Violence against Serbs during the late Ottoman era | |
---|---|
![]() Map of the borders of the Principality of Serbia and the Ottoman Empire in 1878. | |
Location | Rumelia, Ottoman Empire (now Balkans) |
Date | 19th-20th centuries |
Target | Serbs |
Attack type | Massacres |
Perpetrators | Albanian refugees and armed bands, Turkish gendarmes |
Motive | Serbophobia |
Violence against Serbs during the late Ottoman era refers to acts of violence committed against ethnic Serbs, primarily by Albanians, during the final stages of the Ottoman Empire and their control of parts of the Balkans (late 19th and early 20th century).
The Ottomans began expanding into the Balkans during the 14th century, initially as part of the ByzantineāOttoman wars, followed by the BulgarianāOttoman wars, the SerbianāOttoman wars and the Albanian-Ottoman Wars during the 14th-15th centuries. Most of the Balkans came under Ottoman control by the 16th century and were governed as part of Rumelia, corresponding to most of the modern Balkan region.
During the SerbianāOttoman War of 1876ā78, between 49,000 and 130,000 Albanian civilians were violently expelled by the Serb army from the Sanjak of NiÅ” and fled to the Kosovo Vilayet. [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] Within the context of the SerbianāOttoman Wars, the Sultan Abdul Hamid II unleashed his auxiliary troops consisting of Kosovar Albanians on the remaining Serbs before and after the Ottoman army's retreat in 1878. [6] Albanian refugees were hostile towards Slavs, and violent acts were carried out on local Kosovo Serbs; the ethnic cleansing of the Albanians from the Sanjak of Nish is considered to be an integral aspect of the ongoing Serbian-Albanian conflict. [7] [8] [5]
Albanian refugees from the Sanjak of Nish were very hostile to the Kosovo Serbs, resulting in an increase of violent acts perpetrated towards the Serbs. [7] Some Serbs were ousted from their positions as merchants. [8]
Serbs in the Ottoman Empire were maltreated and accused of being Serbian agents. [9] Panic ensued, and Serbs, primarily from the border areas fled to Serbia. [9] Albanians who participated in the Greco-Turkish War (1897) used weapons not turned in to the authorities against the Serbs in Old Serbia. [10] In May 1901, Albanians partially set Sjenica, Novi Pazar and Pristina on fire. [10] The Albanians massacred Serbs around Pristina. [11] Ibarski KolaŔin (now known as North Kosovo), a forested region made up of 40 villages, largely inhabited by Serbs, where Serbian teachers and priests were active, had long irritated the Albanians and Ottoman government; Serbs were continuously maltreated in the region. [12]
The Serbian government observed the developments in KolaŔin, and did not remain idle. [12] The situation became serious, with Serbs being smuggled arms by Serbia to defend themselves. In the summer of 1901, Albanians massacred Serbs in the KolaŔin area. The atrocities prompted the Russian government to intervene at the Porte. [10]
Initially, the Sublime Porte did not suppress the Albanian movement nor protect the Serbs. [9] Russia demanded that the Albanians and Turkish gendarmeries be punished and the Serbs be allowed to keep the arms for protection. [10] The Porte answered by mass arrests and criminalizing the Albanian language. [11] The governor ( vali) was dismissed, and several other anti-Serb officials and Albanian chieftains who had been especially cruel were removed from their posts. [13]
Austria-Hungary supported the Albanians and tried to downplay the massacres. [10] The events were instrumental in the "KolaÅ”in affair" ( Serbian Cyrillic: ŠŠ¾Š»Š°ŃŠøŠ½ŃŠŗŠ° Š°ŃŠµŃŠ°), a diplomatic conflict between Austria-Hungary, which supported the Albanians, and Serbia, which was supported by Russia. [14]
Ottoman defeat to Serbia alongside new geopolitical circumstances post 1878 opposed by Albanian nationalists resulted in attitudes among them that eventually supported what today is known as " ethnic cleansing" that made part of the Kosovo Serb population to leave. [15]
Prior to the Balkan Wars (1912ā13), Kosovo Serb community leader JanjiÄije PopoviÄ stated that the wars of 1876ā1878 "tripled" the hatred of Turks and Albanians, especially that of the refugee population from the Sanjak of NiÅ” toward Serbs by committing acts of violence against them. [5]
In order to hamper the extension of the Macedonian movement, the Turks could rely on the Albanians, who were hostile to Slavs. In May 1901 Albanian bands pillaged and partly set fire to Novi Pazar, Sjenica and PrishtinĆ«. They attacked the Slavs everywhere. The Serbian population suffered most, because of their proximity to the Albanians. The Albanians occupied KolaÅ”in and massacred a considerable number of Serbs. Following this, Russia intervened and demanded that the Albanian raiders and the Turkish gendarmes be punished while the "Christian" population be permiited to keep the necessary arms for protection. Astria-Hungary on the other hand, tried to attenuate the effect of the KolaÅ”in massacre... The Kosovars who took part in the Greco-Turkish War now used against the Serbs in Old Serbia the arms which they did not deliver to the Turkish authorities. In 1901 the situation became grave. The Serbs began to smuggle arms to their compatriots with which to defend themselves. In the summer of 1901, the KolaÅ”in "massacre of Serbs" took place, which compelled Russia to intervene at the Porte..
