Metohija - History

History

Slavs settled in the Balkans in the 6th century. In the first half of the 7th century, the region was part of the Serbian Principality under the Vlastimirović dynasty, with several towns in the region, including Destinikon, and Drsnik. At the dawn of the 10th century, Metohija was conquered by Bulgarian Tsar Simeon. Byzantine rule was restored after its fall in 960. Control over the region of Metohija was slowly regained by the Vojislavljević dynasty in the 11th century. They were subsequently replaced by the Nemanjić dynasty. The realm was elevated to a Serbian Kingdom in 1217, and an Empire in 1345.

Metohija was conquered by the Ottomans and incorporated into the Empire's Vilayet of Kosovo after the fall of Serbia in 1459.

The area was taken by the Kingdom of Montenegro in the 1912 First Balkan War. During the First World War, Montenegro was conquered by the Austro-Hungarian forces in 1915. The Central Powers were pushed out of Metohija by the Serbian Army in 1918. Montenegro subsequently joined the Kingdom of Serbia, which was followed by the formation of the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes. The Kingdom was reformed into the Kingdom of Yugoslavia in 1929. The Kingdom suffered an Axis invasion during World War II in 1941, and the region of Metohija was incorporated into the Italian-controlled Albania. After Italy's treaty with the Allies in 1943, the Germans took direct control over the region, supported by the local Albanian collaborationism. After numerous rebellions of Serbian Chetniks and Yugoslav Partisans, Metohija was as the rest of Serbia liberated in 1944. In 1946, by the ruling communist regime it was proclaimed part of Serbia's Autonomous Province of Kosovo and Metohija – within the transitional Democratic Federal Yugoslavia.

On 17 February 2008, Kosovo declared independence from Serbia. However, Serbia still considers Metohija as a region of the autonomous province of its sovereign territory.