Editing Debar (section)

==History==
[[File:Saint John Bigorski.jpg|thumb|left|200px| [[Saint Jovan Bigorski Monastery]] near Debar.]]
[[File:Debar, Macedonia.jpg|thumb|left|200px|The mosque of Debar.]]The [[Byzantine]] emperor [[Basil II]] knew of its existence, historian [[Anna Komnene|Anna Komnena]] recorded the name as ''Devré'' in the Alexiad, and [[Feliks Petančić]] referred to it as ''Dibri'' in 1502.<ref name="Evans">{{cite book |last=Evans |first=Thammy |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=VUa3BwAAQBAJ&q=Tetovo&pg=PA245 |title=Macedonia |publisher=The Globe Pequot Press Inc |year=2014 |isbn=978-1-84162-395-5 |location=Bradt Travel Guides Ltd, IDC House, The Vale, Chalfront St Peter, Bucks SL9 9RZ, England |pages=260 |access-date=31 December 2015}}</ref>

During the period from the 12th, to early 14th century, Debar was ruled by the [[Albanian nobility|Albanian noble]] [[Gropa family]]. In the latter half of the 14th century until the first half of the 15th century it was ruled by the [[Principality of Kastrioti]], an [[Albanian principalities|Albanian medieval principality]] ruled by the [[Kastrioti]] noble family and later from 1443 by the Albanian state, [[League of Lezhë]]. Debar fell under the rule of the Ottoman Empire when local ruler [[Gjon Kastrioti]] died shortly after his four children were taken hostage.<ref name=Evans/>

It was conquered by the [[Ottoman Empire|Ottomans]] in 1395 and subsequently became the seat of the [[Sanjak of Dibra]].

In 1440 [[Skanderbeg]] was appointed as its [[sanjakbey]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.omda.bg/imir/studies/alban_id9.html|title=Albanian identities|first=Antonina|last=Zhelyazkova|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110515014034/http://www.omda.bg/imir/studies/alban_id9.html|archive-date=15 May 2011|access-date=3 April 2011|quote=In 1440, he was promoted to sancakbey of Debar|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |title=The Balkans: a short history from Greek times to the present day, Volume 1972, Part 2 |last=Hösch |first=Peter |year=1972 |publisher=Crane, Russak |isbn= 978-0-8448-0072-1 |page=96 |url= https://books.google.com/books?id=2RoXAQAAIAAJ&q=sanjak+of+dibra|access-date= 4 April 2011}}</ref>

During the [[Albanian–Turkish Wars (1432–1479)|Ottoman-Albanian wars between 1443-1479]] the Dibër region was the borderline between the Ottomans and the [[League of Lezhë]] led by [[Skanderbeg]] and became an area of continuous conflict. There were two major battles near Debar, on 29 June 1444 The [[Battle of Torvioll]] and on 27 September 1446 [[Battle of Otonetë|The Battle of Otonetë]] both ending with the defeat of the Ottoman armies and Albanian victories.

An Ottoman army division was also stationed within the town.<ref name="Gawrych3536">{{cite book|last=Gawrych|first=George|title=The Crescent and the Eagle: Ottoman rule, Islam and the Albanians, 1874–1913|year=2006|location=London|publisher=IB Tauris|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=wPOtzk-unJgC&q=Debre|isbn=9781845112875|pages=35–36}}</ref>

It was first a sanjak centre in [[Scutari Vilayet]] before 1877, and afterwards in [[Manastir Vilayet]] between 1877-1912 as ''Debre'' or ''Debre-i Bala'' ("Upper Debre" in Ottoman Turkish, as contrasted with Debre-i Zir, which was [[Peshkopi]]'s Turkish name).

Debar was significantly involved in the national Albanian movement and on 1 November 1878 the Albanian leaders of the city participated in founding the [[League of Prizren]].

In 1907 the [[Congress of Dibra]] was held in the town, which made [[Albanian language|Albanian]] an official language within the Ottoman Empire. The congress allowed that Albanian be taught in schools legally for the first time within the Empire.<ref name="Torte">{{cite web|last=Torte|first=Rexhep|url=http://www.albaniapress.com/lajme/9518/Perfundoi-shenimi-i-100-vjetorit-te-Kongresit-te-Dibres.html|title=Përfundoi shënimi i 100-vjetorit të Kongresit të Dibrës|publisher=Albaniapress|date=4 August 2009|access-date=13 May 2013|archive-date=2 January 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140102192859/http://www.albaniapress.com/lajme/9518/Perfundoi-shenimi-i-100-vjetorit-te-Kongresit-te-Dibres.html|url-status=dead}}</ref>

[[File:Balli Kombetar Debar.jpg|thumb|[[Balli Kombëtar]] forces in Debar]]
Following the capture of the town of Debar by [[Kingdom of Serbia|Serbia]], many of its Albanian inhabitants fled to [[Turkey]], the rest went to [[Tirana]].<ref name="Clayer306307"/> Of those that ended up in [[Istanbul]], some of their number migrated to Albania, mainly to Tirana where the Dibran community formed an important segment of the capital city's population from 1920 onward and for some years thereafter.<ref name="Clayer306307">{{cite book|last=Clayer|first=Nathalie|chapter=The Albanian students of the Mekteb-i Mülkiye: Social networks and trends of thought|editor1-last=Özdalga|editor1-first=Elisabeth|title=Late Ottoman Society: The Intellectual Legacy|year=2005|publisher=Routledge|isbn=9780415341646|chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=5FMoWJFs73gC&q=debar&pg=PA307|pages=306–307}}</ref>

[[Dibran Wars (1912-1921)|Between 1912-1921]], Albanians led 5 victorius uprisings against the Serbian Kingdom and Yugoslavia

It was occupied by [[Kingdom of Bulgaria]] between 1915 and 1918.

From 1929 to 1941, Debar was part of the [[Vardar Banovina]] of the [[Kingdom of Yugoslavia]].

Debar was [[annexed]], along with most of Western North Macedonia, into the [[Kingdom of Italy (1861-1946)|Italian]]-controlled [[Albanian Kingdom (1939–43)|Kingdom of Albania]] on 17 April 1941, following the [[Axis invasion of Yugoslavia]] during the [[Second World War]]. [[Greater Albania|Albania]] was officially a protectorate of Italy and therefore public administration duties were passed to Albanian authorities. [[Albanian language]] schools, radio stations and newspapers were established in Debar. When [[Armistice between Italy and Allied armed forces|Italy capitulated]] in September 1943, Debar passed into [[Germany|German]] hands. In 1944, after a two-month struggle for the city between the communist [[Albanian National Liberation Front]] and German forces holding the city, including the [[21st Waffen Mountain Division of the SS Skanderbeg (1st Albanian)|SS Skanderbeg division]], the communists led by [[Haxhi Lleshi]] finally secured Debar on 30 August 1944.<ref name="Magaš1993">{{cite book|last=Magaš|first=Branka|title=The destruction of Yugoslavia: tracking the break-up 1980-92|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=d5np99Vgc0YC&pg=PA46|access-date=25 November 2011|year=1993|publisher=Verso|isbn=978-0-86091-593-5|page=46}}</ref>

After the cessation of hostilities with the end of WW2 and the establishment of [[communism]] in both [[Democratic Government of Albania|Albania]] and [[Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia|Yugoslavia]], Debar passed back into Yugoslav hands.