Timeline of Serbian history: Difference between revisions

History of the Serbs

Eurasia 50 A.D.	• Tacitus places the Serbs in the Caucasus among Iranian peoples. Their leader is called Zorsines • In 75 A.D. Pliny also describes Serbs as an Iranian people living in the Caucasus.
Eurasia 2nd century A.D. File:1729.jpg	Ptolemy in his Geography associate the Serbs with the Sarmatian tribes of the North Caucasus and Lower Volga, just as his predecessors. The Iranian theory of the Serbian roots is widely accepted today. The Volga river is called Rashki by modern Georgians, which is the name of the medieval Serbian state in the Balkans. He also points out at the city of Serbinum in present-day Bosnia and Herzegovina, although this does not coincide with the Great Migration period
375 A.D.	• Huns and Alans trigger Serbian migration to Central Europe. • Roman Emperor Licinius refers to the Carpathians as "Montes Serrorum"
5/6th century	• White Serbia is established in the Elbe region of today's Germany. Serbs become slavicised. Today that region is known as Sorbia • Avars and Franks subjugate the White Serbs. First joint raids into the Balkans • In 620 A.D., White Serbs joined Samo's Slavic Empire breaking away from the Franks and Avars, according to Frankish chronicler Fredegar • In 630, White Serbs invade the Balkans
Byzantine Empire 630-680	• Serbs defeat Avars under the Unknown Archont. Eastern Roman Emperor Heraclius invites Serbs to settle in the provinces of Salonica and Dalmatia. The Unknown Archont's descendants (House of Višeslavić-Vlastimirovic, House of Vojislavljević) will rule Serb states for the entire early medieval period (until 1166), mainly under Byzantine supremacy • In 680 Serbian leader, the Unknown Archont, dies. Serbs ackgnowledge supremacy of Byzantium and, at times, of Bulgaria. First Serb states emerge - Raška, Duklja, Bosnia, Pagania, Travunia and Zahumlje. Christianization policy begins • In 680 Byzantine sources mention the Serbian settlement of Gordoservon ("City of the Serbs") in Asia Minor.
Serb lands ca 800	• Prince Višeslav unites various Serbian principalities into a single state called Raška. His descendants will rule the state for the next 350 years (until 1165), sometimes independently, mostly depending on the Byzantine Empire • In 822 A.D. Ljudevit Posavski, Prince of Pannonian Croats, becomes a Prince of Serbs in Pagania's city of Srb, as Franks approach the Serbian lands. This Serbo-Croatian defence union expires in 823 • In 825 A.D. in Raška the House of Višeslavić-Vlastimirovic strenghtens the state against its immediate neigbours, Frankish Empire, First Bulgarian Empire and Byzantine Empire. Vlastimir of Serbia repells Bulgarian attacks led by Khan Boris
Macedonia, Raška 850- 900	• Missionaries and Sts. Cyrill and Methodius fully convert Serbs to Christianity • Magyars settle in Slavic Pannonia, effectively splitting South Slavs from the West Slavs. Occasional clashes with Byzantine, Bulgarian and Serb forces over Raška's soil
Raška realm 924-950	• First Bulgarian Empire temporarily annexes Raška (924-927) • Prince Časlav Klonimirović-Vlastimirovic liberates Raška from the Bulgarians in 927 A.D., uniting all Serb principalities into a single Serbian state. He dies in a clash with Magyars and his realm desintegrates in defensive wars against Croatia, Byzantines, Bulgaria and Hungary
Serb lands 950- 1040	• Byzantine rule • East-West Schism splits Christianity in 1054. Most Serbs opt for Orthodox Christianity due to Byzantine pressure, but many in the coastal lands embrace Catholicism. Archbishopric of Bar is established by the Vatican in 1089
Duklja 1034- 1166	Vojislavljević dynasty claims the Serbian throne of Duklja as a legal heir of the Vlastimirović dynasty. Under Stefan Vojislav Duklja becomes independent as the First Serbian Realm, becoming a new core of the Serbian world
Kingdom of Duklja 1077/1113 File:Mihailo.jpg	•Mihailo I Vojislav assumes the title of the King of Duklja in Ston, becomming the first internationaly recognized Serbian king. His title was Ruler of Tribals and Serbs, ruling most of today's Montenegro and Dalmatia. His son Konstantin Bodin asserts the throne of Second Bulgarian Empire and annexes large parts of this country to Serbian realm •King Konstantin Bodin unites large parts of Rascia, Bosnia and Travunia with the Duklja, defending it succesfully from the Normans, Albanians , Byzantines and numerous Serb nobleman • In 1101, Raymond IV of Toulouse, leader of the Crusaders, meets with King Bodin in the city of Skadar. Bodin's sons, grandsons and cousins The Uroševićs rule most of above mentioned territories for decades to come. The tensions will rise however among the noble families of Raška, Duklja and its dominions and leading to disintegration of the Realm in mid 12th century and a Byzantine intrusion • In 1113, King Konstantin Bodin's relative, Stefan Nemanja Vojislavljević, is born in Ribnica, Duklja, in a Catholic Serb royal family. Exiled by his fathers opponents, he settles in Ras in Raška and converts to Orthodox Christianity. He is the founder of the mightiest royal house of Medieval Serbia, the Nemanjić dynasty. The dynasty has had a decisive role in establishing the national identity of the Serbs (Orthodoxy, Empire, art, culture)
Serbian realm 1166-1190	• Following the power vacuum in the Realm and Byzantium, Stefan Nemanja asserts himself as the Grand Prince of Serbs, following the clash with his brothers in Duklja, Raška, Zahumlje and Travunia. Related by blood with the Vojislavljević, the dynasty considers itself a legal heir of their lands. This time is known as the Golden era of Serbia • In 1176, the Grand Prince Stefan Nemanja sides with Venice, Duchy of Austria and Hungary, undermining Byzantine authority in the Adriatic sea. • In 1185, Stefan Nemanja repells the Byzantine forces, proclaiming independence of Raška, trigerring an anti-Byzantine revolt in Bulgaria and Wallacia. • In 1189 A.D., Holy Roman Emperor Friedrich Barbarossa and his 100,000 men army is hosted by the Grand Prince Stefan Nemanja in Niš, during the Third Crusade. Their allience would give Serbian Grand Prince enough time to take over Kosovo and Northern Macedonia from the Greeks. • 3 UNESCO's World Heritage Sites such as Đurđevi Stupovi, Studenica and Our Lady of Ljeviš are built during reign of Stefan Nemanja. Miroslav's Gospel - the oldest surviving document written in Serbian language was written in that year (UNESCO's Memory of the World Programme), alongside the disputed Chronicle of the Priest of Duklja.
