Kosovo Serbs

Kosovo Serbs (Serbian: Косовски Срби, romanized: Kosovski Srbi) are a recognized ethnic minority in Kosovo. According to the estimates, the population of ethnic Serbs is 95,000 to 100,000, constituting 5% to 6% of the total population; they are the second-largest ethnic group in Kosovo after Albanians.

The medieval Kingdom of Serbia and the Serbian Empire included parts of the territory of Kosovo until its annexation by the Ottomans following the Battle of Kosovo in 1389, considered one of the most pivotal events in Serbian history. Modern Serbian historiography considers Kosovo in this period to be the political, religious, and cultural core of the medieval Serbian state. In the 16th century, the Serbian Patriarchate of Peć was re-established and its status strengthened. At the end of 18th century, the support of the Patriarchate to the Habsburgs during the Great Turkish War triggered a wave of Serb migrations to areas under the control of the Habsburg monarchy. After the independence of the Principality of Serbia to its north, Kosovo came increasingly to be seen by the mid-19th century as the "cradle of Serb civilization" and called the "Serbian Jerusalem".

Kosovo was annexed by the Kingdom of Serbia in 1912, following the First Balkan War. During the period of the Kingdom of Yugoslavia, Kosovo experienced the Serb colonisation which aimed to increase the number of Serbs in Kosovo with colonists from Serbia and Montenegro. After World War II, Kosovo became an autonomous province within Serbia under Yugoslavia's socialist federation, with significant cultural and political rights granted to balance Albanian and Serb interests. As a result of the Kosovo War and following by its declaration of independence in 2008 it is partially recognized by the international community. Following the Kosovo War, over half of Kosovo Serb population were expelled, primarily to Serbia.