The Battle of Kosovo 1389 in Modern Discourse
Abstract
The purpose of the research paper is to highlight the circumstances of the Battle of Kosovo in 1389 as one of the most important historical events for nations of the Balkan. The main events are analysed and a comparison of versions is presented that modelled a mythological aspect of the battle.
The scientific novelty lies in the exploration of different perspectives and versions in an attempt to re-examine this important historical event in the land of the Balkans, to better understand who participated in it, at what scale, how and where this event was recorded historically and why this battle became a myth.
Conclusions. As a decisive event, the Battle of Kosovo had a great resonance in the Balkans. Between the Serbian and Ottoman versions discussed in this article, one can find both common points of inaccuracies and exaggerations of figures, as well as differences and changes in approach.
Modern Turkish historiography treats the Battle of Kosovo as an important battle because their leader was killed along with his eldest son, and above all as a victory which defeated the Balkans and subjugated them for centuries.
Serbian historiography, supported by the Serbian Orthodox Church, built the ‘myth of the battle’ with the argument that the event took place in the heart of their territory in ‘Old Serbia’. Serbian historical science deliberately denies everything Albanian and, in an organised form, ignores the relevant sources which argue the participation of Albanians in the battle and their Albanian continuity in Kosovo.
The story about the Battle of Kosovo was actualised as an issue of archival research in Serbia at the end of the 19th century. Thus, all the Serbian policy was fully and consciously supported, and was propagated with myths and folklore that went to extremes, mobilising the entire Serbian intellectual elite to find scientific arguments which had never existed. These myths and legends about the Battle of Kosovo were transmitted through descendants of epic folk poetry, the Serbian Orthodox Church, intellectuals and historians, and national and political leaders. The goal of Serbian historical-political myth-making was to justify Serbia’s right to the territory of Kosovo and to deny such a historical right to the Albanian people.
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