into Kosovo. The larger, eastern part of Kosovo remained overwhelmingly Serb Orthodox, with a Catholic Albanian, and later Muslim Albanian, presence growing from the west by the 16th century. The urban economy began to decline along with the output from the mines, yet Albanian highlander stockbreeders continued to migrate such that Kosovo would attain an Albanian majority by the end of 18th century. The topic of the Great Migrations is a source of disputes between some Serbian and Albanian historians, with each side having its viewpoint, including doubtful Serbian claims of no prior Albanian presence, and doubtful Albanian claims of a larger prior presence. Additionally, Albanians claim descent from the Illyrians, who had inhabited ancient Dardania. Albanians were present in Kosovo before the Ottoman period, and it has been suggested that a part of the Albanian population there were present as Illyrians before the Slavs came to the Balkans. It is likely that Albanians in Kosovo before the Ottoman period were, if not the majority, an important minority. At the time of King Lazar in the 14th century, and at the beginning of the Ottoman period in 1455, the region had "an overwhelming Slavic (Serbian) majority", but significant Albanian migration in the early sixteenth century resulted by mid-century in a sizable Albanian population in parts of western Kosovo. According to Malcolm, a major part of the Albanian demographic growth was the expansion of an indigenous Albanian population within Kosovo itself. Ottoman official documents and reports by Evliya Çelebi in the 17th century show that before the Habsburg invasion of 1689-1690 and the Great Migrations of the Serbs, at least western and central Kosovo were treated as part of Ottoman Albania, and had a large Albanian population. Thus, the Albanian tribesmen that moved from turbulent mountains of Shkodra to western and central Kosovo after 1670, merely moved to other parts of Ottoman Albania. István Deák from the University of Colombia states that Serbs, who were somewhat better educated than the Albanians, were willing to move away in search of better economic opportunities, which helped demographic changes in the territory of Kosovo throughout the centuries. See also Rascians New Serbia (historical province) Slavo-Serbia Serbian historiography References Sources External links Ottoman Serbia Serbia under Habsburg rule Vojvodina under Habsburg rule 17th century in Serbia 18th century in Serbia Forced migrations in Europe Serbs from the Ottoman Empire Habsburg Serbs Great Turkish War Historical