Kuči (tribe)
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Kuči ( Montenegrin and sr-Cyrl-Latn, Кучи, Kuči; , ) is a
tribe The term tribe is used in many different contexts to refer to a category of human social group. The predominant worldwide use of the term in English is in the discipline of anthropology. The definition is contested, in part due to conflict ...
of
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 ...
origin, historically located in modern central and eastern
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 ...
( Brda region), north-east 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 ...
, extending along the border with Albania. Processes of
Slavicisation Slavicisation or Slavicization, is the acculturation of something non-Slavic into a Slavic culture, cuisine, region, or nation. The process can either be voluntary or applied through varying degrees of pressure. The term can also refer to the ...
during the Ottoman era and onwards facilitated ethno-linguistic shifts within much of the community. As such, people from the Kuči today largely identify themselves as
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
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 ...
, with a minority still identifying as Albanians. In other areas such as the
Sandžak Sandžak (Serbian Cyrillic: ; ) is a historical and geo-political region in the Balkans, located in the southwestern part of Serbia and the eastern part of Montenegro. The Bosnian/ Serbian term ''Sandžak'' derives from the Sanjak of Novi Paza ...
, many
Muslim Muslims () are people who adhere to Islam, a Monotheism, monotheistic religion belonging to the Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic tradition. They consider the Quran, the foundational religious text of Islam, to be the verbatim word of the God ...
descendants of the Kuči today 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 ...
. The Kuči first appear in historical records in 1330 as a brotherhood from an
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 ...
katun under the jurisdiction of the Dečani Monastery. The region itself is first mentioned in 1485 as a
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 ...
of the Sandjak of Shkodra. Over time, several waves of settlers came to populate the region and form the historical community of Kuči. The region is known for its resistance against Ottoman rule and its key role in the creation of modern
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 ...
. Until the 17th century, the Kuči region was equally Orthodox and Catholic. Today, it is mostly Orthodox except for the Catholic community of Koja. Muslim converts appear since 1485. In the 17th and 18th centuries, both voluntarily and non-voluntarily many people from the ''pleme'' began to settle in the Plav-
Gusinje Gusinje (, ; ) is a small town in Montenegro in the northern region. According to the 2011 census, the town has a population of 1,673 and is the administrative center of Gusinje Municipality. Name Two alternative etymologies have been proposed ...
,
Rožaje Rožaje ( Bosnian: ''Rožaje''; , ; , ) is a town located in the Northern Region of Montenegro, situated along the Ibar river. The town is the cultural center of the Bosniaks in Montenegro. As of 2023, the town has a population of 13,608 inhabi ...
and the wider
Sandžak Sandžak (Serbian Cyrillic: ; ) is a historical and geo-political region in the Balkans, located in the southwestern part of Serbia and the eastern part of Montenegro. The Bosnian/ Serbian term ''Sandžak'' derives from the Sanjak of Novi Paza ...
region. Many of their descendants identify as Muslim Bosniaks. The history of the people of Kuči represents the diversity of the area and its location at the crossroads between different cultures and religions. As such, alongside
Marko Miljanov Marko Miljanov Popović ( sr-Cyrl, Марко Миљанов Поповић, ; 25 April 1833 – 2 February 1901) was a Brda chieftain and Montenegrin general and writer. He entered the service of Danilo I, the first secular Prince of Montene ...
(1833–1901), a national hero of Montenegro who led the tribe in the Montenegrin-Ottoman Wars in 1861–62 and 1876–78, people of Kuči ancestry include and Jakup Ferri (1832–1879), a national hero of Albania who fought against Miljanov's annexation of his home territory Plav to Montenegro. Modern individuals include
Momir Bulatović Momir Bulatović ( sh-Cyrl, Момир Булатовић; 21 September 1956 – 30 June 2019) was a Yugoslav and Montenegrin politician. He was the first president of the Republic of Montenegro from 1990 to 1998, after which he served as the Pr ...
, a Montenegrin politician and the first
President President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) * President (education), a leader of a college or university *President (government title) President may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Film and television *'' Præsident ...
of the Republic of Montenegro and
Fahrudin Radončić Fahrudin Radončić (; born 24 May 1957) is a Bosnian media magnate, entrepreneur, investor, and politician who served as the Minister of Security on two occasions. He is the founder of the '' Dnevni avaz,'' the best-selling newspaper in Bosnia ...
, a Bosniak politician and former Minister of Security of
Bosnia and Herzegovina 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 ...
.


