About this map
How the lands of the South Slavs moved from Ottoman and Habsburg rule to an independent Serbia, then to Yugoslavia, and finally to the seven states of today. The map starts with the First Serbian Uprising of 1804, follows Serbia's autonomy (1815–30), independence (1878) and expansion in the Balkan Wars (1912–13), the creation of the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes (1918), the Axis partition of 1941, socialist Yugoslavia (1945–91), and its break-up from 1991. Only the territory of the former Yugoslavia is shown, coloured by who ruled each part. Notes on accuracy: historical borders are reconstructed from modern municipal boundaries, so lines are approximate (to the nearest municipality). The 1804–1813 rebel extents and the 1941 occupation zones are simplified; Dalmatia's Napoleonic period (1805–13) and the 1943 Italian capitulation are not shown. Kosovo is shown separately from 1999: it was placed under UN administration that year and declared independence in 2008, which Serbia does not recognise; its status remains disputed. Sources: modern borders from Natural Earth (1:10m) and geoBoundaries (municipalities); historical changes per the Treaties of Bucharest (1812, 1913), Akkerman (1826), the hatt-i sharifs of 1830 and 1833, the Congress of Berlin (1878), the Treaties of Neuilly, Trianon and Rapallo (1919–20), the Treaty of Rome (1924) and the Paris Peace Treaty (1947).
Text version: https://www.movingpolygons.com/map/chrisjager/from-serbia-to-yugoslavia-and-back-1804today.md
Timeline
| Date | What the map shows |
|---|---|
| 14 Feb 1804 | 1804 · First Serbian Uprising begins |
| 8 Jan 1807 | 1807 · Rebels take Belgrade |
| 1811 | 1811 · Revolutionary Serbia at its height |
| 7 Oct 1813 | 1813 · Ottomans crush the uprising |
| 23 Apr 1815 | 1815 · Second Serbian Uprising |
| 30 Nov 1830 | 1830 · Sultan recognises autonomous Serbia |
| 1 Jun 1833 | 1833 · Six districts added to Serbia |
| 13 Jul 1878 | 1878 · Congress of Berlin: Serbia independent |
| 22 Nov 1880 | 1880 · Montenegro gains Ulcinj |
| 6 Mar 1882 | 1882 · Kingdom of Serbia proclaimed |
| 6 Oct 1908 | 1908 · Austria-Hungary annexes Bosnia |
| 10 Aug 1913 | 1913 · Balkan Wars: Serbia doubles in size |
| 25 Jan 1916 | 1916 · Serbia and Montenegro occupied |
| 29 Oct 1918 | 1918 · State of Slovenes, Croats and Serbs |
| 4 Nov 1918 | Nov 1918 · Serbia freed; Italy takes Istria |
| 26 Nov 1918 | Nov 1918 · Vojvodina, Montenegro join Serbia |
| 1 Dec 1918 | 1918 · Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes |
| 12 Nov 1920 | 1920 · Borders set at Neuilly and Rapallo |
| 27 Jan 1924 | 1924 · Italy annexes Fiume (Rijeka) |
| 3 Oct 1929 | 1929 · Renamed Kingdom of Yugoslavia |
| 17 Apr 1941 | 1941 · Axis invasion and partition |
| 29 Nov 1945 | 1945 · Federal People's Republic of Yugoslavia |
| 7 Apr 1963 | 1963 · Socialist Federal Republic (SFRY) |
| 25 Jun 1991 | 1991 · Slovenia and Croatia declare independence |
| 8 Sep 1991 | 1991 · Macedonia votes for independence |
| 3 Mar 1992 | 1992 · Bosnia and Herzegovina independent |
| 27 Apr 1992 | 1992 · Federal Republic of Yugoslavia |
| 14 Dec 1995 | 1995 · Dayton Agreement ends the Bosnian War |
| 10 Jun 1999 | 1999 · Kosovo placed under UN administration |
| 4 Feb 2003 | 2003 · State Union of Serbia and Montenegro |
| 3 Jun 2006 | 2006 · Montenegro independent; Serbia alone |
| 17 Feb 2008 | 2008 · Kosovo declares independence |
| 12 Feb 2019 | 2019 · Macedonia renamed North Macedonia |
| 29 Oct 2026 | Today |
Layers
Ottoman Empire (lands of future Yugoslavia) · Habsburg Monarchy / Austria-Hungary · State of Slovenes, Croats and Serbs (1918) · Bulgaria · Italy (incl. Italian-ruled Albania, 1941–43) · Germany (annexed 1941) · Hungary (annexed 1941) · Independent State of Croatia (NDH, Axis puppet) · Montenegro · Slovenia · Croatia · Bosnia and Herzegovina · North Macedonia · Serbia → Yugoslavia → Serbia · Kosovo (status disputed)
Events
- 14 Feb 1804, Orašac assembly: Serb leaders meet at Orašac and choose Karađorđe Petrović to lead a revolt against the Dahije janissaries; it becomes the First Serbian Uprising.
- 23 Apr 1815, Takovo uprising: Miloš Obrenović raises the Second Serbian Uprising at Takovo. It ends in negotiated autonomy, with Miloš recognised as hereditary prince in 1817.
- 23 Oct 1912, Battle of Kumanovo: Serbia defeats the Ottoman Vardar Army in the First Balkan War, opening the way to Skopje and Macedonia.
- 28 Jun 1914, Assassination in Sarajevo: Gavrilo Princip, a Bosnian Serb member of Young Bosnia, kills Archduke Franz Ferdinand. Austria-Hungary's ultimatum to Serbia leads to the First World War.
- 6 Apr 1941, Bombing of Belgrade: Germany opens the Axis invasion with a massive air raid on Belgrade. Yugoslavia capitulates on 17 April and is partitioned.
- 29 Nov 1943, AVNOJ at Jajce: Tito's Partisan council meets in Jajce and lays the foundations of a federal Yugoslavia of six republics.
- 20 Oct 1944, Liberation of Belgrade: Partisans and the Soviet Red Army take Belgrade. Fighting ends in Yugoslavia in May 1945.
- 4 May 1980, Death of Tito: Josip Broz Tito dies in Ljubljana after 35 years in power. A rotating collective presidency follows.
- 5 Apr 1992, Siege of Sarajevo: Bosnian Serb forces besiege Sarajevo for almost four years — the longest siege of a capital in modern warfare. About 11,500 people are killed.
- 11 Jul 1995, Srebrenica genocide: Bosnian Serb forces kill more than 8,000 Bosniak men and boys. International courts ruled it a genocide.
- 24 Mar 1999, NATO bombing of Yugoslavia: A 78-day NATO air campaign over the Kosovo conflict ends with Yugoslav forces withdrawing from Kosovo under UN Security Council Resolution 1244.
- 17 Feb 2008, Kosovo declares independence: Kosovo's assembly declares independence. Many states recognise it; Serbia and several others do not, and its status remains disputed.