The Bratonožići ( sr-Cyrl, Братоножићи, ) is a
historical tribe (''pleme'') of
Albanian origin in the
Brda region of
Montenegro
, image_flag = Flag of Montenegro.svg
, image_coat = Coat of arms of Montenegro.svg
, coa_size = 80
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, national_anthem = ()
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. It appeared during the Ottoman period and was a captaincy of the
Principality of Montenegro
The Principality of Montenegro () was a principality in Southeastern Europe that existed from 13 March 1852 to 28 August 1910. It was then proclaimed a Kingdom of Montenegro, kingdom by Nikola I of Montenegro, Nikola I, who then became King of M ...
in the 19th century. Today, it forms part of northeastern
Podgorica Municipality. In Montenegro, the majority of people who trace their origin in Bratonožići identify as Christian Orthodox
Montenegrins
Montenegrins (, or ) are a South Slavic ethnic group that share a common ancestry, culture, history, and language, identified with the country of Montenegro.
Montenegrins are mostly Orthodox Christians; however, the population also includes ...
and Christian Orthodox
Serbs
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 ...
. Brotherhoods (''bratstvo'') from the historical tribe that settled in
Bijelo Polje and became Muslims in the Ottoman period identify as
Bosniaks
The Bosniaks (, Cyrillic script, Cyrillic: Бошњаци, ; , ) are a South Slavs, South Slavic ethnic group native to the Southeast European historical region of Bosnia (region), Bosnia, today part of Bosnia and Herzegovina, and who sha ...
. In the 18th century, many families from the region settled in western Serbia. In
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 ...
, a part of the Serbs of northwestern Kosovo come from Bratonožići.
Geography

The Bratonožići tribal region is a rugged, hilly area at an altitude which ranges from 400 to 450m. It is situated between the
Morača river, Mala Rijeka and Crna Planina; it borders the tribes of
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 ...
to the north,
Rovčani to the northwest,
Kuči to the east and south, and
Piperi to the west. The region ends after Mala Rijeka pours into the Morača, near the settlement of
Mrke, about 13 km to the northeast of
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 ...
. With the exception of Mrke, most of the other localities (
Klopot, Pelev Brijeg, Duga) of Bratonožići are semi-deserted or completely abandoned, their inhabitants having moved to Podgorica. In 2011, Mrke had 207 residents, 118 of whom identified themselves as Montenegrins, 60 as Serbs, while 25 chose not to declare their ethnicity.
Language
The Serbo-Croatian dialect spoken in Bratonožići forms a speech group with
Kuči and
Piperi. South Slavic in these three communities is marked by close contact with the northern
Albanian dialects
The Albanian language is composed of many dialects, divided into two major groups: Gheg Albanian, Gheg and Tosk Albanian, Tosk. The Shkumbin river is roughly the geographical dividing line, with Gheg spoken north of the Shkumbin and Tosk south of ...
of
Malësia. The dialects of Bratonožići and Kuči which differ to a certain degree from that of Piperi, largely because of the historic bilingualism that was present in the area as a result of direct contact with Albanian.
Origins
The Bratonožići () were of
Albanian origin and gradually became Slavic-speakers. 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, Piperi, Bjelopavlići and Kuči:"'' nulla di meno essegno quasi tutti del rito serviano, e di lingua Illrica ponno piu presto dirsi Schiavoni, ch' Albanesi ''" (since almost all of them use the Serbian rite and the Illyric (Slavic) language, soon they should be called Slavs, rather than Albanians)
History
The first indirect reference to the Bratonožići comes from the 1416-17 Venetian cadaster of Shkodër. In it, a certain ''Marco Bratonese'' or ''Bratonesso'' was registered as living in
Koplik where he had probably moved from one of the Zeta ''katuns'' (villages).
The first direct reference to the settlements that comprise Bratonožići today is found in the supplementary defter of the
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 ...
in 1497. They hadn't formed as a single community at that time.
Bratonožići is a tribe (''pleme'') of several patrilineal ancestries which formed it over time since the late 15th century. The name of the tribe comes from a ''Brato'', father of ''Nika'' and ancestor of a part of the brotherhoods of Bratonožići. He lived 14 generations before the time of the recording of the story around 1900.
