Žabljak Crnojevića ( sr-cyrl, Жабљак Црнојевића, ), commonly referred to as Žabljak, is an abandoned medieval

fortified town A defensive wall is a fortification usually used to protect a city, town or other settlement from potential aggressors. The walls can range from simple palisades or earthworks to extensive military fortifications with towers, bastions and gates ...

(fortress) in

Montenegro ) , image_map = Europe-Montenegro.svg , map_caption = , image_map2 = , capital = Podgorica , coordinates = , largest_city = capital , official_languages = M ...

. The fortress is located on the confluence of the

Morača river The Morača ( sr-cyrl, Морача, ) is a major river in Montenegro that originates in the northern region in Kolašin Municipality under Mount Rzača. It meanders southwards for before emptying into Lake Skadar. Its drainage basin covers . ...

Lake Skadar Lake Skadar ( sh-Cyrl-Latn, Скадарско језеро, Skadarsko jezero, ; sq, Liqeni i Shkodrës, ) also called Lake Scutari, Lake Shkodër and Lake Shkodra lies on the border of Albania and Montenegro, and is the largest lake in Southern ...

History

It is believed that this fortress was founded in the 10th century during the reign of the

Vojislavljević dynasty The Vojislavljević ( sr-Cyrl, Војислављевић, pl. Vojislavljevići / Војислављевићи) was a Serbian medieval dynasty, named after ''archon'' Stefan Vojislav, who wrested the polities of Duklja, Travunia, Zahumlje, inner ...

in then-known Dioclea, whereas the first known written testimony of the fortress originate from mid-14th century. The fortress served as the capital of

Zeta Zeta (, ; uppercase Ζ, lowercase ζ; grc, ζῆτα, el, ζήτα, label= Demotic Greek, classical or ''zē̂ta''; ''zíta'') is the sixth letter of the Greek alphabet. In the system of Greek numerals, it has a value of 7. It was derived f ...

under the Crnojević dynasty from 1466 till 1478, being the seat of Stefan and

Ivan Crnojević Ivan Crnojević ( sr-Cyrl, Иван Црнојевић, italics=no, lit=Ivan the Black) was the lord of Zeta and Serbian leader from 1465 to 1490. Having formed an alliance with the Republic of Venice, he led the Serb resistance against the expandi ...

. However, Ivan Crnojević was forced to move the capital in 1478 when the

Ottomans The Ottoman Turks ( tr, Osmanlı Türkleri), were the Turkic founding and sociopolitically the most dominant ethnic group of the Ottoman Empire ( 1299/1302–1922). Reliable information about the early history of Ottoman Turks remains scarce, ...

seized the town during the

siege of Shkodra The fourth siege of Shkodra of 1478–79 was a confrontation between the Ottoman Empire and the Venetians together with the League of Lezhe and other Albanians at Shkodra (Scutari in Italian) and its Rozafa Castle during the First Ottoman-V ...

, holding it until the decision of the

Berlin Congress The Congress of Berlin (13 June – 13 July 1878) was a diplomatic conference to reorganise the states in the Balkan Peninsula after the Russo-Turkish War of 1877–78, which had been won by Russia against the Ottoman Empire. Represented at th ...

in 1878 when it fell under Montenegrin administration once again after 400 years of Turkish rule. The town has tall walls with towers, as well as one gate. Within the walls can be found: Ivan Crnojević's court, Church of

Saint George Saint George (Greek: Γεώργιος (Geórgios), Latin: Georgius, Arabic: القديس جرجس; died 23 April 303), also George of Lydda, was a Christian who is venerated as a saint in Christianity. According to tradition he was a soldier ...

(was turned into a mosque during Ottoman rule), housing and military facilities, a warehouse for clothes and a water tank, most of which are preserved. In the early 17th century, the town was under Ottoman rule. The fortress had only one resident, the Dizdar Aga (Turkish official). In the past Žabljak was home to a significant

Albanian Albanian may refer to: *Pertaining to Albania in Southeast Europe; in particular: **Albanians, an ethnic group native to the Balkans **Albanian language **Albanian culture **Demographics of Albania, includes other ethnic groups within the country ...

community. They were largely expelled in different waves during the late 19th century expulsion of the Albanians fleeing to

Turkey Turkey ( tr, Türkiye ), officially the Republic of Türkiye ( tr, Türkiye Cumhuriyeti, links=no ), is a list of transcontinental countries, transcontinental country located mainly on the Anatolia, Anatolian Peninsula in Western Asia, with ...

Kosovo Kosovo ( sq, Kosova or ; sr-Cyrl, Косово ), officially the Republic of Kosovo ( sq, Republika e Kosovës, links=no; sr, Република Косово, Republika Kosovo, links=no), is a partially recognised state in Southeast Euro ...

(

Pristina Pristina, ; sr, / (, ) is the capital and largest city of Kosovo. The city's municipal boundaries in Pristina District form the largest urban center in Kosovo. After Tirana, Pristina has the second largest population of ethnic Albanians and ...

) and Macedonia.''Albania: From Anarchy to a Balkan Identity''; by Miranda Vickers & James Pettifer, 1999 ; p. 181

Demographics

Gallery

File:Zabjak Crnojevica - hrad zalozeny v 14. stol na ostruvku v b.jpg, View of the castle from the village File:View from Zabljak Crnojevica.jpg, View from the castle to the

Skadar lake Lake Skadar ( sh-Cyrl-Latn, Скадарско језеро, Skadarsko jezero, ; sq, Liqeni i Shkodrës, ) also called Lake Scutari, Lake Shkodër and Lake Shkodra lies on the border of Albania and Montenegro, and is the largest lake in Southern ...

File:Ceklini memorial on Zabljak Crnojevica.jpg, Monument to

Kenjo Janković Kenjo Stankov Janković (Serbian cyrillic: Кењо Станков Јанковић; 1797 in Ceklin – 12 May 1861 in Ceklin) was a Montenegrin warrior and military leader. Janković is most notable for leading a small band of Montenegrin rebels ...

and

Ceklin Ceklin ( Montenegrin/Serbian Cyrillic: Цеклин; ) is a historical tribe (''pleme'') and region in Montenegro. Ceklin is a tribal community whose folk tradition maintains that was formed through matrilineal descent as its matriarch was marr ...

rebels File:Zabjak Crnojevica - stejnojmenna viska v podhradi, v zime pr.jpg, The village church and graveyard under the castle

References

* Istorijski leksikon Crne Gore, 5. dio: ''Žabljak Crnojevića''
Montenegro.com: Zabljak Crnojevica

{{DEFAULTSORT:Zabljak Crnojevica Populated places in Montenegro Crnojević noble family Cetinje Municipality Former capitals of Montenegro