Tirana, Sofia Carp Macedonian Encyclopaedia

"No one can build their own identity by forging history,” he added." But Mr. Berisha, this is exactly what the Albanians are doing in Kosovo. Claiming Serbian churches built centuries ago as their own. Obilic as their own and now Alexander the great at their own. If anyone should be quiet on this issue, it is your people Mr. Berisha.

In fact, the Albanians claim that Alexander was of Illyrian stock. This is partially true, the Lyncestians were an Illyrian tribe. You see, Phillips' mother was a Lyncestian, and that would make Alexander 1/4 Illyrian. Nevertheless, the Illyrians themselves were a mixed lot. The Albanians probably originate from some portion of the Illyrians, but not necessarily from the Lyncestians. It is impossible to prove any sort of a relation between Alexander the Great and the modern Albanians. Anyway, Alexander himself view the whole situation in a different way. He was pissed off when his father married a Macedonian girl, whose uncle, Attalus, suggested that Phillip could now breed "pure Macedonian" children. Presumable Attalus dreamed of becoming the uncle of a future king of Macedonia. It is stupid to claim a "pure Macedonian" gene from the antiquity, since the original Macedonians had descended from Illyria to Argos Oresticon, and then through the Aliakmon gorges to the vicinity of Olympus, where they built their kingdom, and the fact that Phillip could not breed "pure Macedonian" children, since the Lyncestians were not exactly Macedonians (they were "Upper Macedonians", incorporated into the kingdom of Makedon without their will). So, Alexander insulted Attalus, his father demanded that Alexander apologise to Attalus, Alexander refused, and then Phillip tried to reach Alexander by stepping into some tables. He was too drunk (and lame due to war wounds) and he fell down, and then Alexander commented that the man who wished to cross into Asia could not cross from one table to the next one! When Phillip was murdered, his young Macedonian bride and her child were also assassinated by Olympiad. Attalus was also assassinated, but probably by orders of Alexander, who was the new king of Makedon now. A decade later Alexander did not forget the incident. Both of his wives were foreign and not only that, he forced many of his officers and troops to marry their local mistresses at a summit in Opi. If we can claim something certain about Alexander, this is that he was not one who approved of racial purity. Nobody can say for sure if the words that Pseudo-Kallistenes put in his mouth, that "...I believe that any good barbarian is a Greek and any bad Greek is worse than a barbarian..." were true or not. Few can doubt though that Alexander was merely following an old Macedonian practice of employing people from many parts of the world, and of judjing them according to their usefulness rather than their race. After all, Phillip had employed Eumenes of Kardia to be his secretary, and Alexander used him in some military duties during his campaigns. In the end, the man who stood up for the siblings of Alexander and tried to save their lives and restore them to the throne was no Macedonian. all of those Diadochoi massacred each other and Alexanders' children in order to carve a piece of Alexanders' empire for themselves. Only Eumenes, that Greek from the Thracian town of Kardia, the one whom the Macedonians ridiculed as "the General of the Quills" proved to be the one who felt the obligation to repay Phillips' and Alexanders' gratitude. Unfortunately, for all of his deeds (like killing the revered Macedonian general Krateros in the battlefield in the midst of his seasoned Macedonian troops, only with a handful of barbarians and Macedonian troops!!!) he failed. He failed not by losing a battle, but because of treachery from the Macedonian Silver-Shields, and his death sealed the fate of Alexanders' siblings and Olympiad too, for they were all massacred by Kassander or by Kassanders' will. Thus, all of those who claim to be "descendants of Alexander the Great", an improbable thing since all of Alexanders' descandants were slain before they had a chance to have children of their own, should also remember that the Macedonians themselves denied Alexander his descendants, that only a Greek was their only hope, and that Alexander would could not give a damn about your genetic theories. He was happy enough to live as a mongrel, and if we believe his claims that he descended from an Egyptian deity who fertilized his mother, Olympias, we can claim that he was happy to promote the idea that he was the bastard of an Egyptian too!!!

Very, very incorrect statement made by peggy. Kosovo was aia is Albanian. Part of Macedonia was/is Albanian. Part of Macedonia was/in Bulgarian. Part of Macedonai is Greek. Now, this is CORRECT statement.

I have two questions for you Peggy. Was it Albanians who came to Kosovo(Dardania) from Siberia,Russia or Serbs? Who was first to accept christianity Russians or Albanians? I hope you will give me an honest answer

You are wrong when you say "Serbian churches". The churches are of Kosovo and its people and yes they were built by the Kosovo people(which is albanians, serbs and other nationalities, and yes fyi albanians helped build the decani monastery). As a chistian albanian female living in Kosovo i find your posts one sided and anti-albanian!

I agree with the comment above. Berisha is not competent to issue such statements, taking how dubvious albanian ideological history has become.

Peggy, there might be some individuals with their own opinion that might say that. But the Albanian government has never officially documented such things. Stop your anti-Albanian ranting.

No Albanian has ever claimed that those churches were built by us. It's complete nonsense, made up by you to throw some cheap shots. Why don't you do yourself a favour and read some literature about the region, prefebly by a non Serb or non Albanian. That'll sober up your thoughts and ideas

So when the albanians and the bulgarians make historical complaints - they can be rectified and blamed on the dark forces. When the greeks complain - it is all propaganda. Seems unfair.

Peggy, there might be some individuals with their own opinion that might say that. But the Albanian government has never officially documented such things. Stop your anti-Albanian ranting. Bill Hey Bill, your own people are saying it and you have just acknoledge that so how is this MY ranting? I am merely repeating what I have read from Albanians themselves. DON'T SHOOT THE MESSENGER? Andi, you say that no Albanian has ever claimed that those churches were built by you. Please take a look at Merita's post and then tell me the same again. I have read so many posts claiming those churches to be Albanian. Why do you think I posted what I did originally? I am not going around spreading lies. This has all come from your own people. Pay attention to what they write.

Kosovo was never a land for Albanians. To keep everyone happy in the Balkans, Tito gave land away for almost nothing to the Albanians so that they would cause problems for Tito. As a result many settled in Kosovo not long ago. If you go back 100 years, the region of Kosovo belonged to the Serbs, where more then 90% were Serbs, with churches for the Serb people. In the present day, all those churches were burnt down and replaced by mosques. To Chris - who cares who first accepted Christianity! All I know is that Kosovo was a land for the Slavs, but now its a land of burnt churches!!