Medun
Encyclopedia
Medun is a settlement located 13 km northeast of the capital Podgorica
, Montenegro
. The village houses the archaeological site of the ancient fortified city of Medeon, which was used throughout history until the end of the middle ages. It is situated in the clan area of the Gornji Kuči
, one of the highland clans
. In the 2003 census, it had 108 inhabitants.
, Montenegro
. It was erected originally as a fortress, later on as a town, between 4th and 3rd centuries BC. It was known as Medeon, Meteon, or Modunense.
Well preserved walls of the fortress were built of big blocks of trimmed stone, placed in a number of rows. With respect to solidity and size of the construction it substantially differs from the construction of other, less significant Illyrian towns. From the cultural-artistic point of view, two lower dig ups in the rock on the road from the lower to the upper town are very interesting. Studies refer to the conclusion that it was the place of performance of rituals related to the cult of snake that represented myth ancestor to the Illyrians. Necropolis is sited north from the upper town. It originates from the Iron Age
, but has not been studied.
Medun was mentioned by Titus Livius
(59BC-17AD) as a civitas of the Labeates, an Illyrian tribe which lived around the Lake Skadar, then known as Lacus Labeatis. Roman
legions conquered Medun around 167 BC, during the Third Illyrian War. On that occasion the Ardiaei king Gentius
and his family were captivated, marking the establishment of Illyricum
.
Besides the stairways cut into the cliffs on all sides, dating from the Iron age, from this earlier period is also a portion of the west wall, subsequently built over by a medieval wall. Different parts of the medieval fortification date from different periods.
čelnik Đuraš Ilijić
(1326-1362) held Upper Zeta, including the city, subordinate to King Stefan Dečanski (r. 1321–1331), and Emperors Dušan the Mighty (r. 1331–1355) and Uroš the Weak (r. 1355-1371). The Balšić noble family which had taken control of Lower Zeta (lands previously held by Lord Žarko
), went after Head of Upper Zeta Đuraš Ilijić
in 1362, and killed him, expanding further the Zeta župa
. The family is recognized as Oblastni gospodari (Lords) in charters of Emperor Uroš the Weak (r. 1355-1371).
The 1444 charter of King Alfonse V documents Medun as the property of Stephen Vukčić Kosača. In 1445, Herceg Stjepan ceded the Upper Zeta and the Medun fortress to despot Đurađ. A duke of despot Đurađ defended Medun in 1452 from Stefan I Crnojević
who was a duke in the Venetian
service. In 1455, despot Đurađ had to give the fortress to the Turks
in their victorious drive through Southeastern Europe.
During the rule of Ivan I Crnojević
(r. 1465-1490), a certain Imrahor Aga took refuge in the region, constantly fighting the Crnojevići and attempted to expel their people from Medun. A bloody battle was fought between the two, in which Imrahor and many other leaders were slain, however, the town is taken by the Ottomans. The battle marked the downfall of the Crnojevići and the loss of a state.
The region was organized into the Sanjak of Shkodra
, and in 1514, the Zeta region was established into the Sanjak of Montenegro, which would be headed by Stanko Crnojević
, the son of Ivan I. Stanko was sent in 1485 to Constantinople
as a guarantor of loyalty at the Ottoman court, and he converted to Islam and took the name Skanderbeg
, subsequently being put for Sanjak-bey of Montenegro.
, a servant of the Republic of Venice, wrote a report in 1614, initially for describing Sanjak of Shkodra
's land routes which could best be utilized by local couriers conveying official correspondence from Venice to Constantinople and back, and to survey the military potential of the territory. He also provided a very detailed overview of towns and villages in Montenegro and northern Albania; their respective chiefs and men in arms, as well as demographics. Kuči
, Bratonožići and part of Plava were under the soldiers of Medun, the spahee, but the commander was not named; and the highlanders would pay the Ottoman officials a portion of their income. Medun was described as a little town on a hill, strategically situated, but badly guarded and in ruins, of which fortification was held by the Dizdar Aga and 200 "very war-like people". It was one of 8 cities of the Sanjak of Shkodra
.
tribe leader, Montenegrin duke and hero Marko Miljanov
(1833–1901) lived at the foot of walls of the town and the fortress. He was buried in the acropolis
in front of the small church dedicated to Archdeacon Stephen, built in Miljanov's honour the same year of his death.