Name


Attestation

The name appears in several Albanian inhabited territories, including toponyms in
Shkodër Shkodër ( , ; sq-definite, Shkodra; historically known as Scodra or Scutari) is the List of cities and towns in Albania, fifth-most-populous city of Albania and the seat of Shkodër County and Shkodër Municipality. Shkodër has been List of o ...
,
Tirana Tirana ( , ; ) is the capital and List of cities and towns in Albania, largest city of Albania. It is located in the centre of the country, enclosed by mountains and hills, with Dajti rising to the east and a slight valley to the northwest ov ...
,
Berat Berat (; sq-definite, Berati) is the List of cities and towns in Albania, ninth most populous city of Albania and the seat of Berat County and Berat Municipality. By air, it is north of Gjirokastër, west of Korçë, south of Tirana, and ea ...
,
Vlorë Vlorë ( ; ; sq-definite, Vlora) is the List of cities and towns in Albania, third most populous city of Albania and seat of Vlorë County and Vlorë Municipality. Located in southwestern Albania, Vlorë sprawls on the Bay of Vlorë and is surr ...
and
Korçë Korçë (; sq-definite, Korça) is the List of cities and towns in Albania, eighth most populous city of Albania and the seat of Korçë County and Korçë Municipality. The total population of the city is 51,152 and 75,994 of Korçë municipal ...
, as well as anthroponyms and toponyms among the medieval Albanian communities of the
Peloponnese The Peloponnese ( ), Peloponnesus ( ; , ) or Morea (; ) is a peninsula and geographic region in Southern Greece, and the southernmost region of the Balkans. It is connected to the central part of the country by the Isthmus of Corinth land bridg ...
, for example the village of ''Kuçi'' (modern Chelidoni, known until 1955 as ''Koutsi'') is recorded as an Albanian settlement (''cemā'at-i Arnavudān'') in 1460–3. According to Giuseppe Valentini, also the
Arbëreshë Arbën/Arbër, from which derived Arbënesh/Arbëresh originally meant all Albanians, until the 18th century. Today it is used for different groups of Albanian origin, including: * Arbër (given name), an Albanian masculine given name *Arbëres ...
surname ''Cuccia'' directly corresponds to the tribal name of the Kuči. Valentini makes further connections to the Albanian Kuçi of medieval
Greece Greece, officially the Hellenic Republic, is a country in Southeast Europe. Located on the southern tip of the Balkan peninsula, it shares land borders with Albania to the northwest, North Macedonia and Bulgaria to the north, and Turkey to th ...
, noting that the Sicilo-Arbëreshë Cuccia family descends from a certain ''Pietro Cuccia'' who arrived from Greece in 1467. The surname appears at least 19 times among Albanian
stradioti The Stratioti or Stradioti were mercenary units from the Balkans recruited mainly by states of Southern Europe and Central Europe from the 15th century until the middle of the 18th century. They were largely of Albanian origin (about 80%), others ...
recorded between 1482 and 1547, and Valentini notes various toponyms connected to the tribal name across Albania and
Arvanite Arvanites (; Arvanitika: , or , ; Greek: , ) are a population group in Greece of Albanian origin. They are bilingual, traditionally speaking Arvanitika, an Albanian language variety, along with Greek. Their ancestors were first recorded ...
settlements in Greece. According to the tradition of the Berisha tribe, the Old Kuči is called ''Berisha i Kuq'' (Red Berisha) as opposed to ''Berisha i Bardh'' (White Berisha), which is used for Berisha of Pukë, Mërturi and a part of Piperi that traces its origin from Berisha.


Etymology

The etymology of Kuči (Albanian: Kuçi) is unclear. Many scholars have adopted the view that the etymology of the name is from Albanian ''kuq'' (Gheg Albanian , ''kuç'' in the Albanian alphabet) "red", ultimately from Latin ''coccaeus'' evolved through Albanian phonetic changes. It was first proposed by
Gustav Meyer Gustav Meyer (25 November 1850 – 28 August 1900) was a German linguist and Indo-European scholar, considered to be one of the most important Albanologists of his time, most importantly by proving that the Albanian language belongs to the Indo-E ...
and adopted by
Pavle Ivić Pavle Ivić ( sr-Cyrl, Павле Ивић, ; 1 December 1924 – 19 September 1999) was a Serbian South Slavic dialectologist and phonologist. Biography Both his field work and his synthesizing studies were extensive and authoritative. A few ...
,
Petar Šimunović Petar Šimunović (19 February 1933 – 5 August 2014) was a Croatian linguist, onomastician, dialectologist, lexicographer, and academic member of HAZU. He was considered as the most prominent Croatian Onomastics, onomastician (since the second ...
and many others. Alternative etymologies from Albanian sources include ''kuç'' ("puppy, doggie") suggested by Biris (1998), and ''kuci'' ("place of high altitude, summit, steep high rock") suggested by Sarris (1928) and Fourikis (1929). Stanišić proposes a derivation from Romanian ''cuci'' ("hills"), from a similar source to Albanian ''kuci'' ("place of high altitude").
Idriz Ajeti Idriz Ajeti (26 June 1917 – 13 February 2019) was an Albanology, Albanologist from Kosovo and one of the main researchers and authorities on the Albanian language studies of post World War II. He was involved for a long period in the academic l ...
and
Eqrem Çabej Eqrem Çabej (; 6 August 1908 – 13 August 1980) was an Albanian historical linguist and scholar who, through the publication of numerous studies gained a reputation as a key expert in research on Albanian language, literature, ethnology and l ...
considered ''kuq'' improbable and proposed a derivation from ''kuç'' ("earthen pot", figuratively "valley") as a geographical reference to valley dwellers as the name is widespread in Albanian-speaking groups. Aleksandar Loma suggests a potential, albeit unclear, connection to the toponym ''Kučevo'' for which he proposes a number of Slavic (f.e., *''kučь'' meaning " Eurasian bittern", *''kuti'' meaning "smith") and non-Slavic etymologies; as well as connections to Polish toponyms ''Kucz'' and ''Kuczów''.


