Zeta Banovina

The Zeta Banovina (Serbo-Croatian: Zetska banovina / Зетска бановина), was a province (banovina) of the Kingdom of Yugoslavia between 1929 and 1941. This province consisted of all of present-day Montenegro as well as adjacent parts of Central Serbia, Croatia, Kosovo and Bosnia and Herzegovina. It was named after the Zeta River which also gave its name to the medieval state of Zeta that roughly corresponds to modern-day Montenegro. The capital of Banovina was Cetinje.

Zetska Banovina Zetska banovina Зетска бановина
Banovina of the Kingdom of Yugoslavia
1929–1941
Location of Zeta Banovina (red) within the Kingdom of Yugoslavia (light yellow)
Capital	Cetinje
Area
• 1931	30,997 km2 (11,968 sq mi)
Population
• 1931	925,516
Government
Ban of Zeta
• 1929-1931	Krsta Smiljanić (first)
• 1941	Blažo Đukanović (last)
Historical era	Interwar period
• Established	3 October 1929
• Disestablished	17 April 1941
Succeeded by Banovina of Croatia Governorate of Montenegro Independent State of Croatia German-occupied Serbia Kingdom of Albania
Today part of	Montenegro Kosovo Bosnia and Herzegovina Serbia Croatia

Map of Zeta Banovina

Borders

According to the 1931 Constitution of the Kingdom of Yugoslavia,

The Zeta Banovina is bounded on the north by the southern boundaries of the Littoral and Drina Banovinas ... as far as the intersection of the boundaries of the three districts of Dragačevo, Žiča and Studenica. From this point and as far as the national frontier with Albania, the boundary of this Banovina follows the eastern boundaries of the districts of Studenica, Deževa, Mitrovica, Drenica and Drin, including all these districts. Then the boundary coincides, up to the Adriatic Sea, with the Yugoslav-Albanian State frontier.

History

In 1939, predominantly Catholic areas of the Zeta Banovina from the Konavle to Pelješac including Dubrovnik were merged with a new Banovina of Croatia.

World War II

In 1941, the World War II Axis Powers occupied the remaining area of the Zeta Banovina. A small area around the Gulf of Kotor was annexed by Fascist Italy while much of the rest was joined with Italian-occupied Montenegro and Albania. Eastern areas were made part of German-occupied Serbia and western areas part of Independent State of Croatia.

Following World War II, the region was divided between Montenegro, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia, and Croatia within a federal Socialist Yugoslavia.

Demographics

According to the 1931 census, the Zeta Banovina had a population of 925,516 and an area of 30,997 km².

Cities and towns

• Cetinje (capital)
• Andrijevica
• Berane
• Bijelo Polje
• Bileća
• Danilovgrad
• Dubrovnik (1939 to the Banovina of Croatia)
• Đakovica
• Foča
• Gacko
• Istok
• Kolašin
• Kotor
• Ljubinje
• Mitrovica
• Nevesinje
• Nikšić
• Nova Varoš
• Novi Pazar
• Orahovac
• Peć
• Pljevlja
• Podgorica
• Priboj
• Prijepolje
• Raška
• Sjenica
• Srbica
• Stari Bar
• Šavnik
• Tivat
• Trebinje
• Tutin
• Ulcinj

List of Bans of Zeta

Name			Term of office			Born	Party affiliation	Monarch
			Start	End	Time in office
1		Krsta Smiljanić	9 October 1929	10 January 1931	1 year, 93 days	Ljubiš (now Serbia)	Military	Alexander I (1929–1934)
2		Uroš Krulj	10 January 1931	3 July 1932	1 year, 176 days	Mostar (now Bosnia-Herzegovina)	JRSD
3		Aleksa Stanišić	3 July 1932	23 April 1934	1 year, 293 days	Prijepolje (now Serbia)	JRSD
4		Mujo Sočica	23 April 1934	13 August 1936	2 years, 112 days	Plužine (now Montenegro)	JRZ	Paul (1934–1941)
5		Petar Ivanišević	13 August 1936	25 May 1939	2 years, 285 days	Trebinje (now Bosnia-Herzegovina)	JRZ
6		Božidar Krstić	25 May 1939	1 April 1941	1 year, 306 days	Jagodina (now Serbia)	JRZ
7		Blažo Đukanović	1 April 1941	17 April 1941	21 days	Nikšić (now Montenegro)	Military	Peter II (1941)

See also

• Zeta Oblast (1919-1929)
• Zeta (medieval principality)
• Montenegro (sovereign state)
• Administrative divisions of Yugoslavia

References

• The Constitution of the Kingdom of Yugoslavia