Kosovo History

History
Kosovo was part of the Ottoman Empire from the 15th to the early 20th century. In the late 19th century, it became the centre of the Albanian National Awakening. Following their defeat in the Balkan Wars, the Ottomans ceded Kosovo to Serbia and Montenegro. Both countries joined Yugoslavia after World War I, and following a period of Yugoslav unitarianism in the Kingdom, the post-World War II Yugoslav constitution established the Autonomous Province of Kosovo and Metohija within the Yugoslav constituent republic of Serbia.

Tensions between Kosovo's Albanian and Serb communities simmered through the 20th century and occasionally erupted into major violence, culminating in the Kosovo War of 1998 and 1999, which resulted in the withdrawal of the Yugoslav army and the establishment of the United Nations Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo.

On 17 February 2008, Kosovo unilaterally declared its independence from Serbia. Serbia does not recognize Kosovo as a sovereign state, although with the Brussels Agreement of 2013, it has accepted its institutions. While Serbia recognizes administration of the territory by Kosovo's elected government, it continues to claim it as the Autonomous Province of Kosovo and Metohija. 

Timeline
1455 - 1912 Kosovo was part of the Ottoman Empire. During this time, Islam was introduced to the population 1690 - Thousands people were led from Kosovo to the Christian north, in what came to be known as the Great Serb Migration 1876 - 1878 During the Serbian–Ottoman War, between 30,000 and 70,000 Muslims, mostly Albanians, were expelled by the Serb army and fled to the Kosovo province 1901 - Widespread massacres were committed against the Serbian population by the Albanian population across the Kosovo province.

Websites

 * Kosovo History and Culture
 * Britannica.com