Ottoman defter of the District of Branković (1455)
The Ottoman cadastral tax census (defter) of 1455 in the Branković lands (covering most of present-day Kosovo) recorded:
- 480 villages,
- 13,693 adult males,
- 12,985 dwellings,
- 14,087 household heads (480 widows and 13,607 adult males).
Yugoslav and Serbian scholars have researched the defter, concluding that:[1]
- 13,000 Serb dwellings present in all 480 villages and towns
- 75 Vlach dwellings in 34 villages
- 46 Albanian dwellings in 23 villages
- 17 Bulgarian dwellings in 10 villages
- 5 Greek dwellings in Lauša, Vučitrn
- 1 Jewish dwelling in Vučitrn
- 1 Croat dwelling
Out of all names mentioned in this census, conducted by the Ottomans in 1455, covering areas of most of present-day Kosovo, 95.88% of all names were of Serbian origin, 1.90% of Roman origin, 1.56% of uncertain origin, 0.26% of Albanian origin, 0.25% of Greek origin, etc.
See also
- 1487 defter of the Branković lands
- 1582–83 defter of the Sanjak of Scutari
References
- ^ In 1972 the Sarajevo Institute of Middle Eastern Studies translated the original Turkish census and published an analysis of it Kovačević Mr. Ešref, Handžić A., Hadžibegović H. Oblast Brankovića - Opširni katastarski popis iz 1455., Orijentalni institut, Sarajevo 1972. Subsequently others have covered the subject as well such as Vukanović Tatomir, Srbi na Kosovu, Vranje, 1986.
Sources
- Orijentalni institut u Sarajevu (1972). Oblast Brankovića: opširni katastarski popis iz 1455. godine. Orijentalni institut.
- "Oblast Brankovica Opsirni Katastarski Popis Iz 1455 Godine".
- "Turski Katastarksi Popisi" (PDF).