Branković Puns

I was reading about the fall of Byzantium and this absolutely baffeled me. Did interreligious noble marriage happen more often than this?

To begin with, there was no region of Kosovo as such in medieval times, only a number of individual localities bearing that name. “Kosovo” is a very old and common Slavic toponym, originating from the word *kosъ, meaning “blackbird”; and as you may well imagine, the “[place] of blackbirds” was only a too common name for a number of plains, meadows, moors and heaths, scattered all across the Balkans. In Croatia alone, I can think of several dozen localities variously named Kosova, Kosovac, Kosovača, Kosovica, Kosović, etc. In fact, the earliest record of that name comes from the late 12th century legend about the death of Croatian king Demetrius Zvonimir. Supposedly, it was in a place called “five churches in Kosovo”, where he announced to Croats they’re about to go on a crusade, and then got stabbed to death by a disagreeing assembly.

The particular Kosovo field which came to be the most famous of all the various Kosovos, and in modern age gave its name to this entire region, is a long karst plain on Sitnica river, practically in the very heart of the Balkans. Its fame stems from the fact that in 14th and 15th centuries, it was the site of not one, but two medieval battles between Christians and Turks.

I said Christians, because in both cases, the army opposing Ottoman advance was composed out of various Christian lords and their retinues, and not just of Serbs. The first battle, fought on 15th of June 1389, saw the Ottoman army of sultan Murad I pitted against the coalition of two most powerful Serbian nobles, prince Lazar Hrebeljanović and his son-in law, Vuk Branković, together with Bosnian duke Vlatko Vuković Kosača, Croatian viceroy Ivan Palisna, and possibly some Hungarian and Albanian lords as well.

However, as it’s usually the case with events at the heart of myths, what actually happened in this battle is fairly obscure. The only thing certain is that both Murad and Lazar, as leaders of their respective forces, perished in it, and both armies eventually retreated from the field. Contemporary Christian sources tried to spin this as a victory for their side, and went into a full propaganda mode to glorify fallen Lazar and his warriors as martyrs, who gave their lives to defeat the Turkish menace.

Fortunate, most fortunate are those hands of the twelve loyal lords who, having opened their way with the sword and having penetrated the enemy lines and the circle of chained camels, heroically reached the tent of Murad himself. Fortunate above all is

IV. Metamorphosis

The beginnings of early modern Serbia are to be found in great wars fought between Ottomans and Habsburgs at the turn of 17th to 18th century. It was in 1718 that above mentioned princess Eugene of Savoy conquered Sanjak of Smederevo, and established in its place the short-lived Kingdom of Serbia as an Austrian vassal state; the Ottomans will reconquer it in 1739, but they will never again manage to subjugate it. Various Austrian-inspired rebellions will continue in that territory through much of 18th and 19th century, until at last, Principality of Serbia will emerge as an independent, internationally recognized state in 1878; and with Austrian backing, became a Kingdom again in 1882.

The Orthodox Patriarchs in Peć, however, didn’t fare well through those tumultuous times. Being forced to balance their loyalties between Ottomans and Habsurgs, they found themselves in the unfortunate shoes of the old despot Đurađ Branković. The Ottomans thus had their office abolished in 1766, and put Serbian church once again under the rule of more reliable Patriarch in Constantinople. However, several patriarchs managed to escape to Austrian (or better said, Hungarian) territory before that happened, leading large populations of their flocks with them. The Habsurgs accepted them and settled them in the area of modern-day Vojvodina, (literally: “Dukedom”) and confirmed them their old privileges of ethno-religious self-rule (although they had the patriarchal title demoted to that of metropolitan, whose seat now became the town of Sremski Karlovci).

People like to forget their history, or to project onto it their contemporary prejudices and ideologies. After two world wars, Iron Curtain and two Yugoslavias between them, hardly anyone cares to remember that Panslavism was originally an Austrian movement; that the Slavs were the first, last and fiercest line of defense of Habsburg monarchy, often more loyal to the venerable empire than its German, Hungarian or Italian subjects; or that Austria essentially built modern-day South-Slavic nations (with possible exception of Bulgarians), together with their common language (which should rightly be called Viennese language, because that’s from where it really originates). Serbia was no exception; its emerging 19th-century national intelligentsia were all Austrian-educated, German-speaking bourgeois, mingling with their like-minded Czech, Croat, Slovenian or Slovak counterparts in saloons or coffee-houses of Vi

Phil

Sudden Lee

Go post NSFW jokes somewhere else. If I can't tell my kids this joke, then it is not a DAD JOKE.

If you feel it's appropriate to share NSFW jokes with your kids, that's on you. But a real, true dad joke should work for anyone's kid.

Mods... If you exist... Please, stop this madness. Rule #6 should simply not allow NSFW or (wtf) NSFL tags. Also, remember that MINORS browse this subreddit too? Why put that in rule #6, then allow NSFW???

Please consider changing rule #6. I love this sub, but the recent influx of NSFW tagged posts that get all the upvotes, just seem wrong when there are good solid DAD jokes being overlooked because of them.

Thank you,

A Dad.

So far nobody has given me a straight answer

I am currently in the hospital. I had a back operation yesterday. The surgical nurse came in my room and started asking questions about my back. She asked me if I had any falls during the last year. I responded just one. It was after summer.

She laughed and said in 20 years of doing this she never was told that joke.

..... Will get a reward.

Because they work on many levels

Well, toucan play at that game.

Argon does not react.

Windows

Martin Freeman, and Andy Serkis.

They also play roles in Lord of the Rings.

I guess that makes them the Tolkien white guys.

She said apple-lutely

Me : For starters, I bring a lot to the table

'Eye-do'

This is my first post pls don't kill me lol.

The people in the comment section is why I love this subreddit!!

Cred once again my sis wants credit lol

Keep in mind, my son is 4 years old, so everything is an original to him.

I had to work late into the evening yesterday, and he was just going to bed when I got home. I had left home for the office nearly 14 hours prior, had a long day, lots of meetings, traffic, etc.

When I walked through the door, I was exhausted, run down, and starving. My wife hugged me and asked how my day was, and I replied, "Done. It was a good day, but has got me exhausted. I just want to grab a bite and go to bed. I'm hungry."

From my son's bedroom, I hear him shout, "Hi Hungry! Nice to meet you!"

Not only did it make me laugh, but I completely forgot about how hungry and tired I was. I went to his bedroom, and we laughed together about it. It was exactly what I needed.

Edit: Thanks for all the awards, kind strangers! I'll let my son know y'all enjoyed his joke too!

I heard parents named their children lance a lot.

First post please don't kill me

Edit: i went to sleep and now my inbox is dead, thank you kind strangers for the awards!

To get to the... Bottom...

(as told by my 5yo son, I'm so proud)

Japan.

"No, the regular kind!" I laughed.

second hand stores!

it's Hans free now..

Old Neeeeiiiiighvy

10+10 is twenty and 11+11 is twenty too

A buck-an-ear!

I Thank ye kind Matey for the booty! I be truly overwhelmed! Thank you!

Holy cow! Thank you everyone for the upvotes and awards! I wasn’t expecting this!

He should have a good vowel movement. His next diaper change could spell disaster though.

and not:

Making it all the way home and realizing that they forgot one of the containers:

Riceless