Geography

The Kuči region is within the municipality 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 ...
and comprises almost all of eastern Podgorica, with the exception of Koći, which is part of the
Tuzi Municipality Tuzi Municipality ( / ; ) is one of the 25 Municipalities of Montenegro. The municipal seat is the town of Tuzi. The municipality is located about 10 km south of the capital Podgorica and consists of more than 40 distinct settlements. The mun ...
. The unofficial Kuči centre is the Ubli village, which had 227 inhabitants in the 2011 Montenegrin census and houses several institutions like a culture hall, the "Đoko Prelević" elementary school, a hospital, a police station and a former fabric factory. Ubli is situated in Upper Kuči ( Montenegrin and sr-Lat, Gornji Kuči) and includes the villages of Prelevići, Pavićevići, Živkovići, Kostrovići and Rajovići. The other villages of Upper Kuči are
Medun Medun () is a settlement located 13 km northeast of the capital Podgorica, Montenegro. The village houses the archaeological site of the ancient fortified city of ''Medeon''. It is situated in the tribal area of Upper Kuči, one of the ...
, Orahovo, Bezjovo, Cvilin, Fundina, Koći, Kržanja, Kosor, Liješta, Dučići, Vrbica, Donje Stravče,
Gornje Stravče Gornje Stravče ( sr-cyr, Горње Стравче) is a village in Podgorica, the capital and largest city of Montenegro , image_flag = Flag of Montenegro.svg , image_coat = Coat of arms of Montenegro.svg , coa ...
, Zaugao, Brskut, Zagreda, Momče, Ubalac and Raći. Lower Kuči ( Montenegrin and sr-Lat, Donji Kuči, link=no) comprises the localities of Doljani, Murtovina, Stara Zlatica and Zlatica. The Kuči region itself can be divided into two major historical sub-regions: *Old Kuči (''Staro Kuči''), Orthodox sub-tribe, which celebrates the Slava of Mitrovdan *
Drekalovići The Drekalovići ( cyrl, Дрекаловићи; ) are a historical union of brotherhoods of Kuči. Their patron saint ( slava) is St. Nicholas (Nikoljdan), the old tradition of Orthodox Serbs. They were part of a wave of settlement in the mid 16 ...
(''Novo Kuči''), Orthodox sub-tribe, which celebrates the Slava of Nikoljdan An area that is also considered part of the wider Kuči region is that of Koja, a Catholic
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 ...
. It became part of Montenegro in 1880 and it includes the settlements of Koći and Fundina. The region of Koja stands between Triepshi in the south and Kuči proper in the north. The people of Koja are referred to as ''Kojanë''. Some villages stand between the Kuči sub-regions. For example, the village of Orahovo is located between Old Kuči and Koja. Other settlements that were once part of one Kuči tribal region moved over time to other regions.


History


Origins

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 ...
in origin, Kuči underwent a process of gradual cultural integration into the neighbouring Slavic population. The Kuči are first attested to in 1330, in the second and third charters of the Dečani chrysobulls. There, a certain ''Petar Kuč'' (Albanian: ''Pjetër Kuçi'') is recorded, an individual from the Albanian katun ( sr-lat, Katun Arbanasa, link=no), considered to have been the leader of the Kuči brotherhood. Contrary to the
Vlach Vlach ( ), also Wallachian and many other variants, is a term and exonym used from the Middle Ages until the Modern Era to designate speakers of Eastern Romance languages living in Southeast Europe—south of the Danube (the Balkan peninsula) ...
katuns mentioned in the charters, no indication is given on the location of the Albanian katun, however Branislav Djurdjev proposed that it must have been located in
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 ...
. Kuči is mentioned again in the Venetian cadaster of 1416–7 of Shkodra, where the village of "Kuç" (''Kuč''), is listed as a small settlement of eight households near the city itself, headed by a ''Jon Nada''. Two other heads of households are sons of Nenad, Gjergj (''Giergi'' in the original document) and Lazër (''Lazzaro''). A person married into the village is ''Jon Progani'', who was married to ''Nesa'' (a diminutive of the name ''Nenada''). His son, Gjin Progani was also a household head as were ''Jon Serapa'' and ''Gjergj Tina'' and ''Pali Samrishi''. They paid one ducat per household in taxes to the Venetian governor of Scutari. Members of this brotherhood also lived in other villages in the area like in Shurdhani, where three out of six households were from Kuçi. The region on the eastern shore of Lake Shkodra and the parishes of Zeta became the territory where the Kuči, along with other communities, such as the Bitidosi and Bushati would eventually migrate and settle in. In 1455 the Kuči, who some scholars speculate may not have fully territorialized as a tribe, took part in an assembly alongside 50 other tribes of the
Upper Zeta Upper Zeta ( sr-Cyrl-Latn, Горња Зета, Gornja Zeta, separator=" / ") is a historical region in modern Montenegro, situated roughly between the Morača and Zeta rivers in east-west direction, and between massif of Lovćen and Skadar ...
region. As a result of this assembly, the Lord of Zeta
Stefan Crnojević Stefan Crnojević ( sr-Cyrl, Стефан Црнојевић), known as Stefanica (; 1426–1465) was the Zeta under the Crnojevići, Lord of Zeta between 1451 and 1465. Until 1441, as a knyaz he was one of many governors in Upper Zeta, whic ...
was granted the consent and authority to sign an agreement 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 ...
, according to which Zeta was placed under Venetian jurisdiction; albeit under the condition that the Metropolitan of Zeta would not be subordinated to the
Catholic Church The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...
.


