Abstract
For most of the last millennium, the Balkan region, has been associated with conflicts, wars and instability. Indeed, even today, the situation is very tense. Finding the causes of it, is imperative, but that still does not resolve the deep divisions that are ingrained. The aim of this study is to explore what the Western literature reveals about Balkan enmities, more specifically Albanian-Serbian hostilities throughout past centuries, by focusing at certain periods or events that had a great impact in historical context. The study focuses extensively on Kosovo myth, but also on other specific episodes of Albanian- Serbian interaction, namely Serbian Empire, 1389 Kosovo battle, the description event of Murat I death, and 1806 Serbian Revolution among others. One must bear in mind that Albanians and Serbs presented a united front in certain battles and fights (namely in 1389 and 1806), but later turned guns against each other, resulting in thousands unnecessary deaths. This occurred not because their respective citizens wanted so, but was largely incited through government myths and insincere propaganda. Taking exclusively the Western perspective in this context, whose exploration of events in the Balkans is pretty detailed, only enriches the quality of this study. This research concludes that the region should and must learn from past mistakes that living with myths, wars and propaganda leads to nowhere. The Balkan more than ever needs proactive and creative leaders that shift the minds of Balkan people towards elimination, or at least diminishing, of both physical and mental boundaries against each other.
Highlights
The Balkan antagonism today, is, nearly everywhere, to be found
Brownell (1862), more than two decades later provides new population data, but that does not feature any major changes. He remarks that the population “of Servia [Serbia] is 900,000, the Bulgarians 2,000,000, the ILIRIA International Review – Vol 7, No 1 (2017) © Felix–Verlag, Holzkirchen, Germany and Iliria College, Pristina, Kosovo
Austrians were treated as liberators, and during the period “1916 to 1918 they encouraged the opening of about 300 Albanian language schools, which had been forbidden under Serb rule” (Elsie 2011, p.289) During the WWII, the German-Italian coalition and Bulgarian administration ruled Kosovo during the period 1941-1944. (Elsie 2011, pp. xxxvii – xxxviii)
Summary
The Balkan antagonism today, is, nearly everywhere, to be found. During the twentieth century almost all Balkan nations fought against their respective neighbours. Kosovo region as such, belonged to an enlarged Bulgaria empire who, during the tenth century reached the peak of expanding its territory by conquering a vast area of Balkans. By the end of the thirteenth century Serbian King Uros II (1282-1321) conquered a significant portion of southern Balkans from Bulgaria (Forbes et al, 1915, p.45), replacing the Bulgarian rule in this area. An interesting book on nationalities in Europe written by Latham (1863), while noting that “...Albania is one of the pure-blooded districts of Europe” (p.112), highlights how this land was occupied around the middle of the fourteenth century, and notes that “[b]y 1350, the northern part of Albania is conquered by Stephan Dushan; though the Southern part goes with Cephalonia, it remains Servian till the time of the Ottomans.”(Latham 1863, p. A number of battles took place, the most renowned of which is considered the 1389 Kosovo battle that is elaborated below
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