Metohija
Encyclopedia
Metohija is a large basin
and the name of the region covering the southwestern part of Kosovo
.
It encompasses three of the seven districts
of Kosovo, namely the historical :
It encompasses the following new Municipalities of Kosovo
:
The area of the region is 3340 km² (1,290 sq mi). The population in 2002 was 790,272, or 40 percent of the territory's total of 1,956,194.
word μετόχια (metókhia), meaning "monastic estates" - a reference to the large number of villages and estates in the region that were owned by the Orthodox monasteries
of Serbia and Mount Athos
during the Middle Ages.
In Albanian
the area is called Rrafshi i Dukagjinit and means the plateau of Lekë Dukagjini
, a noted Albanian medieval nobleman.
The full Serbian name "Kosovo i Metohija" was in official use until 1974, when the constitutional status of Kosovo
underwent major changes in a newly established constitution for the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia
. The 1974 constitution dropped the term "Metohija" and "Kosovo" became the official term for the province as a whole. The change was not accepted in Serbia, where the old name continued to be in use (for example in the Memorandum of the Serbian Academy of Sciences and Arts
in 1986). In 1989, the then Serbian President Slobodan Milošević
promulgated a new constitution for Serbia that greatly reduced the province's autonomy and restored the old name, thus symbolically undoing the earlier reforms.
of 450 m (1,476 ft) above sea level
. Its principal river is the White Drin. It is bordered by the mountain ranges Mokra Gora
in the north and northwest, the Prokletije
in the west, Paštrik
in the southwest, the Šar Mountains in the south and southeast, and Drenica
, which distinguishes it from the rest of Kosovo in the east and northeast.
The geographic division between Metohija and Eastern Kosovo causes differences between the two areas' flora
and fauna
. Metohija has the characteristic influences of the Mediterranean, while Eastern Kosovo's ecology does not differ from Central Serbia
's.
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. This area is well known for its high quality vineyards, fruit
orchards and for the growing of chestnut
and almond
trees.
Principality
, Grand Principality since the middle of the 9th century) of Rascia
under the Byzantine Empire
, with Dostinik as its capital, ruled by the House of Vlastimirović
.
At the dawn of the 10th century, Metohija was conquered by the Bulgarian Tsar Simeon
. Although Serbian rule would be briefly restored in the early 10th, Byzantine rule was restored after its fall in 960.
Control over the region of Metohija was slowly restored by the House of Vojislavljević
Princes and Grand Princes of Rascia throughout the 11th and 12th centuries. They were replaced by the new House of Nemanjić
subsequently. The Kingdom of the Serbs
was created in 1217, and an Empire
in 1345.
Metohija was conquered by the Ottomans
and incorporated into the Empire's Vilayet of Kosovo after the fall of Serbia in 1459. Metohija witnessed very intense migrations of Albanians
, who would replace the Serbs
as the dominant ethnic group of Metohija and Islam
replace the previously dominant Orthodox Christianity
.
The area was taken by the Kingdom of Montenegro
in the 1912 First Balkan War
. During the First World War, Montenegro was conquered by the Austro-Hungarian forces in 1915. The Central Powers
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. The Kingdom was reformed into the Kingdom of Yugoslavia
in 1929. The Kingdom suffered an Axis
invasion during World War II
in 1941, and the region of Metohija was incorporated into the Italian-controlled Albania
. After Italy's treaty with the Allies
in 1943, the Germans took direct control over the region. After numerous rebellions of Serbian
Chetniks
and Yugoslav Partisans
, Metohija was liberated in 1944. In 1946, it became part of Serbia
's Autonomous Province of Kosovo and Metohija
- within the transitional Democratic Federal Yugoslavia.
On 17 February 2008, Kosovo declared independence
from Serbia. However, Serbia still considers it as a part of its sovereign territory as an autonomous province.
Drainage basin
A drainage basin is an extent or an area of land where surface water from rain and melting snow or ice converges to a single point, usually the exit of the basin, where the waters join another waterbody, such as a river, lake, reservoir, estuary, wetland, sea, or ocean...
and the name of the region covering the southwestern part of Kosovo
Kosovo
Kosovo is a region in southeastern Europe. Part of the Ottoman Empire for more than five centuries, later the Autonomous Province of Kosovo and Metohija within Serbia...
.
