Vulic: The Decani Charter as a census of Kosovo's population in the 14th Century

Historian Anja Vulic from the State Archives of Serbia states that the founding charter of the Visoki Decani Monastery should be interpreted in multiple ways, as it is not only a legal or founding act of a monastery but also a type of population census from the 14th century.

"On the fundamental level, it is a legal document, a founding act of a monastery and an estate. On the other hand, it has exceptional literary characteristics, as it is not merely a copy of an earlier charter," Vulic told Kosovo Online.

She explains that charters in the 14th century were influenced by Byzantine and Roman traditions.

"However, the uniqueness of this charter is particularly evident in its eschatocol—specifically, in the description of the Battle of Velbazhd and the victory over the Bulgarians. Perhaps the most significant part of the charter is that it serves as a kind of population census," Vulic emphasizes.

She points out that this can be observed in the "dispositio"—the central part of the charter, where the villages granted to the monastery by King Stefan Uros III Decanski are listed.

"In this section, we can see the structure of the population and the number of villages. It is clear that the population was predominantly Serbian. What is particularly significant is that this part of the document was written in the vernacular language, precisely because it was intended for practical use. Unlike other parts of the charter, which were written in the Serbian redaction of Old Church Slavonic, this section was written in the common language of the time," the historian notes.

The predominance of the Serbian population is also evident from the listing of "male heads"—that is, families in each of the villages.

"In the territory of present-day Kosovo and Metohija in the 14th century—focusing specifically on the Metohija region—only two villages had 'Arbanas' (Albanian) inhabitants. In all the others, the population was Serbian. How is this determined? By names, by the listed male heads of households," Vulic specifies.

She also reveals that the State Archives of Serbia has launched an initiative to have the founding charter of the Visoki Decani Monastery included in UNESCO’s World Heritage List. The document has not been listed so far because it is not physically kept in the monastery.

The Visoki Decani Monastery, she recalls, has already been inscribed on the UNESCO list under two criteria.

"First in 2004, as part of the protected cultural heritage list, and then in 2006, as a cultural heritage site in danger, which is deeply concerning. It would certainly be valuable and important to have the founding charter of the monastery protected in this way as well," Vulic emphasizes.