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Bjelopavlići ( cyrl, Бјелопавлићи, ; ) is a historical tribe (pleme) of Albanian origin and a valley in the region of the Brda, in
Montenegro , image_flag = Flag of Montenegro.svg , image_coat = Coat of arms of Montenegro.svg , coa_size = 80 , national_motto = , national_anthem = () , image_map = Europe-Mont ...
, around the city of
Danilovgrad Danilovgrad (Cyrillic: Даниловград) is a town in central Montenegro. It has a population of 6,852, according to the 2011 census. It is situated in the Danilovgrad Municipality which lies along the main route between Montenegro's two la ...
.


Geography

The ''Bjelopavlići'' valley (also known as the Zeta river valley) is a strip of fertile lowland stretching along the Zeta river, being wider in the river's lower end, down to the confluence with Morača river near
Podgorica Podgorica ( cnr-Cyrl, Подгорица; ) is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Montenegro, largest city of Montenegro. The city is just north of Lake Skadar and close to coastal destinations on the Adriatic Sea. Histor ...
. The valley has historically been densely populated, as fertile lowlands are rare in mountainous Montenegro, and it provided a corridor for road and rail connection between the two biggest Montenegrin cities,
Podgorica Podgorica ( cnr-Cyrl, Подгорица; ) is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Montenegro, largest city of Montenegro. The city is just north of Lake Skadar and close to coastal destinations on the Adriatic Sea. Histor ...
and
Nikšić Nikšić (Cyrillic script, Cyrillic: Никшић, ), is the second largest city in Montenegro, with a total population of 32,046 (2023 census) located in the west of the country, in the centre of the spacious Nikšić field at the foot of Trebjesa ...
. The largest settlement in the plain is the town of
Danilovgrad Danilovgrad (Cyrillic: Даниловград) is a town in central Montenegro. It has a population of 6,852, according to the 2011 census. It is situated in the Danilovgrad Municipality which lies along the main route between Montenegro's two la ...
which got name by Prince (Knjaz) Danilo Petrović. Confusingly, the other significant plain in Montenegro,
Zeta plain The Zeta Plain ( cnr-Latn-Cyrl, Zetska ravnica, Зетска равница, separator=" / ", ) is a fertile lowland in Montenegro. It stretches from Podgorica in the north to the Skadar Lake in the south. It is the biggest plains area in Montene ...
has been named after Zeta river, although Zeta river itself does not flow through it.


Name

The name derives from the semi-mythical progenitor of the tribe known as ''Bijeli Pavle'' () in Slavic. The name corresponds to ''Palabardhi'' (i.e. Pal Bardhi) with the exact same meaning in Albanian, which is attested in a 17th-century Venetian document, where the Bjelopavlići are recorded as ''Palabardi''. The Bjelopavlići are known as ''Dukađinci'' (''from Dukagjin'') among the Lužani who were the local Slavic-speakers of the Danilovgrad plain before the settlements of the Bjelopavlići in the region.


