Nikšići (tribe)
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The Nikšići ( sr-Cyrl, Никшићи) was one of the historical tribes in the Ottoman Sanjak of Herzegovina, constituting the Nikšić ''nahija''. It was part of Old Herzegovina, that in 1858 was '' de facto'' incorporated into 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 ...
. The Nikšići appear in the historical record during the end of the 14th century and they were explicitly mentioned as
Vlachs 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 ...
of Herzegovina and Zeta.


Name

The name Nikšići is the plural of ''Nikšić'', a Slavic patronym derived from ''Nikša'', the likely founder of the tribe. ''Nikša'' is a hypocoristic of ''
Nikola Nikola () is a given name which, like Nicholas, is a version of the Greek '' Nikolaos'' (Νικόλαος) and it means "the winner of the people". It is common as a masculine given name in the South Slavic countries (Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bul ...
'' and was common during the
Middle Ages In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the 5th to the late 15th centuries, similarly to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire and ...
in the littoral cities of
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 ...
and
Dalmatia Dalmatia (; ; ) is a historical region located in modern-day Croatia and Montenegro, on the eastern shore of the Adriatic Sea. Through time it formed part of several historical states, most notably the Roman Empire, the Kingdom of Croatia (925 ...
, especially in Dubrovnik. The variant ''Nikša'' may derive from the Albanian diminutive ''Niksh'' which produced ''Nikšić'' with the Slavic suffix ''-ić''.


History

The Nikšići are mentioned alongside numerous Montenegrin and Herzegovinian tribes in the 14th and 15th century archives from
Dubrovnik Dubrovnik, historically known as Ragusa, is a city in southern Dalmatia, Croatia, by the Adriatic Sea. It is one of the most prominent tourist destinations in the Mediterranean Sea, Mediterranean, a Port, seaport and the centre of the Dubrovni ...
and
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 ...
. While most of them are only described as katuns, the Nikšići themselves are explicitly referred to as
Vlachs 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 ...
. The first reference to the tribe in historical records comes from a letter from Ragusan merchants to Jelena Balšić dated 6 August 1399, where they are mentioned as Vlachs (''vlasi nikšiki''). Around the same time they are also mentioned as "Nikšić of Zeta" (''Nichsich de Zenta'') in documents from
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 ...
. In 1447 it was reported that they had captured a Ragusan messenger and sold him to the Turks. In 1455 they are listed among tribes and villages in Zeta who signed an agreement with Venetians in Vranjina. The tribe was led by the ''vojvoda'', which had been established after conflicts within the tribe as a compromise.Srpska akademija nauka i umetnosti 1971, p. 225 They simultaneously used the name ''Onogošti'' until 17th century and further. The burning of Saint Sava's remains after the Banat Uprising provoked Serbs to revolt in other regions against the Ottomans. Grdan, the vojvoda of Nikšić, organized revolt with Serbian Patriarch Jovan Kantul. In 1596, an uprising broke out in Bjelopavlići, then spread to
Drobnjaci Drobnjaci ( sr-Cyrl, Дробњаци, ) was a tribe and historical region, Drobnjak, in Old Herzegovina in Montenegro (municipalities from Nikšić to Šavnik, Žabljak and Pljevlja). Its unofficial centre is in Šavnik. The Serb Orthodox ...
, Nikšići, 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). It was suppressed due to a lack of foreign support.


Legacy

According to oral tradition, collected by the Serbian historian Petar Šobajić, the tribe dates back to the 14th century and is named after Nikša, who was the son of Ilijan, the '' ban'' of Grbalj, and who was maternally a Nemanjić. Expanding on this, Risto Kovijanić said that Nikša may have moved from lands around the Morača monastery to the župa of Onogošt after the death of the Serbian prince Stefan Vukanović Nemanjić ( 1252), his relative. It is considered that the tribe was not founded by a single individual, but by several related families led by Nikša. The Nikšići found native tribes in their new territory: in the west were the Riđani (the strongest tribe), in the župa itself were the Lužani, while in the north, by the mountains Vojnik and Durmitor were the
Drobnjaci Drobnjaci ( sr-Cyrl, Дробњаци, ) was a tribe and historical region, Drobnjak, in Old Herzegovina in Montenegro (municipalities from Nikšić to Šavnik, Žabljak and Pljevlja). Its unofficial centre is in Šavnik. The Serb Orthodox ...
. The Nikšići were a very strong tribe, having successfully conquered the Lužani and pushed back the border of the Drobnjaci territory, while tradition speaks of many conflicts between them and the Riđani. In the 16th century, the Nikšići and the Riđani were the only tribes still present in the area.


References


Sources

* . * * * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Niksic (tribe) Nikšić Ottoman period in the history of Montenegro Geography of Montenegro Sanjak of Herzegovina Tribes of Montenegro