WThe Principality of Zeta is a historiographical name for a late medieval principality located in the southern parts of modern Montenegro and northern parts of modern Albania, around the Lake of Skadar. It was ruled by the families of Balšić, Lazarević, Branković and Crnojević in succession from the second half of the 14th century until Ottoman conquest at the very end of the 15th century. Previously, the same region of Zeta was a Serbian crown land, that had become self-governing after the fall of the Serbian Empire, when the Balšić family created a regional principality, sometime after 1360.
WBaleč was an Albanian medieval fortified town near Shkodër in what is now Albania. It was built on the hill whose name was Balez. The settlement originated in Roman times. During Byzantine rule over the area, it was part of the Dyrrhachium theme. Later it was a seat of a župa of the Kingdom of Duklja, and later still of the Lordship of Zeta. Baleč suffered much damage during the Second Scutari War between the Serbian Despotate and the Republic of Venice. After the Republic of Venice gained control over it at the beginning of the 15th century, its size was reduced to a small pronoia with only 25 houses, and the fortress was abandoned and fell to ruin. Skanderbeg's forces rebuilt the fortress during his war with Venice in 1448 and established a strong garrison in it, but the Venetian forces soon drove them away and demolished the fortress. Ottoman plans to rebuild Baleč and populate it with Turkish settlers were never implemented and Baleč remained in ruins, which can still be seen today.
WThe Cetinje Octoechos is an Orthodox liturgical book printed in 1494 in Cetinje, the capital of the Principality of Zeta. It is the first incunabulum written in the Serbian recension of Church Slavonic, as well as the first book printed in Cyrillic in Southeast Europe. The octoechos was produced under the direction of Hieromonk Makarije at the Crnojević printing house, which was founded in 1493 by Đurađ Crnojević, the ruler of Zeta. Printed in two instalments, its first volume contains the hymns to be sung to the first four tones of the Octoechos system of musical modes, and the hymns for the remaining four tones are included in the second volume. The two volumes are called Octoechos of the First Tone and Octoechos of the Fifth Tone, respectively.
WThe Crnojević printing house or Cetinje printing house, was the first printing house in Southeastern Europe; the facility operated between 1493 and 1496 in Cetinje, Zeta.
WThe Dukagjini were an Albanian feudal noble family. They may have been relatives or descendants of the earlier Progoni, who founded the first Albanian state in recorded history, the Principality of Arbanon. Their domain extended from northern Albania to western Kosovo. The city of Lezhë was its most important holding.
WHieromonk Makarije is the founder of Serbian and Romanian printing, having printed the first book in Serbian language and the first book in the territory of Walachia.
WSati was a medieval fortified town near Shkodër in contemporary Albania. Between 1395 and 1459, it passed through the control of the Venetian Republic, the Dukagjini family, the Ottoman Empire, and Skanderbeg, who razed it sometime after 1459.
WThe Second Scutari War was an armed conflict in 1419–1426 between Zeta (1419–1421) and then the Serbian Despotate (1421–1423) on the one side and the Venetian Republic on the other, over Scutari and other former possessions of Zeta captured by Venice.
WSveti Srđ was an important market town on the left bank of the river Bojana 6 miles (9.7 km) away from Skadar in Medieval Serbia and later the Venetian Empire and for short period in the Ottoman Empire. It was a medieval trading center.
WBožidar Vuković was one of the first printers and editors of Serbian books in Montenegro. He founded the famous Vuković printing house in Venice. His printing house was operational in two periods. In first period 1519–21 three books were printed. In the second period 1536–40 two books were printed.
WZeta was one of the medieval polities that existed between 1356 and 1421, whose territory encompassed parts of present-day Montenegro and northern Albania, ruled by the Balšić family.
WThe Crnojević noble family ruled the Zeta from 1451 until 1496. The state included parts of modern Montenegro and parts of modern Albania.