Gojëmadhi (or ''Goljemad'') was an
Albanian tribe
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-defini ...
(fis) that lived in the
Middle Ages
In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the 5th to the late 15th centuries, similarly to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire and ...
. They inhabited the
Lješanska nahija region of
Old Montenegro
Old Montenegro ( Montenegrin and sr-Latn-Cyrl, Stara Crna Gora, Стара Црна Гора, separator=" / "), also known as Montenegro proper ( sr-Latn-Cyrl, Prava Crna Gora, Права Црна Гора, separator=" / ", label=none), or ...
, being centered in the area around the village of Goljemadi, west of modern
Podgorica
Podgorica ( cnr-Cyrl, Подгорица; ) is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Montenegro, largest city of Montenegro. The city is just north of Lake Skadar and close to coastal destinations on the Adriatic Sea. Histor ...
.
Their name is a compound of the Albanian words ''gojë'' (meaning 'mouth') and ''madh'' (meaning 'big'). The name indicates the retention of the letter ''l'' in the word ''gojë''. The Gojëmadhi are first mentioned around western Montenegro in the year 1402.
In the 1416-17 Venetian cadastre of Shkodra, mentions a certain ''Benk Goljamadhi'' inhabiting the village of
Shirq near
Dajç, Shkodër.
in his voyage in the area in 1614 recorded that ''Belo Vujkov'' held 27 houses of the ''Golemadi'', with 57 soldiers.
Over time they were
integrated into the neighbouring Slavic population.
The village bearing their name still exists to this day.
References
{{reflist
Tribes of Montenegro