History of Serbia

The account of Serbia’s past, from early Slavic settlement and medieval state formation through Ottoman and Habsburg rule, Yugoslavia, and modern independence.

Serbian Principality: A medieval Serbian state that emerged in the Balkans under the Vlastimirović dynasty. Its early rulers mark the emergence of organized Serbian polities.
Ottoman Serbia: The Serbian lands governed by the Ottoman Empire after the medieval Serbian states were conquered. Ottoman institutions and rule framed Serbian society for centuries.
South Slavs: A branch of Slavic peoples whose languages and historical communities are centered in the Balkans. Serbs emerged within the broader South Slavic migrations and settlement.
Principality of Serbia: An autonomous Serbian principality established under Ottoman suzerainty in the nineteenth century and recognized as independent in 1878. Its gradual autonomy laid the institutional foundations of modern Serbia.
Kosovo: A territory in the Balkans that declared independence from Serbia in 2008, a status Serbia does not recognize. Its status is the most consequential unresolved issue in Serbia’s contemporary politics.
Serbian Empire: A medieval empire proclaimed by Stefan Dušan in 1346 and dissolved after his death. Its expansion was the high point of medieval Serbian power.
Habsburg Serbia: Serbian-populated territories and communities governed by the Habsburg Monarchy, especially north of the Danube and Sava. Habsburg rule created a distinct northern setting for Serbian institutions and migration.
Vlastimirović dynasty: The earliest known Serbian ruling dynasty, which governed a principality in the Balkans from the ninth century. Its rulers provide the earliest documented framework for Serbian statehood.
Kingdom of Serbs, Croats, and Slovenes: A South Slavic state established in 1918 and renamed Yugoslavia in 1929. Its creation ended the independent Kingdom of Serbia and joined Serbian lands to a larger state.
Serbian nationalism: A political movement centered on Serbian national identity, unity, and state interests. Its competing forms have shaped state projects and debates about borders.

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History of CroatiaCompared with: Serbia's political trajectory diverged from Croatia's despite periods within shared states.