Karposh's rebellion
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 | This article possibly contains original research. (August 2011) |
| Karposh Uprising | |||||||||
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| Belligerents | |||||||||
| Karposh Rebels |
 Ottoman Empire | ||||||||
| Commanders and leaders | |||||||||
| Karposh |
Selim I Giray | ||||||||
| Strength | |||||||||
| unknown | unknown | ||||||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||||||
| unknown | unknown | ||||||||
| History of Bulgaria |
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Main category Bulgaria portal |
Karposh’s Rebellion or Karposh’s Uprising (Bulgarian:Карпошово Въстание)[1] is a Bulgarian anti-Ottoman uprising in the Central Balkans that took place in 1689. Karposh, the rebellion leader was born in Vardar Macedonia, probably in the village of Vojnica with the name Peter. At very young age he escapes to Wallachia where he gathers a troop and returns back to the Bulgarian lands where he settles in the town of Dospat.
Prelude
After suffering defeat at the Battle of Vienna in 1683, the Ottomans were forced to withdraw rapidly from Central Europe. The army of the Holy Roman Empire, led by General Piccolomini, advanced deep into the Ottoman territory. The military catastrophe and the chaotic situation within the Ottoman Empire created widespread social disruption in the Central Balkans, particularly in the regions of Skopje and Niš, where the rebellion had its origin.[2]
The uprising
In October 1689, an uprising broke out in the region between Kyustendil, Pirot, and Skopje. According to the Turkish historian Silahdar Findikli Mehmed Aga, its leader Karposh initially was voivode of haiduks in the vicinity of Dospat, in present-day Bulgaria, but later the Turks named him chief of Christian auxiliary forces in the area between Sofia, Veles, Dojran, Kjustendil and Nevrokop. However, he switshed the side and attacked and captured Kriva Palanka, an Ottoman stronghold, which he made center of his resistance. After securing Kriva Palanka, the rebels built and secured a new stronghold near Kumanovo. It is unclear whether the Austrians assisted the rebels. According to contemporary Ottoman chronicles and local legends, Karposh was known as the "King of Kumanovo", a title conferred upon him by Emperor Leopold I who sent him a busby (a tall fur hat worn by hussars and guardsmen) as a gift and a sign of recognition.[3] On April 6, 1690, Emperor Leopold I (1657-1705) issued a manifesto calling all peoples of Albania, Sebia, Moesia, Bulgaria, Illyria, Macedonia to join the Austrian forses against the Ottomans. Several days later, on April 26th, 1690, Emperor Leopold I issued a letter where he took the Macedonian people under his wing.[4]
Suppression
The situation for the rebels did not turn out well due to military and political reversals which played a decisive role in the fate of the uprising. The first step taken by the Turkish Ottoman authorities in the region was to put down the rebellion and drive the Austrian army out of Ottoman territory. To do that the Ottomans employed the services of the Crimean Khan Selim I Giray.
The council of war which met in Sofia on November 14, 1689 decided to attack the rebels through Kyustendil. But before they could do that they had to secure Kriva Palanka. Upon finding that they were about to be attacked, the rebels set fire to Kriva Palanka and concentrated their forces in the new fortress of Kumanovo. They just managed to make some preparations when the Ottoman and Tatar detachments arrived. The rebels were quickly overwhelmed by the numerically superior Ottoman force. A large number of rebels, including Karposh, were captured at the outset.
When the battle was over, all rebels who resisted were slaughtered. Karposh and the others were taken prisoner. After subduing Kumanovo, the Ottomans left for Skopje where they executed Karposh and the others.
Aftermath
For the rebels who survived the battles there was no salvation from the Ottoman backlash except to leave the Balkans. Many fled north beyond the Sava and Danube Rivers.
Legacy
Karpoš Municipality, one of the 10 municipalities that make up the city of Skopje, the capital of the Republic of Macedonia, is named after Karposh.
Hristijan Todorovski Karpoš, a Macedonian partisan during WWII, took his partisan name after Karpos, the 17th Century Macedonian rebel.
Karposh Square, a square across the Stone Bridge on the other side of Macedonia Square in Skopje is named after Karpos, where the leader of the uprising was executed by the Ottomans. A monument and a plaque commemorate the execution site near the bridge.
Karposh Point on Snow Island in the South Shetland Islands, Antarctica is named after Karposh.
Notes
- ^ [ http://www.kroraina.com/knigi/pp/index.htm, Karposh's Upsing, Petar Petrov, 1994, Macedonian Science Institute, Sofia]
- ^ Mihailo Apostolski, Istorija na makedonskiot narod, Institut za nacionalna istorija, Skopje, Macedonia, 1969 p. 279
- ^ Habsburgs and Ottomans between Vienna and Belgrade (1683-1739) Ivan Părvev p. 92
- ^ Military history of Macedonia Vanče Stojčev