[14] After the independence of the Principality of Serbia to its north, Kosovo came increasingly to be seen by the mid-19th century as the "cradle of Serb civilization" and called the "Serbian Jerusalem".

[20] Serbian linguistical studies concluded that the Early South Slavs were made up of a western and eastern branch, of parallel streams, roughly divided in the Timok–Osogovo–Šar line.

In 1166, a Serbian prince, Stefan Nemanja, the founder of the Nemanjić dynasty, asserted independence after an uprising against the Byzantine Emperor Manuel I Comnenus.

In 1183, Stefan Nemanja embarked on a new offensive allied with the Kingdom of Hungary after the death of Manuel I Komnenos in 1180, which marked the end of Byzantine domination over the region of Kosovo.

[29] In 1219, the Serbian Church was given autocephaly, with Hvosno, Prizren and Lipljan being the Orthodox Christian eparchies with territory in modern-day Kosovo.

After the death of Dušan in 1355, the fall of the Serbian Empire began, with feudal disintegration during the reign of his successor, Stefan Uroš V (r.

After the Battle of Maritsa on 26 September 1371 in which the Mrnjavčević brothers lost their lives, Đurađ I Balšić of Zeta took Prizren and Peć in 1372.

Lazar was killed in battle, while Sultan Murad also lost his life, believed to have been assassinated by Serbian knight Miloš Obilić.

Hungarian regent John Hunyadi lost the battle after a 2-day fight, but essentially stopped the Ottoman advance northwards.

All previous privileges 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.

Ottoman violence resulted in a number of Serbs migrating to central Serbia in order to join rebels led by Karađorđe.

[45] [46] After the independence of the Principality of Serbia to its north, Kosovo came increasingly to be seen by the mid-19th century as the “cradle of Serb civilization” and called the "Serbian Jerusalem".

[52][53] In modern anthropology, the historical validity of the term has been criticized as well as use as a tool of nation-building and homogenization policies of the Serbian state.

Some historians suggest that Austro-Hungarian emissaries were active in areas where Serbs and Albanians coexisted, deliberately stirring conflicts and divisions between the two nations to advance their state's political interests and influence.

Serbia, Montenegro and Greece had acquired the entire Western Balkan (Albanian-inhabited territories) with the exception of Vlora in the hope of achieving recognition with their new borders.

[64][65] During the First World War, in the winter of 1915–1916, the Serbian army withdrew through Kosovo in a bid to evade the forces of the Central Powers.

In 1918, the Serbian army pushed the Central Powers out of Kosovo, and the region was unified as Montenegro subsequently joined the Kingdom of Serbia.

The 1918–1929 period of the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes witnessed a decrease in the Serbian population of the region and an increase in the number of Albanians.

[68] The expulsion of Serbs proved problematic, as they had performed important functions in the region, and been running most of the businesses, mills, tanneries, and public utilities, and been responsible for most of the useful agricultural production.

[71] The Skanderbeg Division was better known for murdering, raping, and looting in predominantly Serbian areas than for participating in combat operations on behalf of the German war effort.

In the 1970s, an Albanian nationalist movement pursued full recognition of the province of Kosovo as another republic within the federation, while the most extreme elements aimed for full-scale independence.

The ethnic balance of Kosovo witnessed unproportional increase as the number of Albanians rose dramatically due to higher birth rates.

In the essay, SANU explained the Serbian peoples history as victims of a 500-year and more genocide from Kosovo, and therefore called for the revival of Serb nationalism.

[84] There have been many reports of abuses and war crimes committed by the KLA during and after the conflict, including the massacres of civilians in (Lake Radonjić, Klečka, Staro Gracko, and Gnjilane, along with prison camps (such as Lapušnik), organ theft and destruction of medieval churches and monuments.

The KFOR troops said KLA rebels vandalized centuries-old murals and paintings in the chapel and stole two cars and all the monastery's food.

[113] In 2021 health workers from North Kosovo protested against arrests of their colleagues who are employed in the hospitals which take care of patients with COVID-19.

[129] The think-tank European Stability Initiative estimated that there were around 95,000 Serbs in Kosovo in 2023, based on primary school pupil data.

The last four make up the Medieval Monuments in Kosovo, founded by the Nemanjić dynasty, is a combined World Heritage Site.

[132] In upper Prizren the Sabor was held on 21 November by the ruins of the monastery of the Holy archangel founded by the Serbian Emperor Stefan Dušan the Mighty in the 14th century.

[133] Serbian folk music is rich in a large number of songs from Kosovo, which were especially preserved in the performances of Jordan Nikolić and Mara Đorđević.