ILJAZ (aka Ilias, Ilyas, Elyas) TOPTANI, the most “mysterious” man of one of the leading noble families of Albania, who lived as he wanted and died as Count Don Jose Maria Toptani, at the age of 69.
Iljaz was without a doubt the greatest Albanian adventurer of his time. He traveled wherever the road took him: to Paris, to Johannesburg, to New York, to Argentina, to Spain.
Iljaz had a “weak heart” towards women and was a man born to enjoy life. He was given the title of Count Toptani by the Pope, according to his daughter Isabelle. He wrote a book called “Modern Show Jumping” on equestrian horse riding methods and created a horse saddle, which is one of the best saddles still used today throughout the world.
He married six times. His first wife was a Jewish woman with whom he had no children. His second wife was the famous Argentine actress Tilda Thamar. This marriage was short-lived, as Tilda moved from Argentina to France, and the couple divorced shortly after. His third wife was a British woman named Kate with whom Iljaz had a daughter named Shasha, born and raised in England. His fourth wife was a Canadian lady named Massey.
Iljaz’s fifth wife was from Paris. He had a second daughter named Isabelle who inherited the title of Countess. Iljaz’s last wife was a Spanish Countess. He lived the last 20 years of his life with her in Spain and seemed happy as they had found a common passion for horse riding. The first photo, Iljaz Toptani end of the 1920s. The second photo, the cover of his book “Modern Show Jumping”.
For more information (in Albanian) on Iljaz Toptani’s life story, please click on the link under the comments.