Насеља у сливу Брегалнице под српском влашћу у средњем веку
Settlements in the Bregalnica Basin Under Serbian Rule in the Middle Ages

Summary/Abstract: The territory in the valley of the Bregalnica river and its tributaries, which is located in the eastern part of present-day North Macedonia, became part of the Serbian medieval state in the late thirteenth and early fourteenth centuries. In this area, there were several regions (parishes) in the form of separate territorial-administrative units, with one or more urban centers, which belonged to different types of settlements, differing in their level of development. Some cities in the fourteenth century had developed suburbs, while some of them were the centers of significant mining settlements. Cities without developed suburbs had exclusively traffic function, situated on important roads. On the other hand, some cities that existed in the eleventh century had lost their significance by the fourteenth century and had been reduced to the status of rural settlements. The most developed city in the Bregalnica valley was Štip (Roman Astibo, Byzantine Estipion), situated on the hill Hisar, above the confluence of the Otinja river into Bregalnica. Beneath the fortress, there was a well-populated and cultivated suburb with a square. Štip also had land in the immediate vicinity of the city, known as the town metoh. According to sources, certain rural settlements closest to the city were also included in the metoh of Štip. There were six churches in Štip, which owned fields, gardens, vineyards, mills and other properties in the suburb and the town metoh. The territory of the town metoh, as well as the administrative region of the city of Štip, comprising several rural settlements in the vicinity, cannot be precisely determined. Among the urban authorities in Štip, terms such as kefalija, čelnik and knez are mentioned. The suburbs of Štip were inhabited by dependent people from various social categories, including craftsmen, traders and many others, while during the fourteenth century, the Slavic element predominated over the Greek in this area. Štip also served as an important crossroad. The most significant route, the old Roman road, followed the Bregalnica valley, connecting the Vardar and Struma valleys. Along this route was the former town of Črešće (at the site of the present-day village Creška) on the Bregalnica, which survived until the fourteenth century as a smaller settlement with a fortress. From Štip, there were roads leading through the Zletovska river valley to Slavište, as well as routes following the Kriva Lakavica (medieval Lukavica) and Strumica valleys. In the sources of the fourteenth century, there were around 25 villages mentioned in the vicinity of Štip and Kočani. In the second half of the fourteenth century, the urban development of Kočani began, but it is uncertain whether this settlement represented a separate administrative region. South of Kočani, in the mid-fourteenth century, the village of Morozvizd was mentioned, which in the eleventh century was a significant urban settlement and the seat of the episcopacy. In the village of Kozjak, located between Štip and Kočani, in the late fourteenth century, remains of a town of the same name were found, which in the eleventh century belonged to the Morozvizd episcopacy. In the lower course of the Kriva Lakavica river, the left tributary of Bregalnica, was the medieval parish Lukavica. In the first half of the fourteenth century, seven villages were recorded in this parish, presumably administratively belonging to Štip. In the upper course of the river, in 1366, around 15 villages were mentioned, concentrated around the village Konča with the monastery of St. Stefan. Near Konča, there was an ancient and early medieval town that was a significant religious center in the early eleventh century. In the mid-thirteenth century, the parish of Ovče Polje in the Svetonikolska river valley was not particularly populated. In the first half of the fourteenth century, it emerged as a region in the form of a broader territorial-administrative unit, encompassing both Ovče Polje and the neighboring Zletovo. The medieval center of Ovče Polje was the city of the same name, also known as Nevstapolj, believed to be located near the present-day village of Trstenik. Preserved charters from the second half of the thirteenth century mention 13 settlements presumed to belong to Ovče Polje. One of the significant settlements in this area was Krupište, which in 1355 served as the location for a council, indicating the presence of some kind of royal court. In the Zletovska river valley, the right tributary of Bregalnica, was the parish Zletovo. The center of Zletovo was the mining town of the same name with a square in an unfortified settlement across from the fortress. Remains of mining shafts from the ancient and medieval periods were found northwest of Zletovo. Similar to Štip, the suburb of Zletovo was also cultivated. Here, the city churches owned their vineyards, as well as mills and watermills on the Zletovska river. In the first half of the fourteenth century, around 20 villages were recorded in the parish Zletovo. In the parish Pijanec, in the upper course of Bregalnica, there was no city of the same name. However, near the villages Virče, Bigla, Zvegor and Lukovica (all near present-day Delčevo), there were remains of ancient fortifications that were renovated and active in the Middle Ages. These fortresses controlled significant trade routes, while Bigla also protected mines nearby. Lukovica supervised iron, lead and silver mines in the upper course of the Kamenička Reka river and slightly to the north (today’s Sasa-Kamenica mines). Besides this, it had a fortified suburb with numerous church structures. In the early Middle Ages, this city served as an episcopacy seat, and in the year 1019, Lukovica was the center of one of the church communities within the Morozvizd episcopacy. The settlement of Crkovnica, later Upper and Lower Crkvenac (in the area of the present-day village Vetren), mentioned in sources in the mid-fourteenth century, was a religious center of Pijanec. In the source area of the Bregalnica river, there was the region of Maleševo (around present-day Berovo), about which there are almost no records. The urban center of Maleševo might have been located at the site of Budingrad in the village of Budinarci (12 km northwest of Berovo), along the Vinica-Berovo road.

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