Serbian Kingdom 1217	• Stefan the First-Crowned is crowned the King of the Serbs by the Pope Honorius III, establishing the Second Serbian Realm. Full title of his dominions was King of the land of Rascia, Dioclea, Travunia, Dalmatia and Zachlumia. Catholicism expands within the Realm • King Stefan the First-Crowned's brother, Prince Rastko Nemanjić (Saint Sava), establishes an autocephalous Serbian Orthodox Church with the support of the Patriarch of Constantinople, putting an end to religious divisions among Serbs. Kosovo becomes the spiritual, cultural and political core of the Serbian realm. Stefan Nemanja becomes another patron saint of the SOC, known as Saint Simeon
Kingdom of Syrmia 1284-16	•King Stefan Dragutin of Syrmia, first Serbian monarch to control Belgrade, receives the city as a gift from Kingdom of Hungary, making it the capital of his Kingdom of Syrmia (Belgrade was returned to Hungarian control following his death, as Serbia continued spreading to the south) • In 1316 Kingdom of Syrmia is annexed by the Serbian Kingdom following the death of King Stefan Dragutin of Syrmia. Belgrade is returned to the control of the Kingdom of Hungary. Clashes with Kingdom of Hungary over northern Serbia results in division of the former Kingdom of Syrmia, with Kingdom of Hungary gaining all territories north of Sava and Danube and a Belgrade region
Balkans 1331	• King Stefan Dušan assumes power, following his triumph over Bulgarian Emperor Michael Assen III in Battle of Velbužd. Serbian Kingdom (Second Serbian Realm) annexes western parts of the Second Bulgarian Empire • In 1342 King Stefan Dusan conquers most of European Byzantium, launching his first Siege of Constantinople. Second Serbian Realm becomes the largest state in Southern/Eastern Europe
Serbian Empire	• Stefan Dusan crowns himself the Emperor of Serbs and Greeks in Skopje. Serbian Empire portrays itself as the heir of the crumbling Byzantine Empire. Serbian Orthodox Church becomes the Serbo-Greek Imperial Patriarchate, its spiritual capital beeing in Kosovo (Patriarchate of Peć). • In 1355, Czar Stefan Dušan The Great dies of poisoning, following clashes with Hungarians and invading Turks. Stefan Uroš V of Serbia assumes the throne of Serbian Empire, trigering dynastic clashes among Serbian nobility. Simeon Uroš declares himself the Emperor in Thessaly, Balšići took over Montenegro, Mrnjavčevići - Macedonia, Lazarevići - Moravian Serbia, Brankovići - Kosovo, etc.
Serbian Empire 1371 File:Serbian Empire Flag.svg	• Ottoman Turks break into Europe (Serbian domain of Macedonia), clashing with the Christian league led by Vukašin Mrnjavčević in Battle of Marica, region of Thrace. Decisive Ottoman victory. • Serbian Empire collapses following the death of the last Nemanjić, Emperor Stefan Uroš V of Serbia
Bosnian Kingdom 1377 File:Grb Kotromanici.jpg	• Stefan Tvrtko I of Bosnia declares himself King of Serbs, Bosnia and the Seaside and the Western Lands in Monastery of Mileševa in Serbia, as a legal successor of the Nemanjić dynasty (closest surviving relative of the dynasty). This title was supported by the most influental Serbian noblemen, Prince Lazar Hrebeljanović of Rascia and Vuk Branković of Kosovo, as well as Kingdom of Hungary and Republic of Venice • In 1382, Stefan Tvrtko I of Bosnia establishes the Adriatic port Herceg Novi (Castelnuovo), as a counterbalance to the city states of Kotor, Dubrovnik and Venice. Soon after his title was expanded to King of Rascia, Bosnia, Dalmatia, Croatia and the Seaside
Kosovo field 1389	• According to the myth, Milos Obilic established the Order of the Dragon of St George, as an alliance of Serbian noblemen against the Ottomans. Out of 12 knights only 1 survives the battle, passing his credentials to Stefan Lazarevic and various European draconists (knights of Austria, Naples, Hungary, Spain etc) • 40,000 strong Serbian army led by Prince Lazar Hrebeljanović of Rascia, Vlatko Vuković of Bosnia, Miloš Obilić and most other prominent nobles faced better equipped and trained Ottoman army in Battle of Kosovo. Casualties on both sides were extremely high - both leaders have died in the battle (Serbian Lazar Hrebeljanović and Ottoman sultan Murad I), and most of Serbian aristocracy became extinct. Most of the Empire was now in Ottoman hands, save for Serbian Despotate, Montenegro and Bosnia that soon followed.
Montenegro 1360-1500 File:Grb balsici.jpg	Dynasties of Balšić and Crnojević rule Zeta (since then also known as Montenegro). Gradually most of this principality falls into Ottoman and Venetian hands, although never entirely. House of Petrović-Njegoš assumes the throne in 1679, ruling the state up to 1918
Bosnia 1391-1482	Following King Tvrtko's death in 1391, Bosnian Kingdom begins to fade, but still manages to preserve its crown by the Ottoman conquest in 1463, when the last medieval Serbian King Stefan Tomašević was executed by the Ottomans in a field not far from Ključ. Herzog (duke) of Saint Sava, Stefan Vukčić Kosača, succumbs to the Ottomans in 1482, completing the conquest of Serbian lands
Serbian Despotate 1404-1459	• Belgrade becomes the capital of the Serbian Despotate, following the migrations towards Christian North. Despot Stefan Lazarević, son of the most prominent hero of the Kosovo battle, Prince Lazar, repopulates his Despotate by Serbian refugees, rebuilds Belgrade, making it the most influental remaining strongholds of Orthodox Christianity in Europe. • In 1429, Belgrade was returned to the Kingdom of Hungary following the death of Despot Stefan Lazarević. Đurađ Branković moves his capital to Smederevo. • By 1459, Ottomans destroy the Despotate by taking over the capital city. Bosnian-Serb King Stefan Tomašević losses his Bosnian Kingdom following the conquest of his primary lands, Serbia and Bosnia • In 1456, Byzantine Empire collapses. • In 1456, Siege of Belgrade, one of the greatest crusade wars of medieval times, takes place in Belgrade. Joint Hungarian and Serbian troops, aided by other Christian nations, repel Ottoman forces. Pope Calixtus III praises Belgrade and its defendor John Hunyadi as the Saviors of Christianity. Catholic-run Belgrade is now the only bastion of Christianity in the Balkans. Massive reconstruction of the city is under way.
