Engjëll Mashi (1758–1821) passed away. He was an Arbëresh scholar of Albanian history and folklore. He was born in the village of Shën Sofia. He studied at the College of St. Adrian in St. Mitër (Calabria) in 1758 and studied law in Naples. He worked as a lawyer. His main work is “Discorso sull’origine, i costumi e lo stato attuale degli Albanesi del Regno di Napoli” (Speech on the Origin, Customs, and Current State of the Albanians of the Kingdom of Naples), published in Naples in 1807. Engjëll Mashi argues for the autochthony of Albanians and their descent from the Pelasgians, writes about the struggle of Albanians for freedom, and calls for the recognition of Arbëresh by the Kingdom of Naples as a distinct nationality. The work influenced the Arbëresh people of Italy and Albanian nationalists in the 19th century. Its first publication was translated into French by the geographer K. Maltebrun, which made Albanians known in the outside world. The work also influenced the cultured Italian public opinion of the time. (In the photo: Angel Mashi)
Text: Albanian encyclopedic dictionary – Vol. 2 , Academy of Sciences of Albania, “Kristalina-KH”, Tirana, 2008, page 1649-1650.
Photo: © https://www.zgjohushqiptar.info/
Graphic processing: AHCF
