The Chiprovtsi Uprising was an uprising against Ottoman rule organized in northwestern Bulgaria

Bulgaria

Bulgaria , officially the Republic of Bulgaria , is a parliamentary democracy within a unitary constitutional republic in Southeast Europe. The country borders Romania to the north, Serbia and Macedonia to the west, Greece and Turkey to the south, as well as the Black Sea to the east...

 by Roman Catholic Bulgarians

Roman Catholicism in Bulgaria

Roman Catholicism is the third largest religious congregation in Bulgaria, after Eastern Orthodoxy and Islam. It has roots in the country since the Middle Ages and is part of the worldwide Roman Catholic Church, under the spiritual leadership of the Pope and curia in Rome.As an entity, the Catholic...

, but also involving many Eastern Orthodox Christians. It broke out after the capture of Belgrade

Siege of Belgrade (1688)

The Siege of Belgrade in 1688 was the fourth siege of that city, taking place during the Great Turkish War.Belgrade was at that time a part of the Ottoman Empire, and had been for 167 years. The Ottoman Empire was at war with the Holy League, the forces of which were led by the elector of Bavaria,...

 by Austria

Austria

Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...

 on 6 September 1688 and ended unsuccessfully, with the centre of insurrectionary activity, Chiprovtsi

Chiprovtsi

Chiprovtsi is a small town and municipality in northwestern Bulgaria, administratively part of Montana Province. It lies on the shores of the river Ogosta in the western Balkan Mountains, very close to the Bulgarian-Serbian border...

, being completely destroyed by Ottoman forces.

Chiprovtsi under Ottoman rule

After the conquest of Bulgaria the Ottomans

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...

 left a number of regions, towns and villages out of the Ottoman administrative system. These were usually key regions that were left to be governed by the old Bulgarian administration for practical reasons. Such towns were the ones guarding the Balkan passes, as well as important ore extraction areas like Chiprovtsi. Although the status of the then-village in the period is not completely clear, it is generally considered that the Christian Bulgarian aristocracy retained most of its authority in Chiprovtsi. Sources from Dubrovnik

Dubrovnik

Dubrovnik is a Croatian city on the Adriatic Sea coast, positioned at the terminal end of the Isthmus of Dubrovnik. It is one of the most prominent tourist destinations on the Adriatic, a seaport and the centre of Dubrovnik-Neretva county. Its total population is 42,641...

 mention the family of Soymirovich, whose members lived there as sovereign rulers until the end of the 14th century. After the Ottoman invasion the family (ot at least most of it) moved to Dubrovnik, where they became part of the local aristocracy and possibly accepted Roman Catholicism without forgetting their old possessions. Other known families from the period are Peyachevich, Parchevich, Cherkich, Markanich and Knezhevich.

During the next century Chiprovtsi was a has (a permanent possession) of the sultan's family

Ottoman Dynasty

The Ottoman Dynasty ruled the Ottoman Empire from 1299 to 1922, beginning with Osman I , though the dynasty was not proclaimed until Orhan Bey declared himself sultan...

 and later a valide hanım (estate of the sultan's mother). The rights of the Christian self-government possibly inherited from the Second Bulgarian Empire

Second Bulgarian Empire

The Second Bulgarian Empire was a medieval Bulgarian state which existed between 1185 and 1396 . A successor of the First Bulgarian Empire, it reached the peak of its power under Kaloyan and Ivan Asen II before gradually being conquered by the Ottomans in the late 14th-early 15th century...

 and adapted to the Ottoman military feudal system were significantly curtailed in the 16th and 17th century. Around the middle of the 17th century, the idea of Catholicism being used as a way to restore the Bulgarian state with the aid of the Catholic Western Europe

Western Europe

Western Europe is a loose term for the collection of countries in the western most region of the European continents, though this definition is context-dependent and carries cultural and political connotations. One definition describes Western Europe as a geographic entity—the region lying in the...

, began emerging in the circle of the pro-Western Chiprovtsi nobility.

Organization

Additional factors for the uprising were the events in the middle of the 17th century, in particular the blow that the mighty Ottoman Empire received as the defeat at Vienna

Battle of Vienna

The Battle of Vienna took place on 11 and 12 September 1683 after Vienna had been besieged by the Ottoman Empire for two months...

 in 1683. The introduction of heavy taxes to secure funds for the expensive yet ineffective European campaigns of the empire and the deprivation of the Bulgarian Catholics of some of their rights played an important role in the setup of the uprising. Petar Parchevich

Petar Parchevich

Petar Parchevich or Petar Mihaylov Parchev was a Bulgarian Roman Catholic archbishop, diplomat, scholar, baron of Austria and one of the architects behind the anti-Ottoman Chiprovtsi Uprising....

