Serbian Unity Congress | Serbian History

MEDIEVAL HISTORY

There were many factors that contributed to the forming of a Serb national identity by the dawn of the nation-building 19th century. These are all largely based on the legacies that can be traced back to the Middle Ages.

Serbian Rulers

Collection of Serbian rulers portraits from various monastery frescoes and other historical material.

Medieval Royal Ornaments

Serbian rulers' ceremonial costume emerged from its Byzantine counterpart at the very moment when Serbian rulers chose to get close to Byzantium, politically as well as in matters of religion. That costume clearly shows the manner in which governmental power was comprehended and considered at the time, while simultaneously being filled with profound religious meaning.

Byzantine Coinage

With subtle variety and remarkable longevity, Byzantine coinage is an excellent starting point for glimpsing into the millenial Greek Christian state, along with the Balkan Slav development that took place in the shadow and often under the auspices of the Universal Empire.

Serbian Military Uniforms 1808 - 1918:

A uniformed Serbian militia is mentioned at the end of the seventeenth century after the siege of Vienna in 1683, but no details are known of its dress. It can be supposed that it derived from national costumes like the uniform introduced at the end of the first half of the eighteenth century.

Serbian History Through Coinage:

From the advent of coinage, numismatics has been a fascinating and rewarding endeavor, for through the study of artifacts, we often find valuable historical and cultural evidence. During the 200 years of its existence, medieval Serbian coinage generated a remarkable variety of types, many historical clues and some mysteries. This exhibition will take you on a journey through Serbian history, their rulers, and their coins.

RISES AND FALLS IN SERBIAN STATEHOOD IN THE MIDDLE AGES
By Sima Cirkovic

The preconditions for the creation of the Serbian nation came about in the seventh century when part of the Serbian tribes settled in the Roman province of Dalmatia, along with some of the other groups of Slavs.

KOSOVO: FIVE CENTURIES OF STRIFE AND ETHNIC CLEANSING
By Srdja Trifkovic

As Christian churches burn in the heart of Europe, as Christians are being martyred by their Muslim neighbors for the mere fact of being what they are, it is time to re-visit the history of the Kosovo conflict. Western media consumers may be forgiven for thinking that the history of that conflict starts in 1989, when the Serbs supposedly abolished the autonomy of that hitherto happy and harmonious multicultural province. This is not true, and a truthful account of the problem?s background is needed for an informed debate, lest the claims of the Albanian lobbies succeed yet again in imposing a Balkan agenda in Washington that is as offensive to decency as it is inimical to American interests.


EIGHTEENTH AND NINETEENTH CENTURIES
	THE CENTURIES UNDER TURKISH RULE AND THE REVIVAL OF STATEHOOD By Rados Ljusic The Turkish conquest of the Balkans and Danube basin were preceded and followed by migrations of the Serbian people. As the Turks penetrated into the land the Serbs withdrew. TRADITIONAL ATTIRE By Jasna Bjeladinovic-Jergic Among the creative aspects of the culture of the Serbian nation, traditional costumes occupy one of the most important places because of their role in everyday life, their significance for ethnic identity, and their value artistically and aesthetically. BALKAN CRISIS AND THE TREATY OF BERLIN: 1878 The Balkan crisis concluded by the Berlin Treaty of 1878 represents a milestone in both European and Balkan history. For Europe it marked the disintegration of the newly formed Three Emperors' League of Germany, Austria, and Russia. This in turn meant the renewal and intensification of the Austro- Russian rivalry in the Balkans which started with the Crimean War. It also meant the re-emergence of Britain as an active force in European affairs after years of splendid isolation under Gladstone. THE CONGRESS OF BERLIN, BRITISH IMPERIALISM, AND THE EMERGENCE OF WORLD WAR I by Carl Savich The salient feature of the Congress of Berlin was the inequitable relationship between the Great powers and the Balkan nations and peoples. The Balkan states/nations and peoples were merely pawns or chattels for the imperialist powers to do with as they wished. They were merely chess pieces in a larger imperialist chess game.
WORLD WAR I
	IN THE MARGINES OF CHAOS By Francesca M. Wilson Recollections of Relief Work in and Between Three Wars. THE TREATY OF LONDON, APRIL 26TH, 1915	THE MURDER AT SARAJEVO Too many of us only know the Serbs as precipitators of World War I, when a Serbian nationalist assassinated Austrian Archduke Franz Ferdinand in 1914 causing Austria to declare war. Gavrilo Princip and Patrick Pearse: Nationalism, Patriotism, and Rebellion: A Comparison new! Carl Savich: "Gavrilo Princip. Patrick Pearse. Were they national heroes or scoundrels and criminal terrorists? Freedom fighters or suicide bombers? Heroes or terrorists?"
WORLD WAR II
	Harry S. Truman: "General Dragoljub Mihailovich distinguished himself in an outstanding manner as Commander-in-Chief of the Yugoslavian Army Forces and later as Minister of War by organizing and leading important resistance forces against the enemy which occupied Yugoslavia, from December 1941 to December 1944." Draza Mihailovich and the Rescue of US Airmen during World War II new! Carl Savich: "The rescue of 596 Allied airmen and troops from Serbia and the Balkans was one of the largest rescues ever achieved in warfare. Nevertheless, the mission remains one of the least known and most covered-up event of World War II. No one wanted the story told." Goodby to a tireless warrior Major Richard L. Felman (U.S.A.F., ret.) May 29, 1921 - November 13, 1999 Jasenovac concetration camp Jasenovac was the largest concentration camp in WW II Nazist Croatia where an estimated 750,000 people, mainly Serbs, have been slaughtered. However, the truth about Jasenovac is not widely known and understood, and moreover, there have been attempts at historical revisionism aimed at minimizing its importance. The goal of this project is to make the world aware of the truth behind Jasenovac and pay the appropriate respect to all its victims. These are necessary prerequisites for both proper national self respect and a sincere and lasting peace in the Balkans.	By Ruth Mitchel. This extraordinary book is one of the rare accounts by a foreigner of World War II in Yugoslavia. The events of the early war years - the anti-Axis coup, German invasion and occupation, Serb resistance - all unfold against the backdrop of everyday hardship in occupied Serbia, in this deeply personal but illuminating account of an American woman who was there to both observe and participate. A great humanitarian action began in September of 1940, when the heroic citizens of Sabac, Serbia saved 1300 Jews from Germany, Austria, and Hungary.
	LINKS History Of The Yugoslav Royal Aviation Koreni (roots) photo exibition History of Balkans: Ethnology, Antropology and History Forums