Posting sources from mostly 17th century Kosovo, but I will also post some texts from 16th century and will possibly include the area of Skopje/Shkupi (North Macedonia) .
Let's start with the the Turkish traveller Evliya Celebi in his journey through Kosovo in the 1660s, taken some parts of it where he gives insight of some of these areas about the inhabitants:
About the region of Peja in Western Kosovo:
The Llapi river in NE-Kosovo and about the inhabitants of Vushtrri:
SOURCE: 1660
Evliya Chelebi:
Seyahatname
- a Journey through Kosova
Military archives from 1689-90 from Italian/German during Austrian-Ottoman wars in Kosovo:
Prizren, the capital of Albania:
Some parts where it mentions Albanians and Serbs:
SOURCE: 1689
Kosovo in the Great Turkish War
of 1683-1699
Let's start with the the Turkish traveller Evliya Celebi in his journey through Kosovo in the 1660s, taken some parts of it where he gives insight of some of these areas about the inhabitants:
About the region of Peja in Western Kosovo:
Quote:At the base of the fortress flows the ..... river, which originates in the mountains of Peja (4) in Albania, joins the Llap river, and flows down until it joins the Morava. In these regions, this fortress is called Mitrovica of Kosova. There is also a fortress called Mitrovica of Srem, (5) but it is in ruins.
The Llapi river in NE-Kosovo and about the inhabitants of Vushtrri:
Quote:Through this part of the plain flows the Llap river, which has its source in Albania, (8) joins the ..... river at the foot of the aforementioned fortress of Mitrovica, and then joins the Morava river, which flows into the Danube.
The inhabitants of Vushtrria are Rumelians. Most of them do not speak Bosnian, but do speak Albanian and Turkish. They wear broadcloth garments and frontier-style red calpacs with low crests of fur and sable. They turn around
Quote:From there we journeyed eastwards and arrived at the fortress of ..... i.e., Kaçanik. The origin of this name is that some Albanian brigands once conducted a raid on the town of Skopje and then fled as far as this point where, expecting to find a halting-place, they were massacred instead. So it was called Kaçanlar ("Fugitives"), which became corrupted to Kaçanik.
SOURCE: 1660
Evliya Chelebi:
Seyahatname
- a Journey through Kosova
Military archives from 1689-90 from Italian/German during Austrian-Ottoman wars in Kosovo:
Quote:The reputation of this commander grew more and more because of his orderliness such that 5,000 Arnauts [Muslim Albanians] in Pristina [Prishtina] who had risen against the Turks and [the inhabitants of] many of the major towns in the vicinity had given to understand that they would submit to the rule of the Emperor.
Prizren, the capital of Albania:
Quote:For his part, he continued his march and arrived on the 6th, as reported earlier, in Prisiran [Prizren], the Capital of Albania, where he was welcomed by the Archbishop (5) [36r] of that country and by the Patriarch of Clementa with their various religious ceremonies.
Outside of Priserin [Prizren] there were at least 6,000 Albanese [Albanian] troops as well as others who had formerly been in the pay of the Turks and who are known as Arnauts.
Some parts where it mentions Albanians and Serbs:
Quote:Among the many and varying reports [34v] Piccolomini received was one that informed him that Mamut Bassa [Mahmut Pasha] had withdrawn from Scopia with 8,000 people, of whom 6,000 were soldiers, mostly Rascians and Albanese [Albanians] and was camped in a valley to the right of the town, two hours from our Imperial troops; and they were far enough from Scopia to resist the General and to get away from the disease that had taken over the town.
Quote:When German troops marched by, they gave off three volleys of fire as a sign of their pleasure and then swore an oath of allegiance to the Emperor according to their custom. Piccolomini thus had over 20,000 Rascians and Albanese under his orders, all men of martial temperament, who were willing to undertake any endeavour, however great it should be, in accordance with the will of the General.
Quote:Thereafter, on the 13th of November, the Arnauts and many Rascian infantrymen, 1,000 men in all, and 100 German cavalrymen under the orders of Herr Sanoski, a captain from Piccolomini’s regiment, were attacked two miles from Prisserin [Prizren] by a force of 1,500 Turks coming in the direction of Skopje who, having been successful in their assault, withdrew and left behind in the field of battle 80 dead on both sides and a similar number of prisoners, of whom only 12 had been taken by our Imperial forces.
Quote:There were also various disagreements with the leaders of the Arnauts whom the Duke ordered to give up their weapons and disband their militia and to pay tribute to the Germans, as the peasants did. This was an intolerable insult to this free and martial nation.
Quote:His Imperial Majesty discovered that of the 20,000 Arnauts who under Piccolomini’s influence had sworn allegiance to the Emperor, only 300 remained to be relied on, because they had been so badly treated by His Grace and the other officers. Had the Duke not changed his mind when he realised the mistake, he would not have had a single one of them under his command. Even though the remaining men were marching among our Imperial forces, in their hearts they were unwilling.
SOURCE: 1689
Kosovo in the Great Turkish War
of 1683-1699