Authored by Petrit Latifi
The following article cites various publications on the history of Albanians mentioned in medieval Slavic chrysobulls of Banjska, Decan, Saint Archangel and Monastir of Saint Nicolas.
The Banjeska chrysobull mentions the name “Lule”
“Among names which from the linguistic point of view are Albanian is the name Lul, which in the Serbian documents emerges in the Serb form Lulic. The Banjeska chrysobull gives the earliest proof of the presence of
this name among the inhabitants of Mediaeval Kosova. In this source of the years 1313-1318 a Hranoe Lulic is mentioned as a Wallachian inhabitant of the village of Pijainc”
Truallishta e Leshit mentioned in 1330
“A toponym of this type is found in the chrysobull of Decan of the year 1330, in which a small territory with the name Lesh is mentioned. The place called “Truallishta e Leshit” was in the region of the Modra
Sllatina which was a winter settlement in the Dim valley of the Gjakova region in the present region of Has of Gjakova, which in the written documents of that period is written Patkovo.”
Albanians mentioned in Dusans charter of 1397
“On the other hand the same chrysobull mentions the territory of Gion Bardhi. In another charter of Dusan, in that of 1397, microtoponym Llazi i Tanushit is mentioned. Without doubt this is a toponym of the anthroponymic type used m the Albanian anthroponym Tanush.
The toponym territory of Koman, a place in the Prizren region which together with the village of Izbisht of that region were donated by king Stefan Uros to the monastery of Hilendar in 1327, should be included here. There is no doubt that this toponym of the anthroponymic type preserves in itself the Albanian anthroponym Koman in the function of a patronym Koman.”
Albanians in Banjska chrysobull of the years 1313- 1318
“On the basis of the presence of the oronym Barel in Shala, as well as many toponyms of the type Katun and Katunishte the geographical order of the place names and the property of this monastery, as well as in some other districts, we identified this mediaeval village as Bajgora with its pasture highlands (and four other villages of Shala).
In the Shala region, mentioned in this chrysobull, there are also inhabitants with the names: Bunisllav, Kumanic, Bunisha, Desimir, Bale and Tolcin, which may, with good reason, be read as Bale, Bun, Tol and Koman, in the Slavonic form. Where as among the “Wallachians” of the Bobojevc village the following names are mentioned: Toloje, Dedoje and Shevel, in which we see the Albanian names Tol and Dede and the name preserved by the Albanians in the form of Shavell.
In the Voisilc village we find the antroponym Berce where we see the Albanian name Ber preserved today only as a patronym Beran. This chrysobull provides toponymic data in favour of the presence of the Albanians in the present region of Llapusha of the Kosova plateau and of the districtof Vushtrica, in particular.”
“Preka” mentioned in King Milutins chrysobull
“A toponym of the anthroponymic type has also been found in this chrysobull for the district of Istog. Here it is mentioned that the boundary of the Osojan village, apart from other places, was made up of a Preka cesta Kucevska where we can see the Albanian name Kuci preserved in the Kuci phrateria, in the region of Montenegro today, whereas in Kosova we find it in the function of the name of the Kuqi family. If this etymology and comparison is considered adequate, I remind that up to now we have failed to take it into consideration.”
Strellc is also mentioned in the chrysobull
“Among incontestable toponyms of the anthroponymic type belonging to the Albanian ethnos and language is the toponym Muzakjev kusht found in the chrysobull, it was the boundary of the present village of Strofc of the Vushtria region which in this document is called Strellc”
Tupec village
“Here we shall add that in this chrysobull there is also some other toponym of the anthroponymic type which has an Albanian name or is
found among the Albanians, This is the case of the toponym Sumegnica which, according to this chrysobull, was formerly a separate village or the microtoponym in a village. It was one of the points which delimitated the Osojan village of the region of Istog, but first it should be sought for in the region of the Tucep village.”
Tsar Dusan mentions the Albanians of Tivari
“The presence of the Albanians in the region of Tivar and perhaps in Tivar itself during the 14th century is proved in the chrysobull of Tsar Stefan Dusan with which he founded the monastery of the Saints Michael and Gabriel in Prizren, and by the strength of this chrysobull gave some property and conceded feudal rights upon it.
In that chrysobull it is said: “And all of my imperial income Tivar Akrostik of 100 perper 1 give to the Tivar people and they are to give the church ten loads of oil in 14 stare (measures), which should be carried thence by the Albanians.”
Albanians mentioned in the chrysobulls of Decan (1208) and the Monastery of St. Archangel of Prizren (1330).
