Karposh's rebellion

Karposh’s rebellion or Karposh’s uprising (Карпошово востание, Karpošovo vostanie; Карпошово въстание, Karposhovo vastanie) was a Christian anti-Ottoman uprising in the Central Balkans that took place in October 1689. Karposh, the rebellion leader, was born in the Sanjak of Üsküp in the then Rumelia Eyalet, Ottoman Empire, modern North Macedonia, probably in the village of Vojnik (near Kumanovo, on today's Serbia-North Macedonia border), under the name Petar. At a very young age, he escaped to Wallachia, present-day Romania, where he worked as a miner. Later, Karposh moved to the Rhodope Mountains, where he settled in the Dospat valley (near today's Greek-Bulgarian border), becoming a notorious hajduk. After the army of the Holy Roman Empire advanced into the Ottoman Balkans, Karposh moved to the area of Znepole (near Tran, on today's Serbo-Bulgarian border), and began to organise anti-Ottoman resistance detachments here. In 1683, the Holy League of Austria, Poland, Venice, and (later) Russia was formed to oppose the Ottoman Empire. The Ottoman Empire suffered defeat at the Battle of Vienna in 1683 and was forced to withdraw rapidly from Central Europe. The defeat and the chaotic situation within the Ottoman Empire created widespread social disruption in the Central Balkans, particularly in the regions of Üsküp (Skopje) and Niş (Niš), where Karposh's rebellion originated. On 25 October 1689, the Austrian branch of the Holy League, led by General Piccolomini, reached the Plain of Üsküp and were met with rejoicing by the inhabitants of the villages there. The same day, Piccolomini began a withdrawal of his forces, and on 26 October, set fire to the city. Skopje burned for two whole days, through 26 and 27 October. Most of the city of Skopje was destroyed in the fire. Some accounts of these events state that Piccolomini razed Skopje due to an inability of his forces to occupy and govern a city so far from his headquarters, while other accounts state that it was perpetrated to prevent the spread of infectious disease.