Balec
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.
The Slavic Chronicle of the Priest of Duklja written mostly in the early 14th century mentions it as the seat of the župa of Barezi, a misspelling.
[3] Balec was near the road that led from Shkodër to Duklja and Onogošt (modern day Nikšić),[4] near several important settlements and water resources.
[5] According to the Chronicle of the Priest of Duklja, after the death of Stefan Vojislav in 1044 control over Balec and the župa was inherited by his son Mihailo I Vojislavljević.
The main purpose of placing a garrison at Balec was to cut the supply routes to besieged Dagnum and to gain control over the lands around Shkodër.
[12] Marin found the newly rebuilt fortress insecure and, when his relative Peter Spani informed him that a large Venetian force was heading there, he immediately retreated with his soldiers to Danj.
[3][14] Andrea and Kojaçin Humoj, together with Simeon Vulkata, led the pro-Venetian alliance against Skanderbeg, fighting particularly fiercely for control over Balec and Drivast in 1447.
According to some sources the Ottoman sultan had intentions to rebuild Podgorica and Balec in 1474 and to settle them with 5,000 Turkish families in order to establish an additional obstacle for cooperation of Crnojević's Zeta and besieged Venetian Shkodër.
Balec (attested as Balozi or Balvezi) is recorded in the Ottoman defter of 1485 for the Sanjak of Scutari where it appears to have been reduced in size with only 11 households inhabiting the town.
The Cult of Saint Premte, which spread mainly amongst the highlander Albanian tribes around the valley of Rrjoll, was also present in the area up until the beginning of the 20th century.
[25] The diocese had been laid waste and impoverished by "the schismatics of the kingdom of Rascia", who had completely destroyed the monastery situated 5000 paces from the cathedral.
In response, Pope Innocent VI granted him in commendam, on 26 September of the same year, the aforementioned Benedictine monastery of Saint John in Shtoj (Albanian: Manastiri i Shën Gjonit të Shtojit) that was until then under the Diocese of Drisht.
Али се Амеса тамо није хтео задржавати, већ је кренуо на Дриваст, а Марин се с 2 ООО својих људи осећао угрожен у тек обновљеном граду... да поруше обновљени Балеч с таквим снагама као да је у питању највећа тврђава.
Али се Амеса тамо није хтео задржавати, већ зе кренуо на Дриваст, а Марин се с 2 ООО својих људи осећао угрожен у тек обновљеном граду ... Млечани су запалили дрвену грађу а свеже зидове сравнили са земљомпочетком 1474 ... о султановој намери да обнови Подгорицу и да је насели са пет хиљада турских домаћинстава, а исто тако да подигне из рушевина стари град Балеч
