Uprising In Vučitrn
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During the Austro-Turkish War of 1716–18, after Austrian military success in the
Banat Banat ( , ; ; ; ) is a geographical and Historical regions of Central Europe, historical region located in the Pannonian Basin that straddles Central Europe, Central and Eastern Europe. It is divided among three countries: the eastern part lie ...
, Serb peasants rose against Ottoman rule in the Sanjak of Viçitrina, and also at
Novi Pazar Novi Pazar ( sr-cyr, Нови Пазар) is a List of cities in Serbia, city located in the Raška District of southwestern Serbia. As of the 2022 census, the urban area has 71,462 inhabitants, while the city administrative area has 106,720 inha ...
and
Peja Peja or Peć, ), is the fifth most populous city in Kosovo and serves as the seat of the Peja Municipality and the District of Peja. It is located in the Rugova region on the eastern section of the Accursed Mountains along the Peja's Lumbar ...
in 1717. The rebellion was forcibly suppressed by Ottoman troops.


Background

After the Austrians captured Belgrade in 1717, some of the Serbs in Eastern Kosovo also rose upKosovo: A Short History p.260-261 No special reprisals were reported after the war in 1718 but taxes continued to grow, and eight years later an Ottoman report noted that the tax rises had been so steep that many of the richer raya from Eastern Kosovo were emigrating. During the Austro-Turkish War of 1716–18, Austrian forces aided by Serb volunteers penetrated into West Morava and set up a new border there. The war resulted in renewed persecution against the Serb population in
Kosovo Kosovo, officially the Republic of Kosovo, is a landlocked country in Southeast Europe with International recognition of Kosovo, partial diplomatic recognition. It is bordered by Albania to the southwest, Montenegro to the west, Serbia to the ...
,
Metohija Metohija (), also known in Albanian as Dukagjini, (, ) is a large drainage basin, basin and the name of the region covering the southwestern part of Kosovo. The region covers 35% (3,891 km2) of Kosovo's total area. According to the 2024 ce ...
and neighbouring regions. The Ottomans relied on
Albanians The Albanians are an ethnic group native to the Balkan Peninsula who share a common Albanian ancestry, Albanian culture, culture, Albanian history, history and Albanian language, language. They are the main ethnic group of Albania and Kosovo, ...
for securing their border regions with
Austria Austria, formally the Republic of Austria, is a landlocked country in Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine Federal states of Austria, states, of which the capital Vienna is the List of largest cities in Aust ...
, the Albanians becoming freed from the heaviest
duties A duty (from "due" meaning "that which is owing"; , past participle of ; , whence "debt") is a commitment or expectation to perform some action in general or if certain circumstances arise. A duty may arise from a system of ethics or morality, e ...
in return., The Albanians had for years opposed accepting subject obligations, but now promised to defend the land from enemies and to fight bandits among themselves; in return they were exempt from paying the mining tribute for that year. In the second half of September 1717, during the retreat from Belgrade, at
Niš Niš (; sr-Cyrl, Ниш, ; names of European cities in different languages (M–P)#N, names in other languages), less often spelled in English as Nish, is the list of cities in Serbia, third largest city in Serbia and the administrative cente ...
the Ottoman sultan chose Vizier Abdul Pasha to maintain order and peace in Kosovo, and especially in
Skopje Skopje ( , ; ; , sq-definite, Shkupi) is the capital and largest city of North Macedonia. It lies in the northern part of the country, in the Skopje Basin, Skopje Valley along the Vardar River, and is the political, economic, and cultura ...
,
Pristina Pristina or Prishtina ( , ), . is the capital and largest city of Kosovo. It is the administrative center of the eponymous municipality and District of Pristina, district. In antiquity, the area of Pristina was part of the Dardanian Kingdo ...
and
Vushtrri Vushtrri ( sq-definite, Vushtrria; sr-Cyrl, Вучитрн, ''Vučitrn'') is a List of cities in Kosovo, city and Municipalities of Kosovo, municipality located in the District of Mitrovica, Mitrovica District in Kosovo. According to the 2024 c ...
.


Uprising

In Vushtrri and the nearby areas of Novi Pazar and Peja, the Serb
rayah A raiyah or reaya (from , a plural of "countryman, animal, sheep pasturing, subjects, nationals, flock", also spelled ''raiya'', ''raja'', ''raiah'', ''re'aya''; , ; Modern Turkish ''râiya'' or ''reaya''; related to the Arabic word ''rā'ī ...
rose up in a large revolt. This came after Austrian military success, and was meant to open the way for the Austrian army. Tahir Pasha was appointed by the government to deal with the rebellious Serbs. Ferhat Aga, the captain of Novi Pazar, joined Tahir Pasha to successfully suppress the uprising at Vushtrri, Novi Pazar and Peja. The Ottoman troops that were sent to pacify the people and investigate, carried out new violence.


Aftermath

After the rebellion, the Albanians put pressure on Serbs and local Ottoman leaders. Tahir Pasha was meant to keep the rebellious rayah on the land, but also to impose tribute on the "new '' yabancı'' (foreigner) rayah" (the immigrant Albanians) who seized other's property that did not belong to them. Trying to address the Albanian problem, in September 1718 Tahir Pasha sought a ''
firman A firman (; ), at the constitutional level, was a royal mandate or decree issued by a sovereign in an Islamic state. During various periods such firmans were collected and applied as traditional bodies of law. The English word ''firman'' co ...
'' (official decree) to eradicate bandits to calm the land "from their plunder and murder". Only a month after the decree, Kurd Mehmed Pasha from Yakova was given the Sanjak of İpek, and Tahir Pasha is no longer mentioned as alive. The harsh economic status, robberies, and threat of murder pushed the Kosovo Serbs into either accepting Islam, or seeking protection under a strong lord (accepting
serfdom 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. It developed du ...
status). Many opted for a third alternative, to take refuge in other areas where life was more acceptable.


See also

* Kingdom of Serbia (1718–39)


Citations


References

* * * * * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Vucitrn, Uprising in Conflicts in 1717 18th-century rebellions Rebellions in the Ottoman Empire 1717 in the Ottoman Empire Ottoman period in the history of Kosovo Serb rebellions Kosovo Serbs Ottoman–Serbian Wars Persecution of Serbs Vushtrri Serbia under Habsburg rule Austro-Turkish War (1716–1718) Military history of Kosovo