Sanjak of Smederevo

Sanjak of Smederevo Semendire Sancağı Smederevski sandžak Смедеревски санџак sanjak of the Ottoman Empire ← 1459–1817 → Sanjak of Smederevo (Pashaluk of Belgrade) in 1791 Capital Smederevo, Belgrade sanjakbey Ali Beg Mihaloglu History  - Established 1459  - Disestablished 1817 Today part of Serbia

The Sanjak of Smederevo (Serbian: Смедеревски санџак, Smederevski sandžak; Turkish: Semendire Sancağı), also known as the Pashaluk of Belgrade (Turkish: Belgrad Paşalığı), was an Ottoman administrative unit (sanjak), that existed between the 15th and the outset of the 19th centuries. It was located in the territory of present day Central Serbia, Serbia.

History

The Sanjak of Smederevo was formed after the fall of the Serbian Despotate in 1459, and its administrative seat was Smederevo. After the Ottoman Empire conquered Belgrade in 1521, the administrative seat of the Sanjak was moved to this city. Some historians believed that epic figure of Alija Đerđelez was inspired by Ali Beg Mihaloglu, the first sanjakbey of the Sanjak of Smederevo. In period when Battle of Mohács took place the sanjakbey of Smederevo was Kučuk Bali-beg.

The Sanjak was occupied by the Habsburg Monarchy from 1718–1739 but, with the Treaty of Belgrade, the area was ceded to the Ottoman Empire. Belgrade, the center of the region while under Austrian rule, was neglected under the Ottomans and Smederevo (Semendire) was the administrative center. Nevertheless, Belgrade eventually became the seat of a pasha with the title of vizier and the Sanjak began to be referred to as the Pashaluk of Belgrade, although it was still called the Sanjak of Smederevo in official documents.

From 1789–1791, Belgrade was again under Austrian rule during the Kočina Krajina Serb rebellion. In the year 1802 the Vizier of Serbia, Hadži Mustafa Pasha was assassinated by a band of renegade Janissary known as the Dahis.

This armed action led by Karađorđe Petrović to expel the Ottomans from the Sanjak for a significant time, which eventually led to the creation of modern Serbia. First Serbian Uprising was suppressed in 1813 by the vast Ottoman army led by Hursid Pasha. Another rebellion known as the Hadži Prodan's Revolt led by Hadži Prodan Gligorijević in the year 1814, united large groups of large group of Muslims and Christians against the reign of Hursid Pasha and they eventually fled to Austria.

Despite suppression of First Serbian Uprising and revival of the sanjak, uprising of Miloš Obrenović succeeded with creation of semi-independent Principality of Serbia in 1817 (confirmed with Ferman from Mahmud II in 1830), gained independence in 1878 by Treaty of San Stefano and evolved to Kingdom of Serbia in 1882. Creation of it also means end of Smederovo sanjak.

External links

• Map of the Sanjak
• Map showing the Sanjak in relation to the rest of Serbia