Global InformationFirst Serbian Uprising information
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| First Serbian Uprising | |||||||
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| Part of the Serbian Revolution | |||||||
 The Conquest of Belgrade by Katarina Ivanović | |||||||
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| Belligerents | |||||||
 Revolutionary Serbia Supported by:  Russian Empire (1807–1812) Wallachia (1804) |
From 1805: From 1813:
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The First Serbian Uprising (Serbian: Prvi srpski ustanak; Serbian Cyrillic: Први српски устанак; Turkish: Birinci Sırp Ayaklanması) was an uprising of Serbs in Orašac against the Ottoman Empire from 14 February 1804, to 7 October 1813. The uprising began as a local revolt against the Dahije, who had seized power in a coup d'état. It later evolved into a war for independence, known as the Serbian Revolution, after more than three centuries of Ottoman rule and brief Austrian occupations.
In 1801, the Janissary commanders assassinated the Ottoman Pasha and took control of the Pashalik of Belgrade, ruling it independently of the Ottoman Sultan. This led to a period of tyranny, during which the Janissaries suspended the rights previously granted to the Serbs by the Sultan. They also raised taxes, imposed forced labour, and made other changes that negatively affected the Serbs. In 1804, the Janissaries feared that the Sultan would use the Serbs against them, which led to the assassination of many Serbian chiefs. An assembly chose Karađorđe to lead the uprising, and the rebel army quickly defeated and took over towns throughout the sanjak, technically fighting for the Sultan. Sultan Selim III, fearing their power, ordered all the Pashaliks in the region to crush them. The Serbs marched against the Ottomans and, after major victories in 1805–06, established a government and parliament that returned land to the people, abolished forced labour, and reduced taxes.
Serbia's military successes continued over the years, spurred on by the Russian Empire's involvement in the parallel Russo–Turkish War. However, disagreements arose between Karađorđe, who sought an absolute monarchy, and other leaders who wanted to limit his power because some of his colleagues abused their privileges for personal gain. After the Russo-Ottoman War ended in 1812, the Ottoman Empire took advantage of these circumstances and reconquered Serbia in 1813.
Although the uprising was unsuccessful, the Serbs were the first Christian population in Ottoman history to rise up against the Sultan and succeed in creating a short-lived independent state. Their uprising eventually became a symbol of the nation-building process in the Balkans and inspired unrest among neighbouring Balkan peoples.[1] The uprising soon resumed with the Second Serbian Uprising in 1815.
- ^ Glenny 2012, p. 13.