The Battle of Kosovo 1389

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The Battle of Kosovo 1389: An Albanian Epic by Anna Di Lellio

https://www.amazon.com/Battle-Kosovo-1389-Albanian-Epic/dp/1848850948

From a comment on amazon that read the book:

One of the propagandistic meta-narrations of Serbian regime under dictator Milosevic was to insist on the right of Serbia to rule Kosovo, based on the "historic" reasons, namely the Battle of Kosovo in 1389 when Serbian King Lazar fought Ottoman Sultan and lost (for the background on the systematic use of campaign against Kosovo, read Milutinovic et al case in Hague Tribunal for War Crimes). All proper historians in West, and even the objective Serbian sources say that in the medieval ages the Serbian king was most probably leading an army of mixed Christians, from Hungary, Rascia, Albanian tribes, as was usually the case of these first decades of Ottoman rule. Ignoring the history, Milosevic managed to instill the notion that the battle was purely a Serbian affair, a prove that the nation itself is "heavenly". Milosevic used the 600 year anniversary of the Battle of Kosovo, in 1989 to mastermind a violent usurpation of power on former Yugoslavia.

This book shows that the battles of past in the Balkans should not be seen with the "ethnic" eyes of late 19th and 20th century. Just like the food in Balkans is never purely "Serbian" or "Bosnian" or "Albanian" or "Greek", as they are often similar if not the same dish, history in Balkans is also not a clear-cut affair. Battle of Kosovo was also remembered in the oral history of Albanians in Kosovo as a moment of importance in their own history. Muzakas, Balshajs and many northern Albanian families participated in the battle. This book retells some of the old stories related to the Albanian oral folklore interpretation of these events. The author, a New Yorker who lived and worked in Kosovo as an UN-mandated media commissioner, has brought to the reader a true gem.

Teodor II Muzaka was member of the Muzaka family, Albanian nobles who ruled the Principality of Berat.^[2] He died fighting during the Battle of Kosovo in 1389 on the side of the anti-Ottoman coalition led by Lazar of Serbia.^[3][4]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Teodor_II_Muzaka

The Battle of Kosovo of 1389 holds enormous significance in the formation of modern Balkan nation states, especially among South Slav and Serbian nationalist circles. What has given this single battle such resonance, even more than six centuries later, and what does it reveal about the complex tangle of identity in the contemporary Balkans. Robert Elsie's beautiful new translation brings a little-known Albanian epic account of the battle between the Ottoman Sultan Murat I and a coalition of Balkan forces brilliantly to life. The fantastic tale of Murat's campaign in Kosovo and his assassination by the Albanian knight Millosh Kopiliq is more often presented from the Serb perspective, which extols particularly the valor of the Serbian knight Milos Obilic. By proposing an alternative narrative, "The Battle of Kosovo 1389" offers a more nuanced understanding of this powerful myth of nationalism and belonging. Anna Di Lellio's sensitive commentary explores the significance of this epic poem and of the battle more generally in post-war Kosovo in reinforcing a collective identity that emphasizes resistance against foreign oppression and identifies strongly with a European, predominantly Christian culture. "The Battle of Kosovo 1389" is an important addition to our understanding of the past, present and future of this complex Balkan nation as well as the broader issues of national memory and identity.

 

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[h=3]1515
John Musachi:
Brief Chronicle on the Descendants of our Musachi Dynasty[/h]

Passing through all these countries, he occupied much land, among which was the city of Adrianopole (Edirne). When Murad the Second (5) took power, he seized Serbia and Bulgaria in a huge onslaught. Lazar (6), the Despot of Serbia, and King Marko of Bulgaria and Theodore Musachi, the second-born of our family, and the other Lords of Albania united and set off for battle, which the Christians lost (7). It was there that the above mentioned Theodore, who had a large band of Albanians with him, was slain. The said Lazar of Serbia was taken prisoner and later slain. Now began a period of continuous warfare with the Turks in Albania, in which many lords and gentlemen gave their lives. As mentioned above, it was a lack of courage among them that caused them to lose their states. The city of Croya (Kruja) fell during the reign of Bayazid (8) the First, as later did Velona (Vlora), although we defended them without interruption. Nonetheless, the power of the sultan continued to grow and our power continued to diminish.

http://albanianhistory.net/1515_Musachi/index.html

 

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[FONT=&quot]This is the most accurate historical book ever written about the Balkans and medieval Kosovo in particular. Anna di Lellio does not attempt to take sides but rather gives detailed historical evidence, leaving up to the reader to decide which side of the story is more complete.[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]Indeed, as a reader I find the Albanian side of story as more complete. While the traditional Albanian folk songs and the Albanian people have been remembering this soldier as their national hero for centuries, the Serbian side is merely relied on political edited work written mainly in the 20th century, more precisely in the 80s during the Milosevic era.[/FONT]

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