Kosovo: Difference between revisions

Revision as of 11:29, 19 May 2006

Revision as of 11:34, 19 May 2006

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The [[Ottoman Empire|Ottomans]] brought [[Islamisation]] with them, particularly in towns, and later also created the [[Viyalet of Kosovo]] as one of the Ottoman territorial entities. This brought a great shift, as the Orthodox Serb population began to lose its majority when masses of [[Turkic peoples|Turks]] and [[Albanians]] ([[Muslims]]) moved to Kosovo. During the Islamisation many Churches and Holy Orthodox Christian places were raised to the ground or turned in to Mosques. The big Monastery of Saint Archangel near Prizren was teared down at the end of the 16th century and the material used to build the Mosque of Sinan-pasha, an Islamized Serb, in Prizren. Although the [[Serbian Orthodox Church]] was officially abolished in 1532, an Islamized Serb from Bosnia, Vizier [[Mehmed-pasha Sokolović]] influenced the restoration of the [[Patriarchate of Peć]] in 1557. Special privalages were provided, which helped the survival of Serbs and other Christians on Kosovo.

Kosovo was taken by the Austrian forces during the Great War of [[1683]] - [[1699]] with help of 5,000 Albanians and their leader, a [[Catholic Archibishop]] [[Pjetër Bogdani]]. The archbishop died of plague during the war, and his grave was later reopened, with his body scattered and given to the dogs by the Ottomans because of his role in the rebellion. In [[1690]], the [[Serbian Patriarch of Peć]] [[Arsenije III]], who previously escaped a certain death, led 37,000 families from Kosovo, to evade [[Ottoman Empire|Ottoman]] wrath since Kosovo had just been retaken by the Ottomans. The people that followed him were mostly [[Serbs]], but probably there where othernumerous Orthodox Albanians ethnicand groupsothers too. 20,000 Serbs abandoned [[Prizren]] alone. Due to the oppression from the Ottomans, other migrations of Orthodox people from the Kosovo area continued throughout the [[18th century]]. It is also noted that some [[Serbs]] adopted [[Islam]] and some even gradually fused with the predominantly Albanianians and adopted their culture and even language. By the end of the 19th century, [[Albanians]] replaced the Serbs as the dominating nation of Kosovo.

In 1766 the Ottomans abolished the [[Patriarchate of Peć]] and the position of [[Christians]] on Kosovo was greatly reduced. All previous privilages were lost and the Christian population had to suffer the full weight of the Empire's extensive and losing wars, even to take the blame for the losses.