Battle of Kosovo

The Battle of Kosovo was a historical battle in 1389 between a Serbian prince and the invading Ottoman Turks in present-day Kosovo. The Serbs were roundly defeated, ushering in four centuries of Islamic rule. The battle was one of the defining moments of Serbian history and the basis of much of its culture, commemorated in countless epic poems including The Battle of Kosovo and The Rose of Kosovo.

In 1989, the Yugoslav government under President Slobodan Milošević commemorated the 500-year anniversary of the battle, with Milošević referencing the battle to rally the Serb people to resist surrendering Kosovo. Yugoslavia's intransigence in the region ultimately led to the 1999 NATO air attacks.