From the murky problems of antiquity to the challenges of the present, Albania's history is set within its Balkan and wider European contexts. It traces the formation of regions and institutions, the making of an Albanian state and nation, the experience of occupation and war, the severity of communist rule, and the difficult transition toward pluralism and a market economy. Drawing on archaeology, Byzantine and Venetian documents, Ottoman fiscal records, modern archives, and oral histories, it reassesses established narratives about origins and continuity, relations with neighbouring peoples, the character and pace of Islamization, and the role of customary law. Political, social, economic, and cultural developments are treated together to explain how authority, community, and belief have interacted over time. The modern chapters examine dictatorship and its legacies, the upheavals of the 1990s, reforms in justice and governance, cultural policy, and environmental debates, setting Albania's trajectory alongside regional and European change. Clear and up to date, this single‑volume history offers a balanced account of a small country's long past and present, and helps readers understand both contemporary Albanian dilemmas and broader issues that continue to shape the Balkans.