It encompasses three of the seven districts
Subdivisions of Kosovo
The districts of Kosovo are the higher-level administrative divisions of both the Kosovo protectorate and the partially recognized Republic of Kosovo over the earlier territory of the Serbian Autonomous Province of Kosovo and Metohija....
of Kosovo, namely the historical :
- District of Peć
- District of Đakovica
- District of PrizrenDistrict of PrizrenThe Prizren District is one the seven districts of Kosovo, with seat in Prizren.-Municipalities:It include the municipalities of:* Prizren* Dragaš * Suva Reka...
It encompasses the following new Municipalities of Kosovo
Municipalities of Kosovo
A Municipality is the basic administrative division in Kosovo.-List of Municipalities:The first name is Serbian and the second one is Albanian:* Dečani / Deçan* Dragaš / Dragash* Đakovica / Gjakovë* Glogovac / Gllogovc * Gnjilane / Gjilan...
:
- PećPecPeć or Pejë is a city and municipality in north-western Kosovo and Metohija - Serbia, and the administrative centre of the homonymous district. Governor of city is Ali Berisha....
- IstokIstokIstok or Istog is a town and municipality in the Peć district of north-western Kosovo. The town is the administrative capital of the municipality, which includes the town and the surrounding villages.-Name:...
- KlinaKlinaKlina or Klinë is a city and municipality in the Peć district of north-western Kosovo. It is located at the confluence of the river Klina into the White Drin.-Demographics:-External links:* *...
- Đakovica
- DečaniDecaniDecani is the side of a church choir occupied by the Dean. In English churches this is typically the choir stalls on the south side of the chancel, although there are some notable exceptions, such as Durham Cathedral and Southwell Minster...
- OrahovacOrahovacOrahovac is a town and municipality in western Kosovo, in the District of Đakovica.-Name:Its Serbian name stems from the Serbian word orah , meaning "walnut"....
- PrizrenPrizrenPrizren is a historical city located in southern Kosovo. It is the administrative center of the eponymous municipality and district.The city has a population of around 131,247 , mostly Albanians...
- DragašDragašDragaš is a town and municipality in the Prizren district of southern Kosovo. The population of the town is approximately 33,584, that of the whole municipality is estimated at 33,584...
- Suva Reka
- MališevoMališevoMališevo is a town and municipality in the Prizren District of central Kosovo...
The area of the region is 3340 km² (1,290 sq mi). The population in 2002 was 790,272, or 40 percent of the territory's total of 1,956,194.
Names
The name Metohija derives from the GreekGreek language
Greek is an independent branch of the Indo-European family of languages. Native to the southern Balkans, it has the longest documented history of any Indo-European language, spanning 34 centuries of written records. Its writing system has been the Greek alphabet for the majority of its history;...
word μετόχια (metókhia), meaning "monastic estates" - a reference to the large number of villages and estates in the region that were owned by the Orthodox monasteries
Serbian Orthodox Church
The Serbian Orthodox Church is one of the autocephalous Orthodox Christian churches, ranking sixth in order of seniority after Constantinople, Alexandria, Antioch, Jerusalem, and Russia...
of Serbia and Mount Athos
Mount Athos
Mount Athos is a mountain and peninsula in Macedonia, Greece. A World Heritage Site, it is home to 20 Eastern Orthodox monasteries and forms a self-governed monastic state within the sovereignty of the Hellenic Republic. Spiritually, Mount Athos comes under the direct jurisdiction of the...
during the Middle Ages.
In Albanian
Albanian language
Albanian is an Indo-European language spoken by approximately 7.6 million people, primarily in Albania and Kosovo but also in other areas of the Balkans in which there is an Albanian population, including western Macedonia, southern Montenegro, southern Serbia and northwestern Greece...
the area is called Rrafshi i Dukagjinit and means the plateau of Lekë Dukagjini
Lekë Dukagjini
Lekë III Dukagjini was an Albanian prince who fought against the Ottoman Empire. A contemporary of Skanderbeg, Dukagjini is known for the Kanuni i Lekë Dukagjinit, a code of law instituted in northern Albania.- Biography :...
, a noted Albanian medieval nobleman.
The full Serbian name "Kosovo i Metohija" was in official use until 1974, when the constitutional status of Kosovo
Constitutional status of Kosovo
The political status of Kosovo is the subject of a long-running political and territorial dispute between the Serbian government and Kosovo's largely ethnic-Albanian population, stemming from the breakup of Yugoslavia at the end of the 20th century, and the ensuing Yugoslav wars...
underwent major changes in a newly established constitution for the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia
Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia
The Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia was the Yugoslav state that existed from the abolition of the Yugoslav monarchy until it was dissolved in 1992 amid the Yugoslav Wars. It was a socialist state and a federation made up of six socialist republics: Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia,...
