Rival nobles divide Serbia after the death of Dusan in 1355, and many switch loyalty to the sultan after the last Nemanja dies in 1371.

The most powerful Serbian prince, Lazar Hrebeljanovic, raises a multinational force to engage the Turks in the Battle of Kosovo Polje on St. Vitus Day in 1389.

The Turks barely defeat Lazar, and both he and the sultan are killed.

The defeat does not bring immediate Turkish occupation of Serbia, but during the centuries of Turkish domination that follow, the Serbs will endow the battle with myths of honor and heroism that helps them preserve their dignity and sense of nationhood.

Serbs still recite epic poems and sing songs about the nobles who fell at Kosovo Polje; the anniversary of the battle is the Serbian national holiday, Vidovdan (St. Vitus Day), June 28.