Tring Smajli

Tringë Smajli  also known as Tringë Smajl Martini Ivezaj was an Albanian guerrilla fighter and a prominent figure of resistance in Malësia e Madhe during the late Ottoman period. She was the daughter of Smajl Martini Ivezaj, the Catholic bajraktar and clan leader of the Grudë tribe, known for his resistance against Ottoman rule.

After the death of her brothers and the persecution of her family,remaind devoted to protecting her family home and homeland. Despite joining armed resistance, she continued to live publicly as a woman and always wore the traditional Albanian women’s costume, which became part of her historical image.

Tringë Smajli joined the Albanian insurgents in the early 20th century and became known for her bravery in the Malësia uprisings against the Ottoman Empire. She distinguished herself during the Battle of Deçiq in 1911, one of the most important battles of the Albanian uprising. She was also associated with the movement that produced the Gërçe Memorandum (23 June 1911), which demanded political and national rights for Albanians within the Ottoman Empire.

Her involvement in the Albanian national movement continued even after the Albanian Declaration of Independence on 28 November 1912, making her one of the few women remembered as a fighter in the Albanian highland resistance.

Tringë Smajli never married and had no children, honoring the vow she had made earlier in life. She died on 2 November 1917 in Hoti. She was buried in her family burial grounds in the Gruda mountains in the village of Kshevë, . Two years after her death, during military operations in the area, the Montenegrin army destroyed her grave, but her legacy remained alive in the memory and history of the Albanian highlands.

Today, Tringë Smajli is remembered as one of the most courageous women of the Albanian national resistance, a symbol of bravery, loyalty to family, and devotion to the freedom of her people.