The 1901 massacres of Serbs were multiple massacres of Serbs in the Kosovo Vilayet of the Ottoman Empire (modern-day Serbia, Kosovo and North Macedonia), committed by Albanians.
1901 massacres of Serbs | |
---|---|
Location | Kosovo Vilayet, Ottoman Empire (now Kosovo) |
Date | 1901 |
Target | Serbs |
Attack type | Massacres |
Perpetrators | Albanians |
Motive | Serbophobia |
Serbs were maltreated and accused of being Serbian agents.[1] Panic ensued, and Serbs, primarily from the border areas fled to Serbia.[1] Albanians who participated in the Greco-Turkish War (1897) used weapons not turned in to the authorities against the Serbs in Old Serbia.[2] In May 1901, Albanians set Sjenica, Novi Pazar and Pristina on fire.[3] The Albanians went on a rampage massacring Serbs in Pristina.[4] Ibarski Kolašin (now known as North Kosovo), a forested region made up of 40 villages, largely inhabited by Serbs, where Serbian teachers and priests were active, had long irritated the Albanians and Ottoman government; Serbs were continuously maltreated in the region.[5] The Serbian government observed the developments in Kolašin, and did not remain idle.[5] The situation became serious, with Serbs being smuggled arms by Serbia to defend themselves.[2] In the summer of 1901, Albanians massacred Serbs in the Kolašin area.[2] The atrocities prompted the Russian government to intervene at the Porte.[2]
Initially, the Porte did not suppress the Albanian movement nor protect the Serbs.[1] Russia demanded that the Albanians and Turkish gendarmeries be punished and the Serbs be allowed to keep the arms for protection.[3] The Porte answered by mass arrests and criminalizing the Albanian language.[4] The governor (vali) was dismissed, and several other anti-Serb officials, and Albanian chieftains who had been especially cruel, were removed from their posts.[6]
Austria-Hungary, supported the Albanians, and tried to downplay the massacres.[3] The events were instrumental in the "Kolašin affair" (Serbian Cyrillic: Колашинска афера), a diplomatic conflict between Austria-Hungary, which supported the Albanians, and Serbia, which was supported by Russia.[7]