, a highly educated Bulgarian Catholic cleric and diplomat, carried out a large-scale dimplomatic campaign among the Christian rulers of Central Europe

Central Europe

Central Europe or alternatively Middle Europe is a region of the European continent lying between the variously defined areas of Eastern and Western Europe...

 between 1630 and 1645. Together with Petar Bogdan

Petar Bogdan

Petar Bogdan Bakshev or Petar Bogdan ; was a Bulgarian Catholic bishop, historian and a key Bulgarian National Revival figure. Petar Bogdan restored the Bulgarian Catholic Eparchy and was one of the organizers of a Bulgarian uprising of the region of Chiprovtsi against the Ottoman rule...

 and Franchesko Soymirovich, they visited Austrian monarch Ferdinand II

Ferdinand II, Holy Roman Emperor

Ferdinand II , a member of the House of Habsburg, was Holy Roman Emperor , King of Bohemia , and King of Hungary . His rule coincided with the Thirty Years' War.- Life :...

, the king of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth

Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth

The Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth was a dualistic state of Poland and Lithuania ruled by a common monarch. It was the largest and one of the most populous countries of 16th- and 17th‑century Europe with some and a multi-ethnic population of 11 million at its peak in the early 17th century...

 Sigismund III Vasa

Sigismund III Vasa

Sigismund III Vasa was King of Poland and Grand Duke of Lithuania, a monarch of the united Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth from 1587 to 1632, and King of Sweden from 1592 until he was deposed in 1599...

, and his heir, Władysław IV Vasa

Władysław IV Vasa

Władysław IV Vasa was a Polish and Swedish prince from the House of Vasa. He reigned as King of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth from 8 November 1632 to his death in 1648....

 as well as Wallachia

Wallachia

Wallachia or Walachia is a historical and geographical region of Romania. It is situated north of the Danube and south of the Southern Carpathians...

n voivode, Matei Basarab

Matei Basarab

Matei Basarab was a Wallachian Voivode between 1632 and 1654.-Reign:Much of Matei's reign was spent fighting off incursions from Moldavia, which he successfully accomplished in 1637, 1639, and 1653 - see Battle of Finta...

. Around 1647 the Ottomans withdrew almost entirely from northwestern Bulgaria in relation to their war with Venice

Venice

Venice is a city in northern Italy which is renowned for the beauty of its setting, its architecture and its artworks. It is the capital of the Veneto region...

 for Crete

Crete

Crete is the largest and most populous of the Greek islands, the fifth largest island in the Mediterranean Sea, and one of the thirteen administrative regions of Greece. It forms a significant part of the economy and cultural heritage of Greece while retaining its own local cultural traits...

. Matei Basarab sent messengers to promise a 20,000-strong army to support the uprising. In the decisive moment, however, Władysław IV died on 20 May 1648 and the uprising was called off.

After the campaign's failure, Parchevich went to Venice

Venice

Venice is a city in northern Italy which is renowned for the beauty of its setting, its architecture and its artworks. It is the capital of the Veneto region...

 together with the governor of Chiprovtsi Franchesko Markanich and then visited the new Polish king Jan II Kazimierz Vasa, as well as the Austrian royal court

Royal court

Royal court, as distinguished from a court of law, may refer to:* The Royal Court , Timbaland's production company*Court , the household and entourage of a monarch or other ruler, the princely court...

, being denied assistance at all three places. Parchevich also met Pope Innocent X and also visited Germany

Germany

Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...

, Hungary

Hungary

Hungary , officially the Republic of Hungary , is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is situated in the Carpathian Basin and is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine and Romania to the east, Serbia and Croatia to the south, Slovenia to the southwest and Austria to the west. The...

, Transylvania

Transylvania

Transylvania is a historical region in the central part of Romania. Bounded on the east and south by the Carpathian mountain range, historical Transylvania extended in the west to the Apuseni Mountains; however, the term sometimes encompasses not only Transylvania proper, but also the historical...

 and Wallachia after 1651. The unsuccess of these missions, as well as Austria and Poland's reluctance to head an anti-Ottoman coalition again frustrated the uprising's outbreak at this time.

A war between Poland and the Ottoman Empire began in 1671 that activated Bogdan and Parchevich's work. A coalition against the Ottomans did not form again, with Parchevich dying in Rome

Rome

Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...

 on 23 July 1674 and Bogdan following in September of the same year.

Polish king Jan III Sobieski delivered a great blow to the Ottoman forces at Vienna on 12 September 1683, never again allowing them to return to Central Europe. Austria and Poland concluded a union against the Ottomans in the spring of 1684 with Venice joining later. Russia

Russia

Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...

 also decided to become part of the coalition in 1686. The union this time sought the help of Bulgarian Catholics alone. It was noted by Bulgarian Bishop that over 500 Albanian Catholics in the region were involved in the Uprising against the Turks as well. The residents of Chiprovtsi and the neighbouring villages decided that the appropriate moment had come when the Austrian army took Belgrade on 6 September 1688.

Military activity

The Chiprovtsi Uprising's progress and organizations are not well documented. Insurrectionary units under Georgi Peyachevich, left the village to join the Austrian army in the spring of 1688, with Peyachevich's forces participating in the assault on Orşova

Orsova

Orșova is a port city on the Danube river in southwestern Romania's Mehedinți County. It is one of four localities in the county located in the Banat historical region. It is situated just above the Iron Gates, on the spot where the Cerna River meets the Danube.- History :The first documented...

 and the whole Banat

Banat

The Banat is a geographical and historical region in Central Europe currently divided between three countries: the eastern part lies in western Romania , the western part in northeastern Serbia , and a small...

