Metohija ( sr-Cyrl, Метохија, ) or Dukagjin ( sq, Rrafshi i Dukagjinit, ) is a large
basin and the name of the region covering the southwestern part of
Kosovo
Kosovo ( sq, Kosova or ; sr-Cyrl, Косово ), officially the Republic of Kosovo ( sq, Republika e Kosovës, links=no; sr, Република Косово, Republika Kosovo, links=no), is a international recognition of Kosovo, partiall ...
. The region covers 35% (3,891 km
2) of Kosovo's total area. According to the 2011 census, the population of the region is 700,577.
Districts
It encompasses three of the seven
districts of Kosovo
A District ( sq, Qark, or ; sr, / or or ) is the highest level of administrative divisions of Kosovo. The districts of Kosovo are based on the 2000 Reform of the UNMIK-Administration.
UNMIK reform of 2000
The United Nations Interim Adminis ...
:
Names
The name ''Metohija'' derives from the
Greek word (''metóchia''; singular , ''
metóchion''), meaning "monastic estates" – a reference to the large number of villages and estates in the region that were owned by the
Serbian Orthodox monasteries and
Mount Athos during the
Middle Ages
In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the late 5th to the late 15th centuries, similar to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire ...
.
In
Albanian the area is called ''Rrafshi i Dukagjinit''
and means "the plateau of Dukagjin", as the toponym (in Albanian) took the name of the
Dukagjini family who ruled a large part of Metohija during the 14th-15th centuries, hence the name.
The term "Kosovo and Metohija" ( sr-cyr, Косово и Метохија) was in official use for the
Autonomous Region of Kosovo and Metohija (1945-1963), and also for the
Autonomous Province of Kosovo and Metohija
The Autonomous Province of Kosovo and Metohija ( sr, Косово и Метохиja, Kosovo i Metohija; sq, Kosova dhe Metohija), commonly known as Kosovo and abbreviated to Kosmet or KiM, is an autonomous province defined by the constitut ...
(1963-1968). The term "Metohija" was dropped from the official name of the province in 1968, and thus the term "
Kosovo
Kosovo ( sq, Kosova or ; sr-Cyrl, Косово ), officially the Republic of Kosovo ( sq, Republika e Kosovës, links=no; sr, Република Косово, Republika Kosovo, links=no), is a international recognition of Kosovo, partiall ...
" became the official name of the province
as a whole. The change was not welcomed by Serbs, who continued to use the old name (for example in the 1986
Draft Memorandum of SANU). In September 1990, the new
Constitution of the Republic of Serbia was adopted, changing the official name of the province back to the
Autonomous Province of Kosovo and Metohija
The Autonomous Province of Kosovo and Metohija ( sr, Косово и Метохиja, Kosovo i Metohija; sq, Kosova dhe Metohija), commonly known as Kosovo and abbreviated to Kosmet or KiM, is an autonomous province defined by the constitut ...
. This time, the change was not welcomed by ethnic Albanians, who protested against the official use of the term "Metohija". In 2008, after the
Kosovo declaration of independence, Serbia included the term "Metohija" into the official name of the newly formed
Ministry for Kosovo and Metohija, which was transformed in 2012 into the
Office for Kosovo and Metohija.
Geography
Metohija is wide at its broadest point and about long, at an average
altitude
Altitude or height (also sometimes known as depth) is a distance measurement, usually in the vertical or "up" direction, between a reference datum and a point or object. The exact definition and reference datum varies according to the context ...
of above
sea level
Mean sea level (MSL, often shortened to sea level) is an average surface level of one or more among Earth's coastal bodies of water from which heights such as elevation may be measured. The global MSL is a type of vertical datuma standardis ...
. Its principal river is the
White Drin. It is bordered by the mountain ranges
Mokra Gora in the north and northwest, the
Accursed Mountains in the west,
Pashtrik
Pashtrikë or Pashtrik ( sq, Pashtriku) or Paštrik ( sr-Cyrl, Паштрик), is a mountain located in Kosovo and Albania. Its highest peak is located on their mutual border. It is high. The White Drin river passes along by it. Mount Pashtrik i ...
in the southwest, the
Šar Mountains ( sq, Malet e Sharrit) in the south and southeast, and
Drenica
Drenica ( al, Drenicë, Drenica, ), also known as the Drenica Valley, is a hilly region in central Kosovo, covering roughly around of Kosovo's total area (6%). It consists of two municipalities, Drenas and Skenderaj, and several villages in Kl ...
, which distinguishes it from the rest of Kosovo in the east and northeast.
The geographic division between Metohija and the rest of Kosovo causes differences between the two areas'
flora
Flora is all the plant life present in a particular region or time, generally the naturally occurring ( indigenous) native plants. Sometimes bacteria and fungi are also referred to as flora, as in the terms '' gut flora'' or '' skin flora''.
