Drisht | |
|---|---|
 Ruins of the old Drishti castle | |
.svg)  Drisht | |
| Coordinates:42°7′23″N19°35′29″E / 42.12306°N 19.59139°E /42.12306; 19.59139 | |
| Country |  Albania |
| County | Shkodër |
| Municipality | Shkodër |
| Municipal unit | Postribë |
| Elevation | 300 m (1,000 ft) |
| Time zone | UTC+1 (CET) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC+2 (CEST) |
Drisht (Albaniandefinite form:Drishti) is a village, former bishopric and Latintitular see (Roman Catholic Diocese of Drivasto) with an Ancient and notable medieval history (LatinDrivastum, ItalianDrivasto) inAlbania, 6 km fromMes Bridge (Albanian:Ura e Mesit). It is located in the former municipalityPostribë in theShkodër County.[1] At the 2015 local government reform it became part of the municipalityShkodër.[2] The ruined 13th CenturyDrisht Castle is on a hilltop 300m above sea level. The ruins of the castle itself contains the remains of 11 houses, and below the ruins of the castle, and above the modern village of Drisht are further archeological remains of late-Roman and medieval Drivastum.
The name of the settlement was recorded inLatin asDrivastum. AlbanianDrisht derives fromDrivastum through Albanian phonetic changes,[3] however it has been noted that the accentual pattern found inDrísht <Drívastum presupposes an "AdriaticIllyrian" intermediary.[4][5]Drisht follows Albanian continuity from the Latin Drivastum[6]
The settlement ofDrivastum is known to have existed before the tenth century AD. The Diocese of Drivastum became a suffragan of theArchdiocese of Antivari in 1089, after it was transferred from theArchdiocese of Ragusa.[7]
In 1081—1116 Drivastum belonged to the kingdom ofDuklja.[8] In 1183, SerbianStefan Nemanja conquered Drivast and its surroundings.
In 1241, the city was plundered by theMongols underSubutai, as they were advancing east acrossZeta, while heading home. A document from 1332 mentions the town was inhabited by Latins, while outside the town walls lived Albanians.[9] Scholars estimate that Drivast was taken by theBalsha ca. spring of 1362. However, it is known that by 1363, they had captured Drivast and nearbyScutari.
In 1393,Gjergj II Balsha, having negotiated his freedom from Ottoman captivity, submitted to the Sultan's suzerainty and surrendered Drivast,Shirgj and Scutari. However, Gjergj soon ended his vassalage to the Ottomans and reconquered the cities he had surrendered mere months before. In 1395, knowing he could not outlast an Ottoman attack, he handed these cities, including Drivast, to dogal Venice in exchange for 1,000 ducats yearly.
In 1399, the townspeople inDrivasto (the city's new Italian name) and Scutari started a revolt against Venice, angered at the high taxes they were paying. The revolt lasted for three years, when Venetian troops managed to control the situation. However, the areas surrounding Drivast and Scutari no longer recognized Venetian authority.
Frustrated by Venice's policies regarding his former territories and its trade monopoly that resulted in economic stagnation in his ports, Gjergj II dispatched troops to reclaim his former lands, including Drivast, thereby violating his peace treaty with Venice. Gjergj's actions prompted Venice to suspect his involvement in instigating the uprising, though historians remain uncertain about the accuracy of this accusation. Additionally, the Turks mobilized raiding parties to these rebellious territories in response.
In 1423Đurađ Branković conquered Drivast and annexed it to theSerbian Despotate. Supported by Ottomans,Gojčin Crnojević andLittle Tanush Dukagjin, Maramonte plundered the region aroundScutari andUlcinj and attackedDrivast in 1429, but failed to capture it.[10]
In August 1442, Venice took Drivast from Serbian Despot Đurađ Branković. Native citizens of Drivast were hostile toward the advances of both Albanians and Serbs, so they accepted Venetian suzerainty under the condition that Venice wouldn't employ Albanianpronoiers and that the city's lands previously given to Serbs during the time of the Serbian Despotate would be returned to the cityfolk.[11]
In 1447,Skanderbeg demanded from the Venetians to give control over Drivast to him, along with the lands which earlier belonged to Lekë Zakarija. However, the Venetians refused to accept his demands and Skanderbeg started thewar against Venice.
In March 1451Lekë Dukagjini and Bozhidar Dushmani planned to attack Venetian controlled Drivast.[12] Their plot was discovered and Bozhidar was forced to exile.[13]
In September 1478, Drivast was captured by the Ottomans.
The bishopric was founded around 400 AD, as asuffragan of its LateRoman provinceDalmatia Superior's capitalDoclea's Metropolitan bishop.
Drivastum became a suffragan of theArchdiocese of Antivari in 1089, after it was transferred from theArchdiocese of Ragusa.[14]The townspeople of Drivast murdered one of their bishops in the thirteenth century.
The residential see was suppressed in 1650, its territory being merged into theDiocese of Shkodrë (in Albania).
In 1933 the diocese was nominally restored as LatinTitular bishopric ofDrivastum (Drivasto in Curiate Italian).
It has had the following incumbents, of the fitting episcopal (lowest) rankwith two archiepiscopal (intermediary) exceptions :
The population of modern Drisht is predominantly Muslim and Albanian speaking.[15] Drisht is accessible by a 4x4 or by walking.[16]
Subdivisions ofShkodër municipality | ||
|---|---|---|
Municipal seat:Shkodër | ||
| Administrative unit ofAna e Malit |  | |
| Administrative unit ofBërdicë | ||
| Administrative unit ofDajç | ||
| Administrative unit ofGuri i Zi | ||
| Administrative unit ofPostribë |
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| Administrative unit ofPult |
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| Administrative unit ofRrethinat |
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| Administrative unit ofShalë | ||
| Administrative unit ofShkodër | ||
| Administrative unit ofShosh |
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| Administrative unit ofVelipojë |
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