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Tribes Of Albania
The Albanian tribes () form a historical mode of social organization (''farefisní'') in Albania and the southwestern Balkans characterized by a common culture, often common patrilineal kinship ties and shared social ties. The ''fis'' ( sq-definite, fisi; commonly translated as "tribe", also as "clan" or "kin" community) stands at the center of Albanian organization based on kinship relations, a concept that can be found among southern Albanians also with the term ''farë'' ( sq-definite, fara). Inherited from ancient Illyrian social structures, Albanian tribal society emerged in the early Middle Ages as the dominant form of social organization among Albanians. The development of feudalism came to both antagonize it, and slowly integrate aspects of it in Albanian feudal society, as most noble families themselves came from these tribes and depended on their support. This process stopped after the Ottoman conquest of Albania and the Balkans in the late 15th century and was follow ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Nikaj
The Nikaj are an historical Albanian tribe (''fis'') and region in the Highlands of Gjakova of north Albania. The Nikaj tribe is a traditional ''fis'' in the sense of being a community that claims paternal descent from one common ancestor, consisting of a single ''bajrak'' (military-administrative unit) during the time of the Ottoman Empire. The Nikaj are directly related to the Krasniqi tribe. Today, the Nikaj are usually grouped along with the Mërturi tribe as Nikaj-Mërturi. Geography Nikaj tribal territory is positioned north of the Drin river, in the District of Tropoja, Northern Albania, particularly within the ethnographic Highlands of Gjakova. Nikaj tribal territory borders the Krasniqi tribe to the north and the east, the Mërturi to the south and the Shala to the west. Their main settlements include Lekbibaj, Peraj, Curraj i Poshtëm, Curraj i Epërm, Gjonpepaj, Qereç-Mulaj and Shëngjergj. Hydrology Nikaj-Mërtur is a valley trespassed by two rivers: ''Lumi ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Kastrati (tribe)
Kastrati is a historical Albanian tribe (''fis'') and region in northwestern Albania. It is part of the Malësia region. Administratively, the region is located in the Malësi e Madhe District, part of the Kastrati municipal unit. The centre of Kastrati is the village of Bajzë. The Kastrati tribe is known to follow the ''Kanuni i Malësisë së Madhë'', a variant of the Kanun. They are proverbally known for their pride - ''Kastrati Krenar''. Etymology The term 'Kastrati' is said to be related to the Latin word castrum', which is a Roman camp fortification. The tribe's name contains the Albanian suffix -at, widely used to form toponyms and tribal names from personal names and surnames. The clan's centre was once at the ruins of a Roman ''castra'' on the Scutari- Orosh road. Geography Kastrati tribal territory is located in northwestern Albania, near the border between Albania and Montenegro and on the eastern bank of Lake Shkodra, stretching from Bajzë in the wes ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Albania
Albania ( ; or ), officially the Republic of Albania (), is a country in Southeast Europe. It is located in the Balkans, on the Adriatic Sea, Adriatic and Ionian Seas within the Mediterranean Sea, and shares land borders with Montenegro to the northwest, Kosovo to the northeast, North Macedonia to the east and Greece to the south. With an area of , it has a varied range of climatic, geological, hydrological and morphological conditions. Albania's landscapes range from rugged snow-capped mountains in the Accursed Mountains, Albanian Alps and the Korab, Central Mountain Range, Albania#Skanderbeg Mountains, Skanderbeg, Pindus and Ceraunian Mountains, to fertile lowland plains extending from the Albanian Adriatic Sea Coast, Adriatic and Albanian Ionian Sea Coast, Ionian seacoasts. Tirana is the capital and largest city in the country, followed by Durrës, Vlorë, and Shkodër. Albania was inhabited by several List of Illyrian peoples and tribes, Illyrian tribes, among them the A ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Bajrak
The ''bajrak'' (; pronounced or , meaning "banner" or "flag") was an Ottoman Empire, Ottoman Administrative division, territorial unit, consisting of villages in mountainous frontier regions of the Balkans, from which military recruitment was based. It was introduced in the late 17th century and continued its use until the end of Ottoman rule in Rumelia. The bajrak included one or more clans. It was especially implemented in northern Albania and in parts of Kosovo (Sanjak of Prizren and Sanjak of Scutari), where in the 19th century these regions constituted the frontier with the Principality of Serbia and Principality of Montenegro. These sanjaks had notable communities of Gheg Albanians (Muslims and Catholics), Serbs and Muslims (ethnic group), Slavic Muslims. The Albanians adopted the system into their clan structure, and bajraks endured during the Kingdom of Serbia (1882–1918) and People's Socialist Republic of Albania (1944–1992). Overview The bajrak was a territorial uni ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Lekë Dukagjini
Lekë III Dukagjini (1410–1481), mostly known as Lekë Dukagjini, was a 15th-century member of the Albanian nobility, from the Dukagjini family. A contemporary of Skanderbeg, Dukagjini is known for the '' Kanuni i Lekë Dukagjinit'', a code of law instituted among the tribes of northern Albania. Dukagjini is believed to have been born in Lipjan, Kosovo. Biography The Dukagjini Principality stretched from Northern Albania and into modern Kosovo. The western part of Kosovo, sometimes referred to as '' Rrafshi i Dukagjinit or Dukagjin'', takes its name after the Dukagjini family. Until 1444 he was pronoier of Koja Zaharia. He succeeded his father Pal II as ruler of Dukagjini who appeared to have died of apoplexy in 1446. Dukagjini fought under the command of Skanderbeg against the Ottomans within the last two years of Skanderbeg’s rebellion. He also had a strong rivalry between him and Albanian nobleman Lekë Zaharia. The two princes had been in dispute over who shoul ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Toplana (tribe)
