The Battle of Deçiq marked the beginning of the turning point for Albanian liberty. It was in this battle that the Flag of Albania was raised for the first time after 442 years of Ottoman occupation. Before this battle, the Albanian flag was last flown in 1480, when the Castle of Shkodra had fallen to the Turks.
The battle took place in the town of Tuzi (Montenegro). Tuzi is the town center for the region of Malësia that lies within Montenegro, whereas the capital town for all of Malësia is Koplik. Malësia is simply translated to "The Great Highlands", which is a well depicted name due to the rough mountainous terrain within this region. The region of Malësia is mostly under the Roman Catholic faith. The tribesman of Malësia are known as Malësor, meaning Highlander. The Malësori people were always a fiercely independent people, with very little suppression from any conquering armies.
The main cause to the battle came from the disrespect of the Ottoman government on the Albanian people. The Albanian highlanders (Malësorët) were tricked by the Young Turks. The Turks promised them independence and freedom only if the Albanians disarmed their weapons. The Albanians trusted the Turks, thinking they would imply the freedom that they longed hoped for. Instead, after the disarming, the Turks started to oppress them like never before.
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