Activists from the Ottoman Empire

Spiro Risto Dine (1846–1922) was an Albanian rilindas, writer and playwright. His most known work "Waves of the Sea" was at the time of its publication the longest book printed in Albanian.

Abedin bey Dino (Turkish: Prevezeli Abeddin Bey Dino), also Abedin Pasha (Turkish: Prevezeli Abidin Paşa; April 5, 1843, in Preveza – May 9, 1906, in Istanbul, Ottoman Empire) was an Albanian patriot, politician, ideologue and diplomat. As a rilindas involved in the Albanian National Awakening, he was one of the founders of the League of Prizren and its chief representative for Epirus (1878). Dino was one of the main promoters in the need for the creation of the Autonomous Albanian Vilayet under the Ottoman suzerainty, and later a contributor in the Albanian independence.

Omer Pasha Vrioni II (1839–1928), also referred as Omer or Omar, was an Albanian ruler from one of the most powerful Albanian families of the 19th century.

Riza Kryeziu (1847-1917), known as Riza Bey Gjakova (Albanian: Riza bej Gjakova, Turkish: Yakovalı Rıza Bey), was an Albanian nationalist figure and guerrilla fighter, an influential bey in the Gjakova region, then part of the Vilayet of Kosovo, Ottoman Empire, and one of the activists of Albanian national movements of early 20th century.

Anastasia Zhelyazkova (Bulgarian: Анастасия Желязкова, née Uzunova (Узунова) 1845–1931), was a Bulgarian activist, benefactor, teacher, esotericist, and a translator from French.

Emin Ali Bedir Khan (1851, Kandiye, Crete – 1926, Cairo) was a founding member of the Kurd Society for Cooperation and Progress and vice president of the Society for the Elevation of Kurdistan and Kurdish politician.

Ahmet Delia (1850-1913) was an Albanian freedom fighter and member of the League of Prizren during the Albanian National Awakening. Born in Drenica, Prekaz (back then Ottoman Empire) his father, Deli Prekazi, was one of the founders of the League. Ahmet Delia became active early during the Albanian war of resistance against the invading Serb army in 1912. Ahmet Delia became one of the most important figures of the Albanian struggle for freedom when he defended a house in Prekaz that was being attacked by Serb forces in 1912. A group of 13 Serb soldiers had entered the village and begun looting, burning and killing Albanian civilians. Ahmet Delia, aged 63 at the time, spotted the soldiers as they forced the neighbor Halil and his family on the yard.

Jakup Ferri (c.1832 – 4 December 1879) was a leader of Albanian irregulars of the League of Prizren from Plav in the resistance against the inclusion of his homeland Plav-Gusinje in the Principality of Montenegro in 1879. He was distinguished in the Battle of Novšiće where died.

Zhuj Selmani (c. 1844-1875) was an Albanian partisan and an early proponent of the Albanian National Awakening. He was one of the leaders of the Albanian resistance against the Kingdom of Montenegro. At the beginning of the Great Eastern Crisis Albanians responded with armed resistance. Zhuj Selmani fought from his tower house (kulla) known as the tower of Sheremeti (Albanian: Kulla e Sheremetit). Surrounded by Montenegrin forces in his tower, he blew it up, killing himself and many of the enemy soldiers.

Thoma Çami was a Cham Albanian leader and one of the main contributors to the revival of Albanian culture during the National Renaissance of Albania. He was a founder and the first chairman of the organization "Bashkimi", the best-known cultural club of the Albanian National Awakening. He also wrote the first scholarly history book for Albanian schools, but died before the Albanian declaration of independence.