Old Serbia
Encyclopedia
Old Serbia is a modern name for the territory which was the core of medieval Serbia
. It included Raška
(Sandžak
), Kosovo
and Metohija
and the Macedonia
. It sometimes includes Montenegro
.
It was used by Christian Slavs in these regions of Ottoman Turkey to denote the areas where they live in their native tongue, as well as in Austria and Russia, but completely ignored by the Turks who referred to the region as either Sandžak of, Rumelia or Arnavutluk.
The Old Serbia had then no political definition, but was determined by the historical association of the regions that were under Ottoman rule. A traveler concludes that the northern border is the Sanjak of Novi Pazar
and the region of Kosovo and Metohija.
The term originated in common speech and was introduced by the refugees of the Great Serb Migrations in Austro-Hungarian regions of Serbs. It reemerged in the aspirations of liberating these areas during the time of the Serbian revolution and later would designate the areas not liberated by 1833. In 1878 Niš
and Vranje
of South-East Serbia was liberated, it would take until 1913 when Sandžak
, Kosovo
and Macedonia
became part of the Kingdom of Serbia
.
Vuk Stefanović Karadžić
referred to Old Serbia as the territory of the Serbian people, that was part of medieval Serbia prior to the Ottoman conquest. Spiridon Gopčević
published ethnographic works on Old Serbia region (Macedonia, Kosovo). The "Old Serbia" bank opened in Skopje
in 1923 to dominate and accelerate the economy of the region.
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...
. It included Raška
Raška (region)
Raška is a region in south-central Serbia and northern Montenegro. It is mostly situated in the Raška District. The southern part of Raška is also known as Sandžak and is divided between Serbia and Montenegro....
(Sandžak
Sandžak
Sandžak also known as Raška is a historical region lying along the border between Serbia and Montenegro...
), 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...
and Metohija
Metohija
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 :* District of Peć * District of Đakovica * District of Prizren...
and the Macedonia
Macedonia (region)
Macedonia is a geographical and historical region of the Balkan peninsula in southeastern Europe. Its boundaries have changed considerably over time, but nowadays the region is considered to include parts of five Balkan countries: Greece, the Republic of Macedonia, Bulgaria, Albania, Serbia, as...
. It sometimes includes 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 used by Christian Slavs in these regions of Ottoman Turkey to denote the areas where they live in their native tongue, as well as in Austria and Russia, but completely ignored by the Turks who referred to the region as either Sandžak of, Rumelia or Arnavutluk.
The Old Serbia had then no political definition, but was determined by the historical association of the regions that were under Ottoman rule. A traveler concludes that the northern border is the Sanjak of Novi Pazar
Sanjak of Novi Pazar
The Sanjak of Novi Pazar was an Ottoman sanjak that existed until the Balkan Wars of 1912-1913 in the territory of present day Montenegro, Serbia and Kosovo.-History:It was part of the Bosnia Vilayet and later Kosovo Vilayet and included...
and the region of Kosovo and Metohija.
The term originated in common speech and was introduced by the refugees of the Great Serb Migrations in Austro-Hungarian regions of Serbs. It reemerged in the aspirations of liberating these areas during the time of the Serbian revolution and later would designate the areas not liberated by 1833. In 1878 Niš
Niš
Niš is the largest city of southern Serbia and third-largest city in Serbia . According to the data from 2011, the city of Niš has a population of 177,972 inhabitants, while the city municipality has a population of 257,867. The city covers an area of about 597 km2, including the urban area,...
and Vranje
Vranje
Vranje is a city and municipality located in southern Serbia. In 2011 the city has total population of 82,782, while the urban area has 54,456...
of South-East Serbia was liberated, it would take until 1913 when Sandžak
Sandžak
Sandžak also known as Raška is a historical region lying along the border between Serbia and Montenegro...
, 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...
and Macedonia
Republic of Macedonia
Macedonia , officially the Republic of Macedonia , is a country located in the central Balkan peninsula in Southeast Europe. It is one of the successor states of the former Yugoslavia, from which it declared independence in 1991...
became part of 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...
.
Vuk Stefanović Karadžić
Vuk Stefanovic Karadžic
Vuk Stefanović Karadžić was a Serbian philolog and linguist, the major reformer of the Serbian language, and deserves, perhaps, for his collections of songs, fairy tales, and riddles to be called the father of the study of Serbian folklore. He was the author of the first Serbian dictionary...
referred to Old Serbia as the territory of the Serbian people, that was part of medieval Serbia prior to the Ottoman conquest. Spiridon Gopčević
Spiridon Gopcevic
Spiridon Gopčević or Leo Brenner was a Serbian-Austrian astronomer and historian born in Trieste.His father, also named Spiridon, was a great shipowner in Trieste , but had originated from the village of Podi near Herceg Novi in Boka Kotorska in present-day Montenegro...
published ethnographic works on Old Serbia region (Macedonia, Kosovo). The "Old Serbia" bank opened in Skopje
Skopje
Skopje is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Macedonia with about a third of the total population. It is the country's political, cultural, economic, and academic centre...
in 1923 to dominate and accelerate the economy of the region.