Enlightenment ideas of Naum Veqilharxhi

Abstract

Naum Veqilharxhi was considered one of the most important figures of the Al- banian Enlightenment and one of the first ideologues of the National Renais- sance. Intellectually formed in the spirit of European Enlightenment thought, he understood that the emancipation of the Albanian nation could not be achieved without education and the development of the mother tongue. In 1844, Naum Veqilharxhi published in Romania a short but highly influential work on the development of Albanian education and language: “Evëtorin”, the first primer of the Albanian language. A year later, in 1845, he pub- lished his second primer, entitled “Fari i Ri - Evëtar Shqip për Djelm Nismëtarë”, which represented an important step toward the dissemination of Albanian education and the basic education of new generations in reading and writing in the mother tongue. Veqilharxhi supported the idea that every free nation begins its journey through cultural consciousness, preserving and promoting its language, customs, and native traditions as the foundation for building a national and sustainable identity. As an Enlightenment thinker, Naum Veqilharxhi represented the connection between progressive European ideas and the need for national awakening in Albania. He emphasized the importance of national consciousness, knowledge of the history and culture of the Albanian people, and the independence of intellectual and cultural thought from foreign influences. In this way, he laid the ideological foun- dations of the national movement, inspiring successive generations toward efforts in education, culture, and national self-determination.