Kosovo vilayet

ولايت قوصوه (Ottoman Turkish)
Kosova Vilayeti (Turkish)
Vilajeti i Kosovës (Albanian)
Kosovski vilajet/Косовски вилајет (Serbian)
Vilayet of the Ottoman Empire
1877–1913

The Kosovo Vilayet in 1877–1912, area under Austrian-Hungarian occupation (Sandžak region) hashed
CapitalPriştine (1877–1888)[1] Üsküp (1888–1912)[2]
Population 
• 1911[3]
1,602,949
History 
• Established
1877
30 May 1913
Preceded by
Succeeded by
Prizren Vilayet
Kingdom of Serbia
Kingdom of Montenegro
Independent Albania
Tsardom of Bulgaria
Today part ofKosovo
Serbia
North Macedonia
Montenegro
Albania

The Vilayet of Kosovo (Ottoman Turkish: ولايت قوصوه, Vilâyet-i Kosova;[4] Turkish: Kosova Vilayeti; Albanian: Vilajeti i Kosovës; Serbian: Косовски вилајет, Kosovski vilajet) was a first-level administrative division (vilayet) of the Ottoman Empire in the Balkan Peninsula[5] which included the modern-day territory of Kosovo and the north-western part of the Republic of North Macedonia. The areas today comprising Sandžak (Raška) region of Serbia and Montenegro, although de jure under Ottoman control, were de facto under Austro-Hungarian occupation from 1878 until 1909, as provided under Article 25 of the Treaty of Berlin.[6] Üsküb (Skopje) functioned as the capital of the province and the midway point between Istanbul and its European provinces. Üsküb'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 Eastern Orthodox and Catholic. The province was renowned for its craftsmen and important cities such as İpek (today's Peja, Serbian: Peć), 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.

A map showing the administrative divisions of the Ottoman Empire in 1317 Hijri, 1899 Gregorian, Including the Vilayet of Kosovo and its Sanjaks.
Ottoman map from 1907, showing the vilayet's six sanjaks

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. Before 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.[7] The Ottoman Empire finally recognised the new borders following a peace deal with the Kingdom of Serbia on 14 March 1914.[citation needed]

  1. ^ "Central Mosque Of Prishtina, Architectural Design Competition Brief" (PDF). p. 18. Archived from the original (PDF) on 8 March 2013. Retrieved 8 June 2013.
  2. ^ Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "Usküb" . Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 27 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. p. 811.
  3. ^ Teaching Modern Southeast European History Archived 2012-03-20 at the Wayback Machine. Alternative Educational Materials, p. 26
  4. ^ 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 Library.
  5. ^ Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "Kossovo" . Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 15 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. p. 916.
  6. ^ http://www.mtholyoke.edu/acad/intrel/boshtml/bos128.htm Archived 2016-04-23 at the Wayback Machine Anderson, Frank Maloy and Amos Shartle Hershey, The Austrian occupation of Novibazar, Handbook for diplomatic history of Europe, Asia and Africa
  7. ^ "(HIS,P) Treaty of Peace between Greece, Bulgaria, Montenegro, Serbia on the one part and Turkey on the other part. (London) May 17/30, 1913". www.zum.de. 24 May 2023.