Serbian Rebels
59-470: [REDACTED] Kingdom of Serbia The Timok Rebellion ( Serbian Cyrillic : Тимочка буна , romanized : Timočka buna ) was a popular uprising that began in eastern Serbia (now the region of the Timok Valley ) on 28 September 1883, led by the People's Radical Party . It has been called the most important event in Serbia between independence (1878) and the First Balkan War (1912). The first battle occurred at Lukovo on 21 October, when
118-730: A much larger area than modern Kosovo, as it also included the Sanjak of Novi Pazar , the Sanjak of Niş (until 1878), the region around Plav and Gusinje as well as the Dibra region. These regions had belonged to the former Eyalet of Niş , the Eyalet of Üsküb and, after 1865, the Danube Vilayet . In 1868 the Vilayet of Prizren was created with the sanjaks of Prizren, Dibra, Skopje and Nis, but it ceased to exist in 1877. During and after
177-635: A number of artists showing their work as a part of the Serbian pavilion, including Marko Murat , Ivan Meštrović , Đorđe Jovanović and other artists. [REDACTED] Media related to Kingdom of Serbia at Wikimedia Commons 44°48′39″N 20°27′45″E / 44.81083°N 20.46250°E / 44.81083; 20.46250 Kosovo Vilayet The Vilayet of Kosovo ( Ottoman Turkish : ولايت قوصوه , Vilâyet-i Kosova ; Turkish : Kosova Vilayeti ; Albanian : Vilajeti i Kosovës ; Serbian : Косовски вилајет , Kosovski vilajet )
236-528: A result of the Serbian revolution which lasted between 1804 and 1817. Despite brutal oppression and retaliation by the Ottoman authorities, the revolutionary leaders, first Karađorđe and then Miloš Obrenović , succeeded in their goal to liberate Serbia after centuries of Turkish rule. At first, the principality included only the territory of the former Pashaluk of Belgrade , but in 1831–1833 it expanded to
295-713: A result of the multi-ethnic composition of Kosovo, the new administrations provoked a mixed response from the local population. Serbs considered this a liberation. On November 29, 1913, the Drač County of the Kingdom of Serbia was established on the part of the territory of Albania taken from the Ottoman Empire during the First Balkan War. Serbian Drač County had four districts ( Serbian : срез ): Drač (Durrës), Lješ (Lezhë), Elbasan and Tirana . After
354-412: A sizable Serbian population with some local Serbs supporting a future incorporation of the province into a Greater Serbia . Serb schools in the province also attracted some Muslim Albanians as students. Several thousand Aromanians inhabited Kosovo vilayet. Bulgarians lived in the southern half of Kosovo vilayet. There have been a number of estimates about the ethnicity and religious affiliation of
413-622: The Annexation crisis ) erupted into public view when on October 5, 1908, the Kingdom of Bulgaria declared its complete independence from Ottoman Empire and on October 6, 1908, when Austria-Hungary announced the annexation of Bosnia and Herzegovina , which was populated mainly by South Slavs . Austria-Hungary had ambitions of imperialistic expansion and saw the Balkans in the same way that other colonial powers saw Africa or Asia. This idea
472-576: The Catholic faith . Similar to their counterparts in İşkodra Vilayet , Kosovar Malësors (highlanders) had privileges where by doing military service as irregular troops they paid no taxes and avoided military conscription. Ottoman rule among the highlanders was minimal to non-existent and government officials would ally themselves with local power holders to exert any form of authority. Kosovar Albanian Malësors settled disputes among themselves through their mountain law and Ottoman officials disapproved of
531-526: The First Balkan War of 1912, territories of Kosovo and north-western Macedonia were internationally recognised as a part of Serbia and northern Metohija as a part of Montenegro at the Treaty of London of May 1913. In a report to Rome , Lazër Mjeda , Archbishop of Skopje, estimated that 25,000 Albanians were killed by Serbian forces during and after the conflict. The old disagreements regarding
590-787: The Great Exoduses of the Serbs , in 1690 and in 18th century, between 1718 and 1739, from various territories under the rule of the Ottoman Empire , particularly the Kosovo Vilayet, to the Kingdom of Hungary under the Habsburg monarchy . As a result, from 1830 to 1876, it has been estimated that up to 150,000 Albanians that lived in the territories of the Principality of Serbia emigrated or were expelled . In 1867
