Karposh rebellion

[Tsontos]

After suffering defeat at Vienna at 1683, Ottomans were forced to rapidly withdraw from Europe. Led by General Piccolomini, the Austrians advanced as far as Macedonia. The military catastrophe and the chaotic situation inside the Ottoman Empire created suitable conditions for widespread outlawry in many parts of today's Macedonia, Bulgaria and Serbia, especially in the Moriovo, Bitola, Tikvesh, Veles, Shtip, Dospat, Kyustendil regions which led to the Karposh Uprising.

Sometime in the middle of October 1689 the outlaw Karposh led an uprising which broke out in the region between Kustendil and Skopje. Immediately after declaring a revolt, Karposh attacked and captured Kriva Palanka. Kriva Palanka was an Ottoman stronghold built in 1636 to house Ottoman soldiers. After capturing the stronghold, Karposh declared it liberated rebel territory and made it his centre of resistance. After securing Kriva Palanka the rebels built and secured a new stronghold near Kumanovo.

It is not known whether or not the rebels were assisted by the Austrians but it is possible. According to contemporary Ottoman chronicles and local legends, Karposh was known as the "King of Kumanovo". This could have been a title conferred upon him by the Austrian 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.

The council of war which met in Sofia on November 14, 1689 decided to attack the Karposh uprising through Kustendil. 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 in Kumanovo. No sooner had they prepared their defenses than the Ottoman and Tartar detachments arrived. The rebels stood their ground and fought gallantly but 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 to the end were slaughtered. Karposh and the others were taken prisoner. After subduing Kumanovo, the Ottomans left for Skopje where they executed Karposh and the others.

Karposh was brought before Selim Giray who at the time was standing on the Stone Bridge over the River Vardar. Selim used him for target practice and impaled him with his Tartar lances. He then had his body hurled into the Vardar River. Karposh died early in December of 1689 and with him died the Karposh uprising.

Just as the Karposh revolt was winding down in Macedonia, on April 6, 1690, Leopold I issued a manifesto inviting "all peoples of Albania, Serbia, Mysia, Bulgaria, Silistria, Illyria, Macedonia and Rashka to join the Austrians in taking up arms against the Turks. Unfortunately, all these good gestures were too little too late for these provinces which by 1690 was back under tight Ottoman control.




Ive heard some skopjians calling Karposh an ethnic macedonian, as you would expect

[Petros Houhoulis]

Macedonians ask for protection of the Holy Roman Emperor, Leopold I, 1690!
20080319 — makedonika
Here are two sources of the letter were the Macedonians ask for protection of the Holy Roman Emperor, Leopold I.

The letter is from 26th April 1690.

First source:



Second source:



Here is a translation of the letter into English:

April 26th, 1690 Letter of protection from Leopold I. …This is to inform you that two Macedonians, Marko Kraida born in Kosana and Dimitri Georgi Popovic, born in Macedonian Salonika, have told us that the Macedonian people, with respect for our most righteous task, with devotion and zeal towards our service….we graciously accept them under our imperial and royal mercy and in any case and way the above mentioned Macedonian people, cordially recommending to each and all of our willing commanders not to attack the Macedonian people….Issued in Vienna, April 26th, 1690.

Source of the letter;

Representatives: defenders of the Macedonian people…. J. Radonic, Prilozi za istoriju Srba u Ungarskoj u XVI, XVII and XVIII veku. Knj. I, Matice srpske, nbr 25 and 26, Novi Sad 1908, p. 52-53.

______________________________

Here is a brief summary of Leopold I;

Leopold I, Holy Roman Emperor (name in full: Leopold Ignaz Joseph Balthasar Felician; Hungarian: I. Lipót) Habsburg (June 9, 1640 – May 5, 1705), Holy Roman emperor, was the second son of the emperor Ferdinand III and his first wife Maria Anna of Spain. His maternal grandparents were Philip III of Spain and Margarita of Austria.



Hmmm, I think I know what happened. I have seen the Kaprosh rebellion entry in wikipedia. It is quite illuminating:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Karposh...lion#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. Just as the Karposh revolt was winding down in Central Balkans, on April 6, 1690, Leopold I issued a manifesto inviting "all peoples of Albania, Serbia, Moesia, Bulgaria, Silistria, Illyria, Macedonia and Raška to join the Austrians in taking up arms against the Turks." Then on April 26, 1690, he issued a letter making region of Macedonia and her people his protectorate. Another letter was issued on May 31, 1690 extending Austria's protection to Bulgaria, Serbia and Albania. Unfortunately, all these good gestures were too little too late for these provinces which by 1690 was back under tight Ottoman control.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------

So, at April 6, Leopold invited "all peoples of Albania, Serbia, Moesia, Bulgaria, Silistria, Illyria, Macedonia and Raška to join the Austrians in taking up arms against the Turks."

What Moesia?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moesia

"The region took its name from the Moesi, a Thracian tribe that lived there before the Roman conquest 75 BC-c. 29 BC and formally became a Roman province of that name some years later (by 6 AD)."

The Moesi dissapearred during the Roman era, and Moesia during the Byzantine era. The very name of the region was dissapearred the latest by the time of the Serbian conquest of the area, and the entry in wikipedia does not mention anything beyond it. Therefore, it was an obsolete term, at 1690.