. The 1974 constitution dropped the term "Metohija" and "Kosovo" became the official term for the province as a whole. The change was not accepted in Serbia, where the old name continued to be in use (for example in the Memorandum of the Serbian Academy of Sciences and Arts
Memorandum of the Serbian Academy of Sciences and Arts
The Memorandum of the Serbian Academy of Sciences and Arts was a draft document produced by a 14-member committee composed by members of the Serbian Academy of Sciences and Arts from 1985 to 1986, presided by Kosta Mihailović...
in 1986). In 1989, the then Serbian President Slobodan Milošević
Slobodan Milošević
Slobodan Milošević was President of Serbia and Yugoslavia. He served as the President of Socialist Republic of Serbia and Republic of Serbia from 1989 until 1997 in three terms and as President of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia from 1997 to 2000...
promulgated a new constitution for Serbia that greatly reduced the province's autonomy and restored the old name, thus symbolically undoing the earlier reforms.
Geography
Metohija is 23 km (14 mi) wide at its broadest point and about 60 km (37 mi) long, at an average altitudeAltitude
Altitude or height is defined based on the context in which it is used . As a general definition, altitude is a distance measurement, usually in the vertical or "up" direction, between a reference datum and a point or object. The reference datum also often varies according to the context...
of 450 m (1,476 ft) above sea level
Sea level
Mean sea level is a measure of the average height of the ocean's surface ; used as a standard in reckoning land elevation...
. Its principal river is the White Drin. It is bordered by the mountain ranges Mokra Gora
Mokra Gora
Mokra Gora , meaning the Wet Mountain in English, is a village in Serbia on the northern slopes of mountain Zlatibor. Emphasis on historical reconstruction has made it into a popular tourist center with unique attractions....
in the north and northwest, the Prokletije
Prokletije
Prokletije or Albanian Alps is a mountain range in the Balkans that extends from northern Albania, to southwestern Serbia and eastern Montenegro. Its highest point, Jezercë in Albania at , is the tallest peak in the entire Dinaric Alps...
in the west, Paštrik
Paštrik
Paštrik or Pashtrik is a mountain located in Kosovo and Albania. It is high. Its peaks form the boundary between Kosovo and Albania. The White Drin river passes along by it....
in the southwest, the Šar Mountains in the south and southeast, and Drenica
Drenica
Drenica also known as the Drenica Valley, is a hilly region in central Kosovo, covering . Located west of the capital Prishtina, its population of 110,000 is largely ethnic-Albanian....
, which distinguishes it from the rest of Kosovo in the east and northeast.
The geographic division between Metohija and Eastern Kosovo causes differences between the two areas' flora
Flora
Flora is the plant life occurring in a particular region or time, generally the naturally occurring or indigenous—native plant life. The corresponding term for animals is fauna.-Etymology:...
and fauna
Fauna
Fauna or faunæ is all of the animal life of any particular region or time. The corresponding term for plants is flora.Zoologists and paleontologists use fauna to refer to a typical collection of animals found in a specific time or place, e.g. the "Sonoran Desert fauna" or the "Burgess shale fauna"...
. Metohija has the characteristic influences of the Mediterranean, while Eastern Kosovo's ecology does not differ from Central Serbia
Central Serbia
Central Serbia , also referred to as Serbia proper , was the region of Serbia from 1945 to 2009. It included central parts of Serbia outside of the autonomous provinces of Kosovo and Vojvodina. The region of Central Serbia was not an administrative division of Serbia as such; it was under the...
's.
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. This area is well known for its high quality vineyards, fruit
Fruit
In broad terms, a fruit is a structure of a plant that contains its seeds.The term has different meanings dependent on context. In non-technical usage, such as food preparation, fruit normally means the fleshy seed-associated structures of certain plants that are sweet and edible in the raw state,...
orchards and for the growing of chestnut
Chestnut
Chestnut , some species called chinkapin or chinquapin, is a genus of eight or nine species of deciduous trees and shrubs in the beech family Fagaceae, native to temperate regions of the Northern Hemisphere. The name also refers to the edible nuts they produce.-Species:The chestnut belongs to the...
and almond
Almond
The almond , is a species of tree native to the Middle East and South Asia. Almond is also the name of the edible and widely cultivated seed of this tree...
trees.