Belgrade, Vojvodina 1521-27 File:Serbian empire03.png	• Belgrade succumbs to the Ottomans following the Second Siege of Belgrade, but retains its cosmopolitism, continuing its growth as the northernmost point of Ottoman Empire in the Balkans. Kingdom of Hungary collapses due to Ottoman onslaughts. Vienna is besieged but repels the conquerers • Shortlasting Serbian Empire of Jovan Nenad is proclaimed in Subotica. Emperor Jovan Nenad also claims the throne of collapsing Kingdom of Hungary, however he gets killed following a conspiracy among Hungarian noblemen. The Empire collapses to Ottoman Empire
Adriatic sea 1537/73	• In 1537, Clissa succumbs to the Ottomans, thus enabling Senj to become a Serbian Uskok (pirate) stronghold in the Adriatic sea • In 1567, Republic of Venice and Ottoman Empire clash over Uskoks and their alligeance. Kingdom of Spain, Habsburg Empire and Papal States join the war on Venetian/Uskok side, ultimately defating the Turks. Uskoks mostly owe alligeance to Habsburgs and at times, to Venice under leaders such as Stojan Janković, high-ranked Venetian military officer
Ottoman Serbia 1594-1688	• Banat Uprising against Ottoman rule erupts among Serbs in Vršac led by Teodor Nestorović, the bishop of Vršac. The revolt is put down brutally by the Ottoman authorities after almost one year of unrest. 350 year-old holy relicts of Saint Sava are publicly burned down in Belgrade, spreading fear among majority Christians. It was the largest Serb anti-Ottoman uprising to that date (prior to First Serbian Uprising) • Belgrade is the largest city of Southeastern Europe. Numbering well over 100,000 people, the city flourishes as the centre of trade and culture. New settlers Armenians, Greeks, Ragusans, Italians dwell into the city - Gate of the East and West.
Dalmatia, Venice, Madrid 1615-17	Uskok war erupts between Republic of Venice and Habsburg Empire over the Venetian supremacy on the Adriatic sea. Uskoks were the main source of jeopardy for this republic's trade. Peace in Madrid in 1617 puts and end to Serbian Uskoks activity in Venetian territories
Habsburg Serbia 1688-1691	Austro-Ottoman War ravages Belgrade. Habsburg Empire annexes Serbia, expelling its non-Christian subjects. In 1691 Ottomans retake Belgrade, forcing Serbs and other Christians into exile. Leopold I, Holy Roman Emperor invites Serbs to settle in Habsburg Empire, trigerring the First Great Serbian Migration across the Danube and Sava rivers, leaving the southern regions and Belgrade itself, underpopulated
Karlovci, Vojvodina 1699	Members of the Holy League - the Habsburg Monarchy, the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, the Republic of Venice and the Russian Empire - conclude a peace treaty with Ottoman Empire, by which the territories of modern Vojvodina and Slavonia passed to Habsburg Empire in the Treaty of Karlovci. Following the Congress, Sremski Karlovci and Novi Sad became major hubs of Serbian culture in the Habsburg Empire. Serbs enter the Enlightment period alongside other Western nations, leaving behind the Ottoman-imposed values
Habsburg Serbia 1718-1739	Treaty of Passarowitz once again cedes Serbia to the Habsburg Empire. Belgrade undergoes a Catholic-like transformation, having its ancient walls and city gates refortified and rebuilt. Ottomans however take advance towards the north in 1739, trigerring the Second Great Serbian Migration| into Habsburg Empire and Imperial Russia. Belgrade is leveled to the ground by the Ottomans. As Habsburg Serbia capitulates, dark era for the remaining Serbs begins
Habsburg Empire 1748	Holy Roman Empress Maria Theresa gives royal city rights to Novi Sad, biggest Serbian settlement in this Empire. The city becomes known as Serbian Athens - place of Serbian national revival. Most of Serbian culture including its patriarchy (Metropolitanate of Karlovci) is now "in exile" across the Danube and Sava rivers, overlooking Ottoman Serbia to the south. More Serbian cities are granted a Free Royal Status in years to come, chiefly by Maria Theresa of Austria: Sombor, Bečkerek, Subotica (Maria-Theresiopolis), etc
Russian Empire 1755	Serbs permanently settle in the Russian Empire, fleeing from Ottoman onslaughts in the Balkans. Czar gives them territories of Nova Serbia and Slavo-Serbia. Today these Serbs are mostly asimilated into Ukrainians, although their traces still reflect in toponymes such as city of Slovianoserbsk and district of Slovianoserbsk in south-eastern Ukraine
Ottoman Serbia 1739-1804	• Ottoman Empire rules Serbia. The country depopulates due to constant migrations into Serb-populated Habsburg lands, especially majority-Serb Military Frontier (but also Dalmatia, Kingdom of Hungary, etc) • In 1766, Turks abolish the Serbian Orthodox Church, subjugating it to Constantinople. Two Serbian patriarchs have found its refuge in Habsburg Empire during the preceding migrations. Southern Serbia slowly becomes Muslim in character, following the colonization of Muslim Albanians and Turks
Independent Serbia 1804/13, File:Zastava 1ustanak.jpg	Massacre of Serbian knights near Valjevo triggers a national revolution known as First Serbian Uprising. Led by Karađorđe, Serbs have liberated most of Serbia proper, establishing an independent state governed from Belgrade, with its own government (Praviteljstvujušći Sovjet), prince (Karađorđe) and first Serbian University (University of Belgrade) as of 1808. The country's Narodni Zbor (Revolutionarry Parliament) adopts the first constitutional act in this part of Europe in 1808, defining Serbia as a constitutional monarchy under Karađorđe's supreme rule
Dalmatia, Montenegro 1804	Napoleon annexes Bay of Kotor to the First French Empire, as a part of the Illyrian provinces. Venetian Republic collapses. Serbs seek Napoleon's aid as the national revolution spreads. Napoleon however plans attack against Imperial Russia instead, unenabling Serbs from getting a support from Russia
Revolutionarry Serbia 1809/13	• Greatest defeat of the revolutionarry Serbian army in Battle of Čegar. 15,000 die in a clash with Ottoman forces, led by a talented officer Stevan Sinđelić, who himself died in this battle. Serbia has expelled the Turks but weakened significantly. Skull Tower is built by the Ottomans out of 1,000 Serbian skulls in vicinity of today's Niš as a horrible reminder of this event • Revolutionarry Serbia is crushed in 1813, facing the Ottomans as they invade the country with 200,000 soldiers. The lack of support from neither Napoleon nor Imperial Russia, who were at war at the time, has also contributed to Serbian defeat. Wide spread revenge attacks upon civilians, nobles and inteligence trigger a second insurection
Independent Serbia 1814/15	Second Serbian Uprising is launched, following wide-spread revenge attacks upon Serbian civilians. Led by Prince Miloš Obrenović, it has succeded in liberating Serbia proper, and with Russian and Austrian support, Principality of Serbia has finally achieved semi-independence from Ottoman Empire.