A rebellion in nearby Herzegovina (1875-1878)
sparked a series of rebellions and uprisings against the Ottoman forces in Europe
. Montenegro and Serbia
agreed to declare a war on Turkey on 18 June 1876. Nichola I's cousin had twice routed the Ottomans at Medun. A Montenegrin victory in Danilograd in Zeta, and the capitulation of Medun, concluded the first year of the Montenegrin–Ottoman War (1876–1878). In 1877/1878, Nicholas I of Montenegro
acquired a seaboard on the Adriatic, and on 13 January 1878 Nicholas I and Ahmed Muhtar Pasha signed a truce, ending the war.
Medun has not yet been studied sufficiently. Not only that it is interesting for its distant and rich past, it also represents an object significant for studying of all cultural epochs, from prehistory
to the Middle Ages
.
)
Podgorica
Podgorica , is the capital and largest city of Montenegro.Podgorica's favourable position at the confluence of the Ribnica and Morača rivers and the meeting point of the fertile Zeta Plain and Bjelopavlići Valley has encouraged settlement...
, Montenegro
Montenegro
Montenegro Montenegrin: Crna Gora Црна Гора , meaning "Black Mountain") is a country located in Southeastern Europe. It has a coast on the Adriatic Sea to the south-west and is bordered by Croatia to the west, Bosnia and Herzegovina to the northwest, Serbia to the northeast and Albania to the...
. The village houses the archaeological site of the ancient fortified city of Medeon, which was used throughout history until the end of the middle ages. It is situated in the clan area of the Gornji Kuči
KUCI
KUCI is a college radio station broadcasting a Variety format. Licensed to Irvine, California, USA, the station serves the Orange County area...
, one of the highland clans
Serb clans
Serb clans is a general term referring to what are known as plemena and bratstva , traditional geo-political units of the Western Balkans that now richly attest social anthropology and family history . The descendants of the clans are divided by regional and lately, national affiliation...
. In the 2003 census, it had 108 inhabitants.
Geography
As Mariano Bolizza described in 1614, It is situated on a beautiful hill on a cleft in the mountainside, between two other mountains, overlooking a very spacious valley.Ancient and Roman times
Medun is an old town and fortress, situated 13 kilometers northeast from PodgoricaPodgorica
Podgorica , is the capital and largest city of Montenegro.Podgorica's favourable position at the confluence of the Ribnica and Morača rivers and the meeting point of the fertile Zeta Plain and Bjelopavlići Valley has encouraged settlement...
, Montenegro
Montenegro
Montenegro Montenegrin: Crna Gora Црна Гора , meaning "Black Mountain") is a country located in Southeastern Europe. It has a coast on the Adriatic Sea to the south-west and is bordered by Croatia to the west, Bosnia and Herzegovina to the northwest, Serbia to the northeast and Albania to the...
. It was erected originally as a fortress, later on as a town, between 4th and 3rd centuries BC. It was known as Medeon, Meteon, or Modunense.
Well preserved walls of the fortress were built of big blocks of trimmed stone, placed in a number of rows. With respect to solidity and size of the construction it substantially differs from the construction of other, less significant Illyrian towns. From the cultural-artistic point of view, two lower dig ups in the rock on the road from the lower to the upper town are very interesting. Studies refer to the conclusion that it was the place of performance of rituals related to the cult of snake that represented myth ancestor to the Illyrians. Necropolis is sited north from the upper town. It originates from the Iron Age
Iron Age
The Iron Age is the archaeological period generally occurring after the Bronze Age, marked by the prevalent use of iron. The early period of the age is characterized by the widespread use of iron or steel. The adoption of such material coincided with other changes in society, including differing...
, but has not been studied.
