Serbia

Serbia's medieval state emerged in the 9th century. The Serbian Empire under Stefan Dušan (r. 1331–1355) was the largest state in the medieval Balkans, but collapsed after his death. The Ottoman victory at Kosovo Polje (1389) began a long period of Ottoman suzerainty, though a Serbian despotate survived until 1459. After several centuries of Ottoman rule, the First Serbian Uprising (1804) under Karađorđe and the Second (1815) under Miloš Obrenović led to autonomy (1817) and formal self-governance. The Principality of Serbia was recognised in 1835, becoming a Kingdom in 1882 and gaining full independence from the Ottoman Empire in 1878. Serbia was the epicentre of the July Crisis of 1914; its heroic resistance and winter retreat across Albania made it a symbol of Allied determination. Serbia's national aspirations were fulfilled in 1918 with the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes (later Yugoslavia). After Yugoslavia's violent dissolution (1991–2001), the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (1992) — later Serbia and Montenegro (2003) — became Serbia upon Montenegro's independence (2006). Kosovo declared independence in 2008, unrecognised by Serbia.

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