Two other communities that lived in the same area were the Albanian Catholic
Bukumiri and Bushati tribes and the Lutovci, who may have come from the
Pirot
Pirot ( sr-Cyrl, Пирот) is a city and the administrative center of the Pirot District in southeastern Serbia. According to 2022 census, the urban area of the city has a population of 34,942, while the population of the city administrative are ...
region in the eastern Balkans or from
Pilot
An aircraft pilot or aviator is a person who controls the flight of an aircraft by operating its Aircraft flight control system, directional flight controls. Some other aircrew, aircrew members, such as navigators or flight engineers, are al ...
in northern Albania. Their origin is debated because no collective memory of their history has been retained except for a toponym which may be interpreted to refer to ''Pirot'' in eastern Serbia or ''Pilot'' in northern Albania. Their first historical ancestor in Bratonožići is a ''captain Gojko'' and their historical village was Lutovo. Archival records show that the Lutovci lived in 27 households of Luskozupa in 1497 in the
nahiye
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 ...
of Piperi, which included Bratonožići and the
Piperi tribe. Over the years, a few families from neighbouring tribes like Kuči, Bjelopavlići and Piperi also settled Bratonožići and became part of the community. Bratonožići was an area of
language contact
Language contact occurs when speakers of two or more languages or varieties interact with and influence each other. The study of language contact is called contact linguistics. Language contact can occur at language borders, between adstratum ...
between Slavic and Albanian as well as religious contact between Slavic Orthodoxy and Catholicism.
Sima Milutinović Sarajlija
Simeon "Sima" Milutinović "Sarajlija" ( sr-cyr, Симеон "Сима" Милутиновић "Сарајлија", ; 3 October 1791 – 30 December 1847) was a Serbian poet, hajduk, translator, historian and adventurer. Literary critic Jova ...
, a Serbian Romantic nationalist, wrote in 1835 that the Bratonožići intermarried freely with their Catholic Albanian neighbours and "were attracted to Catholicism by the Albanian priests". Sarajlija reports that probably in the first half of the 17th century
Rufim Njeguš
Rufim Njeguš ( sr-Cyrl, Руфим Његуш; 1594–1631) was the Metropolitan of Cetinje between 1594 and 1636. He succeeded the Metropolitan duo of Nikanor and Stevan (s. 1591–93). Rufim Njeguš and Metropolitan Visarion, Metropolitan of H ...
managed to convert the community back to Orthodoxy by convincing them to swear an oath that marriages with Catholic Albanians would only be with Catholic Albanian women, but no women from Bratonožići would be given for marriage to Catholic Albanian men.
This measure would prevent any further conversions to Catholicism. The events of the reconversion of Bratonožići are regarded as an important step for the reinforcement of what was termed as
Serbdom (''Srbstvo'') and Orthodoxy in Montenegro by 19th century Serbian historiography.
The tribe was often in conflict with the Kuči over grazing lands. Bratonožići often attacked Rovca, who were always defended by the Moračani.
They also often fought with the Vasojevići.
Venetian public servant
Mariano Bolizza's 1614 report that the villages of Kuči, Bratonožići and part of
Plav were under the soldiers of
Medun, the spahee, but the commander was not named; and the highlanders would pay the Ottoman officials a portion of their income. The report registered the ''Bratanosich'' as an Orthodox village of Serbian or Greek rite with 87 houses, and 260 men in arms commanded by Stanoje Radonjin. In 1658, the seven tribes of Kuči,
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 ...
, Bratonožići,
Piperi,
Klimenti,
Hoti and
Gruda allied themselves with the
Republic of Venice
The Republic of Venice, officially the Most Serene Republic of Venice and traditionally known as La Serenissima, was a sovereign state and Maritime republics, maritime republic with its capital in Venice. Founded, according to tradition, in 697 ...
, establishing the so-called "Seven-fold barjak" or "alaj-barjak", against the Ottomans.
According to Historians Simo Milutinović and
Dimitrije Milaković, the Catholic Kuči, Bratonožići and Drekalovići tribe has converted to Orthodoxy by
Rufim Boljević
Rufim Boljević ( sr-cyr, Руфим Бољевић; 1662 – d. January 1685) was the Serbian Orthodox Metropolitan (''vladika'') of Cetinje from 1662 until his death in January 1685. He succeeded Mardarije Kornečanin (fl. 1640–59), and wa ...
. In 1689, an uprising broke out in Piperi, Rovca,
Bjelopavlići
Bjelopavlići ( cyrl, Бјелопавлићи, ; ) is a historical tribe (pleme) of Albanians, Albanian origin and a valley in the region of the Brda (Montenegro), Brda, in Montenegro, around the city of Danilovgrad.
Geography
The ''Bjelopavl ...
, Bratonožići, Kuči and Vasojevići, while at the same time an uprising broke out in
Prizren
Prizren ( sq-definite, Prizreni, ; sr-cyr, Призрен) is the second List of cities and towns in Kosovo, most populous city and Municipalities of Kosovo, municipality of Kosovo and seat of the eponymous municipality and District of Prizren, ...
