Introduction

The mid-nineteenth century was a transformative and turbulent period for the northern Albanian and Kosovar regions situated along the Ottoman–Montenegrin frontier. As the Ottoman Empire pursued reforms under the Tanzimat, frontier zones populated by Albanian-speaking tribes became critical sites of both administrative experimentation and geopolitical contestation. Among the most valuable primary sources for this era are the memoranda of Ahmed Cevdet Paşa, compiled in his multi-volume Tezâkir, which document his missions to the Balkans between 1851 and 1856. A close reading of these texts reveals the essential role of Albanian communities in regional stability, imperial military strategy, and cross-border diplomacy during a period of intense territorial pressure from Montenegro.

This article synthesizes material from Tezâkir (volumes 1–4) with a specific focus on Albanians, highlighting their position in frontier politics, their interactions with Ottoman administration, and their resistance to Montenegrin encroachment.

Albanian migrations

One of the most striking Albanian-related observations in Tezâkir concerns the forced migration of the inhabitants of Kolaşin-i Bâlâ, a region with a significant Albanian tribal presence. According to Cevdet Paşa, these communities were compelled to leave their ancestral lands as a direct result of Montenegrin territorial expansion. This migration underscores both the demographic vulnerability of frontier Albanian populations and the longstanding pattern of Montenegrin encroachment into mixed Albanian–Slavic zones. Such events align with broader mid-19th-century trends in which Albanian highland communities were increasingly displaced, absorbed, or militarily pressured by the expanding Montenegrin state.

Tribal jurisdictions

Cevdet Paşa’s memoranda repeatedly reference conflicts involving the Rugova Albanians, particularly regarding financial jurisdictions and taxation. Ottoman administrators sought to prevent Rugova authorities from imposing levies in Vasovik, signaling a tension between traditional Albanian tribal autonomy and the centralized administrative logic of the Tanzimat. This conflict demonstrates the delicate balance the Ottoman Empire attempted to maintain: respecting local structures where necessary while imposing uniform legal and fiscal frameworks across its provinces.

The Rugova case illustrates that Albanian tribes operated as semi-autonomous actors whose internal authority often extended beyond formal district boundaries. Cevdet Paşa’s interventions aimed to curtail such extra-territorial influence, a hallmark of Tanzimat-era rationalization, yet also an implicit acknowledgment of the enduring power of Albanian tribal institutions.

Grazing rights

One of the most telling Albanian-frontier episodes in Tezâkir is the dispute over the Suzina pasture in the İspiç (Spuž) district. Pastoral lands were essential for both Albanian and Montenegrin communities, and competition over them frequently triggered violence. Cevdet Paşa describes how District Governor Hafız Bey successfully negotiated with a Montenegrin commissioner to resolve the Suzina conflict, preventing escalation into open confrontation.

This episode demonstrates the central role Albanian communal interests played in frontier diplomacy. Grazing lands were not merely economic resources—they symbolized tribal autonomy, territorial continuity, and political legitimacy. The peaceful resolution engineered by Hafız Bey shows that Albanian–Ottoman coordination could act as a stabilizing force in an otherwise volatile borderland.

Albanians in Ottoman military strategy

The Albanian-inhabited regions of Kolašin, Rugova, and the upper Drina valley were critical to Ottoman defensive planning. Cevdet Paşa highlights the efforts of Colonel Selim Bey and Hüseyin (Hüsni) Efendi to fortify Kolašin and construct defensive installations—including two towers named after Fuad Pasha and Cevdet himself. These structures were intended to protect Albanian communities and to establish a buffer against Montenegro.

This cooperation between Ottoman military authorities and local Albanian populations reflects a symbiotic relationship: the Empire relied on Albanian tribal fighters as frontier stabilizers, while Albanians relied on Ottoman fortifications for protection against Montenegrin incursions. The pattern recalls earlier centuries in which Albanian highlands played a key defensive role in imperial strategy

Infrastructure in Albanian Areas

Although infrastructure appears as a secondary theme, Cevdet Paşa notes the significance of improving roads, bridges, and educational facilities in Albanian areas. His detailed account of the repair of Sokollu Mehmed Pasha’s Drina Bridge, undertaken by engineer Linardovich, illustrates how imperial infrastructural projects facilitated communication and military movement across regions with strong Albanian populations.

Likewise, the description of educational progress in the village of Poliça, enabled by the arrival of a competent teacher, reflects Tanzimat aspirations to bring formal schooling to remote frontier communities, including Albanian ones. Such initiatives were intended to integrate peripheral populations more closely into the imperial administrative and cultural sphere.

Rebellions

The broader political instability in Bosnia–Herzegovina—such as the activities of Luka Vukavlović—cannot be separated from the Albanian frontier context. Although Vukavlović himself was a Slavic leader, his interactions with Albanian-inhabited areas and his eventual retreat to Montenegro illustrate the fluidity and interconnectedness of tribal politics across ethnic lines. The Albanian tribes formed part of a larger frontier ecosystem in which alliances, hostilities, and migrations transcended imperial and ethnic boundaries.

Conclusion

Ahmed Cevdet Paşa’s Tezâkir offers rare, firsthand insight into the lived realities of Albanians on the Ottoman–Montenegrin frontier during the crucial years of 1851–1856. The memoranda depict Albanian communities not as passive subjects but as active political actors whose tribal institutions, territorial claims, and social structures shaped Ottoman policy in the region. From resisting Montenegrin expansion to negotiating grazing rights and influencing administrative jurisdictions, Albanians played a key role in determining the balance of power along one of the Empire’s most sensitive borders.

Far from being peripheral, the Albanian tribes of Kolašin, Rugova, İspiç, and surrounding regions emerge in Cevdet Paşa’s account as essential participants in the imperial project—groups whose cooperation or resistance could determine the success of Tanzimat reforms across the northern Balkans. Their position at the intersection of Ottoman administrative reform, Montenegrin state expansion, and local tribal politics makes them central to understanding the political and social dynamics of the mid-nineteenth-century frontier.

References

Cevdet Paşa, Ahmed. Tezâkir. Edited by Cavid Baysun. 4 vols. Ankara: Türk Tarih Kurumu, 1953–1967.

Cevdet Paşa, Ahmed. Tezâkir: 1–12, 13–20, 21–39, 40. Ankara: Türk Tarih Kurumu Yayınları, 1986–1991.