Kosovo Vilayet

The Vilayet of Kosovo (Ottoman Turkish: ولايت قوصوه, Vilâyet-i Kosova;^[3] Turkish: Kosova Vilayeti; Albanian: Vilajeti i Kosovës; Macedonian: Косовска Покраина, Kosovska Pokraina; Serbian: Kosovski vilajet, Косовски вилајет) was a vilayet of the Ottoman Empire in the Balkan Peninsula which included the current territory of Kosovo and the western part of the Republic of Macedonia. The areas today comprising Sandžak (Raška) region of Serbia and Montenegro, although de jure under Ottoman control, were in fact under Austro- Hungarian occupation from 1878 until 1909, as provided under Article 25 of the Treaty of Berlin.^[4] Uskub (Skopje) functioned as the capital of the province and the mid way point between Istanbul and its European provinces. Uskub's population of 32,000 made it the largest city in the province, followed by Prizren, also numbering at 30,000.

The Vilayet stood as a microcosm of Ottoman society; incorporated within its boundaries were diverse groups of peoples and religions: Albanians, Serbs, Bosniaks; Muslims and Christians, both Orthodox and Catholic. The province was renowned for its craftsmen and important cities such as İpek (today's Peć, Albanian: Peja), where distinct Ottoman architecture and public baths were erected, some of which can still be seen today. The birthplace of the Albanian national identity was first articulated in Prizren, by the League of Prizren members in 1878.

As a result firstly of the Treaty of San Stefano in 1878, then of the modified Treaty of Berlin the same year which split the Ottoman Empire, Kosovo became the first line of defense for the Ottoman Empire, with large garrisons of Ottoman troops being stationed in the province. Prior to the First Balkan War in 1912, the province's shape and location denied Serbia and Montenegro a common land border. After the war, the major part of the vilayet was divided between Montenegro and Serbia. These borders were all ratified at the Treaty of London in 1913^[5] with the Ottoman Empire itself finally recognising the new borders following a peace deal with the Kingdom of Serbia on March 14, 1914.^[6]

History

The Province of Kosovo was an area much larger than today's Kosovo; not only was today's province incorporated into the Ottoman administered district, but also parts of north-western Macedonia including the capital city, Skopje (then Uskub). Just as Skopje is larger than Pristina today (Kosovo's administrative seat), it was significantly larger then too, although the population in both towns was several times smaller. Skopje was the provincial capital of Kosovo Province as an Ottoman vilayet.

Kosovo encompassed the Sandžak region cutting into present-day Central Serbia and Montenegro along with the Kukës municipality and surrounding region in present-day northern Albania. Between 1881 and 1912 (its final chapter), it was internally expanded to include other regions of present-day Republic of Macedonia, including larger urban settlements such as Štip (İştip), Kumanovo (Kumanova) and Kratovo (Kratova) (see map).

The province's boundaries shifted as the Ottoman Empire lost territory to neighboring states in the Treaty of Berlin following the Russo-Turkish War of 1877–1878 and parts were also internally transferred to Monastir Vilayet and from Salonica Vilayet. In 1878, the Sanjak of Novi Pazar, a subdivision of the Province of Kosovo, fell under Austro-Hungarian occupation in accord with the Berlin treaty which also allowed Austria-Hungary to occupy Bosnia and Herzegovina. There it would remain until 1908.

Demographics

The population of the province was ethnically heterogeneous. Many were Albanians.^[8] South Slavic Muslims (Bosniaks) were the highly present in the Sanjak of Novi Pazar. Serbs, Bulgarians and Turks were also present in the Province. The Turks and The Bosniaks are adherents of Islam. The Albanians were mostly adherents of Islam, whilst Serbs and Bulgarians were believers in Eastern Orthodoxy. Some Albanians adhered to Roman Catholicism.

There have been a number of estimates about the ethnicity and the religious affiliation of the local population. The last one was published on December 21, 1912.^[7] According of this publication on 1912 the total population of 827,100 inhabitants. The vilayet was predominantly inhabited by Albanians, most of which were Muslims and Bulgarians which were Christian and Muslims.

Administrative divisions

Sanjaks of the Vilayet:^[10]

1. Sanjak of Skopje
2. Sanjak of Pristine
3. Sanjak of Seniçe
4. Sanjak of Dukagjin
5. Sanjak of Taslica
6. Sanjak of Prizren

Governors

The governors (Vali) of the province were:

• 1819-1893 : Ibrahim Edhem Pasha Held office from (5 February 1877 – 11 January 1878)
• 1894-1899 : Hafiz Mehmed Pasha
• 1900-1902 : Reshad Bey Pasha
• 1903-1904 : Shakir Pasha Numan
• 1905-1907 : Mehmed Shefket Pasha
• . . . . 1908 : Hadi Pasha
• 1909-1910 : Mazhar Bey Pasha
• . . . . 1911 : Halil Bey Pasha
• . . . . 1912 : Ghalib Pasha

References

1. ^  Chisholm, Hugh, ed (1911). "Uskub". Encyclopædia Britannica (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. http://www.1911encyclopedia.org/Uskub. 
2. ^ Teaching Modern Southeast European History. Alternative Educational Materials, p. 26
3. ^ Salname-yi Vilâyet-i Kosova ("Yearbook of the Vilayet of Kosovo"), Kosova vilâyet matbaası, Kosova [Serbia], 1318 [1900]. in the website of Hathi Trust Digital Libray.
4. ^ http://www.mtholyoke.edu/acad/intrel/boshtml/bos128.htm Anderson, Frank Maloy and Amos Shartle Hershey, The Austrian occupation of Novibazar, Handbook for diplomatic history of Europe, Asia and Africa
5. ^ http://www.zum.de/psm/div/tuerkei/mowat120.php
6. ^ http://www.kosovo.net/nmalk7.html
7. ^ ^{a b} Published on December 21, 1912 - view the table of Vilajet Kossowo: Skynet GodsdBalkan
8. ^ George Gawrych The Crescent And The Eagle: Ottoman Rule, Islam And The Albanians, 1874-1913 (I. B. Tauris & Company, 2006).
9. ^ Robert Shannan Peckham, Map mania: nationalism and the politics of place in Greece,
10. ^ Kosova Vilayeti | Tarih ve Medeniyet

Literature

• Sûreti defter-i sancak-i Arvanid, H. Inalcik, Ankara 1954. (Turkish)
• Sûreti defter-i esami vilayeti Dibra, f. 124-176, Başbakanlık Arşivi, maliyeden müdever, nr.508. (Turkish)
• Regjistri turk i vitit 1485* - Prof. As. Dr. David Luka (Albanian)
• A.F. Gilferding, Putovanje po Hercegovini, Bosni i Staroj Srbiji, Sarajevo, 1972, 241-245 (Serbian)

External links

 Chisholm, Hugh, ed (1911). "Kossovo". Encyclopædia Britannica (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. http://www.1911encyclopedia.org/Kossovo. 

• Map
• The Guardian, February 2008