 A.S.V. Cons. di Durrazo let. di Albergeti Dt. 22/05/1779.
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Following the action of Kavaja, Mahmud set off for Kruja to remove once and for all the Toptanis, who continually constituted a threat to the interests of Bushatli. He arrived to Kruja without resistance and set fire to more than one hundred houses in the outskirts of the castle, where the Toptanis were, well-protected from any kind of attack. Moreover, the partisans of the Toptanis were molesting Ibrahim of Tirana by pillaging his estates and attacking his palace. Aware of the situation, Mahmud Pasha avoided a general attack on the castle of Kruja, fearing this could cause a conflict between him and the central government. For this reason, he withdrew and moved to Shkodra with his troops waiting for an official decree that could permit him to eliminate of this problematic household, thus putting an end to the anarchy and to the influence of Kurd Ahmed Pasha in central Albania.27