Lower Kolašin

Middle Ages

The Ljuboviđa župa (county) was mentioned in medieval documents beginning in 1281. It was named after a river that passed through the Vraneš valley. The county included an area from the Tara in the west, beyond the Lim to the east, from Brodarevo in the north to south of Mojkovac.^{[citation needed]}

19th century

According to the Treaty of San Stefano (3 March 1878), the region was to be ceded to the Principality of Montenegro as with the rest of the kaza of Kolašin (which included both Upper and Lower Kolašin),^[4] however, it was never fully implemented. With the Congress of Berlin (13 July 1878), the Austro-Hungarians obtained the right to station garrisons in the Sanjak of Novi Pazar. In 1880, the Sanjak of Sjenica (the new Sanjak of Novi Pazar) was established, which included the kaza (districts) of Sjenica (its seat), Nova Varoš, Bijelo Polje and Lower Kolašin (part of modern Bijelo Polje and Mojkovac municipalities).^[5]

In 1886, Lower Kolašin (more specifically the area known as Kolašinska Polja) was ceded to Montenegro. That same year, most Muslim families emigrated to Turkey, while others left for parts of Lower Kolašin and Bijelo Polje that remained under Ottoman rule at the time. The abandoned land was settled by rebels from this area and neighbouring ones, by Prince Nikola I Petrović-Njegoš.^[6]

20th century

In 1912, during the First Balkan War, Montenegro occupied Lower Kolašin on 12 October 1912. Shortly thereafter, the three local municipalities were formed in Lower Kolašin with centers in Tomaševo, Pavino Polje, and Stožer.

On 9–10 November 1924, at least 600 Muslims from Šahovići and the neighbouring villages of Lower Kolašin were massacred by a mob of Orthodox Christians. It occurred after the Governor of Kolašin country, Boško Bošković was murdered near Obod. Anti-Yugoslav leader Jusuf Mehonjić was blamed for the murder. Afterwards, it emerged that the murderers of Bošković were clan members from Rovca, a rival tribe.^[7][8] Following this event, all surviving Muslims left Lower Kolašin, relocating to other parts of Sandžak, Bosnia and Herzegovina or Turkey.