Vilâyet-i İşkodra Vilajeti i Shkodrës |
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Vilayet of the Ottoman Empire | |||||
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Scutari Vilayet in 1900 | |||||
Capital | Scutari (present-day Shkodër) | ||||
History | |||||
• | Established | 1867 | |||
• | Treaty of London | 1913 | |||
Population | |||||
• | 1911 | 349,455 | |||
Today part of |
Montenegro Albania |
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The Vilayet of Scutari, Shkodër or Shkodra (Turkish: İşkodra Vilayeti or Vilayet-i İşkodra; Albanian: Vilajeti i Shkodrës; was a first-level administrative division (vilayet) of the Ottoman Empire that existed from 1867 to 1913, located in parts of what today is Montenegro and Albania. In the late 19th century it reportedly had an area of 5,310 square miles (13,800 km2).
The Scutari Vilayet was established in 1867 by merging the Sanjaks of Shkodra and Debar. The Sanjak of Scutari was established when Ottoman Empire acquired Shkodra after the Siege of Shkodra in 1478-9. A big part of Principality of Zeta was added to territory of Sanjak of Scutari in 1499. In 1514 this territory was separated from the Sanjak of Scutari and established as separate Sanjak of Montenegro, under the rule of Skenderbeg Crnojević. When he died in 1528, the Sanjak of Montenegro was merged with Sanjak of Scutari, as unique administrative unit with certain degree of autonomy.
In 1867, the Sanjak of Scutari merged with the Sanjak of Skopje and became the Scutari Vilayet. Its sanjaks were Sanjak of Scutari, Prizren, and Sanjak of Dibra. In 1877, Prizren passed to the Kosovo Vilayet and Debar passed to the Monastir Vilayet, while Durrës (Dıraç) township became Durrës Sanjak. After the Russo-Turkish War (1877–1878) Bar, Podgorica, İşpozi and Zabyak townships were ceded to Montenegro in 1878. Also Ülgün one was ceded to Montenegro in 1881