Novo Brdo Fortress

Fortress of Novo Brdo
Novo Brdo
Upper town of Novo Brdo Fortress
Type	Fortification
Height	13 m
Site information
Owner	Republic of Serbia
Controlled by	Office for protection of cultural monuments
Condition	ruins
Site history
Built	cca 1285
Built by	Stephen Uroš II Milutin of Serbia
In use	until 1687
Materials	stone, limestone and breccia
Battles/wars	sieges of Novo Brdo: 1412 - 1413 1427 1429 1439 - 27 July 1441 1444 - 1 June 1455 1686 1690
Events	ratification of Mining Law in 1412 Fall of the Serbian Empire Great Turkish War

Novo Brdo Fortress is a medieval fortress in Serbia, whose ruins are located near the village Novo Brdo, some 20 km from Priština and 30 - 35 km from Gnjilane. Fortress is situated on the 1124 m high top of Mala planinica, between rivers Kriva reka, Prilepnica and Novo Brdo river, which are all left tributaries of Binačka Morava. Novo Brdo Fortress was built in early 14th century to protect mines of gold, silver, iron and lead mines which were abundant in the area. Together with castles Prizrenac, 12 km to the southwest and Prilepac, 13 km to the southeast, which guard access roads to the fortress, Novo Brdo made a defensive complex overlooking lucrative mining operations. Novo Brdo was famous for its glam silver. The Fortress was at its height during the Serbian Despotate, when it was most important mine and second most important town of mediaeval Serbia. Within the town lived significant number of Saxon miners and existed large merchant colony of traders from Dubrovnik.

For its fortress and production of silver and gold, Novo Brdo in written sources was referred to as Mother of all Serbian cities, mountain of gold and silver, strongest fortification of Serbia.

Systematic archaeological research of the site started in 1952 and continued until NATO bombing of Yugoslavia. Novo Brdo Fortress was declared Monument of Culture of Exceptional Importance in 1948, and is under protection of Republic of Serbia. Constant illegal diggings in order to find buried treasure, plundering and amateur excavations are destroying valuable archaeological strata.

Etymology

Novo Brdo literally means New Hill in Serbian. Other names for Novo Brdo in written sources are either translations or are derived from the name in Serbian. Some of them are: Nowobordo, Nowebordo, Novus Mons, Novomonte, Monte Novo, Nyeberghe, Novaberde.

Layout

Ruins of fortress Novo Brdo

Novo Brdo Fortress consists of two parts:

• Upper town
• Lower town

with 8 (6 +2) rectangular towers, 3 (2 +1) gates and large dry moat around most of the walls (from the north point of Upper town, along north point of Lower town to the south point of Lower town). Upper Town has irregular hexagonal shape. The Lower Town fans out toward west, down the hill slope. The fortress is protected by a dry moat from west and north. There is source of drinking water inside the fortress. Vast suburb (Serbian: Подграђе), outside the city walls, expands to the east and southeast. In the suburbs were located merchant colonies of traders from Dubrovnik, but also from Italian city-states, especially from Venice and settlements of Sass miners.

Upper town

Layout of Novo Brdo Fortress.

The Upper Town is the citadel of Novo Brdo and has a nearly regular hexagonal shape that is flattened on the east, so it almost takes on a look of a pentagon with the flat side facing outward and towards the direction that is most approachable. In the middle of the flattened part is the large rectangular, four-sided Donjon tower. Opposite to it, in the western vertex is the rectangular tower with three sides and a cross in dark red brick facing the Lower Town and the west. In each of the remaining vertices are square three-sided towers. Entrance to the Upper Town was through a pedestrian gate in the rampart between the tower with a cross and the tower south of it. Length of Upper Town (in north-south direction) is 50 m, while its width is 45 meters.

Lower town

Lower Town is a fortified settlement of Novo Brdo and has the shape of an elongated rectangle(180m x 95m, of which 45m belong to Upper Town), with flattened sides (east-west), so instead of four vertices there are only two, with a tower in each which, while the remaining two are arched rampart (west) and Upper Town (East). Main entrance to the Lower Town is the great cart gate with a ramp, located in the southeast rampart, alongside the south tower of the Upper Town. In the north wall, near the north tower of the Lower Tower is a pedestrian gate which was used for sallies during the siege.

Towers

Tower with a cross

Novo Brdo has 8 towers - 6 in the Upper Town and 2 in the Lower Town:

• rectangular tower, eastern vertex of the Upper Town, donjon of the fortress.
• three-sided square tower, northern vertex of the Upper Town, from which starts northeast rampart of the Lower Town.
• three-sided square tower, northwestern vertex of the Upper Town.
• three-sided rectangular tower, western vertex of the Upper Town, decorated with a cross made of dark red stone, with inscription I-H К (А), made of brick.
• three-sided square tower, southwestern vertex of the Upper Town.
• three-sided square tower, southern vertex of the Upper Town.
• polygonal triangular tower, northern vertex of the Lower Town.
• polygonal triangular tower, southern vertex of the Lower Town, decorated with three rose windows. First, with diameter of 70 cm is on the south side of the tower, close to the eastern rim, in the upper part of tower, very similar to western rose window of Ravanica monastery. Other two are on the east side. They are slightly smaller than the first and look like rose window in Ljubostinja monastery (north facade, western part, near side apse).

