See all articles relating to: Kosovo
Kosovo, a country in the Balkans, was shaped by centuries of political upheaval and cultural exchange. Emerging as a distinct political entity in the medieval period, it was the heart of the Serbian Empire under the rule of the Nemanjić dynasty, with notable figures such as Stefan Nemanja (1166-1196) and his son, Stefan Dušan (1308-1355), who expanded the empire significantly. Although the Battle of Kosovo in 1389 was broadly inconclusive, the Ottoman Empire conquered the Serbs and other regional in the century and a half that followed, eventually leading to five centuries of Ottoman rule. During this time, the population became predominantly Albanian, with Islam becoming the predominant religion. The 20th century saw tensions between ethnic Albanians and Serbs escalate, culminating in the 1998-1999 Kosovo War, which led to the intervention of NATO forces and the eventual declaration of independence from Serbia in 2008.
Kosovan history
Even more than other parts of the Balkans, Kosovo’s history is one of foreign domination. An exception in ancient times was when the Kingdom of Dardania emerged here in the fifth century BCE and actually grew to control parts of neighboring countries in what are now southern Serbia, eastern Albania and northern Macedonia. But the Dardanians were eventually conquered by the Romans in 28 BCE when Marcus Licinius Crassus was campaigning in the southern Balkans. Centuries of foreign domination followed, first under the Byzantine Empire, then variously under the First Bulgarian Empire and the Kingdom of Serbia during the medieval era.[1]
In 1389 an alliance of the Balkan powers here famously fought the Ottoman Turks at the Battle of Kosovo, but although the Turks could not win a conclusive victory at this point, they continued to become stronger and eventually conquered most of the Balkans in the course of the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries, Kosovo included.[2] Kosovo would remain under Ottoman rule until the early twentieth century, although its distinct national identity began to re-emerge in the second half of the nineteenth century when the Turks granted a degree of self-autonomy to the Kosovo Vilayet in 1877. But this was a false dawn and in 1913 at the end of the First Balkan War, Kosovo simply switched Turkish rule for Serbian rule under the terms of the Treaty of London.[3]
Kosovo would remain under Serb rule for almost all of the twentieth century, primarily as part of Serb-dominated Yugoslavia. This left the bulk of the population of Kosovo, who in modern times have come to principally identify as Albanians, politically dominated by the Serb minority in the region. It was in an effort to reassert Albanian control of Kosovo that the Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA) was established in the early 1990s in the context of the Yugoslav Wars as different ethnic groups within Yugoslavia such as the Croats, Slovenes and Bosniaks sought to establish their own states independent of Serb domination. The KLA launched an insurgency war against Serbian influence in Kosovo from 1996 onwards, which expanded into a more conventional war in 1998. In response the Yugoslav government of Slobodan Milosevic launched an invasion of Kosovo, but they were quickly stopped after a bombing campaign against Belgrade, the Serbian capital, was initiated, led by the United States. This in turn led to the Kumanovo Agreement of June 1999 whereby Yugoslav forces withdrew from Kosovo and the United Nations sent in peacekeeping forces.[4] Thereafter Kosovo moved towards becoming an independent country and declared itself to be such in 2008, but it remains unrecognized by dozens of countries, even some within Europe such as Spain and Greece who do not generally support breakaway states owing to separatist movements within their own borders.[5]
Kosovan geography
Kosovo is a small landlocked country in the Balkans. Most of the country is mountainous, with the south dominated by the Sharr Mountains and the west by the Albanian Alps, however, the central part of the country is characterised by the Kosovo Field or Plain of Kosovo, a large lower lying karst field. The capital Pristina is located on the eastern side of this plain.[6] Kosovo is one of the least urbanized countries in Europe, with approximately half of the population of 1.8 million people living in rural areas. Pristina had a population of 145,000 people when a census was carried out in 2011 and that figure is only understood to have increased to approximately 160,000 over a decade later. Prizren is the next largest urban center with around 95,000 people, while a number of other towns such as Gjilan, Mitrovice and Ferizaj have between 40,000 and 55,000 inhabitants.[7]
Researching family history in Kosovo
There is very little demographic material extant for the history of Kosovo prior to the twentieth century and it is one of the most difficult countries for family historians and genealogists to obtain accurate information for. This problem is compounded by the fact that Kosovo is not recognized as a state by a great many countries and some of its neighbors in the Balkans hold historic records which pertain to Kosovo which they have not repatriated to the Kosovan government owing to the diplomatic impasses. Some good information on the population of the region and in particular the areas around the capital Pristina can be derived from the Ottoman census of 1905 to 1906, while other parts of the country were examined through censuses and other demographic surveys carried out by the Turks in the early 1880s and the mid-1890s.[8] Full, national censuses of the Kosovo region were undertaken in 1971 and 1981, while the first post-independence census was carried out in 2011.[9] Although its work is hampered by diplomatic tensions with neighboring states such as Serbia, the State Agency Archives of Kosovo has been attempting in the early twenty-first century to acquire additional demographic records from other countries which have ruled the Kosovo region in the past.[10]
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Kosovo ethnicity
The largest ethnic group in Kosovo is ethnic Albanians with roots in the ancient Illyrian tribes. Serbs are the second-largest ethnic group and historically have had significant presence in the region. Other ethnicities present in Kosovo include Bosniaks, Gorani, Turks, Ashkali, and Egyptians, each contributing to the rich cultural tapestry of the nation.
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Kosovo surnames
Kosovo surnames play a significant role in researching family history, as they often provide valuable clues about an individual's ancestry and familial connections. The study of surnames, known as onomastics, can help uncover patterns in naming conventions and trace lineage across generations. In Kosovo, surnames are often derived from a variety of sources, including geographic locations, professions, personal characteristics, or patronymics (names based on the father's name). Gaining an understanding of the origins and meanings behind these surnames can assist genealogists in navigating the complex tapestry of Kosovo's multi-ethnic society and successfully tracing family roots.
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References
- ↑ https://www.albanopedia.com/ancient-states-regions/dardania
- ↑ https://www.britannica.com/place/Kosovo/History
- ↑ https://albanianstudies.weebly.com/kosovo-villayet.html
- ↑ https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/kosovo/etc/cron.html
- ↑ https://emerging-europe.com/news/the-explainer-the-eus-kosovo-refuseniks/
- ↑ https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/countries/kosovo/
- ↑ https://www.citypopulation.de/en/kosovo/cities/
- ↑ https://www.jstor.org/stable/162764
- ↑ https://ciaotest.cc.columbia.edu/conf/grv01/
- ↑ https://asha-ks.net/?page=2,18