1901 massacres of Serbs
The 1901 massacres of Serbs were multiple massacres of Serbs in the Kosovo Vilayet of the Ottoman Empire (modern-day Serbia, Kosovo and North Macedonia), committed by Albanians.
| 1901 massacres of Serbs | |
|---|---|
_map.png.webp) Map of the Kosovo Vilayet (1881–1912) | |
| Location | Kosovo Vilayet, Ottoman Empire (now Kosovo) |
| Date | 1901 |
| Target | Serbs |
Attack type | Massacres |
| Perpetrators | Albanians |
| Motive | Serbophobia |
Massacres
Serbs were maltreated and accused of being Serbian agents.[1] Panic ensued, and Serbs, primarily from the border areas fled to Serbia.[1] Albanians who participated in the Greco-Turkish War (1897) used weapons not turned in to the authorities against the Serbs in Old Serbia.[2] In May 1901, Albanians set Sjenica, Novi Pazar and Pristina on fire.[3] The Albanians went on a rampage massacring Serbs in Pristina.[4] Ibarski Kolašin (now known as North Kosovo), a forested region made up of 40 villages, largely inhabited by Serbs, where Serbian teachers and priests were active, had long irritated the Albanians and Ottoman government; Serbs were continuously maltreated in the region.[5] The Serbian government observed the developments in Kolašin, and did not remain idle.[5] The situation became serious, with Serbs being smuggled arms by Serbia to defend themselves.[2] In the summer of 1901, Albanians massacred Serbs in the Kolašin area.[2] The atrocities prompted the Russian government to intervene at the Porte.[2]
Reactions
Russia
Initially, the Porte did not suppress the Albanian movement nor protect the Serbs.[1] Russia demanded that the Albanians and Turkish gendarmeries be punished and the Serbs be allowed to keep the arms for protection.[3] The Porte answered by mass arrests and criminalizing the Albanian language.[4] The governor (vali) was dismissed, and several other anti-Serb officials, and Albanian chieftains who had been especially cruel, were removed from their posts.[6]
Austria-Hungary
Austria-Hungary, supported the Albanians, and tried to downplay the massacres.[3] The events were instrumental in the "Kolašin affair" (Serbian Cyrillic: Колашинска афера), a diplomatic conflict between Austria-Hungary, which supported the Albanians, and Serbia, which was supported by Russia.[7]
References
- Stojančević 1990, p. 113.
- Skendi 2015, p. 293.
- Skendi 2015, p. 201.
- Iain King; Whit Mason (2006). Peace at Any Price: How the World Failed Kosovo. Cornell University Press. p. 30. ISBN 0-8014-4539-6.
- Stojančević 1990, p. 114.
- Stojančević 1990, p. 115.
- Институт за српску културу (Лепосавић) (2006). Duhovnost pisane kulture Srba u kontekstu kulture balkanskih Slovena: naučni skup, Leposavić 25. decembar 2006. Institut za srpsku kulturu. pp. 188–193. ISBN 9788682797715.
Sources
- Božić, Sofija (2014). Istorija i geografija: susreti i prožimanja [History and geography: meetings and permeations]. SANU. pp. 289–290. ISBN 978-86-7005-125-6.
- Stojančević, Vladimir (1990). Srbija i Albanci u XIX i početkom XX veka: ciklus predavanja 10-25. novembar 1987. Srpska akademija nauka i umetnosti. ISBN 9788670250949. (in English)
- Skendi, Stavro (2015). The Albanian National Awakening. Princeton University Press. ISBN 978-1-4008-4776-1.
Further reading
- Zarković, Vesna (2008). Афера у Ибарском Колашину 1901-1902. године. Institut za Srpsku Kulturu. ISBN 978-86-82797-81-4.