Draft:Đuka Filipović (revolutionary)

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Đuka Filipović also spelled Djuka Filipović (Serbian Cyrillic: Дука Филиповић (револуционар); c. 1759 - after 1817) was one of the leaders in the First and Second Serbian Uprising, and one of the twelve rulers of the Belgrade pashadom during the time of the Turkish occupation, Karađorđe's Serbia and Miloš Obrenović's Principality of Serbia. Also, Đuka Filipović was closely associated with and related to the Karađorđe dynasty.

Archduke of Lepenica

The ancestors of Oboknez (Archduke) Đuka Filipović came to Jagnjilo from the vicinity of Sjenica in Raška, the cradle of the first modern-day Serbian state, at the beginning of the eighteenth century, while Austria ruled at the time that part of Serbia in the south as far as Western Morava between 1718 and 1739 before it was relinquished to the Ottomans who already held most of Old Serbia, except Montenegro. Research shows that Đuka was born in Jagnjilo (c. 1759), that in April 1797 he was among the signatories of the knazes and voivodes of the Belgrade Pashaluk in a petition to the Ottoman Sultan as "Đuka, Knaz of Morava" and that he was already in 1801 an oberknez (archduke) and Lord of Lepenica (Knežina Lepenica or Principality of Lepinica), confirms the time of the arrival of his old ancestors in Jagnjilo.

At the time of the Turkish rule, the Dahije controlled the so-called Belgrade Pashaluk which was divided into twelve nahijas, one of which was the Kragujevac nahija. The Kragujevac nahija (means 'municipality' in Turkish) was located in the very centre of the pashaluk and included three principalities: Gruža, Lepenica and Jasenica, which lie at the foothills of the Rudnik mountain and cover the basin of the three rivers from which they got their names. At the head of each nahija was a knaz (duke), but the one who was called oborknez (grand duke) was the senior duke such as Đuka, head of all three nahijas.

Đuka Filipović was elected duke of Lepenica under the Turks in 1793, when the Turks allowed the people to elect their own dukes and elders. On the eve of the First Serbian Uprising, Đuka Filipović was the Archduke of Lepenice. On one ring, which remained with the descendants, it was written "Oborknez Đuka 1801". It should be pointed out that the dukes, although elected by the people, were under the control of Turkish state power. Under the Turks, they were mediators between the viziers in Belgrade and the people in the principalities.

Later, under Karađorđe and Miloš, they were not only military leaders in their principalities, but also political, judicial and financial administrators. At the same time that Đuka was the archduke (oborknaz) of the Principality of Lepenica, Knaz Marko of Orašac was the lord of the Principality of Jasenica and Knaz Teodosije of Knić was the lord of the Principality of Gruža.

Đuka's brother Živan was Karađorđe's secretary, and Đuka himself was Karađorđe's stepbrother. According to tradition, Archduke Đuka Filipović influenced the oborknaz Jovanović from Masloševo to marry his daughter Jelena to Karađorđe. That's how Karađorđe became Đuka's stepbrother from his uncle Marko Filipović. The Filipovićes considered Karađorđe as a relative and family member. At the time of his marriage in 1786, Karađorđe lived in Zagorica, just five kilometers south of Jagnjilo.

An agreement for starting an uprising took place on the eve of Archangel Michael on 20 November 1803 and Archduke Đuka was at the first meeting of dukes and voivodes of Šumadija in Orašac, when a principled decision and oath was taken that in the spring of 1804, an uprising against the Turks would begin. At that meeting with Karađorđe, the following were present: Stevan Filipović of Jagnjilo, brother of Marko Filipović, Karađorđe's brother-in-law, and Archduke Đuka Filipović of Jagnjilo (who came to the wedding party); Vicentije of Koraćica; Matija Karatošić of Kopljare; Marko Katić of Rogača; Serdar Sima of Darosava; Jovan Krstović of Bukovik and many other selected people. At that meeting, Archpriest Athanasius of Bukovica swore in the conspirators. This first oath in the heart of Šumadija was a principled decision for the beginning of the liberation of the Serbian people from the Turks. All the previous work on the awakening of the people's consciousness and the preparation of the general uprising against the Turks seemed to have been completed at one small meeting held by several prominent Serbian leaders in Orašac. Under the pretext of coming to a wedding, these national leaders made a gigantic decision for the liberation of their people, and a historic one, which would change the map of Eastern Europe (even though it lasted a decade: 1803-1813) and would trigger future liberation movements of all Christian nations in the Balkans, including Greece (1821-1832), Crete (1821 was foiled, 1866 was foiled, and 1898 it became independent de jure), Bulgaria (1908), Albania (1912), Montenegro (from Napoleonic France, Austrian Holy Roman Empire, Ottoman Empire 1876), Romania (1877). While the young people were rejoicing at the wedding, these heralds of the Serbian revolution sealed their agreement, under a clear sky on a stream, with an oath administered by an old Serbian Orthodox priest, all without pomp and circumstance.

