During the 6th and 7th century, Slavs settled in areas of today's Montenegrin littoral, where modern Paštrovići live. In the centuries after, these older Slavic groups resettled from these areas and after 14th century, other Slavic groups from surrounding areas settled there and from them, Paštrovići tribe was formed. The etymology of the name Paštrovići is unclear. The JAZU derives it from the given names Paštro, Paštroje, name with the meaning "a colorful man", derived from old-Slavic word of "paštr" with the meaning "colorful". There are also theories that it derives from old Vlach word "pastro" which is derived from Latin word pastor, meaning "shepherd", sent to the Republic of Ragusa. In 1363, Radak Paštrović donated to a church in Rac. Since 1377 they are regularly mentioned in Ragusan documents. In March 1399, several "people from Paštrovići" are mentioned. Originally a family, it would expand into a tribe by the first half of the 15th century. During the Zetan–Venetian First Scutari War they were under control of the related Đurašević family whose members held the most prestigious positions on the court of Balša III. In the Serbian–Venetian Second Scutari War they at first served the Serbian Despotate, until January 1423 when the Republic of Venice managed to bribe them and other tribes in the region over to the Venetian side. Though none of these were mobilized militarily, they left the Serbian ranks and thus became potential danger to Despot Stefan Lazarević. The Paštrović assembly agreed to enter the service of Venice in April 1423, accepting Venetian suzerainty and taxes; in return they received promise to respect their tribal institution, guarantees of their present lands and recognition of their right to lost lands. Peace was signed in August 1423. Thus, by this 1423 treaty, the province of Paštrovići received an autonomous status, while the brotherhoods of Paštrovići became a "tribe", building their free villager estate and internal self-government with kinship organization – becoming petty nobility. In the 1582–83 Ottoman defter of the Montenegro Vilayet, an autonomous province of the Sanjak of Scutari, Paštrovići was one of nine nahiya, with 36 villages. In 1592–93, Derviš-beg Alić Sarvanović, the sanjak-bey of Montenegro, also held Paštrovići and Perast.After the battle of Kotor 1657, Governor GeneralAntonio Bernardo continued to support Albanian tribe of Paštrovići. Paštrovići were the part of Republic of Venice until the fall of Venice in 1797.
Culture
Paštrovići is traditionally Orthodox Christian. In these areas there are six Serbian Orthodox monasteries and among them, Gradište monastery. People from Paštrovići were oriented towards maritime trade and they had a great number of captains and shipowners. Majority of the population were dealing with agriculture and livestock breeding, while in the littoral salination was developed very well.