Oral traditions

There are several versions of similar oral traditions and folk stories which recorded since the late 19th century about the Bjelopavlići and their common progenitor. There is no actual recorded historical information about any such figure. According to an oral tradition recorded by Špiro Kulišić, the Bjelopavlići claim to descend from a son of the medieval Albanian noble Lekë Dukagjini named ''Pal Bardhi'' (''Bjelo Pavle''). The tradition further claims kinship with the Gashi who are depicted as the descendants of Pal's brother, ''Gash'' or ''Gavrilo''. However, according to an alternate tradition, Lekë Dukagjini fathered two sons: ''Nikolla'' from whom the
Mirdita Mirdita is a region of northern Albania whose territory is synonymous with the historic Albanian tribe of the same name. Etymology The name Mirdita derives from a legendary ancestor named Mir Diti from whom the tribe claims descent. Other a ...
and Shala descend, and Pal Bardhi from whom the Bjelopavlići and Gashi stem. Another similar folk tradition considers their progenitor to be a ''Bijeli Pavle'' who was the son of a ''Kapetan Leka'' who moved to Montenegro from Dukagjini (western
Kosovo Kosovo, officially the Republic of Kosovo, is a landlocked country in Southeast Europe with International recognition of Kosovo, partial diplomatic recognition. It is bordered by Albania to the southwest, Montenegro to the west, Serbia to the ...
) in the 15th century after the Ottoman conquest. There is no record in oral traditions about his ethnic origins (Serb or Albanian). Further hypothetical constructions in the 19th century linked him to a
Serb The Serbs ( sr-Cyr, Срби, Srbi, ) are a South Slavic ethnic group native to Southeastern Europe who share a common Serbian ancestry, culture, history, and language. They primarily live in Serbia, Kosovo, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia ...
origin, corresponding either to the 9th-century Beli Pavlimir mentioned in the Chronicle of the Priest of Duklja, or to a later person from the 13th century, related to the
house of Nemanjić A house is a single-unit residential building. It may range in complexity from a rudimentary hut to a complex structure of wood, masonry, concrete or other material, outfitted with plumbing, electrical, and heating, ventilation, and air condit ...
, while others linked him to an Albanian origin. Among
Albanians The Albanians are an ethnic group native to the Balkan Peninsula who share a common Albanian ancestry, Albanian culture, culture, Albanian history, history and Albanian language, language. They are the main ethnic group of Albania and Kosovo, ...
from
Metohija Metohija (), also known in Albanian as Dukagjini, (, ) is a large drainage basin, basin and the name of the region covering the southwestern part of Kosovo. The region covers 35% (3,891 km2) of Kosovo's total area. According to the 2024 ce ...
, it is believed his real name was ''Pal Bardhi'' and that he was the son of Lekë Dukagjini.


Origins

Originally an
Albanian tribe The Albanian tribes () form a historical mode of social organization (''farefisní'') in Albania and the southwestern Balkans characterized by a common culture, often common patrilineal kinship ties and shared social ties. The ''fis'' ( sq-defini ...
, the Bjelopavlići underwent a process of gradual cultural integration into the neighbouring Slavic population. A
Franciscan The Franciscans are a group of related organizations in the Catholic Church, founded or inspired by the Italian saint Francis of Assisi. They include three independent Religious institute, religious orders for men (the Order of Friars Minor bei ...
report of the 17th century illustrates the final stages of their acculturation. Its author writes that the
Bratonožići The Bratonožići ( sr-Cyrl, Братоножићи, ) is a historical tribe (''pleme'') of Albanian origin in the Brda region of Montenegro. It appeared during the Ottoman period and was a captaincy of the Principality of Montenegro in the 19 ...
, Piperi, Bjelopavlići and Kuči:


History

The first reference to the Bjelopavlići comes from a letter issued by the
Serbian Chancellery in Dubrovnik The Serbian Chancellery (), sometimes known as the Slavic Chancellery (словенска канцеларија), was a diplomatical and economical office of several states of Serbia in the Middle Ages (such as Kingdom of Serbia, Kingdom of Bosn ...
in 1411. The document, a complaint from Ragusan people addressed to Jelena Balšić, is about the looting committed by the Bjelopavlići, together with the Ozrinići, Maznice and
Malonšići Malonšići (in older forms: Malončići and Malonjšiki, Cyrillic: Малоншићи) was a historical Tribes of Montenegro, tribe (''pleme'') of Albanians, Albanian origin and area in the Brda (Montenegro), Brda region of Montenegro. Malonši� ...
, on Ragusan merchants on their way through
Zeta Zeta (, ; uppercase Ζ, lowercase ζ; , , 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 from the Phoenician alphabet, Phoenician letter zay ...
while they were returning from
Serbia , image_flag = Flag of Serbia.svg , national_motto = , image_coat = Coat of arms of Serbia.svg , national_anthem = () , image_map = , map_caption = Location of Serbia (gree ...
. Following the Ottoman conquest of Upper Zeta in 1474 and the subsequent fall of Scutari in 1479, the Bjelopavlići are mentioned as a distinct
nahiyah A nāḥiyah ( , plural ''nawāḥī'' ), also nahiyeh, nahiya or nahia, is a regional or local type of administrative division that usually consists of a number of villages or sometimes smaller towns. In Tajikistan, it is a second-level divisi ...
in the 1485
defter A ''defter'' was a type of tax register and land cadastre in the Ottoman Empire. Etymology The term is derived from Greek , literally 'processed animal skin, leather, fur', meaning a book, having pages of goat parchment used along with papyrus ...
of the newly created
Sanjak of Scutari The Sanjak of Scutari or Sanjak of Shkodra (; ; or ''İşkodra Sancağı'') was one of the sanjaks of the Ottoman Empire. It was established after the Ottoman Empire acquired Shkodra after the siege of Shkodra in 1478–9. It was part of th ...
. Their area then consisted of 3 settlements numbering a total of 159 households: Martinići (35 households), Dimitrovići (95) and Vražnegrnci (29). The anthroponymy recorded in the nahiyah of Bjelopavlići predominantly belonged to the Slavic onomastic sphere, although a minority of household heads bore Albanian or mixed Albanian-Slavic personal names. Unlike in many of the other northernmost nahiyahs of the Sanjak of Scutari in Montenegro where Slavic anthroponymy predominated, a minority of the households heads from the nahiyah of Bjelopavlići still bore Albanian anthroponyms in the subsequent registers of the 16th century. Based on the archival material, Selami Pulaha considered regions such as Bjelopavlići to be zones of ethno-linguistic contact between Albanian and Slavic-speaking groups during the medieval period. In 1496, the Ottomans definitely incorporated
Zeta Zeta (, ; uppercase Ζ, lowercase ζ; , , 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 from the Phoenician alphabet, Phoenician letter zay ...
into their Empire. The burning of
Saint Sava Saint Sava (, ; Old Church Slavonic: ; Glagolitic: ; ; 1169 or 1174 – 14 January 1235/6), known as the Enlightener or the Illuminator, was a Serbs, Serbian prince and Eastern Orthodox Church, Orthodox monk, abbot of Studenica Monastery, Studeni ...
's remains after the Banat Uprising provoked the Serbs in other regions to revolt against the Ottomans. In 1596, an uprising broke out in the Bjelopavlići plain, then spread to Drobnjaci,
Nikšić Nikšić (Cyrillic script, Cyrillic: Никшић, ), is the second largest city in Montenegro, with a total population of 32,046 (2023 census) located in the west of the country, in the centre of the spacious Nikšić field at the foot of Trebjesa ...
, Piva and
Gacko Gacko ( sr-cyrl, Гацко) is a town and municipality in Republika Srpska, Bosnia and Herzegovina. It is situated in the region of East Herzegovina (Bosnia and Herzegovina), East Herzegovina. As of 2013, the town has a population of 5,784 inh ...
(see
Serb Uprising of 1596–97 The Serbs ( sr-Cyr, Срби, Srbi, ) are a South Slavs, South Slavic ethnic group native to Southeastern Europe who share a common Serbian Cultural heritage, ancestry, Culture of Serbia, culture, History of Serbia, history, and Serbian lan ...
). It was suppressed due to lack of foreign support. In 1612 the Sultan sent the son of Mehmet Pasha to Podgorica to tackle the uprisings by the people. The Pasha remained in Podgorica for three months and then decided to ravage the Bjelopavlići, taking 80 women and children as slaves, setting the village on fire and stealing animals. The males were hiding in other villages and upon the department of the Ottoman soldiers, the tribesmen attacked and killed 300
sipahi The ''sipahi'' ( , ) were professional cavalrymen deployed by the Seljuk Turks and later by the Ottoman Empire. ''Sipahi'' units included the land grant–holding ('' timar'') provincial ''timarli sipahi'', which constituted most of the arm ...
s with their horses and baggage stolen.Mariano Bolizza
/ref> In 1613, the Ottomans launched a campaign against the rebel tribes of Montenegro. In response, the Bjelopavlići along with the tribes of Kuči, Piperi,
Vasojevići The Vasojevići (Montenegrin language, Montenegrin and sr-Cyrl, Васојевићи, ) is a historical Tribes of Montenegro#Brda, highland tribe (''pleme'') and region of Montenegro, in the area of the Brda (Montenegro), Brda. It is the largest ...
, Kastrati,
Kelmendi Kelmendi is a historical Albanian tribes, Albanian tribe (''fis'') and region in Malësia (Kelmend (municipality), Kelmend municipality) and eastern Montenegro (parts of Gusinje Municipality). It is located in the upper valley of the Cem (river), ...