Ottoman

In the Ottoman
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
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 1485, Kuči appears as a
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 ...
for the first time in its modern location. At this point, the nahiye of Kuči comprised communities that later formed two different administrative units and
bajrak The ''bajrak'' (; pronounced or , meaning "banner" or "flag") was an Ottoman Empire, Ottoman Administrative division, territorial unit, consisting of villages in mountainous frontier regions of the Balkans, from which military recruitment was ba ...
s: Kuči and Triepshi. The total number of households in the eight settlements of the nahiya were 253. These (with household numbers in brackets) were: Pantalesh (110), Brokina (12), Bardhani (25), Radona (55), Bankeq (11), Stani (24), Bytidosi (11), Llazorçi (5). Llazorçi was a settlement of another small tribe, the Lazori who appear as part of the Albanian katun in 1330. By 1485, they had moved northwards with the Kuči brotherhoods. Bankeq and a part of Bytidosi are related with the historical region of Triepshi. In terms of anthroponymy the demographics of the area showed a cohabitation of Albanian and Slavic names. In the 253 households, 105 households heads had Albanian names, 53 had mixed Albanian-Slavic names and 91 had Slavic names. About 2/3 of the Slavic anthroponymy (59 households) was concentrated in two settlements, Radona and Stani. Radona also had about 1/5 of the mixed Slavic Orthodox-Albanian anthroponymy and it was the only settlement of Kuči in 1485 where Muslim converts lived (5/55 households). In the 1497 defter, it had 338 households in eleven settlements including new or renamed settlements like Pavlovići, Petrovići, Lješovići (Leshoviq), Lopari, Banjovići and Koći (Koja). This increase by 85 households in a few years represents a wave of refugees and other communities that settled in the area as the Ottomans were consolidating their power base. Pavlovići and Banjovići, which represent more than half of the new households have a predominantly Slavic Orthodox anthroponymy. Koći is the historical settlement of the Catholic Albanian Koja tribe that would fully form in later years. Leshoviq/Lješovići had come to the area from the Catholic Albanian
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), ...
tribe to the south of Kuči. Many of these brotherhoods no longer exist, while some of them became part of Trieshi and
Koja e Kuçit Koja e Kuçit (Koja of Kuçi) is a historical Albanian tribe and region in Malësia. Koja is a Catholic region located between Triepshi and Kuči. The people of Koja are referred to as ''Kojanë'' or ''Koqas''. History Koja is the smallest ...
. These formed ''Old Kuči'' ( sr-lat, Starokuči, link=no), who were a community of diverse brotherhoods (clans), in relation to the Drekalovići who claimed ancestry from a single ancestor. J. Erdeljanović found, in the Old Kuči, very noticeable instances of the merging of various brotherhoods into one over time. The merging was so finalized that it was hard for him to mark off the parts of those composite brotherhoods, "even the searching in that direction was also encountered by the apprehension of said individuals". With the arrival of the Drekalovići, the old families called themselves "Old Kuči". According to certain oral traditions and legends, the Old Kuči descend from an ancestor named ''Panta''. In relation to this, scholars such as Djurdjev and Pulaha have asserted that this tradition is reflected in the historical record with the attestation of Pantalesh, the main settlement of the Kuči recorded in the Ottoman register of 1485. The settlement is deemed to have been named after its founder, Panta Lleshi, who likely lived during the first half of the 15th century. Furthermore, folk legends note that Panta had a number of sons among which ''Mara'', ''Llesh'', ''Pjetri'', and ''Gjergj'' appear to be reflected in the Ottoman register through the surnames and patronyms of household heads. The katuns of Petrovići and Lješovići possibly branched off from the settlement of Pantalesh and were descended from Panta's sons Pjetri and Llesh. Another wave of settlement in the mid 16th century is that of the Drekalovići, who came to form an important part of Kuči. In the second half of the 16th century, in particular between 1560–1571, armed uprisings spread in the northen Albanian territories of Mirdita, Shkodra, Kelmendi, Kuçi, and Pipri, fighting against the Ottoman Empire that was still at its pinnacle of power. Albanian uprisings intensified – especially in 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 ...
and Sanjak of Dukagjin – during the
Battle of Lepanto The Battle of Lepanto was a naval warfare, naval engagement that took place on 7 October 1571 when a fleet of the Holy League (1571), Holy League, a coalition of Catholic states arranged by Pope Pius V, inflicted a major defeat on the fleet of t ...
in 1571 when the Porte faced the forces of the Catholic powers of the Holy League. In a 1582/83 defter (Ottoman tax registry), the Kuči nahiya had 13 villages, belonging to the Sanjak of Scutari. Anthroponymy in the region was mixed. In the settlements of Bankeq, Bytadosa, Bardić, Lazarniči, and Lješovići, mixed Albanian-Slavic anthroponyms now predominated over typical Albanian personal names, borne by a minority of household heads. However, in the villages of Petrovići, Koći, and Brokina half of household heads bore typical Albanian anthroponyms, the other half bearing mixed Albanian-Slavic names. In contrast, typical Slavic anthroponymy dominated in Pavlovići and Radona. This period marks the time where Albanian toponymy begins to be either translated into Slavic or acquire Slavic suffixes like in the village of Bardhani that begins to appears as ''Bardić'', and in Llazorçi which appears as ''Lazarniči''. Administratively, the Kuči, Bratonožići and part of Plav were under the soldiers of
Medun Medun () is a settlement located 13 km northeast of the capital Podgorica, Montenegro. The village houses the archaeological site of the ancient fortified city of ''Medeon''. It is situated in the tribal area of Upper Kuči, one of the ...
and its spahi, but the commander was not named. They were also subject to taxation, despite having some autonomy. In 1610, the Kuči (''Cucci'') are mentioned by Marino Bizzi as being half Orthodox and half Catholic (''la metà scismatica e l'altra latina''). In 1613, the Ottomans launched a campaign against the rebel tribes of the northern Albanian territories. In response, the tribes of the
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 ...
, Kuči, Bjelopavlići, Piperi, Kastrati, Kelmendi, Shkreli and Hoti formed a political and military union known as “The Union of the Mountains” or “The Albanian Mountains” . 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. Their uprising had a liberating character. With the aim of getting rid of the Ottomans from the Albanian territories In 1614 Kuči are described in terms of ethnicity and religion in 1614 by a well-informed and trusted person of the Venetians – Mariano Bolizza – who describes the Kuči as Albanian Catholics. In his report, Bolizza notes that ''Lale Drecalou'' (
Lale Drekalov }; ) was a vojvoda of the Kuči tribe in eastern Montenegro in the first half of the 17th century. Life His father was Drekale and his mother was the daughter of a vojvoda of Old Kuči. He had a brother, Nikola who died with his father in a ra ...
/Lalë Drekali) and ''Nico Raizcou'' (Niko Rajckov/Niko Raiku) were the commanders of the Catholic Albanian Kuči (''Chuzzi Albanesi'') which had 490 households and 1,500 men-in-arms described as ''very war-like and courageous''. In 1614, Lale Drekalov was one of the chief participants and organizers of the assembly of Kuçi. In that assembly 44 leaders mostly from northern Albania and Montenegro took part to organize an insurrection against the Ottomans and ask for assistance by the Papacy. Gjon Renësi had undertaken the task of presenting the decisions of the assembly to the Papacy. The leaders who participated in the assembly also decided to send a proclamation to the kings of Spain and France claiming they were independent from Ottoman rule and did not pay tribute to the empire. It was followed by an assembly in