. The uprising broke out in the entire northwestern Bulgaria area after the battle for Belgrade. The advancing of 6 Austrian regiments did not succeed in coordinating the Bulgarian units that did nothing to stop the Ottoman regroup. The decisive battle took place in October 1688 in the Zheravitsa country close to Kutlovitsa, where the insurrectionary forces were defeated by Ottoman troops and their Magyar allies. Although fighting went on, the uprising was quickly suppressed, with Chiprovtsi being captured on 18 October after a heroic defence and was completely destroyed together with the neighbouring villages of Kopilovtsi, Zhelezna

Zhelezna

Zhelezna is a village in northwestern Bulgaria, part of Chiprovtsi Municipality, Montana Province....

 and Klisura

Klisura

Klisura is a small town in the Karlovo municipality of the Plovdiv Province in central Bulgaria. It is situated in a valley surrounded by the Balkan Mountain range and Sredna Gora...

. Almost the entire population was killed or taken into slavery. The resistance contiunued in the following months as the remains of the insurrectionary force became bands of hajduk

Hajduk

Hajduk is a term most commonly referring to outlaws, highwaymen or freedom fighters in the Balkans, Central- and Eastern Europe....

s. Meanwhile, the Austrian troops beyond the Balkan Mountains

Balkan Mountains

The Balkan mountain range is a mountain range in the eastern part of the Balkan Peninsula. The Balkan range runs 560 km from the Vrashka Chuka Peak on the border between Bulgaria and eastern Serbia eastward through central Bulgaria to Cape Emine on the Black Sea...

 did nothing and only captured Vidin

Vidin

Vidin is a port town on the southern bank of the Danube in northwestern Bulgaria. It is close to the borders with Serbia and Romania, and is also the administrative centre of Vidin Province, as well as of the Metropolitan of Vidin...

 in the autumn of 1689.

Consequences

The uprising and its suppression caused a great wave of emigration from northwestern Bulgaria, mostly to the Christian-dominated areas to the west and north. The main wave of refugees settled around the Danube

Danube

The Danube is a river in the Central Europe and the Europe's second longest river after the Volga. It is classified as an international waterway....

 close to Vidin and Lom, around Pirot

Pirot

Pirot is a town and municipality located in south-eastern Serbia. According to 2011 census, the town has a total population of 38,432, while the population of the municipality is 57,911...

, Sofia

Sofia

Sofia is the capital and largest city of Bulgaria and the 12th largest city in the European Union with a population of 1.27 million people. It is located in western Bulgaria, at the foot of Mount Vitosha and approximately at the centre of the Balkan Peninsula.Prehistoric settlements were excavated...

 and Berkovitsa

Berkovitsa

Berkovitsa is a town and ski resort in northwestern Bulgaria. It is the administrative centre of the homonymous Berkovitsa Municipality, Montana Province and is close to the town of Varshets...

. The largest group of refugees fled to Wallachia

Wallachia

Wallachia or Walachia is a historical and geographical region of Romania. It is situated north of the Danube and south of the Southern Carpathians...

 where it broke up and was gradually assimilated, although certain parts formed the ethnic group of the Banat Bulgarians

Banat Bulgarians

The Banat Bulgarians are a distinct Bulgarian minority group which settled in the 18th century in the region of the Banat, which was then ruled by the Habsburgs and after World War I was divided between Romania, Serbia, and Hungary...

 in the Banat together with heirs of Paulicians from around Nikopol

Nikopol, Bulgaria

Nikopol is a town in northern Bulgaria, the administrative center of Nikopol municipality, part of Pleven Province, on the right bank of the Danube river, 4 km downstream from the mouth of the Osam river. It spreads at the foot of steep chalk cliffs along the Danube and up a narrow valley...

 and Svishtov

Svishtov

Svishtov is a town in northern Bulgaria, located in Veliko Tarnovo Province on the right bank of the Danube river opposite the Romanian town of Zimnicea. It is the administrative centre of the homonymous Svishtov Municipality...

 that came in the end of the 17th century.

The Chiprovtsi Uprising put an end to northwestern Bulgaria's status as a buffer zone

Buffer zone

A buffer zone is generally a zonal area that lies between two or more other areas , but depending on the type of buffer zone, the reason for it may be to segregate regions or to conjoin them....

 between the Ottoman Empire and the Habsbrug territories

Habsburg Monarchy

The Habsburg Monarchy covered the territories ruled by the junior Austrian branch of the House of Habsburg , and then by the successor House of Habsburg-Lorraine , between 1526 and 1867/1918. The Imperial capital was Vienna, except from 1583 to 1611, when it was moved to Prague...

, with Catholic influence largely ceasing. The privileges of Bulgarian nobility and its authority in the region were eliminated and Chiprovtsi's importance as a cultural and economic centre considerably decreased.