Velika, Montenegro

Velika is a settlement in the Plav municipality, close to the village of Murino. It was first mentioned in the Dečani chrysobulls (1322–31) issued by Serbian King Stefan Uroš III Dečanski (r. 1322–1331). It was part of the metochion (grant) to the Visoki Dečani monastery built by Stefan Dečanski. It was located within the county (župa) of Plav in the Kingdom of Serbia and Serbian Empire. The Ottoman defter (tax-registry) from 1455 showed that Christian Slavs lived in Velika. In 1479, the Ottomans annexed Gornje Polimlje and Velika. Subsequently these villages were organized into the Sanjak of Scutari. In 1614, travel writer Mariano Bolizza from Kotor wrote a demographic work on the sanjak's population, which showed that the village was inhabited by Orthodox Christians. It was the site of several conflicts during the battles for Plav and Gusinje, between the pro-Ottoman Albanians and Montenegrin forces in 1879–80.

Map of Velika, Montenegro