Gates

Novo Brdo has three gates, one in the Upper town and two in the Lower Town:

1. the arched pedestrian gate, located in the western rampart of the Upper town, between west tower with a cross and the southwest tower.
2. great cart gate with a ramp, located alongside the south tower of the Upper town.
3. the arched sally port, located in the northeast rampart of the Lower town, near the north tower.

Churches

Within mining settlement of Novo Brdo there are 7 Eastern Orthodox churches and 2 Roman Catholic churches, most important being:

• Eastern Orthodox church of Saint Nicholas, that was main city church, and was used by Eastern Orthodox Serbs
• Roman Catholic church, which is referred to as Santa Maria de Nuovomonte in Dogni Targ (Saint Mary of Novo Brdo in Lower Square), also known as Sass's church, used by Sass miners and merchants from Dubrovnik (located at present day village of Bostan).

Life in medieval Novo Brdo

Novo Brdo was scattered town, a huge mining settlement, a suburb of Novo Brdo. The square (mercatum or burgus), the heart of social life, was located here. It had its own statute (law), at least since 1439. Due to large amount of high quality silver, trade ties of Novo Brdo extended far beyond the Balkan peninsula, especially to the west, across the Adriatic sea to Italy and beyond. Suburbs extended to rivers Kriva reka (which was known as Topolnica at the time) and Prilepnica. Approach to the Novo Brdo was defended by castles Prizrenac and Prilepac.

Mining work force consisting mainly of Sass valturci or rupnici (miners). Lively trade was conducted in the square, mostly merchants of Dubrovnik and Venice, but also by Sass purgar (citizens). Sass had their own civil court, notaries and urburare (accountants that took care of mining tithe), and church. Because of their advanced mining skills in Novo Brdo they were so famous in Europe that in the 14th and 15th century, they were called to move and work in Italy and Spain.

Novo Brdo mines were in the 15th century, were especially known for the production of glam silver (argentum de glama). This type of silver contained in it up to 33% gold. Merchants of Dubrovnik sought to purchase this ore at a price ordinary silver, then to refine the gold themselves and gain enormous profits. According to estimates of historians, mines of Novo Brdo produced up to 6 tonnes of silver annually.

History

Miniature in the 16th century copy of the Mining Law of Stefan Lazarević made for Novo Brdo in 1412.

Significant mining activity in Novo Brdo starts in the first half of 13th century, during the reign of king Stephen Vladislav I of Serbia which brought Saxon miners - Sass to Serbia and developed mines. Fortress of Novo Brdo was created during the early years of the reign of king Stephen Uroš II Milutin of Serbia (1282-1321). It has become one of the most important settlements of Sass miners (they called Novo Brdo Nyeuberghe). Novo Brdo was also known the Place of the Sass (Serbian: Сашко место). Novo Brdo appears in historical records in 1325, already renowned as a mining and trading center, in which traders from Dubrovnik conducted trade and had customs office and a consul. In a letter from that year, king Stephen Uroš III Dečanski of Serbia informs government of Dubrovnik that lease for the use of Novo Brdo mine was paid in full by merchants of Dubrovnik.

In Novo Brdo silver coins (grossi di Novaberda), which carried insignia "Nouomonte moneta argentea" were made since 1349, by prince Lazar Hrebeljanović. Novo Brdo was renowned for its glam silver (argentum de glama) which contained up to 33% of gold and was much sought after by traders from Dubrovnik. Significance of Novo Brdo is further documented by number of late medieval luxury goods findings, which speak about its prosperity and high status.

Serbian rulers had a custom to donate certain amount of silver form Novo Brdo to various monasteris: prince Lazar Hrebeljanović to Ravanica and Drenča, despot Stefan Lazarević to Hilandar and The Monastery of Great Lavra, while despot Đurađ Branković added Esphigmenou Monastery. In 1405 despot Stefan Lazarević donates annual income of 100 pounds of silver from Novo Brdo to Hilandar monastery. Law of the city of Novo Brdo is mentioned in 1439, which indicated that Novo Brdo in 15th century was organized as a city municipality. Production of silver and gold peaked between 1420 and 1440.

