THE FIRST SERBIAN UPRISING
The First Serbian Uprising did not begin as a fully planned war for the creation of a modern state. Its origins can be found in the position of the Serbian population in the Belgrade Pashalik at the beginning of the nineteenth century, as well as in the events that immediately preceded 1804.
According to Serbian accounts and records, particularly those left by Vuk Stefanović Karadžić, Prota Mateja Nenadović, and other participants whose memories were recorded later, the uprising was closely connected with the violence of the Dahijas and the fear that Serbian knezes and other prominent Serbian leaders would be eliminated. The Slaughter of the Knezes became the immediate cause for the organization of armed resistance.
Orašac, 1804
Under these circumstances, Serbian leaders gathered in Orašac on Sretenje (Candlemas) in 1804. Đorđe Petrović, known as Karađorđe, was chosen as the leader of the uprising.
According to Serbian testimonies, Karađorđe was not merely a symbolic leader. From the beginning, he attempted to transform the various armed groups into an organized military force and to extend the uprising throughout the Belgrade Pashalik.
At first, nobody could know how long the uprising would last. The rebels were peasants, hajduks, knezes, and local leaders, and they did not possess the modern state institutions necessary to conduct a prolonged war.
Nevertheless, the uprising spread rapidly.
From Revolt to a War of Liberation
At first, the struggle was directed primarily against the Dahijas and their oppression. However, the nature of the conflict soon changed.
Serbian rebel forces captured settlements, liberated villages, and attacked Ottoman garrisons. By 1805, the fighting had already taken on a much broader character, and the Serbian rebels began establishing their own institutions of government.
One of the most important aspects of the uprising, which can easily be overlooked when it is viewed only as a series of battles, was the creation of Serbian administration.
The rebels did not merely fight. They organized courts, local government, military supply systems, and taxation. The uprising gradually developed from a revolt into the establishment of a new political organization.
Karađorđe and the Serbian Leaders
Serbian memoirs portray Karađorđe as a strong and determined leader, but relations among the rebel leaders were not always simple.
Alongside Karađorđe, many other figures played important roles: Jakov Nenadović, Prota Mateja Nenadović, Miloš Obrenović, Stanoje Glavaš, Milenko Stojković, Petar Dobrnjac, Stevan Sinđelić, and many others.
Their disagreements and rivalries were among the internal problems faced by the revolutionary Serbian government.
Vuk Karadžić later wrote extensively about the relationships between the leaders and the creation of the Praviteljstvujušči Sovjet, the Governing Council. His writings about revolutionary Serbia remain among the most important Serbian sources for understanding the political life of the uprising.
Mišar and Deligrad
As the uprising expanded, major battles were fought against Ottoman armies.
The Battle of Mišar in 1806 became one of the most important victories of the Serbian rebels. At the same time, fighting was taking place on another front around Deligrad.
The success of the uprising was not the achievement of a single man. The Serbian forces consisted of people from many different regions, commanded by numerous vojvodas and local leaders.
Through these battles, the uprising became increasingly organized.
The Liberation of Belgrade
One of the greatest moments of the uprising was the liberation of Belgrade in late 1806 and early 1807.
By gaining control of the city, the rebels took possession of the most important center of Ottoman authority in the Pashalik.
For the people who participated in the uprising, this was more than a military victory. Belgrade represented the center of Ottoman rule. Its capture demonstrated that the Serbian rebels were no longer simply a group of peasants resisting local oppression.
They now controlled territory over which they were beginning to establish their own government.
Serbia Establishes Its Own Administration
During the following years, the rebels increasingly organized the internal life of the territory under their control.
The Praviteljstvujušči Sovjet played an important role in government. Courts and local administrations were established, while efforts were made to organize education, church affairs, and state finances.
The testimonies of Janićije Đurić and other participants show that the rebels had to deal with problems far beyond warfare. Once territory was liberated, it had to be governed.
For this reason, the First Serbian Uprising can also be understood as a period of the restoration of Serbian statehood, rather than merely a military rebellion.
Russia and Serbia
Russian support was of great importance, particularly after the beginning of the Russo-Turkish War in 1806.
The Serbian rebels now had an important ally. Russian assistance became particularly significant during the later years of the uprising.
At Varvarin in 1810, Serbian forces fought alongside Russian troops against the Ottoman army.
However, the Serbian rebels could not completely depend on Russian military assistance. International circumstances changed, and Russia eventually had to conclude peace with the Ottoman Empire.
The Treaty of Bucharest
The Treaty of Bucharest of 1812 held particular importance for the uprising.
Under the treaty, the Ottoman authorities accepted certain obligations toward the Serbs, including provisions concerning internal self-government and taxation.
However, the treaty did not provide everything the rebels had hoped for. Russia had to withdraw from the conflict, leaving Serbia exposed to a renewed Ottoman offensive.
The agreement nevertheless had lasting importance because it represented international recognition of certain Serbian demands for self-government and later became part of the foundation for the development of Serbian autonomy.
1813 — The End of the Uprising
In 1813, the Ottoman Empire launched a major offensive.
The Serbian defense could no longer withstand the pressure from several directions. Russian assistance was no longer available as it had been before, while internal problems further weakened the revolutionary state.
In the autumn of 1813, the revolutionary Serbian government collapsed.
Karađorđe left Serbia, together with many other leaders and their families, crossing the Sava and the Danube.
For the population that remained, difficult years followed.
But what had been created during the nine years of the uprising did not disappear.
What Remained After the First Serbian Uprising?
If the First Serbian Uprising is viewed only through its end in 1813, it may appear to have ended in defeat.
However, Serbian sources present a much broader picture.
During the uprising, the foundations of a new Serbian administration, military organization, and statehood were created. The Serbian population gained experience in political organization, and the idea of liberation was no longer merely a memory of the past.
In 1815, a new uprising began, this time under the leadership of Miloš Obrenović.
The events of 1804–1813 therefore cannot be separated from what followed.
The First Serbian Uprising was the beginning of a process that would eventually lead to the establishment of the autonomous Principality of Serbia.
How Did the Serbs Themselves Describe the Uprising?
The particular value of Serbian memoirs lies in the fact that they do not speak only about great battles and famous leaders.
Prota Mateja Nenadović, as a participant in the events, left testimony about people, negotiations, fear, everyday life, and attempts to transform a rebellious population into an organized state. His Memoirs are considered one of the most important works of Serbian memoir literature and an important firsthand testimony to the period of the uprising.
Vuk Stefanović Karadžić, on the other hand, attempted not only to record the events of his time but also to explain them historically. His History of the Serbian Revolution deals directly with the First Serbian Uprising, Miloš Obrenović, the Governing Council, and the political development of revolutionary Serbia.
For this reason, the picture of the uprising provided by these works is not simply a story about Karađorđe and battles.
It is the story of a people who, through war, began to organize their own government once again.
The First Serbian Uprising lasted from 1804 to 1813. Its military phase ended in defeat, but its political and historical consequences did not end in 1813. The idea of Serbian statehood, developed throughout the years of the uprising, continued to live and became a foundation for the events that followed in 1815 and beyond.