, Shkreli and Hoti formed a political and military union known as or “The Union of the Mountains” or “The Albanian Mountains”. In their shared assemblies, such as the Convention of Kuçi, the leaders swore an oath of '' besa'' to resist with all their might any upcoming Ottoman expeditions, thereby protecting their self-government and disallowing the establishment of the authority of the Ottoman Spahis in the northern highlands ever again. Their uprising had a liberating character. They reached an agreement with the rebels for 1,000 ducats and 12 slaves. Venetian Mariano Bolizza ( May 1614) recorded that the region was under the command of the Ottoman army in Podgorica. There was 800 armed men of Bjelopavlići (), commanded by Neneca Latinović and Bratič Tomašević. Later that year, the Bjelopavlići, Kuči, Piperi, and Kelmendi sent a letter to the kings of Spain and France claiming they were independent from Ottoman rule and did not pay tribute to the empire. When the Pasha of Herzegovina attack city of
Kotor Kotor (Cyrillic script, Cyrillic: Котор, ), historically known as Cattaro (from Italian language, Italian: ), is a town in Coastal Montenegro, Coastal region of Montenegro. It is located in a secluded part of the Bay of Kotor. The city has ...
1657, the tribes of the
Kelmendi Kelmendi is a historical Albanian tribes, Albanian tribe (''fis'') and region in Malësia (Kelmend (municipality), Kelmend municipality) and eastern Montenegro (parts of Gusinje Municipality). It is located in the upper valley of the Cem (river), ...
and Bjelopavlići also participated in this battle on the side of the Venetians. Kotor repulsed the siege, but their rebellion against the Ottomans was suppressed shortly afterwards. The Bjelopavlići are recorded in an Ottoman historical report of Mustafa Naima as among the Albanian communities which rose in rebellion against the Ottoman authorities between 1637-8. According to the report, the Bjelopavlići and Piperi had first submitted and provided sustenance to the Ottoman forces under Vučo Mehmed Pasha on his campaign against the Kelmendi, although the latter later rose again in rebellion. The population of the nahiyah of Bjelopavlići is described in the report as Albanian. In 1774, in the same month of the death of Šćepan Mali, Mehmed Pasha Bushati attacked the Kuči and Bjelopavlići, but was decisively defeated and returned to Scutari. Prince-Bishop Petar I (r. 1782-1830) waged a successful campaign against the ''bey'' of
Bosnia Bosnia and Herzegovina, sometimes known as Bosnia-Herzegovina and informally as Bosnia, is a country in Southeast Europe. Situated on the Balkans, Balkan Peninsula, it borders Serbia to the east, Montenegro to the southeast, and Croatia to th ...
in 1819; the repulse of an Ottoman invasion from Albania during the
Russo-Turkish War (1828–29) The Russo-Turkish wars ( ), or the Russo-Ottoman wars (), began in 1568 and continued intermittently until 1918. They consisted of twelve conflicts in total, making them one of the longest series of wars in the history of Europe. All but four of ...
led to the recognition of Montenegrin sovereignty over Piperi.Miller, p. 142 Petar I had managed to unite the Piperi and Bjelopavlići with Montenegro, and when Bjelopavlići and the rest of ''the Hills'' (Seven hills) were joined into Peter's state, a polity officially called "Black Mountain (Montenegro) and the Hills". A civil war broke out in 1847, in which the Piperi, Kuči, Bjelopavlići and Crmnica sought to confront the growing centralized power of new prince of Montenegro; the secessionists were subdued and their ringleaders shot. Amid the
Crimean War The Crimean War was fought between the Russian Empire and an alliance of the Ottoman Empire, the Second French Empire, the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, and the Kingdom of Sardinia (1720–1861), Kingdom of Sardinia-Piedmont fro ...
, there was a political problem in Montenegro; Danilo I's uncle, George, urged for yet another war against the Ottomans, but the Austrians advised Danilo not to take arms.Miller, p. 218 A conspiracy was formed against Danilo, led by his uncles George and Pero, the situation came to its height when the Ottomans stationed troops along the Herzegovinian frontier, provoking the mountaineers. Some urged an attack on Bar, others raided into Herzegovina, and the discontent of Danilo's subjects grew so much that the Piperi, Kuči and Bjelopavlići, the recent and still unamalgamated acquisitions, proclaimed themselves an independent state in July, 1854. In Danilo I's Code, dated to 1855, he explicitly states that he is the "knjaz (duke, prince) and gospodar (lord) of the Free Black Mountain (Montenegro) and the Hills". Danilo was forced to take measurement against the rebels in Brda, some rebels crossed into Ottoman territory and some submitted and were to pay for the civil war they had caused. Knjaz Danilo was assassinated in August, 1860 as he was boarding a ship at the port of
Kotor Kotor (Cyrillic script, Cyrillic: Котор, ), historically known as Cattaro (from Italian language, Italian: ), is a town in Coastal Montenegro, Coastal region of Montenegro. It is located in a secluded part of the Bay of Kotor. The city has ...
. The assassin, ''Chief'' Todor Kadić of the Bjelopavlići, was said to be assisted by Austrian authorities in carrying out the assassination. Some speculate that there was a personal feud between the two, the fact that Danilo had an affair with Todor's wife and the ongoing mistreatment of the Bjelopavlići tribe by Danilo's guards and his forces. During the rule of Nikola I Petrović-Njegoš, the Bjelopavlići had bad relations with the prince, which deteriorated further after 1908 when a prominent member of the tribe, Andrija Radović, was sentenced to 15 years in prison during the
Cetinje Cetinje ( cnr-Cyrl, Цетиње, ) is a List of cities and towns in Montenegro, town in Montenegro. It is the former royal capital ( cnr-Latn-Cyrl, prijestonica, приjестоница, separator=" / ") of Montenegro and is the location of sev ...
bombing trial. Although a tribe of the Brda, the Bjelopavlići were among the first in the area to become subjects of the Prince-Bishop of Montenegro at the end of the 18th century, hence their strong support for the independence of the country in 2006.