...
and
fauna
Fauna is all of the animal life present in a particular region or time. The corresponding term for plants is '' flora'', and for fungi, it is '' funga''. Flora, fauna, funga and other forms of life are collectively referred to as '' biota''. ...
. Metohija has the characteristic influences of the
Mediterranean
The Mediterranean Sea is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by the Mediterranean Basin and almost completely enclosed by land: on the north by Western and Southern Europe and Anatolia, on the south by North Africa, and on ...
.
Metohija consists of fertile arable land with many small rivers which provide water for irrigation and, in combination with the Mediterranean climate, give excellent fields except for
cereals
A cereal is any grass cultivated for the edible components of its grain (botanically, a type of fruit called a caryopsis), composed of the endosperm, germ, and bran. Cereal grain crops are grown in greater quantities and provide more food ...
. This area is well known for its high-quality
vineyards, fruit orchards, and for the growing of
chestnut and
almond trees.
The geographical region of Metohija is further divided into four parts: Podgor,
Llapusha, Reka and
Rugova.
History
Prehistory
Based on archaeology, the region of Kosovo and Metohija and the
Morava Valley were interconnected in the Neolithic (
Starčevo
Starčevo () is a town located in the Pančevo municipality, in the South Banat District of Serbia. It is situated in the Autonomous Province of Vojvodina. The town has a Serb ethnic majority and its population is 7,473 people ( 2011 census).
The ...
and
Vinča) and Eneolithic.
The
Triballi
The Triballi ( grc, Τριβαλλοί, Triballoí, lat, Triballi) were an ancient people who lived in northern Bulgaria in the region of Roman Oescus up to southeastern Serbia, possibly near the territory of the Morava Valley in the late Iron ...
of Morava entered Kosovo in two waves in the 8th and 7th centuries BC, then took part in the genesis of the
Dardani
The Dardani (; grc, Δαρδάνιοι, Δάρδανοι; la, Dardani) or Dardanians were a Paleo-Balkan people, who lived in a region that was named Dardania after their settlement there. They were among the oldest Balkan peoples, and their ...
.
[ Necropolises near Zhur suggest that the southwesternmost part of Metohija at the end of 6th century BC was subject to Illyrian influx.][ After the Roman conquests, the Metohija region was divided into Dardania and ]Praevalitana
Praevalitana (also ''Prevalitana'', ''Prevaliana'', ''Praevaliana'' or ''Prevalis'') was a Late Roman province that existed between c. 284 and c. 600. It included parts of present-day Montenegro, northern Albania, and part of present-day Kosovo ...
.
Middle Ages
Coinciding with the decline of the Roman Empire, many "barbarian" tribes passed through the Balkans, most of whom did not leave any lasting state. The Slavs, however, overwhelmed the Balkans in the 6th and 7th centuries. The Principality of Serbia included the city of Destinikon, which is mostly believed to have been in Metohija. The region was conquered by Bulgaria in the early 10th century, after which Byzantine rule was restored, briefly ca. 970-975, and again after 1018. In terms of ecclesiastical administration, the region of Metohija belonged to the Eparchy of Prizren, created in 1019. During the 11th and the 12th century, the region was contested between the Grand Principality of Serbia and the Byzantine Empire. Serbian Grand Prince Stefan Nemanja was recognized as independent in 1190, keeping northern parts of the Metohija (region of Hvosno), while southern parts were incorporated into the Kingdom of Serbia by the beginning of the 13th century. After the Fall of the Serbian Empire
The fall of the Serbian Empire was a decades-long process in the late 14th century. Following the death of childless Emperor Stefan Uroš V in 1371, the Empire was left without an heir and the magnates, ''velikaši'', obtained the rule of its pro ...
in 1371, the region of Metohija was controlled by the Balšić family of Zeta, and since 1378 by the Branković family. The region was also controlled by the Principality of Dukagjini. It was part of the Serbian Despotate
The Serbian Despotate ( sr, / ) was a medieval Serbian state in the first half of the 15th century. Although the Battle of Kosovo in 1389 is generally considered the end of medieval Serbia, the Despotate, a successor of the Serbian Empire ...
until 1455, when it was conquered by the Ottoman Empire
The Ottoman Empire, * ; is an archaic version. The definite article forms and were synonymous * and el, Оθωμανική Αυτοκρατορία, Othōmanikē Avtokratoria, label=none * info page on book at Martin Luther University ...
.
Ottoman cadastral records, particularly the Ottoman defters of the 15th-16th centuries, indicate that the Dukagjin Plains were inhabited by a majority of Albanian Christians during this period. This Albanian Christian majority of the region mainly concerned itself with agriculture and consisted of both Catholic and Orthodox Albanians. Albanian anthroponomy and onomastics prevailed over Slavic ones, and there are many cases of mixed Slav-Albanian anthroponomy; that is to say, Albanians with elements of Slavic anthroponomy as a result of their conversion to the Orthodox faith. The Slavic population of the region during these times consisted of a small minority, and was mainly located in the Nahiya of Peja and with a very small pocket in the Nahiya of Prizren.
