Recent media claims that Belgrade might resume control over Kosovo’s airspace highlight how some Serbs still dream of compensating for defeat on land by winning victory in the heavens.
I have always had a problem with a myth surrounding the epic battle at the Field of Blackbirds, also known as the Battle of Kosovo, which happened in 1389 and ended with a crushing defeat for the medieval Serbian Empire and a crucial victory for the Ottoman Turks.
Everyone in Serbia knows this story: according to the legend, Serbian Emperor Lazar was visited by an angel in the eve of the battle with the Turks, and presented with a choice: either to choose the earthly empire and win the battle, but spend eternity in hell in the afterlife, or lose and earn his place in heaven.
Needless to say, Lazar chose the latter, and Turks ruled not just Kosovo, but also Serbia as well as much of Europe, for the next 500 years.
http://www.balkaninsight.com/en/blog/serbia-reaches-for-the-heavens-over-kosovo-11-29-2016