The first Serbian uprising in 1804 in Orašac

After the murder of a friend of the Serbs of the Belgrade vizier Hadji Mustafa Pasha in 1801, the Dahije became the masters of the so-called Belgrade Pashaluk. Having learned that the people are preparing for an uprising, the Dahije came up with a plan to kill all the knezes.

In the second half of January 1804, in one week, the Dahije executed more than 150 of the most respected Serbian with titles of voivode and knez (duke). This hastened the rise of the uprising. Karađorđe Petrović and other voivodes met in Orašac on 14 February 1804.

Archduke Đuka Filipović participated in that meeting, too. There, the earlier decision was confirmed and it was decided that the people would immediately rise up, under the leadership of Geroge Petrović who was elected as the supreme leader (vožd) of the uprising. Before Proto (archpriest) Athanasius, with a cross and the Gospel in hand, who made the first conspirators to take an oath in 1803, and now the first insurgents also swore their allegiance and loyalty to Karađorđe and to fight against the Turks until the day of liberation.

Thus, Đuka from Jagnjilo was among the first conspirators in 1803, among the first insurgents in 1804. Đuka was present at both meetings not only as a archduke or as Karađorđe's stepbrother and cousin Marko Filipović, who was Karađorđe's son-in-law, but also because he hated the invading Turk from the bottom of his soul. He wanted to protect Serbs from Ottoman atrocity and oppression.

How Đuka was irreconcilable with the Turks even before the First Uprising is told by a well-known legend about when he paid the Turks 2,000 ducats not to pass through his principality. The Turks received the money, and after that they attacked the Lepenica principality even more like caterpillars on a leaf. The tradition goes on to say that Đuka killed a group of Turks for violating the agreement, entering the principality, and committing atrocities.

Đuka took an active part in all the battles led by Karađorđe himself in the Kragujevac nahija. Đuka and his Lepenica people were always by Karađorđe's side. The nahija of Kragujevac was geographically central or, as it was called, the "central" nahija of the Belgrade Pashaluk. Territorially and in terms of population, it was one of the largest, only Požarevačka nahija and Valjevska nahija were stronger numerically speaking. In the great battles of the First Serbian Uprising, the armies of several nahiya were quickly concentrated on one battlefield against large Turkish armies. The most dangerous Turkish army was always the first to be beaten by Karađorđe's tactics and strategies. He did no worse than his contemporary Napoleon (who acknowledged Karađorđe's successes), acting according to the internal operating directions. It was the only possible strategy of weaker forces against a much stronger opponent. The principle was to keep the enemy on less important and less dangerous directions with weaker forces, while everything else was concentrated towards the strongest opponent, and thus the forces on the battlefield were somewhat equalized. Karađorđe's Kragujevac nahija, geographically central, was in a sense a "strategic reserve", which flew from one end of the Belgrade Pashaluk to the other, in order to help the border nahijas or take part with several nahijas in one battle. Hence, Đuka with his Lepenicans (citizens of Lepenica) was constantly where Karađorđe was, and that was in almost all the major battles of the First Serbian Uprising. The Kragujevac Nahija was Karađorđe's not only the most loyal troop, but also the fiercest striking force that prevailed on the battlefields in all major battles.

The participation of Archduke Đuka Filipović of Lepenica is mentioned especially in the first conflicts between Karađorđe and the Turks, at the beginning of the uprising in 1804. On the second day of the uprising, under the leadership of buljubaša Petar Jokić, with 70-80 soldiers, the inn in Jagnjilo was set ablaze and reduced to ashes, although many residents of Jagnjilo were against it.

Đuka was at Vračar near Belgrade (6 March 1804), then near Jagodina (8 March 1804), near Batočina (10 March 1804), where "Karađorđe ordered Đuka Filipović to set up an ambush on the road and wait for the signal to attack."

