The Image of the Battle of Kosovo (1389) Today: a Historic Event, a Moral Pattern, or the Tool of Political Manipulation

Abstract

Some events become cornerstones or crucial segments of certain historical processes and prove worthy of memory for centuries. At the time of their occurrence, or soon afterwards, contemporaries may understand and sometimes even predict their impact and significance. But the memory of the battle of Kosovo of 1389 is significant for other reasons, disconnected from the event itself. The paucity of historical records on the battle demonstrates that it only gained its significance after some time, gradually and systematically being lifted into Serbian national mythology. Over centuries the genuine historical core of the story was distorted, dissolved or reshaped under layers of narrative tradition. Epic poetry based on carefully sifted historical facts created a picturesque, yet homogeneous group of characters shaped as much from imaginary as from historical elements. This was convenient for determining and promoting moral patterns and values over the centuries when the medieval Serbian states, which had been subjugated by the Ottomans, no longer existed. By simplifying the original historic circumstances and presenting them through an easily understandable scenario, the foundation on which to create and solidify ethnic identity was set. This construction of Serbian ethnic memory gave the historic event a vibrant future. The historical core was wrapped in legendary substance, creating an almost sacred aura, which ensured a stable endurance of this narrative.

This chapter has been edited by Eric Beckett Weaver.