It is frequently said that Catalans and Serbs are the only nations who celebrate a defeat. Maybe the word celebrate is not the most acurate, but it has something of truth.
Catalonia's National Day is September 11th, remembering the same day of 1714 when the troops of Phillip V broke the defense of the city of Barcelona. After that began a repression that in many ways it took almost 300 years to come over; that would be the case of the town of Lleida, that lost, after that war, its Cathedral (one of the most important of all Europe in that time) that was converted into a military settlement; its City hall and its University; along with a great part of houses, destroyed to build a new fortress to control de city.
Serbia remembers the defeat against the ottoman empire, in 1389, the famous "Battle of Kosovo". But some historian arguee that these defeat was not so. It is undeniable that Ottomans won the battle but it is true too that the number of casualties suffered by the Ottomans (including Sultan Murad I) stopped the advance of the Ottomans into Europe.
This is the reason why the serbian defeat would not be so, as they achieved their major goal; stop islam from advancing into Europe. And on behalf the freedom that we enjoy now, all europeans should thank the serbian nation for their sacrifice.
Catalonia's National Day is September 11th, remembering the same day of 1714 when the troops of Phillip V broke the defense of the city of Barcelona. After that began a repression that in many ways it took almost 300 years to come over; that would be the case of the town of Lleida, that lost, after that war, its Cathedral (one of the most important of all Europe in that time) that was converted into a military settlement; its City hall and its University; along with a great part of houses, destroyed to build a new fortress to control de city.
Serbia remembers the defeat against the ottoman empire, in 1389, the famous "Battle of Kosovo". But some historian arguee that these defeat was not so. It is undeniable that Ottomans won the battle but it is true too that the number of casualties suffered by the Ottomans (including Sultan Murad I) stopped the advance of the Ottomans into Europe.
This is the reason why the serbian defeat would not be so, as they achieved their major goal; stop islam from advancing into Europe. And on behalf the freedom that we enjoy now, all europeans should thank the serbian nation for their sacrifice.