Violence against Serbs during the late Ottoman era | |
---|---|
![]() Map of the borders of the Principality of Serbia and the Ottoman Empire in 1878. | |
Location | Rumelia, Ottoman Empire (now Balkans) |
Date | 19th-20th centuries |
Target | Serbs |
Attack type | Massacres |
Perpetrators | Albanian refugees and armed bands, Turkish gendarmes |
Motive | Serbophobia |
Violence against Serbs during the late Ottoman era refers to acts of violence committed against ethnic Serbs, primarily by Albanians, during the final stages of the Ottoman Empire and their control of parts of the Balkans (late 19th and early 20th century).
The Ottomans began expanding into the Balkans during the 14th century, initially as part of the ByzantineāOttoman wars, followed by the BulgarianāOttoman wars, the SerbianāOttoman wars and the Albanian-Ottoman Wars during the 14th-15th centuries. Most of the Balkans came under Ottoman control by the 16th century and were governed as part of Rumelia, corresponding to most of the modern Balkan region.
During the SerbianāOttoman War of 1876ā78, between 49,000 and 130,000 Albanian civilians were violently expelled by the Serb army from the Sanjak of NiÅ” and fled to the Kosovo Vilayet. [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] Within the context of the SerbianāOttoman Wars, the Sultan Abdul Hamid II unleashed his auxiliary troops consisting of Kosovar Albanians on the remaining Serbs before and after the Ottoman army's retreat in 1878. [6] Albanian refugees were hostile towards Slavs, and violent acts were carried out on local Kosovo Serbs; the ethnic cleansing of the Albanians from the Sanjak of Nish is considered to be an integral aspect of the ongoing Serbian-Albanian conflict. [7] [8] [5]
Albanian refugees from the Sanjak of Nish were very hostile to the Kosovo Serbs, resulting in an increase of violent acts perpetrated towards the Serbs. [7] Some Serbs were ousted from their positions as merchants. [8]
Serbs in the Ottoman Empire were maltreated and accused of being Serbian agents. [9] Panic ensued, and Serbs, primarily from the border areas fled to Serbia. [9] Albanians who participated in the Greco-Turkish War (1897) used weapons not turned in to the authorities against the Serbs in Old Serbia. [10] In May 1901, Albanians partially set Sjenica, Novi Pazar and Pristina on fire. [10] The Albanians massacred Serbs around Pristina. [11] Ibarski KolaŔin (now known as North Kosovo), a forested region made up of 40 villages, largely inhabited by Serbs, where Serbian teachers and priests were active, had long irritated the Albanians and Ottoman government; Serbs were continuously maltreated in the region. [12]
The Serbian government observed the developments in KolaŔin, and did not remain idle. [12] The situation became serious, with Serbs being smuggled arms by Serbia to defend themselves. In the summer of 1901, Albanians massacred Serbs in the KolaŔin area. The atrocities prompted the Russian government to intervene at the Porte. [10]
Initially, the Sublime Porte did not suppress the Albanian movement nor protect the Serbs. [9] Russia demanded that the Albanians and Turkish gendarmeries be punished and the Serbs be allowed to keep the arms for protection. [10] The Porte answered by mass arrests and criminalizing the Albanian language. [11] The governor ( vali) was dismissed, and several other anti-Serb officials and Albanian chieftains who had been especially cruel were removed from their posts. [13]
Austria-Hungary supported the Albanians and tried to downplay the massacres. [10] The events were instrumental in the "KolaÅ”in affair" ( Serbian Cyrillic: ŠŠ¾Š»Š°ŃŠøŠ½ŃŠŗŠ° Š°ŃŠµŃŠ°), a diplomatic conflict between Austria-Hungary, which supported the Albanians, and Serbia, which was supported by Russia. [14]
Ottoman defeat to Serbia alongside new geopolitical circumstances post 1878 opposed by Albanian nationalists resulted in attitudes among them that eventually supported what today is known as " ethnic cleansing" that made part of the Kosovo Serb population to leave. [15]
Prior to the Balkan Wars (1912ā13), Kosovo Serb community leader JanjiÄije PopoviÄ stated that the wars of 1876ā1878 "tripled" the hatred of Turks and Albanians, especially that of the refugee population from the Sanjak of NiÅ” toward Serbs by committing acts of violence against them. [5]
In order to hamper the extension of the Macedonian movement, the Turks could rely on the Albanians, who were hostile to Slavs. In May 1901 Albanian bands pillaged and partly set fire to Novi Pazar, Sjenica and PrishtinĆ«. They attacked the Slavs everywhere. The Serbian population suffered most, because of their proximity to the Albanians. The Albanians occupied KolaÅ”in and massacred a considerable number of Serbs. Following this, Russia intervened and demanded that the Albanian raiders and the Turkish gendarmes be punished while the "Christian" population be permiited to keep the necessary arms for protection. Astria-Hungary on the other hand, tried to attenuate the effect of the KolaÅ”in massacre... The Kosovars who took part in the Greco-Turkish War now used against the Serbs in Old Serbia the arms which they did not deliver to the Turkish authorities. In 1901 the situation became grave. The Serbs began to smuggle arms to their compatriots with which to defend themselves. In the summer of 1901, the KolaÅ”in "massacre of Serbs" took place, which compelled Russia to intervene at the Porte..