Sanjak of Novi Pazar

Sanjak of Novi Pazar Yeni Pazar sancağı Novopazarski sandžak Новопазарски санџак Sanxhaku i Pazarit të Ri sanjak of the Ottoman Empire ← late 15th century–1912 →   → The sanjak in late 19th century Capital Novi Pazar History  -  Established late 15th century  -  First Balkan War 1912 Today part of Serbia, Montenegro, Kosovo

The Sanjak of Novi Pazar (Bosnian and Serbian: Новопазарски санџак, Novopazarski sandžak; Turkish: Yeni Pazar sancağı; Albanian: Sanxhaku i Pazarit të Ri; English also Sanjak of Novipazar) was an Ottoman sanjak (second-level administrative unit) that existed until the Balkan Wars of 1912–1913 in the territory of present day Montenegro, Serbia and Kosovo.

History

See also: Sandžak

Origins

The eponymous town of Novi Pazar did not exist at the time when Bosnian Ottoman general Isa-Beg Isaković permanently captured the south-western parts of the Serbian Despotate somewhere around 1455. Probably a year thereafter, in 1456, Isaković founded Novi Pazar and its marketplace Trgovište (Turkish: Pazar), and commenced to build a mosque, a marketplace, a public bath, a hostel, and a compound. Novi Pazar initially belonged to the 'Jeleč vilayet' of the Skopsko Krajište. By 1463, it was incorporated into the larger Sanjak of Bosnia. The seat of the Kadı was subsequently transferred from Jeleč to Novi Pazar little before 1485, which led to the foundation of a separate Sanjak of Novi Pazar administered within the Rumelia Eyalet. After promotion of the Bosnian Sanjak into an eyalet in 1580, the Sanjak of Novi Pazar was re-administerd to the Eyalet of Bosnia where it would remain until 1864.

Ottoman Sanjak

Following the promulgation of the Vilayet Law in 1864, and the dismantling of the Bosnian Eyalet, Novi Pazar became a standalone Sanjak with its administrative seat in the city of Novi Pazar prior to becoming a part of the newly-established Kosovo Vilayet in 1878. Throughout its existence it included most of the present day Sandžak region (named after the Sanjak of Novi Pazar), also called Raška, as well as northern parts of Kosovo (area around Kosovska Mitrovica).

Congress of Berlin

Political situation in 1878.

At the Congress of Berlin in 1878, the Austro-Hungarian Foreign Minister Andrássy, in addition to the Austro-Hungarian occupation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, also obtained the right to station garrisons in the Sanjak of Novi Pazar, which remained under Ottoman administration. The Sanjak preserved the separation of Serbia and Montenegro, and the Austro-Hungarian garrisons there would open the way for a dash to Salonika that "would bring the western half of the Balkans under permanent Austrian influence." "High [Austro-Hungarian] military authorities desired [an ...] immediate major expedition with Salonika as its objective."

On 28 September 1878 the Finance Minister, Koloman von Zell, threatened to resign if the army, behind which stood the Archduke Albert, were allowed to advance to Salonika. In the session of the Hungarian Parliament of 5 November 1878 the Opposition proposed that the Foreign Minister should be impeached for violating the constitution by his policy during the Near East Crisis and by the occupation of Bosnia-Herzegovina. The motion was lost by 179 to 95. By the Opposition rank and file the gravest accusations were raised against Andrassy.

On 10 October 1878 the French diplomat Melchior de Vogüé described the situation as follows:

Particularly in Hungary the dissatisfaction caused by this 'adventure' has reached the gravest proportions, prompted by that strong conservative instinct which animates the Magyar race and is the secret of its destinies. This vigorous and exclusive instinct explains the historical phenomenon of an isolated group, small in numbers yet dominating a country inhabited by a majority of peoples of different races and conflicting aspirations, and playing a role in European affairs out of all proportions to its numerical importance or intellectual culture. This instinct is to-day awakened and gives warning that it feels the occupation of Bosnia-Herzegovina to be a menace which, by introducing fresh Slav elements into the Hungarian political organism and providing a wider field and further recruitment of the Croat opposition, would upset the unstable equilibrium in which the Magyar domination is poised.

The Austro-Hungarian garrisons were withdrawn in 1908 following the Habsburg annexation of neighboring Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Balkan Wars

Following the Balkan Wars of 1912-1913, the territory of the Sanjak was divided between Serbia and Montenegro.

Population

The Sanjak of Novi Pazar was mainly populated by Serbs, Bosniaks, and Albanians.

Cities

Some important cities in the sanjak were:

• Novi Pazar
• Sjenica
• Prijepolje
• Nova Varoš
• Priboj
• Kosovska Mitrovica
• Pljevlja
• Bijelo Polje
• Berane
• Rožaje

See also

• Sandžak

Notes and references

Notes:

a.

^ Kosovo is the subject of a territorial dispute between the Republic of Serbia and the self-proclaimed Republic of Kosovo. The latter declared independence on 17 February 2008, but Serbia continues to claim it as part of its own sovereign territory. Kosovo's independence has been recognised by 99 out of 193 United Nations member states.

References:

External links

• Map