Toplana is a historical Albanian tribe (''fis'') and ethnographic region located on the northern banks of the River Drin in northern Albania. Etymology The etymology of ''Toplana'' is unclear and a matter of contestation. One theory maintains that the toponym is ultimately derived from Proto-Slavic '' *toplъ'' ("warm") and may be in reference to warm mineral springs or lakes. However, this seems unlikely given the region's colder climate and lack of such warm bodies of water. The other and more plausible theory argues that the toponym is a compound of Albanian '' të'' or '' tu'' (both roughly meaning "to" or "at") + ''planë'' which is derived from Latin '' planus'' ("flat" or "plain") and is found across northern Albania (e.g., the nearby region of Plani). This is further supported by the fact that the form ''Tplan'' is attested and used. The micro-toponym ''Qafë Planës'' is found in Toplana. Geography Toplana is situated on the northern banks of the River Drin in the east ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Shoshi (tribe)
Shoshi is a historical Albanian tribe (''fis'') and region of northern Albania in the lower Shala valley. Shoshi is first recorded as a small settlement in 1485. The fis itself traces its origin to the brothers Gjol and Pep Suma. The community of their descendants gradually grew to control part of the Dukagjin highlands. In the 19th century Shoshi also became a bajrak. Geography The Shoshi region stands in north-western Albania, in Shkodër County. It stands about 52 km away from the city of Shkodra. In terms of regional boundaries, Shoshi stands south of Shala, north of Shllaku, west of Toplana and Dushmani and east of Kiri. The historical settlements of Shoshi are: Ndreaj, Brashtë, Pepsumaj, Pepaj, Shosh-Nicaj, Gjolaj, Ndregjinaj, Cilkok, Gjoshaj, Palaj, Pepsumaj, Gjocaj, Pylaj, Gurri i Lekës, Pilotaj, Shosh-Gurrë, Dardhë, Balzë, Mollë. Gjocaj (Autumn of 2000), Mollë (December 2001), Pepsumaj (December 2004), Brashtë (December 2005), Pylotaj (October 200 ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Shala (tribe)
Shala is a Tribes of Albania, historical tribe and region of northern Albania in the valley of the river Shalë (river), Shalë, in the Dukagjin highlands. At the end of the 19th century the tribe was Catholic and had c. 3,000 members and 700 households Etymology The etymology of ''Shala'' is unclear. It has been connected to the Albanian term ''shalë (sinë)'' denoting an arid or infertile land, however, this etymology does not seem likely considering that the Shala Valley is among the only regions in the Accursed Mountains, Albanian Alps suitable for agriculture. Folk tradition connects their tribal name to the word ''shalë'' ("saddle"), a reference to the legend in which the ancestor of the Shala was given a saddle by his brothers as they departed from one another. Geography The tribal region is situated in northern Albania, in the valley of the river Shalë, north of the Drin (river), Drin and south of Theth, in the Dukagjin highlands. Shala can be broken down into two m ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Gruda (tribe)
Gruda is a Northern Albanian tribe and historical tribal region in southeastern Montenegro, just north of Lake Skadar, which includes the small town of Tuzi, in Podgorica. It is inhabited by a majority of ethnic Albanians. Geography Gruda is an Albanian historical tribal region within Montenegro, along the mountainous border with Albania, east of Podgorica. It borders to the historical tribal regions of Hoti and Kelmendi to the south and east (in Southern Montenegro and Northern Albania), and Slavic regions to the north. The historical Gruda tribal region, as described by A. Jovićević (1923), include the following settlements: *Settlements on the right bank of Cemi : ** Dinoša / Dinoshë ** Lovka / Llofkë ** Pikalj / Pikalë ** Prifti / Prift ** Selišta / Selishtë *** Gornja Selišta / Selishtë e Epërme *** Donja Selišta / Selishtë e Poshtme *Settlements on the left bank of Cemi : ** Gurec / Gurrec ** Kaljaj / Kalaj ** Krševo / Kshevë ** Milješ / M ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Shkreli (tribe)
Shkreli is a historical Albanian tribe and region in the Malësia Madhe region of northern Albania and is majority Catholic. With the expansion of the Ottoman Empire, part of the tribe migrated to Rugova in Western Kosovo beginning around 1700, after which they continued to migrate into the Lower Pešter and Sandžak regions (today in Serbia and Montenegro). The part of the Shkreli tribe that migrated to Kosovo converted to Islam in the 18th century and maintained the Albanian language as their mother tongue. Some members of the Shkreli within the Pešter region and in Sandžak (known as Škrijelj/) converted to Islam and became Slavophones by the 20th century, which as of today they now self-identify as part of the Bosniak ethnicity, although in the Pešter plateau they partly utilized the Albanian language until the middle of the 20th century. The Shkreli in Albania and Montenegro are predominantly Catholic. The Shkreli tribe's patron saint is St. Nicholas (Shënkoll). ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Kelmendi (tribe)
Kelmendi is a historical Albanian tribe (''fis'') and region in Malësia ( Kelmend municipality) and eastern Montenegro (parts of Gusinje Municipality). It is located in the upper valley of the Cem river and its tributaries in the Accursed Mountains range of the Dinaric Alps. The Vermosh river springs in the village of the same name, which is Albania's northernmost village. Vermosh pours into Lake Plav. Kelmendi is mentioned as early as the 14th century and as a territorial tribe it developed in the 15th century. In the Balkans, it is widely known historically for its longtime resistance to the Ottoman Empire and its extensive battles and raids against the Ottomans which reached as far north as Bosnia and as far east as Bulgaria. By the 17th century, they had grown so much in numbers and strength that their name was sometimes used for all tribes of northern Albania and Montenegro. The Ottomans tried several times to expel them completely from their home terri ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