Cities
The largest cities of Metohija are (with population figures for 2006):- PrizrenPrizrenPrizren is a historical city located in southern Kosovo. It is the administrative center of the eponymous municipality and district.The city has a population of around 131,247 , mostly Albanians...
(165,229) - Gjakova (97,156)
- Peja (115,190)
- Istogu
- Rahoveci
- DeÇaniDecaniDecani is the side of a church choir occupied by the Dean. In English churches this is typically the choir stalls on the south side of the chancel, although there are some notable exceptions, such as Durham Cathedral and Southwell Minster...
History
The region of Metohija received waves of Slavic migrations in the 6th-7th centuries. In the 630s, it became a part of the newly formed SerbianSerbs
The 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...
Principality
Principality
A principality is a monarchical feudatory or sovereign state, ruled or reigned over by a monarch with the title of prince or princess, or by a monarch with another title within the generic use of the term prince....
, Grand Principality since the middle of the 9th century) of Rascia
Rascia
Rascia was a medieval region that served as the principal province of the Serbian realm. It was an administrative division under the direct rule of the monarch and sometimes as an appanage. The term has been used to refer to various Serbian states throughout the Middle Ages...
under the Byzantine Empire
Byzantine Empire
The Byzantine Empire was the Eastern Roman Empire during the periods of Late Antiquity and the Middle Ages, centred on the capital of Constantinople. Known simply as the Roman Empire or Romania to its inhabitants and neighbours, the Empire was the direct continuation of the Ancient Roman State...
, with Dostinik as its capital, ruled by the House of Vlastimirović
House of Vlastimirovic
The Vlastimirović Dynasty was the first Serbian royal dynasty, named after Prince Vlastimir , who was recognized by the Byzantine Empire.The dynasty starts with the Unknown Archont, who ruled during Emperor Heraclius ....
.
At the dawn of the 10th century, Metohija was conquered by the Bulgarian Tsar Simeon
Simeon I of Bulgaria
Simeon I the Great ruled over Bulgaria from 893 to 927, during the First Bulgarian Empire. Simeon's successful campaigns against the Byzantines, Magyars and Serbs led Bulgaria to its greatest territorial expansion ever, making it the most powerful state in contemporary Eastern Europe...
. Although Serbian rule would be briefly restored in the early 10th, Byzantine rule was restored after its fall in 960.
Control over the region of Metohija was slowly restored by the House of Vojislavljević
House of Vojislavljevic
The Vojislavljević was the second Serb medieval dynasty, named after archon Stefan Vojislav, who wrestled the region from Byzantine hands in the 1040s...
Princes and Grand Princes of Rascia throughout the 11th and 12th centuries. They were replaced by the new House of Nemanjić
House of Nemanjic
The Nemanjić was the most important dynasty of Serbia in the Middle Ages, and one of the most important in Southeastern Europe. The royal house produced eleven Serbian monarchs between 1166 and 1371. It's progenitor was Stephen Nemanja, who descended from a cadet line of the Vukanović dynasty...
subsequently. The Kingdom of the Serbs
History of Serbia
The history of Serbia, as a country, begins with the Slavic settlements in the Balkans, established in the 6th century in territories governed by the Byzantine Empire. Through centuries, the Serbian realm evolved into a Kingdom , then an Empire , before the Ottomans annexed it in 1540...
was created in 1217, and an Empire
Serbian Empire
The Serbian Empire was a short-lived medieval empire in the Balkans that emerged from the Serbian Kingdom. Stephen Uroš IV Dušan was crowned Emperor of Serbs and Greeks on 16 April, 1346, a title signifying a successorship to the Eastern Roman Empire...
in 1345.
Metohija was conquered by the Ottomans
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...
and incorporated into the Empire's Vilayet of Kosovo after the fall of Serbia in 1459. Metohija witnessed very intense migrations of Albanians
Albanians
Albanians are a nation and ethnic group native to Albania and neighbouring countries. They speak the Albanian language. More than half of all Albanians live in Albania and Kosovo...
