Ghegs

Ghegs
Gegët
Prek Cali, Gheg tribal leader of the Kelmendi
Total population
Unknown
Regions with significant populations
Northern Albania (Ghegeria), Kosovo, North Macedonia, Montenegro
Languages
Gheg Albanian
Religion
Islam
Sunni[a]
Christianity
Catholicism[b]
Related ethnic groups
Arbanasi people, Kosovo Albanians etc.

The Ghegs (also spelled as Gegs; Albanian: Gegët) are one of two major ethnic subgroups of Albanians (the other being the Tosks).[1]

They are differentiated by minor cultural, dialectal, social and religious characteristics.[2][3][4] The Ghegs live in Albania (north of the Shkumbin river), Kosovo, North Macedonia, Serbia and Montenegro. The Ghegs speak Gheg Albanian, one of the two main dialects of Albanian language. The social organization of the Ghegs was traditionally tribal, with several distinct tribal groups of Ghegs.

The Ottoman Empire annexed and ruled the Tosk-inhabited south at the beginning of the 15th century, while the territory populated by Ghegs remained out of the reach of the regular Ottoman civil administration until the beginning of the 20th century. As a consequence, the Ghegs evolved isolated from the Tosks.[5] Similarly, the Islamization of the Ghegs was incomplete, with a large area of northwestern Albania remaining Catholic. The Ottomans never completely subdued the northern Albanian tribes of Ghegs because they were more useful to them as a stable source of mercenaries. Instead, they implemented the bayraktar system, and granted some privileges to the bayraktars (banner chiefs) in exchange for their obligation to mobilize local fighters to support military actions of the Ottoman forces.[citation needed]


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  1. ^ Piotr Eberhardt (January 2003). Ethnic Groups and Population Changes in Twentieth-century Central-Eastern Europe: History, Data, and Analysis. M.E. Sharpe. p. 433. ISBN 978-0-7656-1833-7. Retrieved 13 July 2013. The Albanians comprise two ethnic subgroups: the Ghegs, who generally occupy the area north of the Shkumbin river; and the Tosks, most of whom live south of the river.
  2. ^ Barringer, Herbert (1965). Social Change in Developing Areas: A Reinterpretation of Evolutionary Theory. Schenkman Publishing Company. p. 214. Retrieved 15 March 2020.
  3. ^ Monika Shehi (2007). When East Meets West: Examining Classroom Discourse at the Albanian Socio-political Intersection. p. 43. ISBN 978-0-549-12813-7. Retrieved 13 July 2013. There were and there remain distinct cultural and linguistic differences between Albanian Ghegs and Tosks[permanent dead link‍]
  4. ^ Hugh Poulton; Suha. Taji Faruqi (January 1997). Muslim Identity and the Balkan State. C. Hurst & Co. Publishers. p. 117. ISBN 978-1-85065-276-2. Retrieved 13 July 2013. the two ethnic sub-groups to which Albanians actually belong: the Ghegs in the north and the Tosks in the south... The Ghegs and Tosks differ from each other in linguistic, historical-cultural and socio-religious character.
  5. ^ Richard C. Frucht (2005). Eastern Europe: An Introduction to the People, Lands, and Culture. ABC-CLIO. p. 698. ISBN 978-1-57607-800-6. Retrieved 15 July 2013. Thus the Tosks and the Ghegs evolved virtually in isolation until Albania obtained its independence.