Islam in Albanian lands during the first two centuries of the Ottoman rule

Abstract

This dissertation provides a detailed picture of the religious situation in Albanian lands before the Ottoman conquest and analyzes the conditions upon the establishment of Ottoman rule and the initial stages of Islaınllslamization in that area. A complex approach is necessary to find the roots and to understand the phenomenon of the massive conversion of Albanians to Islam throughout the Ottoman period. The lack of a "national" church, the weak organisation of the Christian churches after the Ottoman conquest, and the establishment of Ottoman rule with a great measure of finality, were the most important factors which caused the gradual process of massive conversion to Islam.