Prokuplje Prokuplje ( sr-Cyrl, Прокупље, ) is a city and the administrative center of the Toplica District in southern Serbia. As of 2022 census, the municipality has a population of 38,054 inhabitants. Prokuplje is one of the Roman sites of Serb ...
in 1616 and another one in 1620 in
Belgrade Belgrade is the Capital city, capital and List of cities in Serbia, largest city of Serbia. It is located at the confluence of the Sava and Danube rivers and at the crossroads of the Pannonian Basin, Pannonian Plain and the Balkan Peninsula. T ...
, where he appears as one of the participants. In this period they continue to appear as subjects of the Ottoman Empire. The first half of the 17th century is marked by an important event in the religious history of Kuči. Voivode Lale Drekalov, who was a Catholic, converted to Orthodoxy in his second marriage to a relative of the voivode of the Bratonožići tribe. The main reasons that have been put forward to explain this decision include his shift in orientation of political alliances towards the Orthodox tribes of Montenegro, the influence of the Orthodox Church in the region and the increasing disappointment towards the Catholic powers in Europe that were considered to have abandoned their allies in the Balkans. Drekalov's conversion was soon followed by a gradual conversion of all Catholics of Kuči. As Francesco Bolizza notes in a letter to Cardinal Caponi in 1649, about three or four Catholic villages remained in Kuči under the jurisdiction of the Franciscan mission of Gruda. According to Historians Simo Milutinović and
Dimitrije Milaković Dimitrije Milaković (; October 6, 1805 – August 27, 1858) was a Serbian philologist and historian. He served as the personal secretary of Prince-Bishop Petar II Petrović-Njegoš from 1831 until the Prince-Bishop's death in 1851. He actively w ...
, 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 ...
. A 1652
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 by Giacinto Sospello illustrates the final stages of the
acculturation Acculturation refers to the psychological, social, and cultural transformation that takes place through direct contact between two cultures, wherein one or both engage in adapting to dominant cultural influences without compromising their essent ...
of the Kuči. Sospello writes: "I do not want to deal here with Zeta near Shestan, which is part of Montenegro, where people practice the Orthodox rites and speak the Slavic language: the local people are not part of the Albanian nation. But I will talk about four tribes, the tribes of Piperi, Bratonožići, Bjelopavlići and Kuči. Based on their outstanding fighting skills they seem to have Albanian blood, and in fact Albanians consider them to be so. However, since almost everyone applies the Orthodox rites and speaks the Slavic language, they can be considered more Slavs than Albanians." The political alliances in Europe did not allow for a coherent strategy to emerge in assistance of a pan-Balkan coalition against the Ottomans. In 1658, in another attempt to form an anti-Ottoman coalition the seven tribes of Kuči, Vasojevići, Bratonožići, Piperi,
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), ...
, 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. In 1688, the Kuči, with help from Kelmendi and Piperi, destroyed the army of Süleyman Pasha twice, took over Medun and got their hands of large quantities of weapons and equipment. In the same year, the Kuči are still considered Albanian by the German historian Christoph Boethius, renowned for his studies on the Ottoman Wars. In 1689, an uprising broke out in Piperi, Rovca, Bjelopavlići, 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, ...
,
Peja 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 on the eastern section of the Accursed Mountains along the Peja's Lumbar ...
,
Pristina Pristina or Prishtina ( , ), . is the capital and largest city of Kosovo. It is the administrative center of the eponymous municipality and District of Pristina, district. In antiquity, the area of Pristina was part of the Dardanian Kingdo ...
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 Kriva Palanka ( ) is a town located in the northeastern part of North Macedonia. It has 13,481 inhabitants. The town of Kriva Palanka is the seat of Kriva Palanka Municipality which has 18,059 inhabitants. The town lies near the ''Deve Bair'' ...
in October ( Karposh's Rebellion). In 1699, the Kuçi appeared for the most part to have converted to the Orthodox religion, while a smaller part, the Triepshi, continued to preserve the Catholic faith, although both Kuçi groups were allies (''confederati''). At the beginning of the 18th century, some people from the Kuči and Kelmendi were forcibly resettled by the Ottomans in the southern parts of the
Sandžak Sandžak (Serbian Cyrillic: ; ) is a historical and geo-political region in the Balkans, located in the southwestern part of Serbia and the eastern part of Montenegro. The Bosnian/ Serbian term ''Sandžak'' derives from the Sanjak of Novi Paza ...
, especially in the hills of the
Pešter The Pešter Plateau (), or simply Pešter ( sr-Cyrl, Пештер, ) is a karst plateau in southwestern Serbia, in the Raška (or Sandžak) region. It lies at an altitude of , with the highest point (''Kuljarski vrh'') at 1,492 meters. The terr ...
plateau, around
Sjenica Sjenica ( sr-cyr, Сјеница, ) is a town and municipality located in the Zlatibor District of southwestern Serbia, on the vast Sjenica- Pešter plateau and geographically located in the central part of Sandžak. The population of the municip ...
, and in the land strip between
Novi Pazar Novi Pazar ( sr-cyr, Нови Пазар) is a List of cities in Serbia, city located in the Raška District of southwestern Serbia. As of the 2022 census, the urban area has 71,462 inhabitants, while the city administrative area has 106,720 inha ...
, Tutin,
Rožaje Rožaje ( Bosnian: ''Rožaje''; , ; , ) is a town located in the Northern Region of Montenegro, situated along the Ibar river. The town is the cultural center of the Bosniaks in Montenegro. As of 2023, the town has a population of 13,608 inhabi ...
and Plav. Many of these converted to
Islam Islam is an Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic monotheistic religion based on the Quran, and the teachings of Muhammad. Adherents of Islam are called Muslims, who are estimated to number Islam by country, 2 billion worldwide and are the world ...
over time and came to form an important part of the
Muslim Muslims () are people who adhere to Islam, a Monotheism, monotheistic religion belonging to the Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic tradition. They consider the Quran, the foundational religious text of Islam, to be the verbatim word of the God ...
population in these regions. In 1774, in the same month of the death of
Šćepan Mali Šćepan Mali ( sr-cyr, Шћепан Мали ; – 22 September 1773), translated as Stephen the Little, was the first and only "tsar" of Prince-Bishopric of Montenegro, Montenegro, ruling the country as an absolute monarch from 1768 until hi ...
, Mehmed Pasha Bushati attacked the Kuči and Bjelopavlići, but was subsequently decisively defeated and returned to Scutari. Bushati had broken into Kuči and "destroyed" it; the Rovčani housed and protected some of the refugee families. In 1794, the Kuči and Rovčani were devastated by the Ottomans. From the late 17th to the early 18th century, many brotherhoods that were from Kuči left the area whether as refugees from Ottoman punitive campaigns or simply as emigrants and settled further north, mostly in the Sandzak area, where many converted to Islam. The movements and conversion included about 30 of the 86 brotherhoods which lived in Kuči at the time.


