Serbia in the Middle Ages

Serbs belong to the Southslavonic group of Indo-European peoples. As their tradition, culture, language, beliefs, and customs show, the ethnogenesis of Serbs goes far back into the past. Serbian ancestors, Protoslavs and Old Serbs, were described in the 5th century BC by Herodotus, under the names of Neuri and Budini, living north of the Danube in the region between Dniepar and north-eastern Carpathian Mountains.

The first mention of the name "Serbs" appears in the 1st century BC (69- 75), in the Historia naturalis by Plinius Caecilius Secundus, who states that Serbs (Serbi) live on the coast of the Black Sea. In the 2nd century, Claudius Ptolomaius writes in his Geographica that Serbs (Serboi, Sirboi - Serboi, Sirboi) live behind the Caucasus, near the hinterland of the Black Sea. The first mention of the Serbian name on their present ethnical location appears in 822, in the work of Frank chronicler Einhardt (Annales regni Francorum). He confirms that Serbs are very numerous in Dalmatia.

During the great migrations in Europe (5th to 6th century), Serbian ancestors arrive to the Balkan Peninsula from several directions and settle in the wide area between four seas (Black, Adriatic, Aegean, and Ionian). It is on this location that the eldest Serbian feudal states Raska (later Serbia) and Duklja (later Zeta or Montenegro) were formed. From the second half of the 12th century Raska expanded by taking over the Byzantine territory. The medieval Serbian state reached the height of power under the rule of Nemanjic dynasty (1166-1371). From 1217 Serbia was a kingdom, and from 1346 an empire. The Serbian Orthodox Church acquired independence in 1219, thanks to its first Archbishop St. Sava Nemanjic (1175-1235), a man of wide education, who inspired the revival of Serbian literature, education, law and medicine. The medieval Serbian state was most powerful during the reign of Emperor Dusan Nemanjic, who consolidated the legal system of the empire by his Law issued in 1349 (with additions of 1354). Medieval Serbian art, architecture, and fresco painting have been included into the World Cultural Heritage, sponsored by UNESCO (monasteries Sopocani, Mileseva, Studenica).

An invasion by the Turks at the end of the 14th century cut short the development of Serbian countries, and they fell under Turkish occupation after the battles of Marica (1371) and Kosovo (1389). The occupation was completed by the end of the 15th century and it lasted for several centuries. The Turkish occupation was one of the most tragic periods in the Serbian history. Serbian population was heavily taxed (harach) to support the Turkish imperial machinery. But even more tragic was the blood tax (danak u krvi) when pre teenage boys were separated by force from their parents to be raised as Turkish soldiers (janicari), and pretty young Serbian girls were taken to harems.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Medieval_Serbia

movies that I used:

1. Banovic Strahinja (1981)
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0082356/
2. Dorotej (1981)
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0080649/
3. Boj na Kosovu (1989)
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0096966/
4. Digitally Animated Movie "The Most Beautiful Place since the Days of Yore"
http://www.belgradexv.com/belgrade_movie.htm
5. 3D Eagle
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YztrVsiww_s
and
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DwbVidyeDtg
6. Flying Through Clouds
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0GC-yL7tYYU&p=1180DF35BB1732AB&playnex...

music that I used:

1. pc game "Knights of Honor" - main thema (Echo in Eternity)
2. pc game "Stronghold 2" - main thema
3. Ensemble Renaissance - Trotto
4. Ensemble Renaissance - Saltarello
5. Ensemble Renaissance - Skomraska Igra
6. movie "Gladiator" soundtrack - Emperor is Dead
7. movie "The 13th Warrior" soundtrack - Jerry Goldsmith - The 13th Warrior
8. movie "Gladiator" soundtrack - Battle
9. movie "Gladiator" soundtrack - Sorrow
10. movie "King Arthur" soundtrack - All Of Them

Category:

Education

Tags:

• Serbia
• Middle Ages
• Medieval
• Prehistoric
• Ancient
• Roman
• Moesia
• Slavs
• Sclaveni
• Antes
• Byzantine Emperor
• Duklja
• Raska
• Сербия
• Srbija
• Serbian Empire
• History
• Indo-European peoples
• Protoslavs
• great migrations
• Slavic
• Srednjovekovna
• Kosovski Boj
• Nemanjić
• Bosnia
• Triballi
• Triballia
• Dioklea
• Rascia
• Stefan Prvovenčani
• Uroš I
• Dragutin
• Milutin
• Stefan Dečanski
• Tsar Dušan
• Mrnjavčević
• Obilić
• Lazarević
• Branković
• Russia
• Greece

[HeroicSerbs]

@esad71 Serbs are Turks?! Give me a break! Serbs are mixture of Celts and Slavs. Slavs came from today Poland and Carpaty mountains! Celts already lived there and evidence is names of today River's, Mountains, and city. Antic name of Belgrade was Singidunum witch in celtic language means City of the Sun. And Celts are brown hair and color in eyes.

[shtefica]

excellent video ;)

[vukashin88]

@ProjectRPcraft You would want to replace 'USA' with 'USSR', as it is the Russians who have done 90% of the fighting. Yep, 90% of German casualties come from the Eastern front.

Having said that, I haven't read the previous discussion you people had.

[kingofkings962]

OOOOO BRAVO!

[Raziel5648]

@ProjectRPcraft Yes, the american people don't deserve the blame for what their government does. In fact, I believe they themselves are being oppressed by the leaders.

But please don't use the "we saved you all from nazis" cards. USA was mostly focused on Japan while the USSR was fighting Hitler alone for almost 3 years! Victory over Nazism was payed by millions of Russian corpses on the eastern front. Stalin deserves most of the credit for defeating Hitler.

[ProjectRPcraft]

@666Doncha Peace! :)

[ProjectRPcraft]

@vt7password Peace! :)

[666Doncha]

@ProjectRPcraft i said true..so fuck off..

[ProjectRPcraft]

@666Doncha I don't see how you can blame a whole country just like that. USA is a great country and you have no right to accuse that many people. Without USA, Serbia would still be a nazi country...

[GodBlessNes]

Thank you a lot

[arthurdent89]

Muzika iz Knights of Honor :D