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In March 1915 the Italian government made a secret agreement with the allied countries of
Great Britain, France and Russia. Three weeks later, in April 26, 1915 the Italian military
forces joined the war on the side of the allies. By signing the agreement the political leaders
of the allied countries promised the Italian government to get a part of the Southern Albania
(Vlorë, the Island of Sazano, the area of Vjosa river all the way to the north and east and
finally the Himarë/Himara area to the south) by the peace treaty in the near future (see Polo
and Puto 1981: 165-166 and Jacques 1995: 360-61). On May 4, 1915 the Italian army entered
the war and the Greek administration under the Protocol collapsed (see Jacques 1995: 359).
Italian troops, which were already based in Vlorë, blocked the entire Albanian seacoast, what
resulted in a general economic crisis and led to the starvation of people living in this area.
Because of hunger the emigration in Himarë/Himara and other places throughout Southern
Albania continued. In the period of the Italian occupation the Austro-Hungarian war prisoners
under guard of the Italian army widened the road through the Llogara pass towards
Himarë/Himara town. This improved the connections between the city of Vlorë and the
villages of Himarë/Himara area.
In 1916 the Austrian army defeated the Serbian and Montenegrian troops that were occupying
Northern Albania. Following this victory Austria occupied Northern and Central Albania as
far south as river Vjosa (Jacques 1995: 362-363). The Italian forces kept Vlorë and
Gjirokastër district while the French army moved to Korça. The boundary between the former
republic of Northern Epirus and the rest of Albania became the battle front between Austrians
on the one side and Italians and French on the other (see Winnifrith 2002: 131). In 1917 the
Greek government, which was neutral to this point, decided to join the allied forces. Soon
after that the Greek army regained control over Ioannina and the area around Salonika.
Almost till the end of the war the Greek army governed the area of former Northern Epirus.
Before the war ended in 1918 Epirus came under the Italian and French administration (see
Winnifrith 2002: 132).
In 1918, when the First World War was over, the borders of today’s Albania which were
initially determined in 1913 became part of negotiations again. The Greek government
insisted on the autonomy of Northern Epirus and amalgamation of fragments of the Byzantine
Empire. The Italian government similarly aspired to keep Vlorë and its neighbourhood while
Serbia and Macedonia tried to get the north of today’s Albania (see Polo and Puto 1981: 175,
Jacques 1995: 366-367, Winnifrith 2002: 132-133).
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