Đuka Filipović became famous in the Batočina in 1804 when Batočina and its surroundings were liberated from the Turks. Occupying Kragujevac on 4 April (23 March according to the Old Calendar), Karađorđe, the supreme vožd, arrived around noon on 4 April in front of Batočina and surrounded it. The Turkish units were composed of Arbanasi in the service of the Dahije. Then, Karađorđe issued orders. Duka Filipović and his people were on the other side of Rogot, towards Brzan. There he set up an ambush to wait for the Turks, regardless of whether they were fleeing from Batocina, or running to reinforce Batocina from Jagodina. The Serbs continued their onslaught until dark, but the Arbanassis did not give in. After besieging Batocina, Karadorde went to Levac to start an uprising in that part of Serbia as well. Kučuk Alija found out that Karađorđe had left, so he sent Tosun Aga with five hundred Turkish horsemen to break through to Batočina at night.

After taking up positions, a new insurgent attack began on 7 April (26 March by the Old Style calendar). The Turks and Arbanasi decided to retreat towards Jagodina, where they were to meet with Kučuk-Alija and together they continued further towards Belgrade. However, on the way to Jagodina, insurgents led by Đuka Filipović and Dimitrije Parezan were waiting for them in the Rogot forest, where the Turks decided to look for a way out towards Kijev through the Kijev stream.

Karadorde waited for them to move as far away from Batocina as possible, meanwhile, he followed them and caught up with them on Kijevački Potok between Kijevo and Dobrovodica. About four hundred Turks fell dead in that clash. Musein Ganić and Jusuf-aga Klimentić were also killed in the battle, while Tosun aga barely escaped and fled to Jagodina. In addition, the insurgents gained rich booty, including hundreds of rifles and nine standards.

In the course of 1805, the people of Lepenica were with Karađorđe in the battle for the liberation of Kraljevo (29 June 1805), Užice (20 July 1805) and in the famous and biggest of all that year at the Battle of Ivankovac on 6 August 1805.

In the course of 1806, Karađorđe participated with the Kragujevac Nahija, with Đuka and his Lepenicians in the battle near Valjevo (20 July 1806), in the Battle at Deligrad (20/23 August 1806), then in the Siege of Belgrade and the attack on Belgrade (that began on 29 August 1806), when the liberated city of Belgrade was defended against the Turks who retreated into the fortress itself, surrounded by walls and deep defended trenches. The Lepenians were also present at the capture of the Belgrade Fortress itself (25 February 1807).

At the beginning of 1807, the insurgents also conquered Šabac (25 January 1807). This year was the most glorious and the most important for Serbian weapons in the First Uprising. The Serbs beat both of the Sultan's armies to the ground: the one sent from Bosnia - at the Battle of Mišar and the one sent from Niš - at the Battle of Deligrad. The Serbian maneuvers on the battlefields, both Mišar and Deligrad, are in no way inferior to Napoleon's ingenious maneuvers in Italy in 1807. In 1809, the Serbs, as allies of the Russians, launched an offensive in all directions, towards Niš, Montenegro, Krajina, and Bosnia. Karađorđe's army marched on Arnautluk towards Novi Pazar and Sjenica. Along with Karađorđe came the people from the districts of Smederevska, Grocka, Kragujevačka, Rudnička and Požareveška. Of course, Đuka with his Lepenicans (folks from Lepenica) were always there. Đuka's subordinate, Captain Dimitrije Parezan stood out especially in the fight against the Turks at Novi Pazar, where he was also wounded. Karađorđe conquered his enemies at Sjenica (23 April 1807) and Novi Pazar (6 June 1807). However, word reached him about the defeat of the Serbs at Kamenica near Niš (19 May 1807) and he hurried back to the Morava valley to stop further Turkish encroachments there. However, Russian victories in Romania forced the Turks to return to the border of Serbia in October.

Karađorđe led battles in 1810 near Niš, Kuršumlija and in Kosovo, and on 6 September 1810, together with the Russians, they defeated Hurshid Pasha in the Battle of Varvarin. From there he rushed to the Drina and won the Battle of Loznica. In 1811, once again Karađorđe routed the forces of Hurshid Pasha at Gramada near Niš. Details about Đuka's participation in these battles are not recorded. The Serbian fiddle sang many Serbian knights, but many of them were not mentioned by name. Archduke Đuka, like many other heroes, was a part of Karađorđe's fame and greatness, so all his glory was reflected in Karađorđe.

