It was set up by victorious pro-Ottoman Albanian Muslim insurgents of the 1914 Peasant Revolt after they had forced Wilhelm of Wied, the prince of Albania, to evacuate the country.

The downfall of the entity began after the entry of the Ottoman Empire into World War I on the side of the Central Powers, which roused the pro-Ottoman elements into a renewed revolt against the pro-Entente Toptani.

[14][1][20] Toptani was determined to maintain good relations with the leaders of the uprising and did not question the proclaimed suzerainty under the Ottomans, who at this stage were still officially neutral in World War I.

[19] The Catholic tribes of northern Albania rejected the Senate's authority and remained outside of its control, reverting to autonomous self-rule.

[21] On 21 October 1914, Toptani attempted the first agrarian reform in Albania, issuing the order to confiscate the properties of about 50 wealthy landowners and other political opponents, but it never came to fruition.

[19][20] A new Muslim revolt occurred, led by a rebel assembly calling itself the "Union of Krujë",[18] which won over a part of the Toptani supporters, and was backed by the Central Powers.

[7] Serbia finally ordered preparations for an intervention in support of the Senate to be made in December 1914, but this was delayed significantly by the concerns of fellow Entente member Russia that operations in Albania might distract from the front against Austria-Hungary and appear to challenge the Italian interests in the country.

These developments were strongly opposed by Italy and other Entente members, but Serbia stated that these were temporary actions and that its troops would withdraw from Albania as soon as Toptani's rule over the country was consolidated.

[19] These plans never came to fruition, as the Central Powers launched a coordinated attack against Serbia in October, entering Belgrade and sweeping through the entire country, pushing the Serbian forces into what is called the Great Retreat.