Medun was mentioned by Titus Livius
Livy
Titus Livius — known as Livy in English — was a Roman historian who wrote a monumental history of Rome and the Roman people. Ab Urbe Condita Libri, "Chapters from the Foundation of the City," covering the period from the earliest legends of Rome well before the traditional foundation in 753 BC...
(59BC-17AD) as a civitas of the Labeates, an Illyrian tribe which lived around the Lake Skadar, then known as Lacus Labeatis. Roman
Roman Empire
The Roman Empire was the post-Republican period of the ancient Roman civilization, characterised by an autocratic form of government and large territorial holdings in Europe and around the Mediterranean....
legions conquered Medun around 167 BC, during the Third Illyrian War. On that occasion the Ardiaei king Gentius
Gentius
Gentius was the last Illyrian king of the Ardiaean State. The name appears to derive from PIE *g'en- "to beget", cognate to Latin gens, gentis "kin, clan, race". He was the son of Pleuratus III, a king who kept relations with Rome very strong...
and his family were captivated, marking the establishment of Illyricum
Illyricum
Illyricum can refer to:* Illyria, a region in the Balkans* Illyricum * Diocese of Illyricum* Praetorian prefecture of Illyricum...
.
Besides the stairways cut into the cliffs on all sides, dating from the Iron age, from this earlier period is also a portion of the west wall, subsequently built over by a medieval wall. Different parts of the medieval fortification date from different periods.
Middle Ages
It was referred to later, in the 7th century, by the Ravenna Geographer. The medieval fortification had been built on the ruins of the Roman city.čelnik Đuraš Ilijić
Đuraš Ilijić
Đuraš Ilijić was a Serbian nobleman that held Upper Zeta with the title of čelnik during the rule of Stefan Dečanski , Dušan the Mighty and Uroš the Weak , from 1326 until his death in 1362...
(1326-1362) held Upper Zeta, including the city, subordinate to King Stefan Dečanski (r. 1321–1331), and Emperors Dušan the Mighty (r. 1331–1355) and Uroš the Weak (r. 1355-1371). The Balšić noble family which had taken control of Lower Zeta (lands previously held by Lord Žarko
Žarko (nobleman)
Žarko was a 14th-century Serbian nobleman who after the death of Serbian Emperor Dušan the Mighty is mentioned as a lord of the coasts of the Zeta region, under the succeeding Emperor Uroš the Weak Žarko (1336—before 1371) was a 14th-century Serbian nobleman who after the death of Serbian Emperor...
), went after Head of Upper Zeta Đuraš Ilijić
Đuraš Ilijić
Đuraš Ilijić was a Serbian nobleman that held Upper Zeta with the title of čelnik during the rule of Stefan Dečanski , Dušan the Mighty and Uroš the Weak , from 1326 until his death in 1362...
in 1362, and killed him, expanding further the Zeta župa
Župa
A Župa is a Slavic term, used historically among the Southern and Western branches of the Slavs, originally denoting various territorial and other sub-units, usually a small administrative division, especially a gathering of several villages...
. The family is recognized as Oblastni gospodari (Lords) in charters of Emperor Uroš the Weak (r. 1355-1371).
The 1444 charter of King Alfonse V documents Medun as the property of Stephen Vukčić Kosača. In 1445, Herceg Stjepan ceded the Upper Zeta and the Medun fortress to despot Đurađ. A duke of despot Đurađ defended Medun in 1452 from Stefan I Crnojević
Stefan I Crnojevic
Stefan a.k.a. Stefanica Crnojević was a medieval lord of the Principality of Zeta , from the House of Crnojević that ruled it from 1451 to 1465.-Reign:...
who was a duke in the Venetian
Venice
Venice is a city in northern Italy which is renowned for the beauty of its setting, its architecture and its artworks. It is the capital of the Veneto region...
service. In 1455, despot Đurađ had to give the fortress to the Turks
Ottoman Empire
The Ottoman EmpireIt was usually referred to as the "Ottoman Empire", the "Turkish Empire", the "Ottoman Caliphate" or more commonly "Turkey" by its contemporaries...
in their victorious drive through Southeastern Europe.
