 From the late 16th century onwards, tribes like Hoti were in a state of semi-autonomy, but also one of occasional conflict with the Ottoman state as it was a Catholic region and tribe in the borderlands, which could be a potential source of tension in the wars of the Ottomans against their Catholic adversaries, Venice and later the Austrian Empire.As Catholics, despite tax exemptions Hoti was also still subject to jizya and this was a further cause of resentment.This was the background for papal missions in the region to boost Catholic ecclesiastical organization against the pressure of islamization.