The Croatian–Slovene Peasant Revolt ( sl, hrvaško-slovenski kmečki upor, hr, seljačka buna), Gubec's Rebellion ( hr, Gupčeva buna) or Gubec's peasant uprising of 1573 was a large

peasant revolt This is a chronological list of conflicts in which peasants played a significant role. Background The history of peasant wars spans over two thousand years. A variety of factors fueled the emergence of the peasant revolt phenomenon, including: ...

on territory forming modern-day

Croatia , image_flag = Flag of Croatia.svg , image_coat = Coat of arms of Croatia.svg , anthem = " Lijepa naša domovino"("Our Beautiful Homeland") , image_map = , map_caption = , capi ...

and

Slovenia Slovenia ( ; sl, Slovenija ), officially the Republic of Slovenia (Slovene: , abbr.: ''RS''), is a country in Central Europe. It is bordered by Italy to the west, Austria to the north, Hungary to the northeast, Croatia to the southeast, and ...

. The revolt, sparked by cruel treatment of

serfs Serfdom was the status of many peasants under feudalism, specifically relating to manorialism, and similar systems. It was a condition of debt bondage and indentured servitude with similarities to and differences from slavery, which developed ...

by Baron Ferenc Tahy, ended after 12 days with the defeat of the rebels and bloody retribution by the nobility.

Background

In the late 16th century, the threat of Ottoman incursions strained the economy of the southern flanks of the

Holy Roman Empire The Holy Roman Empire was a political entity in Western, Central, and Southern Europe that developed during the Early Middle Ages and continued until its dissolution in 1806 during the Napoleonic Wars. From the accession of Otto I in 962 unt ...

, and feudal lords continually increased their demands on the peasantry. In Croatian Zagorje, this was compounded by cruel treatment of peasants by Baron Ferenc Tahy and his disputes with neighbouring barons over land, dating back to 1564, which escalated into armed conflicts. When multiple complaints to the emperor went unheard, the peasants conspired to rebel with their peers in the neighbouring provinces of

Styria Styria (german: Steiermark ; Serbo-Croatian and sl, ; hu, Stájerország) is a state (''Bundesland'') in the southeast of Austria. With an area of , Styria is the second largest state of Austria, after Lower Austria. Styria is bordered ...

and

Carniola Carniola ( sl, Kranjska; , german: Krain; it, Carniola; hu, Krajna) is a historical region that comprised parts of present-day Slovenia. Although as a whole it does not exist anymore, Slovenes living within the former borders of the region s ...

and with the lower classes of townspeople.

Revolt

The rebellion broke out simultaneously in large parts of Croatia, Styria, and Carniola on 28 January 1573. The rebels' political program was to replace the

nobility Nobility is a social class found in many societies that have an aristocracy. It is normally ranked immediately below royalty. Nobility has often been an estate of the realm with many exclusive functions and characteristics. The character ...

with

peasant A peasant is a pre-industrial agricultural laborer or a farmer with limited land-ownership, especially one living in the Middle Ages under feudalism and paying rent, tax, fees, or services to a landlord. In Europe, three classes of peasa ...

officials answerable directly to the

emperor An emperor (from la, imperator, via fro, empereor) is a monarch, and usually the sovereign ruler of an empire or another type of imperial realm. Empress, the female equivalent, may indicate an emperor's wife ( empress consort), mother ( ...

, and to abolish all feudal holdings and obligations to the

Roman Catholic Church The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

. A peasant government was formed with Matija Gubec, Ivan Pasanec, and Ivan Mogaić as members. Far-reaching plans were drawn up, including abolition of provincial borders, opening of highways for trade, and self-rule by the peasants. The captain of the rebels,

Ilija Gregorić Ilija Gregorić (c. 1520 – 1574) was a Croatian soldier, and a prominent peasant army commander from Croatian and Slovenian peasant revolt of 1573. He was also known under the nickname "Prebeg" (The Escapee) for escaping twice from Ottoman c ...

, planned an extensive military operation to secure victory for the revolt. Each peasant household provided one man for his army, which met with some initial success; their revolutionary goals alarmed the nobility, however, which raised armies in response. The rebels used a network of informers who relayed the information on movements of the opposing units; in turn, spies among the peasants themselves passed the information on the spread of the rebellion to the nobility.

Backlash

On 5 February, Uskok captain and baron Jobst Joseph von Thurn ( hr, Josip Turn) led an army of 500 Uskoks from Kostanjevica and some German soldiers that defeated a rebel detachment of Nikola Kupinič at

Krško Krško (; german: Gurkfeld) is a town in eastern Slovenia. It is the seat of the City municipality of Krško. The town lies on the Sava River and on the northwest edge of the Krško Plain ( sl, Krško polje), which is part of the larger Krka Flat ...

(in Lower Styria), which was the first larger rebel defeat. This rapidly weakened the rebellion in Carniola and Styria. The next day, another rebel force was defeated near

Samobor Samobor () is a city in Zagreb County, Croatia. It is part of the Zagreb metropolitan area. Administratively it is a part of Zagreb County. Geography Samobor is located west of Zagreb, between the eastern slopes of the Samobor hills ( hr, ...