During the rule of Ivan I Crnojević
Ivan I Crnojevic
Ivan Crnojević was the medieval ruler of Zeta and first lord of the Principality of Montenegro from 1465 to 1490.-Reign:...
(r. 1465-1490), a certain Imrahor Aga took refuge in the region, constantly fighting the Crnojevići and attempted to expel their people from Medun. A bloody battle was fought between the two, in which Imrahor and many other leaders were slain, however, the town is taken by the Ottomans. The battle marked the downfall of the Crnojevići and the loss of a state.
The region was organized into the Sanjak of Shkodra
Sanjak of Shkodra
The Sanjak of Scutari or Sanjak of Shkodra was one of the sanjaks of the Ottoman Empire. It was established after Ottoman Empire captured Shkodër in 1479. It was part of Rumelia Eyalet until 1867, when it became a part, together with Sanjak of Skopje, of newly-established Scutari Vilayet...
, and in 1514, the Zeta region was established into the Sanjak of Montenegro, which would be headed by Stanko Crnojević
Skanderbeg Crnojević
Staniša "Stanko" Crnojević, known as Skenderbeg Crnojević, was a 16th-century Ottoman sanjakbey of the Sanjak of Montenegro in 1514—1528.-Biography:...
, the son of Ivan I. Stanko was sent in 1485 to Constantinople
Constantinople
Constantinople was the capital of the Roman, Eastern Roman, Byzantine, Latin, and Ottoman Empires. Throughout most of the Middle Ages, Constantinople was Europe's largest and wealthiest city.-Names:...
as a guarantor of loyalty at the Ottoman court, and he converted to Islam and took the name Skanderbeg
Skanderbeg (disambiguation)
Skanderbeg may refer to:- People :* Skanderbeg - George Kastrioti Skanderbeg , a 15th century Albanian lord....
, subsequently being put for Sanjak-bey of Montenegro.
Early modern
Mariano Bolizza of KotorKotor
Kotor is a coastal city in Montenegro. It is located in a secluded part of the Gulf of Kotor. The city has a population of 13,510 and is the administrative center of the municipality....
, a servant of the Republic of Venice, wrote a report in 1614, initially for describing Sanjak of Shkodra
Sanjak of Shkodra
The Sanjak of Scutari or Sanjak of Shkodra was one of the sanjaks of the Ottoman Empire. It was established after Ottoman Empire captured Shkodër in 1479. It was part of Rumelia Eyalet until 1867, when it became a part, together with Sanjak of Skopje, of newly-established Scutari Vilayet...
's land routes which could best be utilized by local couriers conveying official correspondence from Venice to Constantinople and back, and to survey the military potential of the territory. He also provided a very detailed overview of towns and villages in Montenegro and northern Albania; their respective chiefs and men in arms, as well as demographics. Kuči
KUCI
KUCI is a college radio station broadcasting a Variety format. Licensed to Irvine, California, USA, the station serves the Orange County area...
, Bratonožići and part of Plava were under the soldiers of Medun, the spahee, but the commander was not named; and the highlanders would pay the Ottoman officials a portion of their income. Medun was described as a little town on a hill, strategically situated, but badly guarded and in ruins, of which fortification was held by the Dizdar Aga and 200 "very war-like people". It was one of 8 cities of the Sanjak of Shkodra
Sanjak of Shkodra
The Sanjak of Scutari or Sanjak of Shkodra was one of the sanjaks of the Ottoman Empire. It was established after Ottoman Empire captured Shkodër in 1479. It was part of Rumelia Eyalet until 1867, when it became a part, together with Sanjak of Skopje, of newly-established Scutari Vilayet...
.
Modern
The famous writer, and KučiKUCI
KUCI is a college radio station broadcasting a Variety format. Licensed to Irvine, California, USA, the station serves the Orange County area...
tribe leader, Montenegrin duke and hero Marko Miljanov
Marko Miljanov
Marko Miljanov Popović was a warrior and writer from Montenegro. He led the Kuči clan against the Turks in 1862 and distinguished himself in the War of 1876-78...
