1455–1913 → Capital Prizren | Established 1455 Date dissolved 1913 | |
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Today part of Montenegro, Serbia, Kosovo | ||
The Sanjak of Prizren (Turkish: Prizren Sancağı, Albanian: Sanxhaku i Prizrenit, Serbian: Призренски санџак) was one of the sanjaks in the Ottoman Empire with Prizren as its administrative centre. It was founded immediately after Ottoman Empire captured Prizren from Serbian Despotate in 1455. It was one of the sanjaks established on the territory which Ottoman Empire conquered from Serbian Despotate. The rest of the territory of Serbian Despotate was conquered after the fall of Smederevo in 1459, and divided into following sanjaks: Sanjak of Vučitrn, Sanjak of Kruševac and Sanjak of Smederevo. At the beginning of the First Balkan War in 1912, the territory of Sanjak of Prizren was occupied by the armies of Kingdom of Serbia and Kingdom of Montenegro. Based on Treaty of London signed on May 30, 1913, the territory of Sanjak of Prizren was divided between Serbia and Montenegro.
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Administrative divisions
According to the 1571 Ottoman register, the Sanjak of Prizren consisted of five nahiyahs: Prizren, Hoča, Žežna, Trgovište and Bihor.
The majority of the territory that once belonged to the Sanjak of Prizren now belongs to Kosovo (Prizren and Hoča), Serbia (Žežna, 20 km south-east of Novi Pazar) and smaller parts, Montenegro (Bihor, and Trgovište, near Rožaje).
Scutari, Prizren and Kosovo vilayets
In 1867, the Sanjak of Prizren merged with the Sanjak of Dibra and Sanjak of Scutari and became the Scutari Vilayet. In 1871 the Sanjak of Prizren became part of the newly established Prizren Vilayet. The Prizren Vilayet and its sanjaks, together with the Sanjak of Prizren, became part of the Kosovo Vilayet, which was established in 1877. Prizren was decided to be the seat of Kosovo vilayet.
The Sanjak of Niš and Sanjak of Pirot together with Vranje (which was kaza of the Sanjak of Priština) were separated from Kosovo vilayet and joined to the Principality of Serbia after Berlin Congress in 1878. The Sanjak of Dibra was attached to the Monastir Vilayet. After those changes Kosovo Vilayet consisted of three sanjaks: the Sanjak of Prizren, Sanjak of Skopje and Sanjak of Novi Pazar. Despite the decisions of Berlin Congress to award control over the Sanjak of Novi Pazar to Austria-Hungary, it remained under de facto administration of the Ottoman Empire.
Young Turk Revolution
After the Young Turk Revolution, occurred in 1908, the Ottoman Empire organized the first parliamentary elections in the Sanjak of Prizren.
Disestablishment
Until the end of October 1912, during the First Balkan War, the Sanjak of Prizren was occupied by the Kingdom of Serbia and that of Montenegro. On the basis of the Treaty of London signed during the London Conference in 1913, its territory was divided between Serbia and Montenegro.