Principality of Serbia 1815-1867	Principality of Serbia is a semi-independent state within Ottoman Empire governed by its own royal dynasty Karađorđević, Parliament and a Constitution (1835)
Habsburg Empire 1848	• Spring of Nations erupts in Europe. Serbs of Habsburg Empire demand self-rule according to the 1691. charter of Leopold I, Emperor of Austria. Serbs proclaimed creation of autonomous Serbian Vojvodina in Sremski Karlovci as Serb army in the Habsburg Monarchy clashes with the Hungarians. After military defeat of the Hungarians, Austrian authorities in 1849 proclaim a new crownland - Voivodship of Serbia and Tamiš Banat • In the Adriatic sea, the Serb National Guard of Kotor rejects unification of Bay of Kotor with Dalmatia, stating that Serbs have to be unified first before uniting with Croats
Vienna 1850/60	• Serbian and Croatian linguists agree to create a unified literary language based on Shtokavian dialect. It was known as Serbo-Croatian for the next 150 years. The aim was to establish closer cultural ties between the two closest nations and boost local Serbian support for the Croatian cause. Croats accept Serbian grammar based on Vuk Stefanović Karadžić's reform • In 1860, Franz Joseph of Austria abolishes the Serbian crownland of Voivodship of Serbia and Tamiš Banat, igniting a revolt among Serbs, however without any success
Austria-Hungary, Principality of Serbia 1867/73	• Habsburg Empire is replaced by the Dual monarchy of Austria-Hungary. Serbian lands are split between the two. • In 1873, Banat Krajina was abolished and included into Transleithania (despite wishes of the majority Serbs and Germans). This was the first step towards extinction of Serb- populated Military Frontier inherited from the Habsburg Empire. By 1883 Military Frontier was entirely abolished and incorporated into Kingdom of Hungary and Kingdom of Croatia-Slavonia, save for Bay of Kotor (Austria). • Southwards, in the Principality of Serbia, Serbs rebel against Ottoman authorities following the bombardment of Belgrade. Great Britain and France urge Ottomans to withdraw their troops from Serbia. Principality of Serbia is now de facto independent, 50 years after the Second Serbian Uprising
Balkans 1875/78	• Russo-Turkish War begins. Majority people, Bosnian Serbs, launch an uprising against Ottomans in Nevesinje, declaring their unification with Principality of Serbia. Nikola Pašić and Nicholas I of Montenegro proclaim formal independence of Serbia and Montenegro. Ottoman Empire declares war on Serbia and Montenegro • By 1878, Christian troops besieged Istanbul. Western interference stops the colapse of Ottoman Turkey by ackgnowledging de jure independence of Montenegro, Serbia and Romania with the Treaty of Berlin (all of which have already been sovereign for some time prior to the Congress). • Austria-Hungary occupies Bosnia and Herzegovina and the Raška region, preventing the Serbian unification. Bosnian-Serb Uprising is crushed by Austria-Hungary, resulting in a severe discontent among Serbs
1882-1903	• Kingdom of Serbia (Third Serbian Realm) is proclaimed in 1882 under austrophile King Milan Obrenović, following a corruption scandal he was involved in. • In 1885, Serbo-Bulgarian War results in country's humiliation following the Unification of Bulgaria, increasing the hostility towards the House of Obrenović. • In 1889, King Milan Obrenović abdicates the throne in favour of his minor age son Aleksandar Obrenović. Austrophile policy continues. In 1893 Aleksandar Obrenović assumes power following coup d'état. • In 1903, The May Coup D' Etat results in the savage execuction of the royal couple King Aleksandar Obrenović and QueenDraga Mašin by Black hand activists. • House of Karađorđević under Peter I assumes power, claiming descent all the way to the first rulers of Serbia (Nemanjić pedigree)
Kingdom of Serbia vs Austria-Hungary 1906-1909	Pig War between Austria-Hungary and Kingdom of Serbia. Austria imposes economic blocade on Serbia following Serbia's decission to improve cooperation with France, Britain and Bulgaria. Serbia triumphs
Bosnia 1908 File:Ocila.gif	• Austria-Hungary annexes Bosnia and Herzegovina, triggering Bosnian crisis in Europe. • Serbia and Montenegro mobilize their armies in support to Bosnian Serbs, claiming support from Imperial Russia. Russia however drops support to Serbs, forcing Serbia and Montenegro to demobilize their armies. • Young Turk Revolution starts within Ottoman Empire. Bulgaria proclaims independence, Serbia focuses on the Ottoman provinces of Macedonia and Kosovo. Tensions in the region rise
Montenegro 1910	Kingdom of Montenegro is proclaimed in Cetinje under King Nicholas I of Montenegro. His long-term programme was the restoration of the Serbian Empire with him as an Emperor
Balkans 1912	Balkan wars begin. Montenegro and Serbia declare war on Ottoman Empire, followed by Bulgaria and Greece. Balkan League besieges Constantinople. Serbia and Montenegro divide Raška region, Albania and Kosovo, while Serbia also takes offensive on Macedonia in Battle of Kumanovo and Battle of Bitola. Ottoman Empire capitulates. Albania proclaims independence from the Ottoman Empire, approved in the Treaty of London, thus forcing Serbo-Montenegrin troops to witdraw from the country
Serbian Macedonia 1913	Bulgarian army attacks Serbian army and Greek army over Macedonia. In a course of a few months Bulgarian invasion is supressed by Serbia, Romania, Greece and even Ottoman Empire. Kingdom of Serbia has doubled its territory, but lost outlets to the Adriatic sea and Aegean sea due to Austrian intervention
Austrian Bosnia July 1914,	Assassination in Sarajevo sparks a major European crisis. July Ultimatum was delievered to Serbian authorities, demanding that Austro-Hungarian troops march into Serbia. Kingdom of Serbia rejects the proposal, supported by Imperial Russia, France and Great Britain. Austria-Hungary and German Empire declare war on Kingdom of Serbia, triggering the outbreak of World War I
Kingdom of Serbia August 1914	Battle of Cer marks the First Allied Victory in the War as Serbian First Army under field marshal Stepa Stepanović push the Austro-Hungarian Army across Drina and Sava rivers, expelling them from the Kingdom of Serbia. Serbia suffers 16,000 casualties comparing to 30,000 Austro-Hungarian in this part of the Serbian Campaign