649-527: The Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes . The new country continued to be ruled by the Serbian monarchy when in August 1921 Prince Alexandar I became king. In 1888 People's Radical Party led by Sava Grujić and Nikola Pašić came to power and a new constitution , based on the liberal Constitution of Belgium was introduced. The lost war and the Radical Party's total electoral victory were some of
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#1732772044719708-459: The Kukës municipality and surrounding region in present-day northern Albania . Between 1881 and 1912 (its final chapter), it was internally expanded to include other regions of present-day Republic of North Macedonia, including larger urban settlements such as Štip ( İştip ), Kumanovo ( Kumanova ) and Kratovo ( Kratova ) ( see map ). The Vilayet of Kosovo was created in 1877, and consisted of
767-465: The Ottoman army garrisons retreated from the Principality, securing its de facto independence. Serbia expanded further to the south-east in 1878, when it won full international recognition at the Congress of Berlin . After the 1877–1878 expansion, in the new areas (present-day Jablanica , Toplica and parts of Nišava District ) an estimated 49,000–130,000 Albanians were expelled ( Expulsion of
826-591: The Republic of North Macedonia but land-locked Serbia was prevented from gaining access to the Adriatic Sea by the newly established Principality of Albania . As the result of these wars, Serbia's population increased from 2.9 million to 4.5 million and territory increased by 81%. The assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria on 28 June 1914 in Sarajevo (then part of Austria-Hungary ) brought
885-494: The Sanjak of Pljevlja (Taşlica) with kazas: Pljevlja , Prijepolje and Priboj . In 1902, kazas of Mitrovica and Novi Pazar were transferred to Sanjak of Pristina, and kazas of Berane and Rožaje to Sanjak of Ipek. In the same time, Sanjak of Sjenica (Seniçe) was created with kazas: Sjenica , Nova Varoš , Bijelo Polje and Lower Kolašin . In 1910, an Albanian-organised insurrection broke out in Pristina and soon spread to
944-653: The Serbian–Ottoman War of 1876–78, between 30,000 and 70,000 Muslims, mostly Albanians, were expelled by the Serb army from the Sanjak of Niș and fled to the Kosovo Vilayet. In 1878, the League of Prizren was created by Albanians from four vilayets including the Vilayet of Kosovo. The League's purpose was to resist Ottoman rule and incursions by the newly emerging Balkan nations. The Kumanovo Uprising took place in early 1878 organized by an assembly of chiefs of
1003-520: The Treaty of Berlin . Üsküb ( Skopje ) functioned as the capital of the province and the midway point between Istanbul and its European provinces. Üsküb's population of 32,000 made it the largest city in the province, followed by Prizren , also numbering at 30,000. The vilayet stood as a microcosm of Ottoman society; incorporated within its boundaries were diverse groups of peoples and religions: Albanians , Serbs , Bosniaks ; Muslims and Christians , both Eastern Orthodox and Catholic. The province
1062-555: The Treaty of London in 1913. The Ottoman Empire finally recognised the new borders following a peace deal with the Kingdom of Serbia on 14 March 1914. Sanjaks of the Vilayet: Üsküp was the administrative capital of the vilayet and other important towns included Priştine (10,000 inhabitants), İpek, Mitroviçe and Prizren. Kosovo vilayet encompassed the Sandžak region cutting into present-day Central Serbia and Montenegro along with
1121-535: The 1890s and provided the state when needed with auxiliary troops. In the northern half of Kosovo vilayet Orthodox Serbs were the largest Christian group and formed a majority within the eastern areas. Orthodox Serbs were under the ecclesiastical authority of the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople and a metropolitan, often of Greek ethnicity, lived in Priştine and presided over the affairs of
1180-633: The Albanians 1877–1878 ), settling mainly in Kosovo. These events marked the beginning of the Serbian-Albanian conflict . The Serbo-Bulgarian War erupted on November 14, 1885, and lasted until November 28 of the same year. The war ended in defeat for Serbia, as it had failed to capture the Slivnitsa region which it had set out to achieve. Bulgarians successfully repelled the Serbs after