Ottomans tried to capture Novo Brdo in 1412, but after a long siege they were forced to retreat. After that they shift their activity in Novo Brdo area to intercepting caravans from Dubrovnik and attempts to deny access to the town, but the town remains mainly undisturbed. Even an archery tournament was held in 1413. Despot Stefan Lazarević ratifies set of laws on mining, Sass and exploatation of Novo brdo mines in Mining Law in 1412. After the first collapse of the Serbian Despotate in 1439 Ottomans had begun the long siege of the fort which ended with surrender of the Serbian defenders on 27 July 1441. Although the rest of Serbia was under Ottoman occupation for more than a year, during the two-year siege the residents of Novo Brdo stubbornly defended and even launched two attacks to repel the Turkish forces, but they were unsuccessful and lost battles of Gračanica, on 6 August 1439 and Makreš in 1440. In the first half of 1441, Turks manage to take the suburbs. Defenders continued with resistance from the fortress until end of June, when they surrendered. The invaders then plundered and burnt the town.

After a successful crusade in 1443 and 1444 which penetrated all the way to Sophia and restoration of the Serbian Despotate under terms of Segedin peace treaty Novo Brdo was returned without a fight to despot Đurađ Branković. Under the vassal obligations of despot Đurađ towards the Ottoman sultan, a detachment of cavalry and a company of the tunnel diggers from Novo Brdo were sent to Mehmet II (1451-1481) as an aid in his attack on Constantinople which ended on 29 May 1453 with the Fall of Constantinople. According to the account of Bertrandon de la Broquière, written in 1433, despot Đurađ was receiving 200 000 ducats out of Novo Brdo annually, while Novo Brdo mines were most prosperous in the whole Balkan peninsula. At the time annual income form the town was around 120 000 ducats. Only a year later, in 1455, the Ottomans attack Novo Brdo again and with a use of heavy artillery force the besieged to surrender on 1 June 1455. All the men of any distinguished rank or importance were decapitated under orders of sultan Mehmed II. Some 320 boys were taken to become janissaries. Around 700 girls and young women were taken to serve as wives of Ottoman soldiers and their commanders. The siege and its aftermath are described in Memoirs of a janissary written in 1490—1501, by Novo Brdo resident Konstantin Mihailović, who was one of the boys taken.

Exploitation of the surrounding mines continued under Ottoman administration, though operations were significantly diminished due to the lack of professional work force and deteriorating conditions which caused steep decline of the town since 1455. According to defters for 1477 and for the period from 19 August 1498 to 7—8 August 1499, Novo Brdo was completely Christian town, without a single Muslim, with 887 homes in total, out which 78 were new. Out of approximately 5000 inhabitants, there was 73 miners and craftsmen. Defter for Vučitrn sanjak from 4 Januray 1526 informs us that out 514 homes 139 were Muslim.

From 17th century mintage was renewed in the fortress, during the reign of sultan Murad IV (1623-1640), but it was stopped in 1651. At the time there was only 18 Roman Catholic homes with 70 Roman Catholics left and the both Roman Catholic churches were so damaged that the priest held Mass in one of the houses. In 1685 there was only 10 houses left in the fortress, which was so ruined, that the 40 janissaries of the garrison were stationed in suburbs, which had only 150 Christian and Muslim homes.

During the Great Turkish War in the Balkans, with the help of local Serbian rebels, general Piccolomini occupied Novo Brdo in 1686, but only a year after it was abandoned as the local Serbs under the leadership of the Patriarch of Serbia Arsenije III Čarnojević (1672-1706) moved to Habsburg Monarchy, during Great Serb Migrations. Turks have reclaimed the fortress later same year killing all of the Austrian garrison left by Piccolomini. After that, exploitation of Novo Brdo mines and use of the nearby fortress itself with adjoining settlements ceased.

Fortress suffered significant damage in 1892, when the Turks were using its well made stones to build barracks in Priština.

Systematic archaeological research of the site started in 1952 by Archaeological Institute of Serbian Academy of Sciences and Arts. In 1957 National Museum of Serbia joins the research. Endeavors resulted in number of multidisciplinary studies. Research was discontinued in 1999 due to NATO bombing of Yugoslavia.

Amateur excavations, treasure hunting, plundering and illegal diggings, almost constant since 1999, keep deteriorating the site.

See also

• Novo Brdo
• Prilepac (Castle)
• List of castles in Kosovo
• List of fortifications in Serbia

Sources

• Александар Дероко, „Средњевековни градови у Србији, Црној Гори и Македонији“, Београд, 1950., стр. 170-173 Template:Sr icon
• Иван Здравковић, „Средњовековни градови и дворци на Косову“, Београд, 1975. Template:Sr icon
• Радојчић, Никола (1962). „Закон о рудницима деспота Стефана Лазаревића“. Српска академија наука и уметности, Научно дело, Београд. Template:Sr icon
• Бошковић, Ђурђе (1939). „Ново брдо“. Бановинска штампарија, Скопље.; Đurđe Bošković, "La Forteresse Novo Brdo", Skoplje, 1939. Template:Sr icon Template:Fr icon

External links

• Novo Brdo at the Association of Fortresses