What Illyria?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Illyria

"Illyria (Ancient Greek Ἰλλυρία; Latin Illyria [1]; see also Illyricum) was in Classical antiquity a region in the western part of today's Balkan Peninsula, founded by the tribes and clans of Illyrians, an ancient people who spoke the Illyrian languages...."

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Illyria#Legacy

"After the province of Illyricum was divided into Dalmatia and Pannonia in 10, the terms "Illyria" and "Illyrian" would generally go out of use, but would still be used in some circles. The name Illyria was revived by Napoleon for the 'Provinces of Illyria'..."

Illyria and the Illyrians dissapearred 15 centuries before Leopold I!!!

All these names were a blend of ancient people and regions as well as people and regions that existed during the era of Leopold I. Proof of this? What is the use of naming Albania, if you speak of Illyria that includes the whole of Albania? What is the point of speaking of Raška, when it is known that the latter is a part of Serbia, and in fact the name of the most successful Serb Medieval kingdom?

This confusion engulfed Macedonia as well. We know that the last mention of Macedonia as an administrative region (Macedonia and Thrace) occurs before the fall of Constantinople at 1204. Since then no Macedonia or Macedonians exist in an official sense, and the name has practically dissapearred up to the time of Leopold I.

Of course, if Macedonia had dissapearred in the real world, its' place in the history books next to Raška and Illyria shall never go away. Therefore, Leopold spoke of an Ancient Macedonia as if it existed! Some fellas who lived in the lands of Macedonia pretended to be Macedonians. the truth is that their true origins were probably Serb. Why?

Let's see who they were: Marko Kraida born in Kosana and Dimitri Georgi Popovic, born in Macedonian Salonika.

Kosana is in Serbia! Salonika was NOT the name used by your people to describe Thessaloniki. As you know very well, you have been calling it "SOLUN" in your language. Therefore, this guy Popovic does NOT speak your language...

...And his surname -ic is typically Serb! The other guys' name is not the typical -ov or -ski of yours, and is probably Serb too...

...Therefore, the two friends were merely living in Macedonia - during the past - something that, well, we never learn that they actually claim. In fact, the second letter of protection is not written by those two fellas, but by LEOPOLD I's secretaries!!! We do not really the opinion of these people upon the matter!!!

[Truth Bearer]

Great research there Petros why don't you post it on his website lets see how long it lasts??

[Petros Houhoulis]

A letter from Vasilije Petrovic to Count Shuvalov, Macedonians seek protection, 1754!


Partial translation into English of the above letter:

….our brothers Christians: Albanians, Macedonians, Bosnians, Serbs and Bulgarians are looking for our protection…..

From the book “Istorija o Crnoj Gori”* By Vladike** Vasilije Petrovica printed in Moscow 10th March 1754.

*The History of Montenegro.
**Vladika/e is a Montenegrin title equivalent to “Prince-bishop”.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------

Aaah Jordan. This is a good one in all except one detail: The person making the plea does not describe himself as a “Macedonian”, nor does his name sound “Macedonian”. In all possibility, the -ic suffix belongs to a Serb or Montenegrin name.

Everyhting else seems correct. The author does not speak of obsolete people like Thracians, and the prototype proves that the person was a genuine Balkaner.

The only problem thus, is that we do not know who those Macedonians were. There might have been your folks, or Greek Macedonians, who used the legacy of Alexander the Great as well, no later than half a century later. Your author does not describe those Macedonians, and you get no proof of who these were, just a name. I am afraid that this is not sufficient evidence…

[Petros Houhoulis]

Hard to find map of Macedonia from 1683!
20080318 — makedonika

This map is from Allain Manesson Mallet’s ”Description de L’Univers de L’Europe Ancienne et Moderne” this being from the scarce 1683 first edition. A very beautiful map of Macedonia and very hard to find.

It should be pointed out that this map is depicting Ancient Macedonia.

Please click the link below to see the full map.

Illyrie en General: Macedoine, Thessalie, Epire

--------------------------------------------------------------------------

Interesting map, but the inclusion of Paeonia and of the largest chunk of Epirus in Macedonia occured only during the last half of the reign of Phillip V. This time period of less than 20 years before the Roman conquest does NOT imply that the local populations of either Paeonia or Epirus developed a Macedonian consciousness.

Furthermore, half of your modern country is still outside that map of Macedonia, especially your most populous and second most populous territories, the one around Skopje, and the other around Kumanovo.

[Ehetlaios]

Hey indeed,you would expect that if that guy had written "….our brothers Christians: Albanians, Macedonians, Bosnians, Serbs, Bulgarians and Greeks are looking for our protection…..", he would talk about ethnic Macedonians when mentioning them with that name.

However, "Greeks" appears nowhere. Strange.

[Ehetlaios]

BTW, Jordan's website?

[Petros Houhoulis]

Originally Posted by Truth Bearer

Great research there Petros why don't you post it on his website lets see how long it lasts??

I've already done so, with a minor mistake...

...I copied it here in order to keep it alive...

[Ehetlaios]

Petro, it would be good if you also posted the map as well.

[Truth Bearer]

Yes good point there Ehetlaios....