,
Peć
Peja or Peć, ), is the fifth most populous city in Kosovo and serves as the seat of the Peja Municipality and the District of Peja. It is located in the Rugova (region), Rugova region on the eastern section of the Accursed Mountains along the ...
,
Priština and
Skopje
Skopje ( , ; ; , sq-definite, Shkupi) is the capital and largest city of North Macedonia. It lies in the northern part of the country, in the Skopje Basin, Skopje Valley along the Vardar River, and is the political, economic, and cultura ...
, and then in
Kratovo and
Kriva Palanka in October (
Karposh's Rebellion).
During the
Velika attacks (1879), the battalions of the Moračani and Bratonožići fought off the Albanians.
At the subsequent
Battle of Novšiće, the battalions of
Kuči,
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 ...
and Bratonožići fought the Albanian irregulars under the command of
Ali Pasha of Gusinje, and were defeated. Soon after
Battle of Novšiće in the same area, the
Battle of Murino broke out in which Ottomans with Albanian irregulars attacked again less numerous forces of
Principality of Montenegro
The Principality of Montenegro () was a principality in Southeastern Europe that existed from 13 March 1852 to 28 August 1910. It was then proclaimed a Kingdom of Montenegro, kingdom by Nikola I of Montenegro, Nikola I, who then became King of M ...
and were heavily defeated by battalions of Bratonožići,
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 ...
and
Moračani.
[ At the beginning of the 20th century, the region had ca. 400 houses.
]
Brotherhoods and families
All brotherhoods of the tribe have as '' Slava'' (patron saints) Saint Nicholas
Saint Nicholas of Myra (traditionally 15 March 270 – 6 December 343), also known as Nicholas of Bari, was an early Christian bishop of Greeks, Greek descent from the maritime city of Patara (Lycia), Patara in Anatolia (in modern-day Antalya ...
(''Sveti Nikola'') and Saint John (''Sveti Jovan).
The families of Bratonožići are: Avramović, Bajović, Baljević, Balević, Baličević, Barjaktarović, Baržić, Biljurić, Bismiljak, Bošković, Branković, Butrić, Caričić, Cmiljanić,
Četković, Čađenović, Čubranović, Čolić, Ćeklić, Darmanović, Dmitrović, Dokić, Đelević, Đukić, Đurđević, Đurić, Femić, Garić, Gilić, Gogić, Grujić, Gudović, Ilić, Janković, Jelavić, Jovanović, Jovović, Kaluđerović, Keljanović, Keković, Korać, Krkelić, Lajkovič, Lainović, Lalović, Lašević, Liković, Lukić, Lutovac, Ljajinović, Ljajković, Ljaljović, Ljaković, Ljašović, Malević, Marnić, Macura, Mijailović, Miajlović, Milovanović, Mirković, Muratović, Novović, Nedovic, Obrenović, Pavićević, Pavličić, Pejušković, Perović, Praščević, Prelevčanin, Premović, Progonovići, Radojević, Radosević, Radunović, Raketić, Rakić, Ratković, Sekulović, Stanišić, Stanković, Strahinjić, Šćepančević, Šajinović, Šaković, Šoškić, Toljević, Todorović, Tomašević, Tošković, Trimojević, Ugričić, Veljić, Veljović, Velimirović, Vesković, Vidić, Vujović, Vujotić, Vukajlović, Vuković, Vukorepović, Vulić, Vučelić, Vučinić, Živković, Žmikić. The Muslim Bratonožići of Bijelo Polje include Huremovići, Koraći, Ljaljevići, Polumente, Uremovići.
Notable people
* Miloš Obrenović I of Serbia, Prince of Serbia and founder of the House of Obrenović.
* Mihailo Obrenović III of Serbia, Prince of Serbia (1839–42, 1860–68), considered modern Serbia’s most enlightened ruler.
* Uroš Tošković, painter
* Niša Saveljić, Montenegrin former professional footballer, by paternal descent.
* Esteban Saveljich, Montenegrin professional footballer, by paternal descent
* Nemanja Bešović, Serbian professional basketball player.
* Milorad Vučelić, Serbian journalist and businessman.
* Žarko Korać, former Prime Minister of Serbia.
* Radivoj Korać, Serbian and Yugoslav professional basketball player.
* Dado Polumenta, Montenegrin pop-folk recording artist.
* Šako Polumenta, Montenegrin pop-folk singer.
References
Sources
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External links
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Bratonozici
Historical regions in Montenegro
Tribes of Montenegro