Serbia 's People 's Radical Party , which was founded by reputed Russophile Nikola Pašić in 1881 and gained parliament majority by 1891 , sought to free the country of Austro-Hungarian dependence . Serbia was defeated in the war with Bulgaria in 1885 , and the Bulgarian unification was internationally recognized . Meanwhile , tensions between Serbia and Austria-Hungary grew . Serbian pretensions in creating a South Slavic state ( Yugoslavism as opposed to Austro-Slavism ) put fear in Austria-Hungary of potential devastation of the Austro-Hungarian empire . On the other hand , Russia became increasingly disappointed in Bulgaria , where the rulers of the German dynasties , Alexander of Battenberg and from 1887 Ferdinand I , pursued policies that Russia opposed . The visit to Saint Petersburg of Austrian Emperor Franz Joseph and his conference with Nicholas II of Russia in 1897 heralded a secret agreement between the two empires to honour and seek to maintain the '' status quo '' in the Balkans , which was in line with Vienna 's attempts to forestall an emergence of a large Slavic state in the region . The 1901 massacres of Serbs in Kosovo was instrumental in causing a diplomatic conflict between Austria-Hungary , which supported the Albanians , and Serbia , which was supported by Russia
1901 massacres of Serbs
1901 massacres of Serbs
Russia–Serbia relations