Destruction of Serbia in 1813

Napoleon's invasion of Imperial Russia was used by the Turks to crush Karađorđe's Serbia with weapons and establish full Turkish rule in Belgrade Pashaluk, as it was before the First Serbian Uprising. The Sublime Porte was preparing against Serbia throughout the winter of 1812 and the spring of 1813. A sudden illness at that time put Karađorđe in bed. The dukes rejected Karađorđev's plan to withdraw the army from the border to the mountains and forests, for a long-term resistance against a stronger enemy. Everyone wanted to defend their area. The Turks moved large armies from three sides: from Niš, from Vidin and from Bosnia, all the way to Belgrade. With the death of Veljko Petrović in the month of July in Krajina, the way remained open for the Turks from the east to Belgrade. The death of Zeka Buljubaša on the Drina opened the way from Bosnia to Šabac and Belgrade. From Niš, Huršid Pasha went around the Deligrad fortress through the Great Morava valley and arrived at the confluence of the Morava and the Danube in September. Karađorđe, broken by illness physically and spiritually, left Belgrade with his closest retinue and on 21 September 1813, moved to Zemun, then part of the Habsburg Monarchy, where he was immediately arrested. Stevan Filipović of Jagnjilo, Karađorđe's secretary, informed Petar Jokić in writing that Karađorđe moved to Srem (a Serbian province in Austria) during the night.

On 17 October 1813, the Turks entered Belgrade and, after a decade of hard fighting, once again ruled Serbia. The first Serbian uprising was smothered in blood.

It is not known where Đuka Filipović was with the Lepenicans (his retinue from Lepenica) in 1813. Dimitrije Parezan heroically died with 2,000 other Serbs on 6 August 1813 at the Mozgov ditch near Deligrad, so it is assumed that Archduke Đuka was also there because Parezan was a captain under the command of Đuka. Many of Đuka Filipović's men died in 1813: Ilija from Kragujevac, his binbashi, as killed in Banja, then Bimbasha Sava from Trnava, died in Bukorovac, Đorđe from Komarice died at Jagodina, Gavra from Kragujevac, and Uroš Novković from Žabar, both were killed at their homes.

After the fall of Serbia, Đuka did not want to leave his people, he remained in his Principality, surrendered to the Turks like some other dukes and vojvodes, including Miloš Obrenović from Rudnička Nahija. The Turks immediately appointed Miloš as the governor of the Rudnik nahija, and on 26 June 1814, due to his loyalty to the Turks, Sulejman Pasha, the Vizier of Belgrade, appointed him as the governor of three municipalities: Kragujevac, Rudnik and Čačak. Đuka Filipović remained only the knez of Lepenica, just as he was before the First Serbian Uprising. Unlike Miloš Obrenović, Đuka Filipović did not engage in active cooperation with Turkish authorities.

Preparation for the Second Uprising

After the fall of Serbia in 1813, the order from Constantinople was: to exterminate the entire Serbian population with the sword, and to distribute the women and children to the army as a reward. Napoleon's defeat at Leipzig and the possibility of Imperial Russia intervening again in favour of the Serbs meant that the Turks did not carry out their infernal plan to the end, but began to treat the Serbs more leniently. Sulejman Pasha became the master of the Belgrade Pashaluk. He was bloodthirsty, skeptic and greedy for money, and he had a terrible hatred for Serbs because of the First Uprising. After the surrender of Šabac in January 1807, he knelt before Karađorđe and begged for mercy. Now he wanted to take revenge on the Serbs for all the humiliations he was exposed to.

Hadži Prodan's rebellion, in September 1814, was quickly crushed by the Turks and Miloš Obrenović, who was appointed by Sulejman Pasha in June 1814 to overthrow the three central nahiyas. Many Serbs surrendered to the Turks on Miloš's word that nothing would happen to them. However, Suleiman Pasha started slaughtering people around the city of Belgrade, not paying attention to Miloš's word. Suleiman Pasha's terror then spread throughout the entire Belgrade Pashaluk. The people once again fled to the forests and mountains, to save their lives.

