Markovic: The Decani Charter as a response to the misuse of history for political purposes

Historian Marko Markovic stated that the significance of the Decani Charter is immense, especially in the current period of "political turmoil and misuse of history."

"The significance of the Decani Charter is enormous, particularly in the context of today’s political upheavals and the manipulation of history for political purposes. Anyone who looks at the original Decani Charter, which is nearly seven centuries old, can clearly see who lived in that area, who ruled it, and how powerful, developed, and culturally established the medieval Serbian state was," Markovic told Kosovo Online.

He adds that the estate of Visoki Decani spanned an area that now covers multiple modern-day Balkan states.

"The entire Visoki Decani estate, which was quite extensive, stretched across what is now three countries: Serbia, Montenegro, and Albania. It was almost entirely inhabited by a Serbian population. Later historical records confirm that this demographic situation remained unchanged for a significant period," Markovic explained.

He specifies that these records include sources from the period of independent Serbia as well as from Ottoman rule.

"We have a census from 1455, taken in the former lands of Vuk Brankovic, which shows that Kosovo and Metohija were almost entirely inhabited by a Serbian population—98%, to be precise—while only 2% were non-Serbs, primarily Dubrovnik merchants and Catholic residents near mining centers, along with a very small number of Albanians," Markovic claims.

He explains that the first significant demographic shifts in Kosovo occurred at the end of the 17th century.

"The first major demographic changes in this region happened only after 1690, with the first Serbian migration, followed by the second migration. The most significant shifts, however, took place between 1878 and 1912, when a large number of Serbs were forced to leave the area and resettle in the Kingdom of Serbia," Markovic emphasized.