Battle of Kokovo
Encyclopedia
The Battle of Kokovo was a battle fought in the fields near the village of Kokovo (present-day Coccau in Italy
(German
: Goggau) on 26 June 1478 between an army of 600 peasants and miners from Carinthia
against a 20,000-strong Ottoman Turkish
invading army. The peasant army was raised in the context of the Carinthian peasant revolt of 1478
.
under a certain Matjaž who refused to let the Turks pass without a fight. In the ensuing battle that pitted the poorly armed, but determined peasants against professional Turkish Akinci cavalrymen, all 600 peasants and miners were killed. The Turkish army then continued its advance and eventually plundered areas up until Upper Carinthia.
The battle spawned a myth among the Slovenian population that the 600 peasants and their "king" Matjaž did not die, but actually sheltered in the nearby Uršlja Gora
mountain and are sleeping there. They will wake up once the king's beard has encircled the stone table by which he rests nine times, after which he will walk outside and happy times will come for the Slovenians.
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
(German
German language
German is a West Germanic language, related to and classified alongside English and Dutch. With an estimated 90 – 98 million native speakers, German is one of the world's major languages and is the most widely-spoken first language in the European Union....
: Goggau) on 26 June 1478 between an army of 600 peasants and miners from Carinthia
Carinthia (state)
Carinthia is the southernmost Austrian state or Land. Situated within the Eastern Alps it is chiefly noted for its mountains and lakes.The main language is German. Its regional dialects belong to the Southern Austro-Bavarian group...
against a 20,000-strong Ottoman Turkish
Ottoman Empire
The Ottoman EmpireIt was usually referred to as the "Ottoman Empire", the "Turkish Empire", the "Ottoman Caliphate" or more commonly "Turkey" by its contemporaries...
invading army. The peasant army was raised in the context of the Carinthian peasant revolt of 1478
Carinthian peasant revolt of 1478
The Carinthian peasant revolt of 1478 was a peasant revolt in Carinthia caused by repeated Ottoman Turkish raids in Carinthia and increased taxes levied on the peasantry in the region...
.
Origins
Carinthia saw five Turkish raids into its territory between 1473 and 1483, with lots of plundering and killing at the hands of Turkish cavalry. Because the local nobility had no answer to the large numbers of mobile Turkish cavalry, they moved into their fortified castles, while the clergy fortified its churches and monasteries and held out there. This left most peasants in Carinthia without any protection, even though they were burdened with special taxes to fight the Turks.Battle Details
In order to protect themselves from the Turkish invaders, around 3.000 peasants and miners took up arms, preparing to fight the Turkish army coming via the Predil Pass. However, upon arrival of the Turkish army, most of the original 3.000 peasants fled into the forests leaving only around 600 SloveniansSlovenians
The Slovenes, Slovene people, Slovenians, or Slovenian people are a South Slavic people primarily associated with Slovenia and the Slovene language.-Population:Most Slovenes today live within the borders of the independent Slovenia...
under a certain Matjaž who refused to let the Turks pass without a fight. In the ensuing battle that pitted the poorly armed, but determined peasants against professional Turkish Akinci cavalrymen, all 600 peasants and miners were killed. The Turkish army then continued its advance and eventually plundered areas up until Upper Carinthia.
The battle spawned a myth among the Slovenian population that the 600 peasants and their "king" Matjaž did not die, but actually sheltered in the nearby Uršlja Gora
Uršlja Gora
Uršlja Gora is a dispersed settlement on the northern slopes of a hill with the same name to the southwest of Kotlje in the Ravne na Koroškem Municipality in the Carinthia region in northern Slovenia...
mountain and are sleeping there. They will wake up once the king's beard has encircled the stone table by which he rests nine times, after which he will walk outside and happy times will come for the Slovenians.