Introduction
By the 13th century Kosovo was established as the centre of the Serbian medieval empire. The area was reputed to have more Orthodox churches and monasteries than any other part of the Serbian empire, and has been called the ‘Serb Jerusalem’.
In 1389 Kosovo was the site of the famous Battle of Kosovo Polje, ‘the battle of the blackbirds’ between Serbs and the Ottoman Turks. The Serbs were defeated which brought about nearly five centuries of Ottoman rule. By the 19th century Albanians (who were mostly Muslims) became the major ethnic group in Kosovo. The city of Prizren became an important centre for Albanian culture and national consciousness.
Competing historic claims Because Kosovo was such an important part of the Serbian medieval empire, it is considered to be an integral part of Serbia and central to Serb nationalism. Defeat at the Battle of Kosovo Polje was considered a disaster that ushered in a ‘new Dark Age’ of Ottoman rule.
The Albanian claim to Kosovo is based on the premise that they have always formed the majority of the population. Albanians see themselves as the descendents of an ancient tribe called the Illyrians and trace their presence in Kosovo long before the Serbs.
Kosovo is also viewed as the birthplace of modern Albanian nationalism. In 1878 Albanians created their first national movement called the League of Prizren in Kosovo. Its aim was to unify Albanians and gain autonomy from Ottoman rule.
Serbian control of Kosovo Following the Balkan wars in 1912 and 1913, Serbia gained control of Kosovo. After the Second World War, Kosovo became a province of Serbia in the communist state of Yugoslavia.
In 1974, the constitution made Kosovo the seventh federal unit of Yugoslavia, while remaining part of Serbia. This meant that Kosovo could regulate its own economic, cultural and political affairs. This caused great resentment in Serbia and amongst Serbs living in Kosovo.
But despite concessions granted by the constitution, Albanian nationalism continued to grow, as did tensions between Serbs and Albanians living in Kosovo.
The outbreak of war The late 1980s and early 1990s were turbulent years for the republics of Yugoslavia. In 1991 Slovenia and Croatia had declared independence and by 1992 conflict broke out in Bosnia.
Milosevic became the president of Serbia in 1988 and his nationalistic rhetoric had great popular appeal among Serbs. Milosevic used Kosovo as a powerful rallying point for Serbs. He claimed that the minority Serb population was facing potential genocide at the hands of the Albanian majority. In 1989, at a rally marking the 600th anniversary of the Battle of Kosovo Polje, Milosevic stood on the battlefield and urged the crowd of Kosovo Serbs to fight the injustice facing them. In 1990 he revoked Kosovo’s autonomy and imposed direct rule from Serbia.
Kosovar Albanians responded with a policy of passive resistance, led by the writer Ibrahim Rugova. A parallel administration was established, campaigning for independence or union with Albania. Frustration at the lack of concessions from Serbia radicalised many Kosovar Albanians.
In 1997, the Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA) began attacking Serb police. Serb forces responded by initiating a campaign of destruction against Albanian villages. This marked an end to the policy of passive resistance.
KLA attacks and Serb reprisals culminated in the massacre at Racak in 1999 where more than 40 Albanian civilians were killed by Serb forces. The international community responded by convening a peace conference at Rambouillet, near Paris. No agreement was reached at the conference and NATO began bombing Serb military targets across Serbia and Kosovo.
Serb forces responded to the air strikes with a campaign of ‘ethnic cleansing’, to force the remaining Albanians from Kosovo. There were reports of rape, looting and intimidation.
After ten weeks of NATO bombing, Milosevic finally agreed to remove Serb forces from Kosovo and allow refugees to return. He also permitted the deployment of a UN peacekeeping force.
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