ШАР-ПЛАНИНА У СРЕДЊЕМ ВЕКУ
ŠAR-MOUNTAIN IN THE MIDDLE AGES

Summary/Abstract: From the foregoing, it can be seen that the slopes of the Šar Mountains were well inhabited in the Middle Ages, especially those facing Prizren. This is especially true of Sredac district and Gora. The population here was engaged in agriculture, but also in animal husbandry, for which there were good natural conditions. The Monastery of the Holy Archangels (Manastir Svetih Arhanđela) near Prizren was the largest feudal lord in this territory, having about fifteen rural settlements and around ten mountains, with the exclusive right to use it. In addition to the Monastery of the Holy Archangels, the Prizren episcopate (Prizrenska episkopija), Hilandar, and the Monastery of the Holy Virgin of Htetovo (Bogorodica Htetovska) also had their estates in the Šar-mountain area. Other monasteries and churches here did not receive estates, or they received individual villages as was the case with Dečani in 1397. Therefore, the Serbian church was the largest landowner in the Šar-mountain area, and church estates were the basic factor of economic development of this area. The plateaus and slopes of the Šar Mountains abounded in rich and high-quality grazing, so it is not surprising that a large number of the mountains are mentioned in the charters. They served as summer pastures for monastic and village cattle, as well as for the cattle of secular feudal lords. Polog and Prizren district, with their mild climate, compared to that of Šar-Mountain, formed a natural reserve for keeping cattle in wintering grounds (zabeli) so that in the spring it would rise to the Šarplanin mountains, that abounded in quality grass for grazing until late autumn. Therefore, Šar-Mountain had its economic significance and role in the development of the Serbian medieval economy.

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