Nov./Dec. 1914 File:Serbia-WW1-2.jpg	Austria-Hungary launches a second invasion on Kingdom of Serbia. Belgrade falls from 110,000 to 20,000 following the bombing from the Sava and Danube rivers. Battle of Kolubara begins, resulting in decisive victory of Serbian First Army and retreat of Austria-Hungary across the rivers a month later. Field marshals Radomir Putnik and Živojin Mišić's strategy has been hailed throughout the country. Serbia is free for almost a year, but at a terrible cost; it lost aprroximately 170,000 men, almost a half of its entire army.
Kingdom of Serbia 1915	• Typhus epidemics begins. 150,000 people die in Serbia| this year alone. The country's population already dropped 10% since the beggining of the war • Third invasion of Serbia begins in October. Austria-Hungary conquers Belgrade, marching towards the south. Bulgaria invades Serbia, cutting its supply route from Greece. Serbian First Army is forced to retreat across Albania and Kosovo. Kingdom of Serbia capitulates following the Austro-Hungarian and Bulgarian occupations as Serbian Royal Army enters Kingdom of Montenegro
London 1915 File:LandsForSerbia.PNG	• Yugoslav Committee, founded by the Austro-Hungarian Serbs and Croats in exile, is proclaimed in London. Its primary goal was the liberation of the South Slavic lands from Austro-Hungary, with a tendence of joining the Kingdom of Serbia • Secret London Pact offers western Dalmatia to Kingdom of Italy and eastern parts to Kingdom of Serbia, that would also be combined with Bosnia and Herzegovina, most of Slavonia and large part of Vojvodina and northern Albania.
Kosovo, Albania, Greece 1916	Further east, overwhelmed by the harsh Alpine climate, food - and water shortages and clashes with Albanian tribes, another 150,000 soldiers perish during this action. Only 100,000 reach Corfu island in Greece. This action is now known as the Serbian Golgotha, and the island of Vido near Corfu and its waters as the Blue graveyard. Another typhus epidemics cripples Serbian population
Balkan front 1916-18	Consolidation of the Army of the Orient, consisted of Serbian, British, French and Greek forces, aimed at defeating Bulgaria, starts its operations outside Greece. In only a month and a half, Serbian First Army reenters Serbia and defeats Austria-Hungary and Bulgaria. State of Slovenes, Croats and Serbs and Vojvodina declare separation from Austria-Hungary.
Corfu 1917	Yugoslav Committee, made up of exiled Austro-Hungarian Serbs, Croats and Slovenes, signs the Corfu Declaration with the representatives of the Kingdom of Serbia, enabling the creation of the joint state of all Serbs, Croats and Slovenes
Central Europe Nov. 1918	• Austria-Hungary capitulates, disintegrating into several statelets, the largest one beeing State of Slovenes, Croats and Serbs • WWI comes to an end, following decissive Entente Powers victory. Kingdom of Serbia contributed to the Entente cause, having lost 1/3 of its entire prewar population (ca 1,3 million people). • Syrmia joines Kingdom of Serbia, followed by Vojvodina (Banat, Bačka and Baranja), Kingdom of Montenegro and, finally, State of Slovenes, Croats and Serbs. The South Slavic state is considered a legal successor of the Kingdom of Serbia and is openly labelled as hostile by Kingdom of Italy, that was hoping to annex Istria, Dalmatia and Montenegro • Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes, {First Yugoslavia), is proclaimed in Belgrade under Regent Alexander I. Belgrade unites with Zemun and Pančevo (formerly Serb-populated cities in Habsburg Monarchy)
Montenegro January 1919	Christmas Uprising erupts in Montenegro as supporters of House of Petrović, allegedly aided by the Kingdom of Italy, oppose to acknowledge the Karađorđević dynasty and the decision of the Grand National Assembly. Guerilla clashes would continue for another 6 years and result in defeat of the separatists
Rijeka September 1919	Italian poet and fascist Gabriele D'Annunzio enters the Free State of Rijeka, bringing the two neigbours on the verge of war. Treaty of Rapallo in 1920 recognizes the state's independence. In 1921 Kingdom of Italy invades Rijeka and annexes it, despite Belgrade's objections
Central Europe 1920	Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes joins Little Entente, alongside Kingdom of Romania and Czechoslovakia, aimed at defence against Hungarian territory claims. The defence union collapses as Kingdom of SCS refuses to invade bolsevic state of Hungarian Soviet Republic with Romania and Czechoslovakia
Belgrade 1921/31 File:Terazije 1928.jpg	• St. Vitus Day Constitution is adopted in the National Parliament by the minimal majority principle (ethnic voting). Serbs and Muslims - Albanians, Turks, Bosnian Muslims - vote in favour, while most Croats, Slovenes, Germans and Hungarians rejected the act. The unitary monarchy has led to discontent among Croat and Slovene bourgoasie and constant struggle for power with Belgrade's elite • In 1924, Balkan Entente is formed by Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes, Kingdom of Romania, Greece and Turkey, as a counterbalance to the revissionists (chiefly Italy and Hungary), but also served as a buffer-zone with the Soviet Union • In 1929, The 6th of January Dictatorship is introduced by King Alexander of Yugoslavia, following a shot-down of an activist of the Croatian Peasant Party Stjepan Radić by a Montenegrin radical Puniša Račić. The Constitution is suspended, the Parliament dissolved as the King starts his 2-year dictatorship aimed at restoring order in the ethnicly divided Kingdom. The state is renamed to Kingdom of Yugoslavia and its internal borders reintroduced through 9 banovinas • New Constitution of the Kingdom og Yugoslavia is introduced by King Alexander in 1931, putting an end to his 2-year long dictatorship. The Croatian question again becomes activated, as many start demanding federalization of the unitary monarchy. Many Croatian politicians end up in prison, including Vlatko Maček, leader of the CPP, under pretext that they dismiss the Constitution.
