User talk:Zoupan/Niš Rebellion (1821)

The Niš Rebellion (нишка буна) broke out in Niš in 1821, suppressed by the Ottomans the same year. It was led by a revolutionary organization, the "Niš Secret Organization", established in 1820 by Orthodox bishop Melentije. The organization had ca. 200 members. It was influenced by the Greek revolutionary organization, Filiki Eteria, and closely followed the events in Greece. The muhafiz of the Pashaluk of Niš in 1821 was Husein-paša, who was also the commander of the Niš garrison with 8,000 soldiers. Husein suppressed the uprising before it took fruit, being sent by the Sultan to investigate the matter; the leaders were hanged on 13 June 1821.

Background
Melentije was highly regarded and very communicative, thus, immediately upon arriving in Niš he was engaged by the Ottoman commander of Niš, Marashli-Ali, to intervene and establish contact with Miloš Obrenović, the leader of the Second Serbian Uprising. In a letter to Miloš and all Serbs, from mid-July 1815,

Rebellion
Bishop Melentije established the Niš Secret Organization (нишка тајна организација) in 1820. The organization had ca. 200 members. It was influenced by the Greek revolutionary organization, Filiki Eteria (Society of Friends), and closely followed the events in Greece. Ali Pasha mentioned in 1820 that Niš was one of the significant Eteriate checkpoints in the Balkans. At the end of 1820, the Niš Organization sent its delegates to Constantinople. The muhafiz of the Pashaluk of Niš in 1821 was Husein-paša, who was also the commander of the Niš garrison with 8,000 soldiers.

The organization, using the Greek movement for independence, prepared an uprising in Niš and southern Serbia. The leader was bishop Melentije, who held contacts with Ali-Pasha of Niš. Members of the organization were priests, merchants and artisans. The organization established connections with Leskovac, Vranje, Vlasotince and Pirot. A general uprising did never come to fruit, due to the Sultan's intervention on time; he had sent Husein-Pasha to Niš with 5,000 men, who for more than two months carried the investigation on the preparations of the uprising. The result of the investigation can be seen in a letter to the Pasha of Belgrade, dated 28 July 1821, stating that "since the most zealous investigated the matter, the mentioned Pasha (Ali-Pasha), the mentioned Metropolitan (Milentije), two priests and two kafirs (unbelievers), who were influential people in the town, were executed." The six were hanged at the fortress bridge on 13 June 1821, thus, Husein-Pasha managed to supress the uprising in its beginning. Apart from Ali-Pasha, the following individuals from Niš and Nišava were hanged: vladika Milentije, prota Stojan Popović, priest Đorđe Cincarin, bakalin Mladen Ovčarević, Golub Mutavdžija, Radisav ekmekdžibaša, who were all the "foremost people in Niš and the district, both in wealth and reputation". Besides the hangings, around 200 citizens of Niš were captured and imprisoned, and there were also mentions of secret Ottoman executions and the disappearance of many people.