Novljani ( sr-cyr, Новљани) were a medieval Serb tribe, which became the component part of the
Drobnjaci
Drobnjaci (, ) are historical tribe and region, Drobnjak, in Old Herzegovina in Montenegro (municipalities from Nikšić to Šavnik, Žabljak and Pljevlja). Its unofficial centre is in Šavnik. The Serb Orthodox families have St. George ('' ...
tribe in
Old Herzegovina
Old Herzegovina ( sr, Стара Херцеговина, Stara Hercegovina) is a historical region, covering the eastern parts of historical Herzegovina, outside the scope of modern Herzegovina. A large section of ''Old Herzegovina'' belongs to ...
(in
Montenegro
)
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, capital = Podgorica
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). According to folklore, the Novljani was a Serb tribe that settled
Bosnia at the time of the Serb settlement in the Balkans, then later crossed into the Banjani plateau in Old Herzegovina. From there, the Novljani and other Serb tribes pushed out the native population towards the Tara and source of Morača, and towards the south, Podgorica, and then settled and divided the conquered lands between themselves. This happened in olden times, surely prior to the 13th century. The Novljani received the wide land that later encompassed the tribes of
Banjani and Drobnjaci. The larger part of Novljani that settled Drobnjak inhabited the whole region between Onogošt (
Nikšić
Nikšić ( cnr, Никшић, italic=no, sr-cyrl, Никшић, italic=no; ), is the second largest city in Montenegro, with a total population of 56,970 located in the west of the country, in the centre of the spacious Nikšić field at the foot ...
) and the Tara river, and from at that time the
Piva
Piva may refer to:
* Piva (river), a river in Montenegro and Bosnia and Herzegovina
* Piva, Montenegro, a region in Montenegro and tribe
* Piva River, Bougainville, Papua New Guinea
* Piva Trail, Bougainville, Papua New Guinea
** Battle for Piv ...
border to Upper Morača — this part of the Novljani was later named Drobnjaci. The Novljani first settled "''korito Drobnjaka''" in the area of Drobnjak, where they founded settlements. In Drobnjak, the tribe held the land through which the Roman Onogošt–Pirliktor merchant road crossed. After expanding in numbers, they took over Jezera from the
Kriči tribe.
The Novljani settled as an organized tribe, headed by a ''vojvoda'' and several ''knezovi''. They settled the area of Drobnjak and called themselves the ''Drobnjaci''. It is unknown whether they collectively descend from one ancestor or a group of various families connected to the general tribal organization.
According to folklore, a part of the Drobnjak families descend from the old Novljani. Today the ''Novljani'' number 113 families out of 385 of the Drobnjaci. The Kosovčić brotherhood was the most numerous of the tribe, and for long led the whole tribe of Drobnjaci, also enumerated in
epic poetry
An epic poem, or simply an epic, is a lengthy narrative poem typically about the extraordinary deeds of extraordinary characters who, in dealings with gods or other superhuman forces, gave shape to the mortal universe for their descendants.
...
. Another notable brotherhood, which also led the whole tribe, was the Kosorić.
References
Sources
;Books and monographs
*
*
*
;Journals
*{{cite journal, last=Bešlagić, first=Šefik, editor=Zečević, Slobodan, year=1973, title=Stećci u okolini Žabljaka, journal=Гласник Етнографског музеја у Београду, issue=36, url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Yj-lBQAAQBAJ&pg=PA136, publisher=Etnografski muzej u Beogradu, id=GGKEY:L58360RG0XK
Drobnjaci
Medieval Montenegro
Tribes of Montenegro