A brief History of Kosovo

Since prehistoric times - The southeastern corner of Europe, including the nowdays Kosovo region as well, was settled by the Illyrians, ancestors of present-day Albanians, in Paleolithic times.

Situated where it is and surrounded by powerful, warring empires, Albania Region has seen a lot of violence throughout its history.

Greeks, Romans, Byzantines, Venetians and Ottomans swept through, leaving their mark and their ruins.

During the Mid-Ages - The Kosovo region has been taken, retaken, and ruled by several empires. It lay both on the outer fringes of the Byzantine Empire and directly in the path of Slavic expansion.

850 untill about 1014 - The Kosovo region it was ruled by Bulgaria.

12th century Kosovo lies at the heart of the empire, under the Nemanjic dynasty. The period sees the building of many Orthodox churches and monasteries.

1389 28th June Epic Battle of Kosovo heralds 500 years of Ottoman rule. Over the ensuing decades many Christians leave the region. Over the centuries the religious and ethnic balance tips in favour of Muslims and Albanians.

1689-90 Austrian invasion is repelled.

1912 Balkan Wars: Serbia regains control of Kosovo, recognised by 1913 Treaty of London.

1918 Collapse of the Ottoman empire; Kosovo becomes part of the kingdom of Serbia.

1941 World War II: Much of Kosovo becomes part of an Italian-controlled greater Albania.

1946 Kosovo is absorbed into the Yugoslav federation.

1960s Belgrade shows increasing tolerance for Kosovan autonomy.

1974 Yugoslav constitution recognises the autonomous status of Kosovo, giving the province de facto self-government.

1981 Troops suppress separatist rioting in the province.

1987 In a key moment in his rise to power, future president Slobodan Milosevic rallies a crowd of Kosovo Serbs, who are protesting against alleged harassment by the majority Albanian community.

1989 Yugoslav President Slobodan Milosevic proceeds to strip rights of autonomy laid down in the 1974 constitution.

1990 July Ethnic Albanian leaders declare independence from Serbia. Belgrade dissolves the Kosovo government.

1990 September Sacking of more than 100,000 ethnic Albanian workers, including government employees and media workers, prompts general strike.

1992 July An academic, Ibrahim Rugova, is elected president of the self-proclaimed republic.

1993-97 Ethnic tension and armed unrest escalate.

1998 Open conflict between Serb police and separatist Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA). Serb forces launch a brutal crackdown. Hundreds of thousands of civilians are driven from their homes.

1998 September Nato gives an ultimatum to President Milosevic to halt the crackdown on Kosovo Albanians.

1999 March Belgrade rejects an internationally-brokered peace deal, which had been signed by the Kosovo Albanian side.

1999 March Nato launches air strikes against Yugoslavia.

1999 March "Moral Combat : NATO AT WAR" this program was made to mark one year after the NATO attacks.

1999 April Facing death in fields of SQUALOR, In Blace on the Kosovo-Macedonia border

1999 June President Milosevic agrees to withdraw troops from Kosovo. Nato calls off air strikes. The UN sets up a Kosovo Peace Implementation Force (Kfor) and Nato forces arrive in the province. The KLA agrees to disarm.

1999 September In Pristina, reports on the Allied threat to refugees in Kosovo.

2000 February Returned to Blace, the scene of suffering of Kosovo people

2002 February Ibrahim Rugova is elected as president by the Kosovan parliament after ethnic Albanian parties reach a power-sharing deal. Bajram Rexhepi becomes prime minister.

2003 October First direct talks between Serbian and Kosovo Albanian leaders since 1999.

2003 December UN sets out conditions for final status talks in 2005.

2004 March 19 people are killed in the worst clashes between Serbs and ethnic Albanians since 1999. The violence started in the divided town of Mitrovica.

2004 October President Rugova's pro-independence Democratic League tops poll in general election, winning 47 seats in 120-seat parliament. Poll is boycotted by Serbs.

2004 December Parliament re-elects President Rugova and elects former rebel commander Ramush Haradinaj as prime minister. Mr Haradinaj's party had entered into a coalition with the president's Democratic League.

2005 February Serbian President Boris Tadic visits, promises to defend rights of Serbs in Kosovo.

2005 March Mr Haradinaj indicted to face UN war crimes tribunal in The Hague, resigns as prime minister. He is succeeded by Bajram Kosumi.

President Rugova unhurt when explosion rocks convoy of vehicles in which he is travelling through Pristina.

2005 July Nearly-simultaneous blasts go off near UN, OSCE and Kosovo parliament buildings in Pristina. No-one is hurt.

2006 January President Rugova dies in Pristina after losing his battle with lung cancer. He is succeeded in February by Fatmir Sejdiu.

2006 February UN-sponsored talks on the future status of Kosovo begin.

2006 March Prime Minister Kosumi resigns following criticism of his performance from within his own party. He is succeeded by former KLA commander Agim Ceku.

2006 July First direct talks since 1999 between ethnic Serbian and Kosovan leaders on future status of Kosovo take place in Vienna.

2006 October Voters in a referendum in Serbia approve a new constitution which declares that Kosovo is an integral part of the country. Kosovo's Albanian majority boycotts the ballot and UN sponsored talks on the future of the disputed province continue.

2007 February United Nations envoy Martti Ahtisaari unveils a plan to set Kosovo on a path to independence, which is immediately welcomed by Kosovo Albanians and rejected by Serbia.

2007 1st June Russia says a new draft UN resolution supporting a plan for supervised independence for Kosovo is unacceptable and has hinted it could be vetoed.

2007 9th June US President George W Bush has said a plan for Kosovo's UN-backed independence should take effect now, despite Russian and Serbian opposition.

2007 14th June Britain in favour of independence through the Security Council

2007 21st June Kostunica Urges Withdrawal of Latest UN Draft Resolution on Kosovo.

2007 22nd June EU says declaring Kosovo independence would create problems, not solve them.

2007 12th July Slovenia's FM Tells "The Independent" SE Europe an Opportunity, not a Burden.

2007 20th July UN Kosovo vote plan put on hold.

Regarding to Montenegro, Macedonia, and Greece there is another discussion, especially this last one, which has ripped most part of Albanian south territory, and shameless still is eager to take some more of them.