Early modern
Metohija was conquered by the Ottoman Empire in 1455 and incorporated into the Sanjak of Prizren (southern part of Metohija) and Sanjak of Peć (northern part of Metohija). In 1878, after several administrative reforms, the region was included into Ottoman Vilayet of Kosovo.
Modern
The area was taken by the Kingdom of Montenegro in the 1912 First Balkan War
The First Balkan War ( sr, Први балкански рат, ''Prvi balkanski rat''; bg, Балканска война; el, Αʹ Βαλκανικός πόλεμος; tr, Birinci Balkan Savaşı) lasted from October 1912 to May 1913 and invo ...
except for the Prizren area, conquered by Kingdom of Serbia. During the First World War
World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was List of wars and anthropogenic disasters by death toll, one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, ...
, Montenegro was conquered by the Austro-Hungarian forces in 1915. The Central Powers
The Central Powers, also known as the Central Empires,german: Mittelmächte; hu, Központi hatalmak; tr, İttifak Devletleri / ; bg, Централни сили, translit=Tsentralni sili was one of the two main coalitions that fought in W ...
were pushed out of Metohija by the Serbian Army in 1918. Montenegro subsequently joined the Kingdom of Serbia, which was followed by the formation of the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes
Kingdom commonly refers to:
* A monarchy ruled by a king or queen
* Kingdom (biology), a category in biological taxonomy
Kingdom may also refer to:
Arts and media Television
* ''Kingdom'' (British TV series), a 2007 British television drama s ...
. The Kingdom was reformed into the Kingdom of Yugoslavia
The Kingdom of Yugoslavia ( sh-Latn-Cyrl, separator=" / ", Kraljevina Jugoslavija, Краљевина Југославија; sl, Kraljevina Jugoslavija) was a state in Southeast and Central Europe that existed from 1918 until 1941. From 191 ...
in 1929. The Kingdom suffered an Axis invasion during World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...
in 1941, and the region of Metohija was incorporated into Italian-controlled Albania, with the Italians employing the " Vulnetari", an Albanian volunteer militia, to control the villages. After Italy's treaty with the Allies
An alliance is a relationship among people, groups, or states that have joined together for mutual benefit or to achieve some common purpose, whether or not explicit agreement has been worked out among them. Members of an alliance are called ...
in 1943, the Germans
, native_name_lang = de
, region1 =
, pop1 = 72,650,269
, region2 =
, pop2 = 534,000
, region3 =
, pop3 = 157,000
3,322,405
, region4 =
, pop4 = ...
took direct control over the region, supported by the local Albanian collaborationists ( Balli Kombëtar). After numerous rebellions of Serb Chetniks and Yugoslav Partisans
The Yugoslav Partisans,Serbo-Croatian, Macedonian, Slovene: , or the National Liberation Army, sh-Latn-Cyrl, Narodnooslobodilačka vojska (NOV), Народноослободилачка војска (НОВ); mk, Народноослобод� ...
, Metohija was captured by Serb forces in 1944. In 1946, it became part of Serbia's Autonomous Province of Kosovo and Metohija
The Autonomous Province of Kosovo and Metohija ( sr, Косово и Метохиja, Kosovo i Metohija; sq, Kosova dhe Metohija), commonly known as Kosovo and abbreviated to Kosmet or KiM, is an autonomous province defined by the constitut ...
, within the transitional Democratic Federal Yugoslavia.
On 17 February 2008, representatives of Kosovo
Kosovo ( sq, Kosova or ; sr-Cyrl, Косово ), officially the Republic of Kosovo ( sq, Republika e Kosovës, links=no; sr, Република Косово, Republika Kosovo, links=no), is a international recognition of Kosovo, partiall ...
Albanians
The Albanians (; sq, Shqiptarët ) are an ethnic group and nation native to the Balkan Peninsula who share a common Albanian ancestry, culture, history and language. They primarily live in Albania, Kosovo, North Macedonia, Montenegro, Ser ...
declared Kosovo's independence and subsequently adopted the Constitution of Republic of Kosovo, which came into effect on 15 June 2008. Serbia
Serbia (, ; Serbian: , , ), officially the Republic of Serbia ( Serbian: , , ), is a landlocked country in Southeastern and Central Europe, situated at the crossroads of the Pannonian Basin and the Balkans. It shares land borders with Hu ...
still considers Metohija part of its territory.
See also
* Koznik Mountain
Notes
References
Sources
*
*
*
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{{Authority control
Regions of Kosovo
Plains of Kosovo
Albanian ethnographic regions
pl:Kosowo#Metochia