(1833–1901) lived at the foot of walls of the town and the fortress. He was buried in the acropolis
Acropolis
Acropolis means "high city" in Greek, literally city on the extremity and is usually translated into English as Citadel . For purposes of defense, early people naturally chose elevated ground to build a new settlement, frequently a hill with precipitous sides...
in front of the small church dedicated to Archdeacon Stephen, built in Miljanov's honour the same year of his death.
A rebellion in nearby Herzegovina (1875-1878)
Herzegovina Uprising
Several uprisings were led by Serbs and Croats in the region of Herzegovina, then under Ottoman rule:*1852-1878 Uprising*1875-1878 Uprising*1882 Uprising...
sparked a series of rebellions and uprisings against the Ottoman forces in Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
. Montenegro and Serbia
Serbia
Serbia , officially the Republic of Serbia , is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeast Europe, covering the southern part of the Carpathian basin and the central part of the Balkans...
agreed to declare a war on Turkey on 18 June 1876. Nichola I's cousin had twice routed the Ottomans at Medun. A Montenegrin victory in Danilograd in Zeta, and the capitulation of Medun, concluded the first year of the Montenegrin–Ottoman War (1876–1878). In 1877/1878, Nicholas I of Montenegro
Nicholas I of Montenegro
Nikola I Mirkov Petrović-Njegoš was the only king of Montenegro, reigning as king from 1910 to 1918 and as prince from 1860 to 1910. He was also a poet, notably penning "Onamo, 'namo!", a popular song from Montenegro.-Early life:Nikola was born in the village of Njeguši, the ancient home of the...
acquired a seaboard on the Adriatic, and on 13 January 1878 Nicholas I and Ahmed Muhtar Pasha signed a truce, ending the war.
Medun has not yet been studied sufficiently. Not only that it is interesting for its distant and rich past, it also represents an object significant for studying of all cultural epochs, from prehistory
Prehistory
Prehistory is the span of time before recorded history. Prehistory can refer to the period of human existence before the availability of those written records with which recorded history begins. More broadly, it refers to all the time preceding human existence and the invention of writing...
to the Middle Ages
Middle Ages
The Middle Ages is a periodization of European history from the 5th century to the 15th century. The Middle Ages follows the fall of the Western Roman Empire in 476 and precedes the Early Modern Era. It is the middle period of a three-period division of Western history: Classic, Medieval and Modern...
.
Demographics
Total: 108 inhabitants (2003 censusDemographic History of Montenegro
This article presents the demographic history of Montenegro through census results and official documents which mention demographic composition...
)
- SerbsSerbsThe Serbs are a South Slavic ethnic group of the Balkans and southern Central Europe. Serbs are located mainly in Serbia, Montenegro and Bosnia and Herzegovina, and form a sizable minority in Croatia, the Republic of Macedonia and Slovenia. Likewise, Serbs are an officially recognized minority in...
: 74 (68,51%) - Montenegrins: 32 (29,62%)
- YugoslavsYugoslavsYugoslavs is a national designation used by a minority of South Slavs across the countries of the former Yugoslavia and in the diaspora...
: 1 (0,92%) - Unknown: 1 (0,92%)
See also
- Marko MiljanovMarko MiljanovMarko Miljanov Popović was a warrior and writer from Montenegro. He led the Kuči clan against the Turks in 1862 and distinguished himself in the War of 1876-78...
(1833–1901), writer, born in the village
Sources
- Wilkes, J. J. The Illyrians, 1992, ISBN 0-631-19807-5
- "Становништво словенског поријекла у Албанији" - Зборник радова са међународног научног скупа одржаног на Цетињу 21, 22. и 23. јуна 1990. Марица Маловић-Ђукић, "Пилот у средњем веку".
- Pobjeda.me, "Utvrđeni grad zlata vrijedan". 27 Sep 2008.