Despite the dominant Serbian nationalist discourse portraying the mid 19th century conflicts as a “war of liberation” against the Ottoman Empire, contemporary evidence suggests a far more complex reality. A German report published in the Augsburger Postzeitung in 1861 depicts cordial and even convivial relations between Ottoman and Serbian officers. It describes how “Turkish officers often visit the Serbs and, over wine and curds, forget both national and religious hatred.” Such accounts reveal that the narrative of unbroken hostility was, to a significant extent, a later nationalist construction rather than a reflection of everyday political and military relations.

Cited:

“Belgrade, June 22nd. The majority of the Turkish troops recruited in Rametia are encamped near Senica, divided into 15 camps of 800 men each. The first is located in Senica, the second in Novibazar, the third in Bitolje, and a fourth army corps will move to Constantinople in the event of a military operation. Everything is well organized, only discipline is lacking. The incident occurred when 500 soldiers marching to Karadag, after receiving their travel allowances, suddenly turned back home. Relations between the Turkish and Serbian militaries are by no means hostile. Turkish officers often visit the Serbians and, over wine and curds, forget national and religious hatred…”

Reference

Augsburger Postzeitung 1861. https://www.google.se/books/edition/Augsburger_Postzeitung/QPxDAAAAcAAJhl=sv&gbpv=1&dq=Arnauten+Ragusa&pg=PA1659&printsec=frontcover