. On 9 February, the decisive Battle of Stubičko polje was fought. Gubec and his 10,000 men resisted fiercely, but after a bloody four-hour battle the baronial army defeated and captured Gubec. The revolt failed. Retribution was brutal: in addition to the 3,000 peasants who died in the battle, many captives were hanged or maimed. Matija Gubec was publicly tortured and executed on 15 February. Officers Petar Ljubojević, Vuk Suković, and Dane Bolčeta (who were Orthodox), and Juraj Martijanović and Tomo Tortić (Catholics) were all sentenced to life in prison and lost all their property. Mogaić was killed in the final battle, and Pasanec was most probably killed in one of the skirmishes in early February. Gregorić managed to escape, but was captured within weeks, brought to

Vienna en, Viennese , iso_code = AT-9 , registration_plate = W , postal_code_type = Postal code , postal_code = , timezone = CET , utc_offset = +1 , timezone_DST ...

for interrogation, and executed in Zagreb in 1574.

Legacy

The revolt and torture of Gubec acquired legendary status in Croatia and Slovenia. It has inspired many writers and artists, including the writers

Miroslav Krleža Miroslav Krleža (; 7 July 1893 – 29 December 1981) was a Yugoslav and Croatian writer who is widely considered to be the greatest Croatian writer of the 20th century. He wrote notable works in all the literary genres, including poetry (''Ba ...

and

August Šenoa August Ivan Nepomuk Eduard Šenoa (; originally Schönoa; 14 November 1838 – 13 December 1881) was a Croatian novelist. Born to an ethnic German and Slovak family, Šenoa became a key figure in the development of an independent literary tradi ...

, the poet

Anton Aškerc Anton Aškerc (; 9 January 1856 – 10 June 1912) was an Slovenian poet and Roman Catholic priest who worked in Austria, best known for his epic poems. Aškerc was born into a peasant family near the town of Rimske Toplice in the Duchy of Styr ...

and the sculptors

Antun Augustinčić Antun Augustinčić (4 May 1900 – 10 May 1979) was a Croatian sculptor active in Yugoslavia and the United States. Along with Ivan Meštrović and Frano Kršinić he is considered one of the three most important Croatian sculptors of the 20th ...

and

Stojan Batič Stojan Batič (2 June 1925 – 17 September 2015) was a Slovene sculptor. Mostly a figurative artist, he is particularly known for his sculptures exhibited in many public places in Slovenia. Life Batič was born in a working-class family in Trb ...

. Leading Croatian film director

Vatroslav Mimica Vatroslav Mimica (25 June 1923 – 15 February 2020) was a Croatian film director and screenwriter. Early life Born in Omiš, Mimica had enrolled at the University of Zagreb School of Medicine before the outbreak of World War II. In 1942 he ...

produced the film about uprising, entitled '' Anno Domini 1573'', in 1975, as well as television series in four parts. ''Gubec-beg'', the first Croatian

rock opera A rock opera is a collection of rock music songs with lyrics that relate to a common story. Rock operas are typically released as concept albums and are not scripted for acting, which distinguishes them from operas, although several have been ad ...

(1975), was also inspired by the events. A museum near

Oršić Castle in Gornja Stubica Oršić Castle () is a baroque castle in the Municipality of Gornja Stubica, Krapina-Zagorje County, northwestern Croatia. History It was built in 1756 by Croatian count Krsto Oršić (1718–1782) on the site of a previous fortress from th ...

and one in

(Slovenia) are dedicated to the revolt. A reenactment of the Battle of Stubičko polje, held every year since 2008, has since become one of the most popular

historical reenactment Historical reenactment (or re-enactment) is an educational or entertainment activity in which mainly amateur hobbyists and history enthusiasts dress in historic uniforms or costumes and follow a plan to recreate aspects of a historical event or ...

s in Croatia.

Gallery

File:Spomenik seljačkoj buni 1573..JPG, Large monument in Gornja Stubica
(

, 1971) File:Matija Gubec statue head closeup.jpg, Matija Gubec's bust in Zagreb File:Matija.jpg, Statue of Matija Gubec, St. Mark's Square,

Zagreb Zagreb ( , , , ) is the capital (political), capital and List of cities and towns in Croatia#List of cities and towns, largest city of Croatia. It is in the Northern Croatia, northwest of the country, along the Sava river, at the southern slop ...

Croatia , image_flag = Flag of Croatia.svg , image_coat = Coat of arms of Croatia.svg , anthem = " Lijepa naša domovino"("Our Beautiful Homeland") , image_map = , map_caption = , capi ...

Footnotes

References

* * * *

External links

Peasants' Revolt Museum
{{DEFAULTSORT:Croatian-Slovene peasant revolt Peasant revolts Popular revolt in late-medieval Europe Rebellions in Slovenia 1573 in Europe Conflicts in 1573 16th century military history of Croatia 16th-century rebellions 16th century in Slovenia Rebellions in Croatia Rebellions against the Habsburg Monarchy Croatian nationalism Slovene rebellions