The First Serbian Uprising began on this day in 1804. It was an uprising of the Serbian people, centered around the area of Šumadija, against Ottoman rule.
A large part of what is now the Republic of Serbia was at that time part of the Ottoman Empire, i.e. the Sanjak of Smederevo (sometimes erroneously called the Pashaluk of Belgrade).
The leader of the First Serbian Uprising was Đorđe Petrović, also known as Karađorđe, a man around seven years older than Napoleon Bonaparte. Indeed, it is interesting that the uprising broke out precisely the same year when Napoleon was crowned the Emperor of the French.
The uprising began in the small village of Orašac in Šumadija, at a location known as Marićevića jaruga (Marićević Trench). Orašac is located near the town of Aranđelovac in Šumadija, some 50 km south of Belgrade.
The rebels took over a relatively large part of Serbia, and it took the Ottomans 10 years to finally put down the uprising. Karađorđe’s grandson Petar Karađorđević became the King of Serbia 86 years after Karađorđe’s death (after deposing the Obrenović dynasty).
