Serbian historiography (Serbian Cyrillic: српска историографија, romanized: srpska istoriografija) refers to the historiography (methodology of history studies) of the Serb people since the founding of Serbian statehood. The development can be divided into four main stages: traditional historiography, Ruvarac's critical school, Communist–Marxist legacy, and the renewed Serbian national movement.

Count Đorđe Branković (d. 1711) wrote of the notable Slavo-Serbian Chronicles.

Jovan Rajić (1726–1801) was the forerunner to modern Serbian historiography, and has been compared to the importance of Nikolay Karamzin to Russian historiography.

Two works mark the key beginning of modern Serbian historiography, through which domestic scholarship became part of the European historiographical sphere: Julinac’s A Short Introduction to the History of the Origin of the Slavo-Serbian People (1765) and Jovan Rajić’s History of Various Slavic Peoples, Especially of the Bulgarians, Croats, and Serbs (written in 1768 but published only in 1794–95). Rajić’s History of Various Slavic Peoples represents, by its content and style, an exceptional intellectual achievement and a monumental work. Nikola Radojčić, who was an expert on the topic Serbian historiography, stated that it can be said without exaggeration that Jovan Rajić inaugurated Serbian history, alongside Julinac. The work of Jovan Rajić differed from previous works through systematic exposition, critical use of sources, maps, genealogical tables, and notes, as well as by adopting a European historical perspective. Although the work is not without flaws, such as an excessive focus on medieval state of Raška, the incorrect identification of certain ancient tribes as Slavic, and reliance on indirect sources, its importance remains fundamental. As an adapter of European historical thought, Rajić was the first in Serbian literature to systematically shape historical terminology. In the absence of predecessors and within the complex linguistic situation of the 18th century, he successfully introduced foreign concepts, titles, and hierarchical relations, and was the first to use the term “feudal” in the sense corresponding to the German lehnkönig. Based on his remarks on the Patarenes, Rajić may also be considered one of the first authors to deal with the history of the Bosnian Church. A Short History and Rajić’s History complement one another, both were created with the intention of filling the gap in knowledge of the national past. Before publishing his major work, Rajić had demonstrated the same aspiration to spread historical knowledge beyond personal ambition, and together with Julinac, he restored the forgotten beginnings of Serbian historiography and was the first to include the period preceding Stefan Nemanja. Through his work, he laid the foundations of modern Serbian historiography and embodied the culture of the Age of Enlightenment. Serbian historiography then developed in dialogue with European scholarship.

Ilarion Ruvarac (1832–1905) is regarded the founder of the critical school of Serbian historiography. Ruvarac's school clashed with that of Panta Srećković. Srećković was the first professional historian of the Great School, was a pronounced liberal and patriot, but his History of the Serbian People was sharply criticized by Ilarion Ruvarac, who pointed out its methodological shortcomings. Ruvarac emphasized that patriotism required a realistic and critical attitude toward the past. Ruvarac and Ljubomir Kovačević advocated a critical, source-based approach, while Stojan Novaković represented a synthesis of popular and scholarly traditions. The division between the romantic and critical schools lasted for more than a decade and ended in 1893 with Srećković’s retirement. Ljubomir Kovačević then took over teaching duties at the Belgrade Higher School (later the University of Belgrade), marking a turn toward critical historiography, which subsequently gained dominance. New generations of historians educated abroad continued this orientation, and the polemic between romantics and critics shaped modern Serbian historiography as an independent scholarly discipline.

Serbian historiography was mostly focused on national issues during the Society of Serbian Scholarship and Serbian Learned Society (1841–1886). The development of historiography during the 19th century took place under the influence of European liberalism and positivist ideas. History was perceived as a means of national enlightenment and proof of identity, while Serbian students educated in Germany and France introduced into domestic scholarship the critical methods of modern historiography.

Until the end of the 19th century, Serbian historiography was not advanced by scholars fully trained as historians in the European sense. This early “amateur” period nevertheless had developmental value, as even self-taught authors preserved a critical spirit and laid the groundwork for the professionalization of the historical discipline. The first Serbian historical studies appeared in the mid-19th century. Aleksandar Stojačković was the first in Serbian historiography to write specialized studies on topics from national history based on archival sources.

Jireček (1855–1918) occupies a central place in Serbian and South Slavic historiography of the 19th and early 20th centuries. His work, based on the critical collection and analysis of sources, laid the foundations for further development of the discipline, and his best-known work, History of the Serbs, has remained one of the cornerstones for the study of medieval Serbia.