1239-662: The Obrenović family were shot as well. This act resulted in the extinction of the House of Obrenović , which had been ruling Serbia since 1817. After the May Coup the Serbian Skupština invited Peter Karađorđević to assume the Serbian crown as Peter I of Serbia . A constitutional monarchy was created with the military Black Hand society operating behind the scenes. The traditionally good relations with Austria-Hungary ended, as
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#17327720447191298-601: The Orthodox population in the province. A seminary existed in Prizren with 100 resident seminarians with many originating from Montenegro . From the 1860s onward, Serbia pursued an active policy of supporting Serbs in Kosovo that entailed sending teachers to the vilayet, supplying subsidies to assist Serb schools and providing scholarships to study in Belgrade. Serb cultural clubs were active in major urban centres containing
1357-581: The Sanjak of Novi Pazar, fell under Austro-Hungarian occupation in accord with the Berlin treaty which also allowed the Austro-Hungarian occupation of Bosnia and Herzegovina (remaining as such until 1908). Two major administrative changes happened in 1880 and 1902. In order to counter Austro-Hungarian military presence in western parts of the Sanjak of Novi Pazar, a new province was created in 1880:
1416-674: The assassination, the conspirators were arrested in Bosnia-Herzegovina and tried in Sarajevo in October 1914. The political objective of the assassination was to break the southern Slav provinces off from the Austro-Hungarian Empire. Assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand triggered a chain of international events that embroiled Russia and the major European powers in the conflict. On July 28, 1914, Austria-Hungary declared war against Serbia. In 1915 Serbia
1475-604: The autonomy they exercised. In the 1880s from an Albanian point of view the sanjaks of İpek, Prizren, Priştine, Üsküp and Yenipazar within Kosovo vilayet belonged to the region of Gegënia . Muslim Bosniaks whose native language was Slavic formed a sizable number of Kosovo vilayet's population and were concentrated mainly in Yenipazar sanjak that contained several prominent Bosniak landowners. Circassian refugees who came from Russia were resettled by Ottoman authorities within Kosovo vilayet in 1864, numbering some 6,000 people by
1534-468: The collapse of Austria-Hungary , Serbia experienced a loss of 28 percent of its pre-war population and went through radical changes after the liberation, all within days. On November 28, 1918, it absorbed the Kingdom of Montenegro at the Podgorica Assembly . On December 1, 1918, Serbia united with the newly created State of Slovenes, Croats, and Serbs to form a new southern Slav state,
1593-738: The crisis to an end. The crisis permanently damaged relations between Austria-Hungary on the one hand and Russia and Serbia on the other. The annexation and reactions to the annexation were some of the contributing causes of World War I. In 1890, it was divided into 15 districts ( okruzi ) which were further divided into counties ( srezovi ). Cities of Belgrade and Niš had special administrative status. The districts were: Valjevo , Vranje , Kragujevac , Krajina , Kruševac , Morava , Pirot , Podrinje , Podunavlje , Požarevac , Rudnik , Timok , Toplica , Užice and Crna Reka . In 1912 and 1913 Serbia enlarged its territory after victorious First Balkan War . In August 1913, 11 new districts were formed in
1652-580: The decisive victory at the Battle of Slivnitsa and advanced into Serbian territory taking Pirot and clearing the way to Niš . When Austria-Hungary declared that it would join the war on the side of Serbia, Bulgaria withdrew from Serbia leaving the Serbo-Bulgarian border precisely where it had been prior to the war. The peace treaty was signed on February 19, 1886, in Bucharest . As a result of
1711-595: The districts (Ottoman kaza ) of Kumanovo , Kriva Palanka and Kratovo in the Vilayet of Kosovo (in modern-day northern Republic of North Macedonia ) seeking to liberate the region from the hands of the Ottoman Empire and unify it with the Principality of Serbia , which was at war with the Ottomans at that time . With the Serbian Army's liberation of Niš (11 January 1878) and Vranje (31 January 1878),
1770-529: The east, south, and west. In the first decades of the principality, the population was about 85% Serb and 15% non-Serb. Of those, most were Vlachs, and there were some Turkicized Muslim Albanians, which were the overwhelming majority of the Muslims that lived in Smederevo , Kladovo and Ćuprija . The new state aimed to homogenize its population, especially after two Great Migrations of the Serbs also known as