The Serbs were determined to start an armed uprising once again. The dukes and vojvodes turned to Miloš with requests to start a new uprising, but he did not even want to hear about it. At the beginning of February 1815, Suleiman Pasha ordered all Serbian leaders to come to Belgrade and bring with them all their important people. The majority did not respond to the invitation, suspecting evil, but Miloš went to Belgrade with some others, among whom was Archduke Đuka Filipović. The dukes asked Suleiman Pasha to allow them to send a delegation to the Ottoman Sultan in Constantinople to beg him to reduce their cruelty, because the vizier always claimed that the evil did not come from him, but that he was only fulfilling the orders from Constantinople.

Belgrade bishop Dionisije and his scribe Sima Milutinović composed a petition to the Sultan; the Serbian leadership stamped their seals, and Suleiman Pasha told them that this request must be taken to Constantinople by a delegation in which one knaz from each nahija would enter, that is, twelve in all, and three priests in addition. The dukes were designated by name, and among them was Đuka Filipović for the Kragujevac nahija.

Đuka Filipović had to sign a petition to the Sultan on behalf of the Kragujevac nahija as its head in order that he would be allowed to go to Istanbul with the other eleven, because his nahija had no formal leader without Karađorđe himself. Since Karađorđe was still out of the country at the beginning of 1815, Đuka was certainly the most likely replacement for him. The delegation was preparing to go to Constantinople around mid-March. The 12 knazes and three priests happily left Belgrade, some with a firm resolve not to return there again. Few believed in the success of the mission. Of all the knazes, the vizier kept one with him - Miloš Obrenović.

The freed ones were determined to raise the people to revolt. Immediately after leaving Belgrade, at the end of February, they held a meeting in the village of Rudovci (8 km from Orašac) with Priest Ranko. At that meeting, everyone took an oath to stand up against the Turks in unison, just to wait until Miloš slipped out of Suleiman Pasha's grasp, to whom they would offer leadership in the uprising. The second meeting of the insurgents, held on 5 March 1815, was at the village of Vreoci, some five kilometers from Lazarevac.

The decision to start a second uprising was made in the old village of Takovo on 23 April 1815. At that assembly, Knaz Miloš Obrenović formally accepted to lead the second uprising.

Đuka under Miloš

After the end of the Second Serbian Uprising, Prince Miloš reorganized the country into 12 nahijas and on 19 December 1815, he appointed the first nahija knaz. At the head of the Kragujevac Nahija, he appointed Đuka Filipović, as the archduke of the Kragujevača nahija. A few days before the appointment of the lords of principalities, a supreme order, dated in Čačak on 12 December 1815, was signed by Đuka on behalf of lord Miloš. Before that, in the camp in Belica on 28 September 1815, we see that Vujica Vulićević and Đuka Filipović were the first to sign a decision of the Great People's Court. That court was the first Great People's Court for the whole of Serbia, and it was formed during the uprising battles. Except for one petition to Marashli Ali Pasha dated 30 April 1816, which was signed by Đuka Filipović, together with the other lords (knazes), as the (oborknez) of Nahija, no other document is known from the time of his lordship in the Kragujevac Nahija. Đuka was oborknez of Kragujevac Nahija from 1815 until his death in 1818. After the death of Đuka Filipović, the position of Nahije was not filled. While enthroning in the Kragujevac nahija, Miloš performed this duty directly, just as Karađorđe performed it before him.

Both under Karađorđe and Miloš, the seat of the lord was in the village where the lord lived after his marriage. As Đuka lived permanently in Jagnjilo, the seat of the principality (later called regions and districts) was not far from today's Mladenovac, in Jagnjilo, from which the territory south of Jagnjilo was administered, which included atars or parts of Kosmaj villages: Jagnjilo, Stojnik, Veles, Ivanče, Markovac, Pružatovac, Međulužja, Kusatka, Ratare and Rabrovac.

Miloš Obrenović, on the other hand, moved from the village of Crnuća to Kragujevac in 1818 and built his palace there in 1819. In the period from 1818 to 1839, Kragujevac became the de facto capital of Serbia.

Death of Đuka Filipović

Đuka Filipović died in Jagnjilo, crushed by severe wounds received in the Second Uprising, at Taborište near Kragujevac, he never regained full health and strength. He was buried where he was born in Jagnjilo. On his grave was written only this:

KNAZ ĐUKA 1818.

The modest grave in the village cemetery was in no way different from the other graves of the peasants who were buried there. Just as he was not separated from his fellow villagers when he was alive, he remained together with them, in a small village cemetery in the village of Jagnjilo, not far from Mladenovac.