Kosovo Province, Ottoman Empire



The Kosovo Province, also known as the Vilayet of Kosova (Kosova Vilayeti; Vilajeti i Kosovës; Macedonian: Косовска Покраина, Kosovska Pokraina; Serbian: Косовски вилајет, Kosovski vilajet) was a vilayet of the Ottoman Empire in the Balkan Peninsula which included: the current territory of Kosovo, the western part of the Republic of Macedonia, a part of southern Serbia and a portion of north-eastern Montenegro. Uskup (Skopje) functioned as the capital of the province and the mid way point between Istanbul and its European provinces. The province was originally created from Rumelia, but functioned separately as part of an Ottoman administrative reform law of 1864. Uskup'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: an Albanian majority was complimented by Serbians, Bosniaks, Muslims and Christians, both Orthodox and Catholic. The province was renowned for its craftsmen and important cities such as İpek (Serbian: Peć/Пећ, 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 with a portion also incorporated into the newly formed Albania. These borders were all ratified at the Treaty of London in 1913 with the Ottoman Empire itself finally recognising the new borders following a peace deal with the Kingdom of Serbia on March 14, 1914.

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 Üsküp). 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 a Turkish 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 Province and from Salonica Province. 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.

Population
The population of the province had a mixed population. The majority were Albanians. Bosnians were the majority in the Sanjak of Novi Pazar. Serbs, Bulgarians and Turks were also present in the Province. The Albanians were mostly adherents of Islam, whilst Serbs and Bulgarians were believers in Eastern Orthodoxy. Some Albanians adhered to Roman Catholicism.

Subdivisions
The province was subdivided into the following sanjaks (Albanian town names in italics):
 * Üsküb (Skopje) including the towns of Skopje, Kumanovo ; Kačanik (Kaçanik); Štip; Kratovo; and Kočani.
 * Prizren including the towns of Prizren (Pirzerin) and Tetovo (Kalkandelen).
 * İpek (Peć) including the towns of Peć (İpek); Ðakovica (Yakova); Gusinje, Berane, and Trgovište.
 * Priştine (Pristina) including the towns of Pristina (Priştine); Kosovska Mitrovica (Mitroviça); Vučitrn (Velçetrin), Gnjilane (Gjilan), and Preševo (Preşova).
 * Yenibazar (Novi Pazar) including the towns of Novi Pazar (Yenibazar), Sjenica (Seniçe), Kolašin (Kolaşin), Nova Varoš (Yeni Varoş), and Prijepolje (Akova).

Governors
List of the governors of the province:
 * ? -1893 : Ibrahim Edem Pasha
 * 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

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)