1829-584: The end of World War I in 1918 it united with Vojvodina and the Kingdom of Montenegro , and in December 1918 it merged with the newly created State of Slovenes, Croats and Serbs to form the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes (later known as Kingdom of Yugoslavia ) under the continued rule of the Karađorđević dynasty . The Principality of Serbia was a state in the Balkans that came into existence as
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1888-513: The entire vilayet of Kosovo, lasting for three months. The Ottoman sultan visited Kosovo in June 1911 during peace settlement talks covering all Albanian-inhabited areas. Kosovo vilayet contained a diverse population that was split along religious and ethnic lines, with Albanians, Bulgarians, Bosniaks, and Serbs making the bulk of its population. Muslim Albanians formed the majority of the population in Kosovo vilayet that included an important part of
1947-721: The female population, but balanced the numbers against the male population, though it is a well known fact that the number of male heads exceeded the number of female heads throughout this period not only in those lands but in Serbia Proper as well. British journalist H. Brailsford estimated in 1906 that two-thirds of the population of Kosovo was Albanian and one-third Serbian. The most populous western districts of Gjakova and Peja were said to have between 20,000 and 25,000 Albanian households, as against some 5,000 Serbian ones. A map of Alfred Stead , published in 1909, shows that similar numbers of Serbs and Albanians were living in
2006-584: The formal independence of the Principality of Serbia , and in its composition Nišava , Pirot , Toplica and Vranje districts entered the South part of Serbia . In 1882, Serbia was elevated to the status of a kingdom, maintaining a foreign policy friendly to Austria-Hungary . Between 1912 and 1913, Serbia greatly enlarged its territory through engagement in the First and Second Balkan Wars – Sandžak-Raška , Kosovo Vilayet and Vardar Macedonia were annexed. At
2065-466: The modified Treaty of Berlin the same year which split the Ottoman Empire, Kosovo became the first line of defense for the Ottoman Empire, with large garrisons of Ottoman troops being stationed in the province. Before the First Balkan War in 1912, the province's shape and location denied Serbia and Montenegro a common land border. After the war, the major part of the vilayet was divided between Montenegro and Serbia. These borders were all ratified at
2124-675: The new dynasty relied on the support of the Russian Empire and closer cooperation with Kingdom of Bulgaria . In April 1904 the Friendship treaty and in June 1905 the customs union with Bulgaria were signed. In response Austria-Hungary imposed a Tariff War ( Pig war ) of 1906–1909. After the 1906 elections the People's Radical Party came to power. In 1908 Austria-Hungary annexed Bosnia, where Serbia had hoped to expand its territory. The Bosnian Crisis of 1908–1909 (also referred to as
2183-486: The newly liberated areas: Bitola , Debar , Kavadarci , Novi Pazar , Kumanovo , Pljevlja , Prizren , Priština , Skopje , Tetovo and Štip . During its existence, the Kingdom was ruled by two competing dynasties: the House of Obrenović and the House of Karađorđević . King Milan Obrenović ruled from 6 March 1882 to 6 March 1889, when he abdicated the throne. He was succeeded by his son, Aleksandar Obrenović , who ruled from 6 March 1889 to 11 June 1903, when he
2242-402: The nonpayment of debts, as well as an unbearable tax burden, bureaucratic tyranny, and the growing power of commercial and usurious capital." Among their demands were a reduction in taxes, greater local self-government and the maintenance of the militia. On 2 November, peasants across the region refused to hand over their weapons to military units unless they were given modern replacements. It took
2301-565: The obligation to sign commercial contracts was imposed on Serbia, as well as a claim to carry out regulation works in Đerdap . Serbian Government approved this treaty by adopting the Law on Proclamation of the convention. Consequently, Serbian Railways were formed in 1881. The regular traffic on the railway line Belgrade–Niš started in 1884. The Kingdom of Serbia participated in the International Exhibition of Art of 1911 , with