, who would replace the Serbs
Serbs
The 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...
as the dominant ethnic group of Metohija and Islam
Islam
Islam . The most common are and . : Arabic pronunciation varies regionally. The first vowel ranges from ~~. The second vowel ranges from ~~~...
replace the previously dominant Orthodox Christianity
Eastern Orthodox Church
The Orthodox Church, officially called the Orthodox Catholic Church and commonly referred to as the Eastern Orthodox Church, is the second largest Christian denomination in the world, with an estimated 300 million adherents mainly in the countries of Belarus, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Georgia, Greece,...
.
The area was taken by the Kingdom of Montenegro
Kingdom of Montenegro
The Kingdom of Montenegro was a monarchy in southeastern Europe during the tumultuous years on the Balkan Peninsula leading up to and during World War I. Legally it was a constitutional monarchy, but absolutist in practice...
in the 1912 First Balkan War
First Balkan War
The First Balkan War, which lasted from October 1912 to May 1913, pitted the Balkan League against the Ottoman Empire. The combined armies of the Balkan states overcame the numerically inferior and strategically disadvantaged Ottoman armies and achieved rapid success...
. During the First World War, Montenegro was conquered by the Austro-Hungarian forces in 1915. The Central Powers
Central Powers
The Central Powers were one of the two warring factions in World War I , composed of the German Empire, the Austro-Hungarian Empire, the Ottoman Empire, and the Kingdom of Bulgaria...
were pushed out of Metohija by the Serbian Army
Serbian Army
-Objectives:The Serbian Army is responsible for:* deterring armed threats* defending Serbia's territory* participation in peacekeeping operations* providing humanitarian aid and disaster relief-Personnel:...
in 1918. Montenegro subsequently joined the Kingdom of Serbia
Kingdom of Serbia
The Kingdom of Serbia was created when Prince Milan Obrenović, ruler of the Principality of Serbia, was crowned King in 1882. The Principality of Serbia was ruled by the Karađorđevic dynasty from 1817 onwards . The Principality, suzerain to the Porte, had expelled all Ottoman troops by 1867, de...
, which was followed by the formation of the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes. The Kingdom was reformed into the Kingdom of Yugoslavia
Kingdom of Yugoslavia
The Kingdom of Yugoslavia was a state stretching from the Western Balkans to Central Europe which existed during the often-tumultuous interwar era of 1918–1941...
in 1929. The Kingdom suffered an Axis
Axis Powers
The Axis powers , also known as the Axis alliance, Axis nations, Axis countries, or just the Axis, was an alignment of great powers during the mid-20th century that fought World War II against the Allies. It began in 1936 with treaties of friendship between Germany and Italy and between Germany and...
invasion during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
in 1941, and the region of Metohija was incorporated into the Italian-controlled Albania
Albania under Italy
The Albanian Kingdom existed as a protectorate of the Kingdom of Italy. It was practically a union between Italy and Albania, officially led by Italy's King Victor Emmanuel III and its government: Albania was led by Italian governors, after being militarily occupied by Italy, from 1939 until 1943...
. After Italy's treaty with the Allies
Allies of World War II
The Allies of World War II were the countries that opposed the Axis powers during the Second World War . Former Axis states contributing to the Allied victory are not considered Allied states...
in 1943, the Germans took direct control over the region. After numerous rebellions of Serbian
Serbs
The 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...
Chetniks
Chetniks
Chetniks, or the Chetnik movement , were Serbian nationalist and royalist paramilitary organizations from the first half of the 20th century. The Chetniks were formed as a Serbian resistance against the Ottoman Empire in 1904, and participated in the Balkan Wars, World War I, and World War II...
and Yugoslav Partisans
Partisans (Yugoslavia)
The Yugoslav Partisans, or simply the Partisans were a Communist-led World War II anti-fascist resistance movement in Yugoslavia...
, Metohija was liberated in 1944. In 1946, it became part of 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...
's Autonomous Province of Kosovo and Metohija
History of Kosovo
In antiquity, the Kosovo region in the Balkans was known as Dardania and from the 1st century AD it formed part of the Roman province of Moesia. From c. 700 to 1455, the Kosovo region became part of the Bulgarian Empire, the Byzantine Empire and then the Serbian medieval states, notably Raška...
- within the transitional Democratic Federal Yugoslavia.
On 17 February 2008, Kosovo declared independence
2008 Kosovo declaration of independence
The 2008 Kosovo declaration of independence was adopted on 17 February 2008 by individual members of the Assembly of Kosovo acting in personal capacity and not binding to the Assembly itself...
from Serbia. However, Serbia still considers it as a part of its sovereign territory as an autonomous province.