Modern

The Ottoman increase of taxes in October 1875 sparked the
Great Eastern Crisis The Great Eastern Crisis of 1875–1878 began in the Ottoman Empire's Rumelia, administrative territories in the Balkan Peninsula in 1875, with the outbreak of several uprisings and wars that resulted in the intervention of international powers, ...
, which included a series of rebellions, firstly with the
Herzegovina Uprising (1875–77) Herzegovina uprising or Herzegovinian uprising may refer to: * Herzegovina uprising (1596–97), fought by Serbs in Herzegovina against the Ottoman Empire, 1596–1597 * Herzegovina uprising (1852–62), fought by Serbs in Herzegovina against the ...
, which prompted Serbia and Montenegro declaring war on the Ottoman Empire (see Serbian–Ottoman War and Montenegrin–Ottoman War) and culminated with the Russians following suit (
Russo-Turkish War 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 ...
). In Kuči, chieftain Marko Miljanov Popović organized resistance against the Ottomans and joined forces with the Montenegrins. The Kuči, identifying as a Serb tribe, asked to be united with Montenegro. After the
Berlin Congress At the Congress of Berlin (13 June – 13 July 1878), the major European powers revised the territorial and political terms imposed by the Russian Empire on the Ottoman Empire by the Treaty of San Stefano (March 1878), which had ended the Rus ...
, Kuči was included into the borders 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 ...
. At the Battle of Novšiće, following the Velika attacks (1879), the battalions of Kuči, Vasojevići and Bratonožići fought the Albanian irregulars under the command of Ali Pasha of Gusinje, and were defeated.