2360-490: The population of the heterogeneous province. According to the Ottoman General Census of 1881/82-1893 the population of the vilayet is as follows: Ottoman provincial records for 1887 estimated that Albanians formed more than half of Kosovo vilayet's population concentrated in the sanjaks of İpek, Prizren and Priştine. In the sanjaks of Yenipazar, Taşlica and Üsküp, Albanians formed a smaller proportion of
2419-528: The population. An Austrian statistics published in 1899 estimated: According to Ottoman yearbooks, in 1901, the Kosovo vilayet which encompassed five sanjaks: Skopje, Pristina, Prizren, Novi Pazar, and Pljevlja had 964,657 inhabitants; two thirds were Muslims and one third was Christian. The Muslims were primarily Albanians and the Christians were mostly Serbs. The yearbooks, however, are deemed unreliable sources as they, in some districts, did not register
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2478-550: The reasons why King Milan I abdicated in 1889. His son Alexander I assumed the throne in 1893 and in 1894 dismissed the constitution. Jews from modern-day North Macedonia got their citizen rights after the region became a part of Kingdom of Serbia. King Alexander I of Serbia and his unpopular wife Queen Draga were assassinated inside the Royal Palace in Belgrade on the night of 28–29 May 1903. Other representatives of
2537-580: The rebellion had been activated during the latter event with guerrilla fighting. The rebels received secret aid from the Serbian government, though the uprising only lasted four months, until its suppression by the Ottomans. The province's boundaries shifted as the Ottoman Empire lost territory to neighboring states in the Treaty of Berlin following the Russo-Turkish War of 1877–1878 and parts were also internally transferred to Monastir Vilayet and from Salonica Vilayet . In 1879, western parts of
2596-590: The rebels defeated Royal Serbian Army forces sent to suppress them. According to the Radical politician Pera Todorović , at a planning meeting of the Radicals' Executive Committee before the rising, one member suggested killing all bureaucrats. In the words of the Great Soviet Encyclopedia , the rebels were motivated by "such vestiges of feudalism as payment in labor and bondage imposed for
2655-718: The rebels proved his fears ungrounded. The consul of Austria-Hungary in Belgrade noted that "a new page was written in the history of the Serbian people when the army launched its first shell at the rebels." After the rebellion, many Radical leaders, including Nikola Pašić , fled abroad. Of the participants who remained, 809 were put on trial. Of these, 567 were sentenced to forced labour, 68 to prison, 5 to detention and 75 were released. The remaining 94 were sentenced to death: twenty were executed right away, one committed suicide, ten escaped and fled abroad and 63 were eventually pardoned. Kingdom of Serbia The Kingdom of Serbia ( Serbian : Краљевина Србија , Kraljevina Srbija )
2714-459: The reformed Royal Army only a couple of weeks to crush the poorly organised rebellion, which at its height had controlled almost half the country and had threatened the line between Belgrade and Niš . At the start of the rebellion, King Milan I was afraid that the soldiers would not "be willing to fire into the flesh of their own people", but his decision to pay officers double what top bureaucrats earned and to give bonus pay to soldiers who fought
2773-484: The tensions between Austria-Hungary and Serbia to a head. Behind the assassination in Sarajevo was the secret Serbian officers organization Black Hand . The assassins were supported by an "underground railroad" of Serbian civilians and military officers that provided transportation and hid them; members of the Serbian military that trained them, encouraged them, and provided weapons, maps, and other information. After
2832-544: The territory of Macedonia among the members of the Balkan League and primarily Serbia and Bulgaria, led to the Second Balkan War . Here, Serbia, Greece, Romania, the Ottoman Empire, and Montenegro fought against Bulgaria in 1913. The final borders were ratified at the Treaty of Bucharest of 1913 . Serbia came to control the land which became known as Vardar Macedonia , and today stands independent as
2891-528: The urban-professional and landowning classes of major towns. Western Kosovo was composed of 50,000 inhabitants and an area dominated by the Albanian tribal system with 600 Albanians dying per year from blood feuding . The Yakova (Gjakovë) highlands contained 8 tribes that were mainly Muslim and in the Luma area near Prizren there were 5 tribes, mostly Muslim. The town of İpek had crypto-Christians who were of