Marseille 1934	King Alexander I of Yugoslavia is shot dead by the Bulgarian and Croatian fascists, Vlado Chernosemski and the Ustaše. Prince Paul temporarily seizes the throne (Alexander's son Peter II was a minor at the time)
Zagreb 1939 File:Map of Banovina of Croatia.jpg	Former political prisoner Vlatko Maček is appointed vice premier of Kingdom of Yugoslavia, following an appeasement policy of the Royal Court towards Croats. Autonomous Banovina of Croatia is carved out of large parts of Croatia, as well as parts of Bosnia and Vojvodina. As Vlatko Maček announces potential independence of the province, a deep crisis in the Kingdom follows. Yugoslavia has just started disintegrating
Belgrade March 1941	• Prince Paul of Yugoslavia signs the Tripartite Pact on 25th of March in Vienna, fearing an invasion of the Axis Powers upon his weakened Kingdom. • Massive demonstrations erupt in downtown Belgrade, as overwhelming majority of the Serbs denounce the Pact Trety. Following a military coup d' etat, 17-year old Peter II assumes the throne, naming Dušan Simović as his chief general. Kingdom of Yugoslavia withdraws its support for the Axis Powers on March 27th
Belgrade April 1941	• Massive Luftwaffe airstrikes hit Yugoslav capital as Hitler decides to crush the rebellion, causing 17,000 casualties in Battle of Belgrade. Other Serbian cities follow suit, such as Leskovac, Kraljevo and Nis. • Kingdom of Italy, Third Reich, Fascist Hungary and Fascist Bulgaria invade and dismantle Kingdom of Yugoslavia, aided by Banovina of Croatia and Albania and some domestic minorities. • Kingdom of Yugoslavia capitulates as its royal army disintegrates, following the evacuation of the royal family to Africa and a multi-party occupation. Greece succumbs to the Axis 10 days later. Operation Barbarossa begins with a month delay, enabling the Soviet Union to regroup during the Axis invasion on Southern Europe • Independent State of Croatia or NDH is officially recognized by the Third Reich as a Nazi state and expanded into Bosnia and Vojvodina
NDH April 1941	Independent State of Croatia (NDH) fully commits to the Nazi ideology by accepting racial laws, aimed at exterminating the Serbs from this state. At the time Serbs comprised 33% of the Greater Croatia's population. Ante Pavelic calls for genocide by proclaiming "Legal order of races", followed by the "Legal order of the protection of Aryan blood and the honour of the Croatian people" dated April 30, 1941, as well as the "Order of the creation and definition of the racial-political committee"
Serbia 1941	• Yugoslav Army in the Fatherland, guerilla force loyal to the Kingdom of Yugoslavia's government in exile, is founded on Ravna Gora by Colonel Draza Mihajlovic. Until the Yalta conference in 1943 this royal army would be considered a chief ally to Great Britain, the U.S.A. and the Soviet Union. Their chief opponents within the country would be the communists (yugoslav partisans). • Serbian division of the Partisan resistance movement, loyal to communists of Josip Broz Tito, launches the uprising in Nazi-occupied town of Uzice, proclaiming its free state, The Republic of Uzice. Uprisings also erupt in Italian-held Montenegro, Bosnia and Slovenia. Uzice succumbs to the Germans 4 months later. • First clashes between royalists of Draza Mihajlovic and communists of (Josip Broz Tito) occur at this time over the supremacy in Yugoslav resistance movement; these two rival movements fight both each other and the Axis powers and thus expand the civil war to 3 sides: communist partisans, royalist chetniks and fascist Ustase
NDH, Jasenovac August 1941 File:Jasenovac32.jpg	Serbian Genocide begins as Ustaša government and Ante Pavelic order internship of Serbs and Jews into the newly-built Jasenovac concentration camp. The complex consisted out of 5 detention facilities, out of which two were made, (uniquely in Nazi-Europe), for children and women - in Stara Gradiška concentration camp and one in Sisak. The range of victims in this camp alone range anywhere between 90,000 (currently verified victims) and 700,000 (figures supported by former Yugoslav authorities, Simon Wiesenthal Center, Encyclopedia of the Holocaust, several Nazi German sources etc). Overwhelming majority of the casualties were ethnic Serbs, followed by Jews, Roma,Bosniaks and some communist and royalist Croats.
Petrovac on sea, Italian Montenegro Sept 1941	Colonel of the British Royal Navy, Bill Hudson, meets with the commander of the royalists, Draza Mihajlovic. The Anglo/Chetnik cooperation would go on all the way until 1944
NDH, Jasenovac August 1942	Tens of thousands of new Serbian inmates, mostly villagers from the Kozara region ofBosnia-Herzegovina, are deported to Jasenovac concentration camp. At the height of murderous orgies, 2 new primitive weapons are officially introduced in the camp, 1st of which was a curve bladed knife. Thousands are slaughtered in a matter of days by the Ustaša war criminals such as Petar Brzica. The second weapon- "Malj" (The Mallet)- was used to crush skulls of the prisoners, many of whom were children.