Families and notable people

All families have the '' slava'' of
Parascheva of the Balkans Paraskeva of the Balkans, alternatively known as Petka, was an ascetic female saint of the 11th century. She was born in Epivates, near present-day Istanbul, and had visions of the Virgin Mary. After living in Chalcedon and Heraclea Pontica, s ...
(''sv. Petka''). ;Brotherhoods *Vražegrmci and Martinići, descend from Buba Šćepanović *Pavkovići, descend from Pavko Mitrović **Brajović, descend from Brajo Pavković *Petrušinovići, descend from Petar Mitrović *Matijaševići and Tomaševići, descend from Nikola Mitrović *Kalezići, descend from Kaleta Mitrović * Lužani, natives Notable people born or with descent from Bjelopavlići include: * Ilija Garašanin, Serbian statesman, Prime Minister, Defender of the Constitution, creator of the
Načertanije The term Greater Serbia or Great Serbia () describes the Serbian nationalist and irredentist ideology of the creation of a Serb state which would incorporate all regions of traditional significance to Serbs, a South Slavic ethnic group, includi ...
. * Veselin Đuranović, Yugoslav communist politician. * Milutin Garašanin, Serbian politician who held the post of Prime Minister of Serbia. * Dragan Jočić, former Minister of Internal Affairs of Serbia. * Jovica Stanišić, head of the State Security Service (SDB) within the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Serbia. * Andrija Radović, politician and statesmen. * Blagoje Jovović, member of the Partisan and later the Chetnik movement. * Vasos Mavrovouniotis, Montenegrin general in the Greek revolution. *
Milutin Savić '' Hadži'' Milutin Savić ''Garašanin'' ( sr-cyr, Милутин Савић Гарашанин; 1762–1842) was a Serbian revolutionary, obor-knez of Jasenica, and member of the National Council under Miloš Obrenović. He is the father of I ...
, Serbian revolutionary. * Bajo Stanišić, officer of the Royal Yugoslav Army. *
Zorica Pavićević Zorica Pavićević, née Dragović (born 9 May 1956 in Danilovgrad, Montenegro) is a former Yugoslav handball player who competed in the 1984 Summer Olympics The 1984 Summer Olympics (officially the Games of the XXIII Olympiad and comm ...
, Yugoslav handball player, competed in the 1984 Summer Olympics. * Vojislav Brajović, Serbian actor. * Zoran Kalezić, Montenegrin singer. * Borislav Jovavonić, writer, poet and literary critic. *Arso Milatović, diplomat, Yugoslav ambassador in Albania, Romania and Poland


References


Sources

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Bjelopavlici Landforms of Montenegro Valleys of Europe Tribes of Montenegro Danilovgrad Municipality