2950-553: The war started, Serbia, together with Montenegro, conquered Pristina and Novi Pazar . At the Battle of Kumanovo Serbs defeated the Ottoman army and proceeded to conquer Skopje and the whole of Kosovo vilayet . The region of Metohija was taken by Montenegro. At Bitola and Ohrid Serbian army units established contact with the Greek army. Populations of ethnic Serbs and Albanians tended to shift following territorial conquests. As
3009-483: The war, European powers acknowledged the act of Unification of Bulgaria which happened on September 6, 1885. Negotiations between Russia, Serbia and Bulgaria led to the Serbian-Bulgarian Treaty of Alliance of March 1912, which aimed to conquer and to divide the Ottoman held Macedonia. In May, a Serbian-Greek alliance was reached and in October 1912, a Serbia-Montenegro alliance was signed. After
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#17327720447193068-534: Was a country located in the Balkans which was created when the ruler of the Principality of Serbia , Milan I , was proclaimed king in 1882. Since 1817, the Principality was ruled by the Obrenović dynasty (replaced by the Karađorđević dynasty for a short time). The Principality, under the suzerainty of the Ottoman Empire , de facto achieved full independence when the very last Ottoman troops left Belgrade in 1867. The Congress of Berlin in 1878 recognized
3127-523: Was a first-level administrative division ( vilayet ) of the Ottoman Empire in the Balkan Peninsula which included the modern-day territory of Kosovo and the north-western part of the Republic of North Macedonia . The areas today comprising Sandžak (Raška) region of Serbia and Montenegro , although de jure under Ottoman control, were de facto under Austro-Hungarian occupation from 1878 until 1909, as provided under Article 25 of
3186-437: Was by the coup d'état . However, he finally did accept and was the Kingdom's sovereign from 15 June 1903 to 1 December 1918, the day that the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes was proclaimed. The largest cities in the Kingdom of Serbia were (with population figures from c. 1910–1912): Serbia was geographically located in the path of several trade routes linking Western and Central Europe with Middle East. Morava Valley
3245-500: Was in the strategically important terrestrial route that linked Central Europe with Greece and Constantinople. During the 19th century major efforts were made to improve the transport in this connections. At the Congress of Berlin in 1878, Austria-Hungary helped Serbia to gain new territories, conditioning Serbia, however, to sign a new convention. The convention obliged Serbia to construct the railway line from Belgrade to Vranje and Turkish and Bulgarian borders in three years. In addition,
3304-511: Was killed by a group of officers. The slaughter of the royal couple (the king and Queen Draga ) by the Black Hand shocked Europe. This opened the way for the descendants of Karađorđe (Karageorge), regarded by Serbs throughout the Balkans as the man who threw off the Turkish yoke, to return to the throne. Petar Karađorđević was initially reluctant to accept the crown, disgusted as he
3363-406: Was occupied by foreign troops after a combined invasion by Austro-Hungarian , German , and Bulgarian troops. The 135,000 soldiers of the Serbian Army retreated through Albania and were evacuated to the Greek island of Corfu , and in spring, 1916, they became part of a newly formed Salonika front . In 1916, the Kingdom of Montenegro was conquered by Austria-Hungary. At the end of the war and
3422-460: Was renowned for its craftsmen and important cities such as İpek (today's Peja , Serbian: Peć ), where distinct Ottoman architecture and public baths were erected, some of which can still be seen today. The birthplace of the Albanian national identity was first articulated in Prizren , by the League of Prizren members in 1878. As a result, firstly of the Treaty of San Stefano in 1878, then of
3481-411: Was severely opposed by the Serbian public and intelligentsia , mainly gathered around Serbian Literary Herald ( Srpski književni glasnik ). Russia , the Ottoman Empire , Britain, the Kingdom of Italy , Serbia, the Principality of Montenegro , German Empire and France took an interest in these events. In April 1909, the 1878 Treaty of Berlin was amended to accept the new status quo and bringing
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