Sutjeska, Herzegovina June 1943	• Joint Axis offensive, made of German, Italian, NDH and Bulgarian units, is launched in the Dinaric Alps of Montenegro and Herzegovina, aimed at crushing the partisan strongholds in the area. Decissive victory of the Yugoslav National Liberation Army • As Fascist Italy capitulates in October, Nazi troops march into its territories along the coast of Yugoslavia (Dalmatia, Herzegovina, Montenegro, Raska, Kosovo)
Bosnia/Persia November 1943	The 2nd Congress of AVNOJ (Anti-Fascist Council of National Liberation of Yugoslavia) proclaims the Yugoslav federation, denouncing the King's right to return to the country after the WWII is over. Next day, the Tehran Conference, a meeting between Joseph Stalin, Franklin D. Roosevelt and Winston Churchill, decides to shift their support from Yugoslav Royal Army to their rivals, communist Yugoslav partisans, and de facto legitimize communist regime in Yugoslavia
Adriatic sea, June 1944	Royal Yugoslav government in exile recognizes the partisans as Yugoslavia's legitimate armed forces, ordering Royal Army to join the newly named Partisan Yugoslav army, following the Tito-Šubašić agreement on the Adriatic island of Vis. King calls for Serbs, Croats and Slovenes to unite into a single army under partisan flag. Draza Mihajlovic and many of his chetniks refuse to obey and continue fighting on their own, without royal nor Allied support, calling on Serbs to emancipate from Yugoslavia in form of Greater Serbia
Jasenovac NDH, January 1945	YNLA liberates the Jasenovac concentration camp, following a retreat of Nazi and Ustase forces. 50,000 prisoners who were able to walk were freed and led from the camp. Massive destruction of data preceded the liberation, making it hard to determine the extent of the Serbian Genocide. The numbers reach several hundred thousand victims
Yugoslavia May 1945	Aided by the Soviet army, Yugoslav Partisans expell fascist and Nazi forces from the country, ultimately defeating the royalists as well. Ustase flee the country as well, among whom also Ante Pavelic, Petar Brzica etc. Yugoslav Danube Swabians are also forced to leave the country, as well as many Hungarians and Italians.
Belgrade November 1945 File:SFRYugoslaviaNumbered.png	Federal People's Yugoslavia or Second Yugoslavia is proclaimed by the Yugoslav Federal Parliament in Belgrade. The monarchy is officially abolished and the royal family banned from entering the country. Serbian lands are dismantled under a pretext of Serbian hegemony and self-determination, beeing given to republic of Montenegro, provinces of Kosovo and Vojvodina, republic of Macedonia, republic of Bosnia-Herzegovina, even to republic of Croatia (Baranja region), leaving Serbia, in form of Serbia proper, crippled in territory and population despite its Allied-orientation. Territories of Croatia are expanded into Vojvodina, Dalmatia and Istria under Josip Broz Tito, despite the role of Croatia in the war (ethnic balance policy).
Belgrade 1946 File:Jaenovac death camp.jpg	National Comitee for the War Crimes and Reparations concludes that 1,7 million people have died during WWII in Yugoslavia, many of whom were victims of civil war and the Croatian racial policy. Serbs account for about 65% of the total victim count, or 1,2 million people. About one third of the numbers are the victims of the Jasenovac concentration camp, according to this research. These numbers are a matter of contraversy today but, nevertheless, reflect a high level of human losses in the country during WWII
Moscow 1948	SFRY is expelled from the World Communist League, after refusing to accept Soviet Union's supremacy in the communist world. Yugoslavia, therefore, has never signed the Warsaw Pact nor has it been, consequently, behind the Iron Curtain, unlike its immediate neigbours. From that point on Yugoslav history differs from that of cold-warEastern Europe
Free State of Trieste 1954	Free Territory of Trieste is dissolved by the Treaty of Osimo, splitting it roughly in half between SFRY and Italy, putting an end to a decade-long dispute between the Adriatic neigbours
Belgrade 1968	Belgrade Spring erupts among studentry of Yugoslavia, ignited by Belgrade and Zagreb's student demands to improve the conditions in the two largest Universities. Croats also ask for their own literary language apart from Serbian language, for the first time since the Vienna Treaty in 1850
Belgrade 1974	New federal Constitution awards greater powers to individual republics and provinces, shifting it into a voluntary confederation with a right of self-determination for each of the subjects. Serbian Provinces of Kosovo and Metohija and Vojvodina are de facto separated from Serbia, as they were awarded state-treatmant in the Federal Parliament, where they could veto any Serbian decision. This Constitution is known as the Undertaker of the Second Yugoslavia
Kosovo 1981	Riots erupt among Albanians of Kosovo, as they ask for the recognition of the State of Kosovo. The uprising was brutally supressed by the JNA, as Kosovo Serbs fear beeing pulled into a civil war. By this date population share of Kosovo Serbs has dropped down to 15% comparing to 25% a decade earlier
Belgrade 1986 File:Srbi u Jugoslaviji.jpg	Memorandum of the Serbian Academy of Sciences and Arts is proclaimed in Belgrade, calling for a fundamental change and the country's reorganization. This document marks the rise of Serbian nationalism within SFRY, opening the Serbian Question, at the time the country was battling ever-high recession and unemployement rate. Kosovo Serbs and Croatian Serbs are pointed out as the main victims of ethnic hatred and chauvinism, following several clashes with local Albanians and Croats, respectively. The problem also focused on the inferior position of Serbia proper within the SFRY, openly calling for its reunification with the federal provinces of Vojvodina and Kosovo
Kosovo 1987-89	• Slobodan Milosevic is appointed to Kosmet by the Serbian chairman Ivan Stambolic, to pacify the Kosovo Serbs who were asking for the reintegration with Serbia proper, and Kosovo Albanians, who were opposing the idea. Slobodan Milosevic makes his famous speech in Pristina, announcing to the Serbian crowd that No one shall molest them • On June 28th, 1989,Slobodan Milosevic delieveres his Gazimestan Speech in front of 1,000,000 Serbs at the central celebration marking the 600th anniversary of the Battle of Kosovo. He calls for a "full equality among peoples of Yugoslavia", demanding an end to the "dramatical ethnic and political divisions". This was basically a message to both his political (democratic) and nationalist (Croat, Bosniak) opponents. His popularity skyrockets among nationalist Serbs, leading to his victory in the elections for the Serbian president few months later • Several amandments to the Serbian Constitution deprive Kosmet and Vojvodina of their federal authorities, de facto reintegrating them into Serbia. Unconstitutional Kosovo Parliament declares independence of Kosovo, without any foreign recognition. Following the "Anti-bureaucratic revolution" pro-Serbian regimes emerge in Montenegro, Kosovo and Vojvodina, raising the number of Serbian votes in the Federal Presidency up to 4 (out of 8). Croatia and Slovenia protest this
Belgrade 1990	League of Communists of Yugoslavia dissolves along ethnic lines, as Slovene and Croatian representatives storm out of the Congress, after opposing the strengthening of the Union. First free elections are held several months later in Croatia (Croatian parliamentary election, 1990) and Slovenia, where separatist options have prevailed overwhelmingly
Croatia 1990	• Parliament of Croatia ratifies a new Constitution, declaring the indigenous Serbs of Croatia (12,2%) a national minority rather than constituent nation. Serbs have enjoyed that autonomy de facto since the Croat-Hungarian Ausgleich in 19th century. Franjo Tudjman, leader of the Croatian Democratic Union, publicly denounces the Serbian Genocide, spreading fear among minority Croatian Serbs, assuming power as the president of Croatia • Serb-populated regions of Croatia organize a poll on their self-rule within Croatia. The Log Revolution is also launched in the hinterland of Dalmatia, Serbian city of Knin. National Council of the Croatian Serbs, led by Milan Babic, declares "the autonomy of the Serbian people on ethnic and historic territories on which they live and which are within the current boundaries of the Republic of Croatia as a federal unit of the SFRYugoslavia" in form of Kninska Krajina.