Anthropology


Ethnography

Like many rural areas in Montenegro and the Balkans in general, Kuči has suffered heavily from emigration since the collapse of
Yugoslavia , common_name = Yugoslavia , life_span = 1918–19921941–1945: World War II in Yugoslavia#Axis invasion and dismemberment of Yugoslavia, Axis occupation , p1 = Kingdom of SerbiaSerbia , flag_p ...
. The 2011 Montenegrin census recorded about 1,000 inhabitants in total in the villages traditionally associated with Kuči. Two major ethnic groups inhabit the region: ethnic Montenegrins and ethnic Serbs (see Montenegrin Serbs), though these may be regarded as one, as some families may politically be split between the two, i.e. with one brother opting for a Montenegrin identity and another a Serb. Most of the inhabitants are followers of the
Serbian Orthodox Church The Serbian Orthodox Church ( sr-Cyrl-Latn, Српска православна црква, Srpska pravoslavna crkva) is one of the autocephalous (ecclesiastically independent) Eastern Orthodoxy, Eastern Orthodox Eastern Orthodox Church#Constit ...
, while a minority are ethnic Muslims. There is an enclave of Roman Catholic Albanians in the village of Koći (''Koja'' in Albanian) and Fundina. Christian Orthodox residents used to be split into two distinct groups: ''Old Kuči'' ("Starokuči") and ''Drekalovići/New Kuči''. Mariano Bolizza in his voyage in the area in 1614 recorded that
Lale Drekalov }; ) was a vojvoda of the Kuči tribe in eastern Montenegro in the first half of the 17th century. Life His father was Drekale and his mother was the daughter of a vojvoda of Old Kuči. He had a brother, Nikola who died with his father in a ra ...
and Niko Raičkov held 490 houses of the ''Chuzzi Albanesi'' ("Albanian Kuči", a village of predominantly Roman Catholic religion), with 1,500 soldiers, described as "very war-like and courageous". The Drekalovići, the largest brotherhood of Kuči, numbered close to 800 households in 1941, roughly half of all of Kuči. The
Islamization The spread of Islam spans almost 1,400 years. The early Muslim conquests that occurred following the death of Muhammad in 632 CE led to the creation of the caliphates, expanding over a vast geographical area; conversion to Islam was boosted ...
of Kuči has made a minority of inhabitants declaring as simply Montenegrins, or Muslims by ethnicity, and Bosniaks although they trace the same origin with that of their Christian brethren.


Oral traditions

There are various oral traditions with varying degrees of consistency with archival records. In Montenegro,
Marko Miljanov Marko Miljanov Popović ( sr-Cyrl, Марко Миљанов Поповић, ; 25 April 1833 – 2 February 1901) was a Brda chieftain and Montenegrin general and writer. He entered the service of Danilo I, the first secular Prince of Montene ...
himself from Kuči wrote in his book about his home region that the Kuči and Berisha were "regarded close", allegedly because the Berisha ancestors settled from Kuči;
Konstantin Jireček Konstantin Josef Jireček (24 July 1854 10 January 1918) was an Austro-Hungarian Czech historian, politician, diplomat, and Slavist. He was the founder of Bohemian Balkanology (or Balkan Studies) and Byzantine studies, and wrote extensively on ...
further recorded about this story that Old Kuči (''Staro Kuči''), which placed a ''Grča'', son of ''Nenad'' as its ancestor also placed him as an ancestor of the Berisha tribe. On the contrary, in Berisha it is believed that Old Kuči itself descends from Berisha and is called ''Berisha i Kuq'' (Red Berisha) as opposed to Berisha of Pukë, Mërturi and a part of Piperi that traces its origin from Berisha, who are collectively called ''Berisha i Bardh'' (White Berisha). In historical record, Berisha and the Old Kuči appear in different areas and timelines as Old Kuči formed part of the tribe of current Kuči, which was based on different ancestral groups in the late 15th century . Nevertheless, if not kin by blood, Montenegrin and Albanian tribes regarded closeness in original or home territory from where someone "came". Therefore, Serbian geographer Andrija Jovićević put forward the narrative that the Kuči were "kin" to Kastrati, Berisha and Kelmendi because their distant ancestor once, ostensibly, settled in the same general area as Kuči. Another late 19th century tradition was recorded by
Jovan Erdeljanović Jovan Erdeljanović (11 November 1874 – 12 February 1944) was a Serbian and Yugoslav ethnologist. Biography Jovan Erdeljanović was born in Pančevo, Austria-Hungary. He studied at the universities of Vienna, Berlin, Leipzig and Prague. In 19 ...
in Kuči, the most intricate versions of which were from Kržanj, Žikoviće, Kostroviće, Bezihovo, Kute, Podgrad and Lazorce. According to this story, the Old Kuči descended from Gojko, the brother of King Vukašin. His descendants were forced to flee Shkodra with the Ottoman invasion and settled in Brštan. Gojko Mrnjavčevic, however, is a fictional character in Serb epic poetry, who dies in the 1371
Battle of Maritsa The Battle of Maritsa or Battle of Chernomen (; in tr. ''Second Battle of Maritsa'') took place at the Maritsa River near the village of Chernomen (present-day Ormenio, Greece) on 26 September 1371 between Ottoman forces commanded by Lala S ...
in folk tradition itself.