“Patkova as a zupa is mentioned in “written documents even prior to the formation of the Decan feud in the year 1208, and besides the chrysobull of Decan (1330), it is mentioned later in the chrysobull of the Monastery of St. Archangel of Prizren (1348).
On the basis of data provided by these three mediaeval documents M. Nikokc wrote the study “The mediaeval zupa of Patkova” in which he reaches the conclusion that the zupa of Patkova comprised the present territory of Kosova known as Has and a part of the present territory of Albania up to the place named Bytyc.”
Tsar Dusan forbids Albanians from exploiting the mountains of Decan
“On the other hand, in his chrysobull of Decan, Stefan Dusan orders that all the Albanians and Wallachians should take salt to st. Serge’s church” whereas in another charter, that to the monastery of st. Michael of Prizren of 1358, he ordered the Albanians to go to church to work like the Serbs and pay the tithes .
Proof of this kind is found also in the chrysobull of Decan (1330), according to which the Albanians were prohibited from exploiting the mountains that the ruler had given the monastery of Decan, and this prohibition covered all the highlands of Altin (of the district of Altun-Ili)”
Albania names mentioned in the Chrysobull of Decan
“Within this chrisobull, nine Albanian stock-breeding villages within the vicinity of Prizren are mentioned explicitly – these villages are known with the names Gjinovci (Gjinajt), Magjerci, Bjellogllavci (Kryebardhët), Flokovci (Flokajt), Crnça, Caparci (Çaparajt), Gjonovci (Gjonajt), Shpinadinci (Shpinajt) and Novaci.
Entire Albanian villages were gifted by Serbian kings, particularly Stefan Dusan, as presents to Serb monasteries within Prizren, Decan, and Tetova. Additionally, people with Albanian anthroponomy are repeatedly mentioned in a 1348 chrysobull of Dusan that lists those who pray at the monastery of St. Michael and Gabriel in Prizren as well as some of the inhabitants of the city itself and the surrounding villages.
In one of Stefan Dušan’s documents in 1355, a soldier with Albanian anthroponomy is exclusively mentioned as one of the people who must continuously pay the Monastery of St. Nicholas in the village of Billushë near Prizren. People with Albanian anthroponomy are also mentioned in a 1452 register within the vicinity of Prizren in villages such as Mazrek, Kojushe, Milaj, Zhur, Xerxe, Pllaneje, Gorozhup, Zym etc.“
Uj-miré mentioned in the Chrysobulls of Decan
“The name of the settlement translates to good water (Albanian: ujë-water, mirë-good). In the 1330 Chrysobulls of Dečani, the settlement is recorded as Ujnemir. During the Colonization of Kosovo 14 Serb and Montenegrin families settled in Ujmir”
Voksh mentioned in the Decan chrysobulls of 1330
“Voksh is mentioned for the first time in the Chrysobulls of Decani in 1330 as a village named Укша (lat. Ukša)”
Decani chrysobull also mentioned Lezh Tuzi
“… Chrysobull of Dečani mentions the Albanian katun of Llesh Tuzi. It expanded considerably in terms of family size, and in the 15th century, the Tuzi families began to establish themselves in the plains. They built villages and… “1
The chrysobulls is evidence of Albanian pre-Slavic presence
“The preservation of this chrysobull (Decan) is a great fortune, because from its material we conclude positively about the co-existence of Albanian and Slav personal names in the feud of Decan. However, the use of Slav (Serbian) anthroponymy by the Albanian inhabitants of the above-mentioned villages is not proof in favour of the total assimilation of the population.
As is known even the most renowned Albanian families, such as that of the Kastrioti, used Slav names or Christian names in a Slavonic form, which does not raise the slightest doubt about their Albanian origin.”
Albanian villages in the Decan chrysobull
“According to the Decan chrysobull, the Decan monastry included the following villages of this region: Vllahinja, Rugova, Dolanc, Libovac, Jabucna, and the winter pasture land Modra Slladina. Of these villages Vllahinja and Modra Slladina are situated in the territory of present-day Albania, while the rest in that of Kosova. Only the location of the village Jabucno poses some problems. The document gives only the names of the inhabitants of Dolanc village of this zupa, and they appear to be mainly Slav.”
Albanian “katun” is mentioned in the Chrysobull of Zica monastery
“The word “katun” is mentioned in the Slav documents from the year 1220 in the chrysobull of the Zica monastery. “
References
This information was taken from: https://archive.org/details/TheAlbaniansAndTheirTerritories/page/n121/mode/2up?q=chrysobull
Balkan Academia 