Slovenia 1990	Slovenian independence referendum passes with a 88% support. Independence would have been declared within the succeeding 6 months
Croatia 1991	•Croatian War of Independence begins, following the Plitvice Lakes incident. Security forces of the Republic of Croatia clash with rebel Serbs of Croatia, as they take over the territory of the national park (Serb-populated). 2 policemen die (from both sides). Emergency session of the Federal Parliament decides to send the troops of the JNA into the region. National Assembly of Serbia supports this decision, asking for the protection of Serbs •Borovo Selo massacre takes place in the Serb-populated village of Borovo Selo in eastern Croatia, as 4 Croatian police-officers attempt to change the Yugoslav flag with the Croatian- one. In the clashes that followed, twelve Croatian policemen and fifteen Serb civilians are killed. •Dalmatian Serb pogrom of May 1991 occures, as Croatian President Franjo Tudjman calls on the Croats to take up arms against rebelious Serbs in the government-controlled territory (just outside the Serbian Kninska Krajina region). Anti-Serb violent riots in the Adriatic cities of Zadar and Sibenik result in wide-spread destruction of the Serbian property, which is why the event is also known as the Dalmatian Kristallnacht.
Slovenia, Croatia June 1991	• A serie of Yugoslav wars begin as Croatia and Slovenia declare independence from the SFRY, opposed by the Serbs and the JNA. Slovenia is granted its independence following a Ten-Day War, however conflict in Croatia is bounded to last, as Republic of Serbian Krajina emerges • In October 1991, 120 Serbs are massacred in the town of Gospic (region of Lika, Croatia), by members of a Croatian paramilitary unit. The mastermind of the massacre, Mirko Norac, was charged with crimes against humanity by both Croatia and the ICTY for his involvement in the mass killings of Serbs civilians during the Croatian War of Independence
Bosnia 1991/93	•In accordance with the Yugoslav Constitution of 1974, which gave the right of self-determination to constituent nations (and republics), Bosnian Serbs proclaim the autonomous region of Bosnian Serb Community; Bosnian Croats announce the creation of the Croatian Community of Herzeg-Bosnia. Bosniaks under Alija Izetbegovic denounce the partition, calling for a unitary Bosnian state, while Bosnian Serbs and Bosnian Croats call for unification with their respective states, led by their nationalist dictators Slobodan Milosevic and Franjo Tudjman • Bosnian war erupts in 1992, following the ethnically-motivated killings between Bosniaks and Bosnian Serbs. Bosnia and Herzegovina declares independence from the SFRY, opposed by the Bosnian Serbs (37%), who in turn proclaim independence of the Serbian Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina (65% its territory). Bosnian Croats maintain to govern their lands apart from the Sarajevo government. Bosnia is de facto divided into 3 independent statelets • In May 1992, Siege of Sarajevo is officially imposed by the Bosnian Serbs and their forces (Radovan Karadzic beeing the chief commander), aimed at blocking the Bosniak institutions and protection of the Bosnian Serbs (33% strong). It lasted for 44 months and resulted in 12,000 casualties, chiefly among Bosniaks and Serbs. • In 1993, Bosniaks and Croats split over the division of Bosnia, as the Croatian State of Herzeg-Bosnia refuses to merge with the Sarajevo-held territories. Open war erupts among all three constituent nations of Bosnia
Dalmatia Maslenica 1993	Croatian army invades southern regions of the self-proclaimed Republic of Serbian Krajina. In the clashes that followed between different para-military units up to 500 Krajina Serbs and 120 Croats lose their lives. Croatian Army withdrew its forces after a succesful campaign
Croatia 1995	• Operation Flash, conducted by the Croatian Army in May, succesfully confronts the forces of Republic of Serbian Krajina in several western Croatian cities. • Milan Martić, leader of the RSK (war criminal according to the ICTY), orders the shelling of Zagreb (far beyond the Serbian held-territories). 4 people are killed and several wounded. • Operation Storm, a large-scale military operation, is carried out throughout the self-proclaimed Republic of Serbian Krajina by the Croatian Army, in August 1995. In a matter of days, RSK was dismantled and reintegrated into Croatia, following the largest post-war ethnic cleansing in Europe. 200,000 Serbs are expelled from Croatia into Serbia and Bosnia, with some 2,000 killed on Serbian side (out of whom 1,200 were civilians). Ante Gotovina, the mastermind of this operation, currently awaits his sentence in the Hague War Tribunal for the crimes against humanity against Serbs of Croatia