Kosovo Dr Dejan Djokić
Tony and Toniblers, 9 July 2010
‘Kossovo day’, Britain 1916
‘Kosovo avengers’ medal, designed by Meštrović, 1912-13
The facts Two regions: Kosovo = Field of Black Birds; Kos (Serbian/Slavonic) for black bird & Metohija = a land of monasteries A geographically not clearly defined area, but a political (capital Prizren), religious (the Peć Patriarchate and monasteries) and economic (Novo Brdo) centre of medieval Serbia 28 June 1389: Battle of Kosovo Polje (Field of Blackbirds) Prince Lazar of Serbia and Ottoman Sultan Murad both killed Both sides suffered heavy losses, result probably a ‘draw’ Lazar led predominantly Serbian Christian forces, which were joined by Bosnians, Albanians, Croats, possibly Hungarians. Murad’s Ottoman army included Serbian and other Christian vassals Kosovo also central to the modern Albanian nationalism: e.g. the 1878 League of Prizren
Europe in the 14C
‘The Kosovo Battle’ (by Adam Stefanović, 1870)
The myth Prince Lazar choses ‘Heavenly kingdom’ Prince Lazar betrayed by Vuk Branković Sultan Murad assassinated by Miloš Obilić The end of the Serbian empire Kosovo as the Yugoslav myth: the 500th anniversary of the battle celebrated in both Belgrade and Zagreb
‘The Downfall of the Serbian Empire’, Serbian epic song Flying hawk, grey bird, out of the holy place, out of Jerusalem, holding a swallow, holding a bird, That is no hawk, grey bird, that is Elijah, holy one; holding no swallow, no bird but writing from the Mother of God to the Emperor at Kosovo. He drops that writing on his knee, it is speaking to the Emperor: ‘Lazar, glorious Emperor, which is the empire of your choice? Is it the empire of heaven? Is it the empire of the earth? If it is the empire of the earth, saddle horses and tighten girth*straps, and fighting*men, buckle on swords, attack the Turks, and all the Turkish army shall die. But if the empire of heaven weave a church on Kosovo, build its foundation not with marble stones, build it with pure silk and with crimson cloth, take the Sacrament, marshal the men, they shall all die, and you shall die among them as they die.’ And when the Emperor heard those words, he considered, he considered and thought, ‘Kind God, what shall I do, how shall I do it? What is the empire of my choice? And if I shall choose the empire of the earth, the empire of the earth is brief, heaven is everlasting.’ And the Emperor chose the empire of heaven above the empire of the earth.
The Prince’s dinner (‘Last supper’), by Adam Stefanović
Holy Prince Lazar of Serbia
Female characters Princess Milica (Lazar’s wife) The Maiden of Kosovo The Mother of the nine Jugovići brothers
Princess Milica of Serbia
‘The Maiden of Kosovo’, Uroš Predić, 1919
‘The Maiden of Kosovo’, Ivan Meštrović, 1907
‘Miloš Obilić’, Ivan Meštrović, 1908
Milošević speech at Gazimestan, Kosovo Polje (play from 16:40) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p8QwHrRzpeo