Language

The South Slavic dialect spoken in Kuči forms a speech group with Bratonožići and Piperi. South Slavic in these three communities is marked by close contact with the northern Albanian dialects of
Malësia Malësia e Madhe ("Great Highlands"), known simply as Malësia (, ), is a historical and ethnographic region in northern Albania and eastern central Montenegro corresponding to the highlands of the geographical subdivision of the Malësi e Madhe ...
. This is especially apparent in the dialects of Kuči and Bratonožići, largely because of the historic bilingualism that was present in the area. However, as Kuči is in a transitional area between the Albanian and Slavic languages, it has become the subject of historiographical dispute. In particular,
Serbian historiography Serbian historiography ( sr-Cyrl, српска историографија, srpska istoriografija) refers to the historiography (methodology of history studies) of the Serb people since the founding of Serbian statehood. The development can ...
has been criticized, as muting in the area Albanian and Slavic symbiosis and bilingualism in favor of a monoethnic and monolingual Serbian narrative, a trend evident in ethnographers of the early 20th century like Jovan Erdeljanović and
Jovan Cvijić Jovan Cvijić ( sr-Cyrl, Јован Цвијић, ; 1865 – 16 January 1927) was a Serbs, Serbian geographer, Ethnology, ethnologist, university professor and academic. He was the president of the Serbian Academy of Sciences and Arts, S ...
. Older Serbian or Yugoslav historiography and ethnography on the Kuči conflated the Ottoman nahiye of Kuči—an administrative unit composed of different communities—with the Kuči tribe. As such, the Albanian tribes that were within the nahiye and would later be administratively within Kuči following the incorporation of their lands into the Montenegrin state, such as Trieshi and Koja e Kuçit, were treated as branches or regions of the Kuči tribe despite their distinct histories and identities.


Culture

In terms of traditional customs, up to the end of the 19th century traces of a variant of the northern Albanian kanuns remained in use in Kuči.
Marie Amelie von Godin Marie Amelie Julie Anna, Baroness von Godin (March 7, 1882 - 22 February 1956), sometimes written as Maria Amalia, was a Bavarian women's rights activist, translator and Albanologist. Youth Amalie Marie Godin was brought up in a strict Catholic tr ...
in her travels still reported traces of bilingualism in the area of Kuči. According to her reports, although Albanian was no longer spoken in the area, some laments and oaths were still being sung and recited in Albanian.


People

;born in Kuči *
Lale Drekalov }; ) was a vojvoda of the Kuči tribe in eastern Montenegro in the first half of the 17th century. Life His father was Drekale and his mother was the daughter of a vojvoda of Old Kuči. He had a brother, Nikola who died with his father in a ra ...
, vojvoda of the Kuči tribe, Drekale's son * Iliko Lalev, vojvoda of tribe, successor of his father, Lale * Radonja Petrović, ''vojvoda'' of the Kuči tribe. *
Marko Miljanov Marko Miljanov Popović ( sr-Cyrl, Марко Миљанов Поповић, ; 25 April 1833 – 2 February 1901) was a Brda chieftain and Montenegrin general and writer. He entered the service of Danilo I, the first secular Prince of Montene ...
(1833–1901), vojvoda, Montenegrin general and writer. *
Mihailo Ivanović Mihailo Ivanović may refer to: * Mihailo Ivanović (politician) (1874–1949), Montenegrin politician * Mihailo Ivanović (football manager) (born 1952), Serbian football manager * Mihailo Ivanović (footballer) (born 2004), Serbian footbal ...
(1874–1949), Montenegrin politician * Bogdan Vujošević, Partisan ;by descent *
Momir Bulatović Momir Bulatović ( sh-Cyrl, Момир Булатовић; 21 September 1956 – 30 June 2019) was a Yugoslav and Montenegrin politician. He was the first president of the Republic of Montenegro from 1990 to 1998, after which he served as the Pr ...
, First President of the Republic of Montenegro * Đorđe Čarapić, Serbian voivode and revolutionary * Marko Čarapić, Serbian voivode and revolutionary, Đorđe's younger brother * Tanasije Čarapić, Serbian voivoide and revolutionary, uncle of Đorđe and Marko * Vasa Čarapić, Serbian voivode and revolutionary, elder brother of Tanasije * Evgenije Popović, Montenegrin politician and journalist *
Duško Vujošević Duško Vujošević ( sr-Cyrl, Душко Вујошевић; born 3 March 1959) is a Serbian former basketball Coach (basketball), coach. He is currently active as coach consultant of the Montenegrin ABA League club KK Studentski centar, Studen ...
, Serbian retired basketball coach *
Fahrudin Radončić Fahrudin Radončić (; born 24 May 1957) is a Bosnian media magnate, entrepreneur, investor, and politician who served as the Minister of Security on two occasions. He is the founder of the '' Dnevni avaz,'' the best-selling newspaper in Bosnia ...
, Bosniak politician * Jakup Ferri, Albanian fighter and national hero of Albania * Shemsi Pasha, Ottoman Albanian general * Bogdan Milić, Montenegrin footballer * Miloš Vučević, Serbian lawyer and politician serving as
prime minister of Serbia The prime minister of Serbia ( sr-Cyrl, премијер Србије, premijer Srbije; feminine gender, feminine: премијерка/premijerka), officially the president of the Government of the Republic of Serbia ( sr-Cyrl, председн ...
since May 2024


Notes


References


Bibliography

* * * * * *


External links

*, 1614 report by Mariano Bolizza which mentions
Lale Drekalov }; ) was a vojvoda of the Kuči tribe in eastern Montenegro in the first half of the 17th century. Life His father was Drekale and his mother was the daughter of a vojvoda of Old Kuči. He had a brother, Nikola who died with his father in a ra ...
and ''Cuzzi Albanesi'' (Albanian Kuçi) *, a history of the tribe by
Marko Miljanov Marko Miljanov Popović ( sr-Cyrl, Марко Миљанов Поповић, ; 25 April 1833 – 2 February 1901) was a Brda chieftain and Montenegrin general and writer. He entered the service of Danilo I, the first secular Prince of Montene ...
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kuci Historical regions in Montenegro Tribes of Montenegro