Hopkinsville Kentuckian. [volume] (Hopkinsville, Ky.) 1889-1918, 1914-08-18
OLD PRIZE OF WAR
Belgrade Has Been Fought Over
for Many Centuries.
Scene Of Countless Devastating Con-
fllets Since the celts Built the
First FortifcstIons Seven
teen Hundred Years Ago.

II the spirits of the soldiers slain in
Belgrade, the capital of Servia, during
the last thousand years could be rein
carnated such an armed host would
be represented as has not been seen
since Xerxes set oct from Sardis to
conquer the civilized world. For since
the first Notifications we're made on
the promontory at the confluence OF
the Save and the Danube, near the site
of the present city, by the Celts in the
third century B. c.. 1t has been the
scene of one devasting conflict after
another.
The Celts gave to Belgrade the
name OF Singidunum, and as such 1t
was known until the seventeenth CEN
fury A. d. The Romans took 1t from
the Celts and replaced their fort by
strong Notifications, as is evidenced
by bricks recently dug up bearing
the inscription 'Legio w, F1avia Fee
lix." For the following two centuries
it changed masters often, each change
being marked by slaughter as Huns,
Sarmstians, Goths and Gepids followed
each other into possession before the
Emperor Justinian brought it once
more under Roman rule.
Toward the end Of the eighth cen
fury the Franks of Charlemagne be-
sieged and took 1t, and the following
century 1t fell into the hands of Bull
garians. In the eleventh century the
nngI a
quered it for the Greek empire. The
Hungarians fought over it for the first
time in 1924, when King Stephen
wrested it from the Greeks,
The Servian kings first gained it's
possession in the fourteenth century,
and after q years the Servian prince,
Giorg Brankovitch, ceded it to the
Hungarians. It's possession by Chris
tian nations incensed the Turk, and
twice during the fifteenth century the
city was assailed by the followers of
the sultans. Each time they were
beaten back, and in the last siege. that
of 1856. the monk, John Capistran.
and the famous John Hunyady rose
to fame through the vigor Of the de-
fence conducted by them.
In the middle of the next century
the Turks under the Sultan Suleiman
took 1t from the Hungarians, and it
remained a Turkish possession until
the Austrians captured it in 1888. TIVE
years later the Turks recaptured the
city and held it until I'LL, when, by a
most brilliant campaign, Prince Eu-
gene of Savoy retook it for the Aus
trians, who held II until 1888.
Then the Turks gained its posses
sion only to lose it so years later when
the Austrians under General Laudon
carried it by assault and held the cita-
del for four years. One hundred and
seven years ago the Servians, having
gained their independence, became
masters of Belgrade, but were forced
to abandon it to the Turks six years
later Until 1862 the Turks kept
troops in the garrison there, but the
Servians were practically their own
rulers.
The dual government occasioned
much friction, and in June, 1862, the
Turkish commander bombarded the
Servian quarter of the city. AS a con
sequence of the assault, four years
later diplomatic pressure was brought
to bear and the Turkish garrison was
withdrawn. Then followed the modern
Balkan wars, during which Belgrade
was the scene of much armament,
riots and threatened sieges.