Kosova Crisis Center

Kosova Crisis Center

Kosova Fact of the Day 5

Battle of Kosova (1389) - Upon reading/hearing news in the national-international press and elsewhere about the current conflict between Kosova and Serbia, it is frequently stated by the Serbs that the eventful battle on the plain of Kosova in 1389 took place only between Serbs and the Ottoman invaders. For that reason, the plain of Kosova is deemed to be "sacred" to Serbia who persists in holding title to that historic site and to the entire Albanian-populated (over 90%) region. In point of fact, several other nationalities including both indigenous Albanians and Albanians from Albania proper such as the feudal rulers, Gjergj Kastrioti (the grandfather of his namesake, Gjergj Kastrioti/Skanderbeg) of Mati, Theodore II Muzaka of Berat who was killed during the battle (as were many Albanians!), and others, all fought in a major alliance of 6 nationalities in that last desperate armed conflict where the Turks subsequently defeated the opposing forces. This tragic loss marked the eventual collapse of Serbia, Bulgaria, and Albania which all came under Turkish rule:

A. "An anti-Ottoman coalition of Hungarians, Bulgarians, Romanians, Poles, Serbs, and Albanians headed by the Serbian Prince Lazar fought a Turkish army twice its size on the plain of Kosova near Prishtina on 15 June 1389. Troops of Gjergj II Balsha of Shkodra and of Theodore Korona Muzaka of Berat participated. Even though an Albanian named Milosh Kopiliq penetrated the Sultan's tent and assassinated Amurat I, the Turks succeeded in breaking the Balkan coalition. This bloody defeat opened the way for yet deeper penetration of Albanian territory under Sultan Bayazet, surnamed 'Thunderbolt.' He overran Albania from 1394 to 1396 and occupied it from Gjirokastra in the south to Shkodra in the north, and from its eastern border to Durres on the coast." Page 171 THE ALBANIANS: An Ethnic History from Prehistoric Times to the Present, Edwin E. Jacques, McFarland & Company, Inc. Publishers, Jefferson, North Carolina and London, 1995

B. "Prince Lazar's men fought valiantly against impossible odds. Early in the day they appeared to have gained a tactical advantage until, inexplicably and tragically, one wing of their army under Vuk Brancovic, retired from the field." PP. 171-172, SALONICA TERMINUS, Fred A. Reed, Talonbooks, Barnaby, British Columbia, Canada, 1996

C. "Let's clear up the historical facts about The Battle of Kosova. Namely, following existing historical sources about the Kosova battle, the truth is as follows. In reality, the Serbian leaders V. Brankovic and K. Marko accepted negotiations with the Ottomans and reached an agreement under very humble conditions, and both leaders took sides with the Ottoman army. Only Albanians did not accept negotiations and fought to the end.

Kosova Fact of the Day 4.

Much is said about the Serbian heritage in Kosova, and not often is the centuries long Albanian history in Kosova mentioned. Albanians, whose ancestors -- the Illyrians -- were one of the earliest inhabitants of the Balkans, have inhabited the territory of Kosova for centuries, and Kosova plays a central role in the history of the Albanian nation.

The building seen in the photo is where in 1878, Albanian delegates from all around Albania, which was then under the rule of the Ottoman Empire, gathered and announced a plan to free Albania from the rule of the Ottomans. The organization that emerged was called the Albanian League of Prizren, named after the town where the delegation met.

Some forty years later, Albania did indeed become independent. But the land where this building lay, just as the rest of Kosova, was conquered by the Serbian army and made part of Serbia. Previous

The building, which symbolizes the beginning of Albania's movement for independence, survived World War I and World War II, and was later made into a museum.

On Sunday, March 29th, 1999, this building was set on fire by Serbian paramilitaries.

Kosova fact of the day 3.

Kosova Fact of the day

Kosova, also known as Kosovo, is the disputed region between Kosova's Albanian majority and Serbia. Once an autonomous federal unit of Yugoslavia, in 1989 it was stripped away of its autonomy by the Serbian government of Slobodan Milosevic, whose later actions would result in the break-up of Yugoslavia and the ensuing wars in Croatia and Bosnia-Hercegovina. Since the revocation of Kosova's self-rule the Serbian authorities closed schools in the Albanian language, massively dismissed Albanians from state-owned enterprises, and suspended Kosova's legal parliament and government. There is a systematic oppression of the Albanian population in Kosova by the Serbian government, and flagrant violations of basic rights of Albanians occured frequently.

Initially the Albanians responded to the repression with peaceful and passive resistance. In 1992 the Albanians of Kosova held free elections in which they chose their leadership, expressed their determination for the independence of Kosova in the 1991 referendum, and in the same year the Kosovar parliament declared the independence of Kosova. They formed a parallel government, found means of continuing Albanian-language education outside of occupied premises and providing health care (most Albanian doctors were dismissed from state-owned hospitals by Serb installed authorities).

In early 1998 the Serbian government began a crackdown against the Kosova Liberation Army (UÇK), a guerilla movement which emerged after it became apparent that the peaceful approach was ineffective in face of the brutal regime of Milosevic. Serbian security forces have since conducted a scorched earth policy in Kosova, raising villages to the ground, creating an exodus of over a quarter of a million refugees, and committed horrific atrocities against unarmed civilians, including women and children.

Kosova fact of the day 2.

Citizens of Kosova held a referendum for independence in 1991.

Report on the Results of the referendum on the Republic of Kosova as a Sovereign and Independent State, 26 - 30 September, 1991.

Out of the total number of the citizens of Kosova eligible to vote (estimated to be 1,051,357 citizens), 914,802 voted in the Referendum, i.e. 87.01 percent.
Out of this number, 913,705 voters, that is 99.87 percent, voted "FOR." 164 citizens voted "AGAINST" while 933 ballots were declared "INVALID." 136,555 citizens with the right to vote, i.e. 12.99 percent, did not participate in the Referendum.
According to the legal regulations of the Republic of Kosova, a referendum is considered successful if two thirds of the total number of citizens with the right to vote participate in a referendum and if more than half of them declare themselves "for," therefore, the Central Board of the Parliament of the Republic of Kosova for the Conducting of the Referendum concludes that the Referendum on the Republic of Kosova as a sovereign and independent state, held on September 26-30, 1991 was successful.

Kosova fact of the day 1.

Milosevic came to power saying he will protect Serbs of Kosova...

Serbs claimed that the Albanians are forcing the Serbs out of Kosova.

"No one will dare to beat a Serb ever again" he said in 1987 in Kosova. "Wherever a Serb lives, it will be called Serbia". That speech convinced the Serbs that a leader like Milosevic will be able to create "The Greater Serbia". During the "meetings" with Milosevic, the people present most of the time yelled:
"Force Albanians to Albania", "Serbia's seaport is Valona (Vlora, south Albania), "We want weapons".
The other Yugoslav federal units got the message. They declared their Independence.

Fact: Albanians and Serbs lived in harmony until Milosevic came to power. Serbs left Kosovo for economic reasons. Kosova was the most undeveloped federal unit of the Former Yugoslavia. Albanians were forced to leave first in the 50's and 60's by Aleksander Rankovic, then a high Serbian official. An agreement was established during that time by the governments of Turkey and Yugoslavia to allow Kosova Albanians to migrate there. It is estimated that more then 500,000 Albanians left Kosova during that time.
If one can visit Kosova today, they will see why the Serbs refused to live there. Recently, the Serb refugees from Krajina (Croatia) refused to live in the terrible conditions in Kosova as well.