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| Toplica Uprising | |||||||
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| Part ofSerbian Campaign of World War I | |||||||
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| Units involved | |||||||
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| Strength | |||||||
| Between 4,000 and 15,000[1] |
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| c. 20,000 Serbian casualties in penal expeditions | |||||||
TheToplica Uprising (Serbian:Топлички устанак) was a mass uprising by Serbian rebels against theBulgarian occupation forces that took place inBulgarian-occupied Serbia during theFirst World War. The rebels were motivated by grievances against the Bulgarian authorities for orderingconscription of local Serbs in the Bulgarian army, forced labor and the denationalization policy imposed on the indigenous population. The revolt was supported by Serbian guerrilla fighters known asChetniks.
The uprising lasted from 21 February to 25 March 1917. It was the only uprising in an occupied country during the entire First World War.
In October 1915, the Kingdom of Serbia, which had throughout the fall of 1914 managed to withstand and repel three Austro-Hungarianinvasions, found itselfunder attack again. This time it was a joint Austro-Hungarian, German, and Bulgarian invasion from two directions that included Austro-Hungarian Third Army, GermanEleventh Army, and BulgarianFirst andSecond armies. Outnumbered and outmatched, theSerbian Army was defeated by December 1915. However, rather than surrendering and capitulating, the Serbian military and political leaders decided on a long and arduousarmy retreat south towards Albania, hoping to reach the Adriatic coast for evacuation and regrouping.[2] This resulted in the invadingCentral Powers forces occupying the entire territory of the Kingdom of Serbia. In the immediate division of spoils, Kingdom of Bulgaria gained the area ofPomoravlje, which had been a target ofBulgarian nationalism.[3]
The primary causes of the rebellion were the policies passed by the occupiers. Constant denationalization, including closing Serbian schools, prohibition of theSerbian language and traditions, burning of books, and looting, requisition, and internment, provoked the population.[4] Romania entering the war in August 1916 awakened hope in the Serbian population of a breakthrough of the Salonika front, some arming themselves and taking to the forests.[4]Kosta Vojinović began the organization of resistance, and in the summer of 1916, established a band inLeposavić, the core of the future Ibar–Kopaonik Detachment.[4] At the end of September 1916, the Serbian High Command sentKosta Pećanac, reserve infantry lieutenant and veteran ChetnikVojvoda, by airplane into Toplica. He was tasked to establish a secret resistance organization to be activated when the Allies and the Serbian Army were to break the Salonika front and arrive atSkoplje.[4] The peak of Serbian discontent came with the Bulgarian announcement of conscription of local Serbs aged 18–45 formilitary service in the Bulgarian army on 14 February 1917.[5][6] Massive flights to the mountains from Bulgarian recruit commissions began.[4] The first armed conflicts between fleeing conscripts and Bulgarian chases began after 20 February.[4]
The uprising erupted on 21 February.[7] 300 Chetniks gathered in the village ofObilić near Leskovac. Those under the leadership ofKosta Vojinović voted in support of an uprising and outvotedKosta Pećanac by thirteen against two. Pećanac had to support the uprising and lead it in order to retain his reputation.[5] However, they found themselves in the middle of the uprising.[7] Per Bulgarian estimates, there were 5,750–7,800 insurgents, while historians have estimated 300–500 and 4,000.[6] According to historianMarko Attila Hoare, the uprising had 15,000 participants in total, with at least 4,000 armed rebels.[5] The rebellion included the areas of Toplica, Jablanica, Jastrebac, and eastern and central parts ofKopaonik.[4] The rebels liberated Kuršumlija (27 February), Lebane (1 March), Prokuplje (3 March) and Blace (5 March).[8] Having broken out in the Toplica region, the rebellion expanded into territories on the right bank of theWest Morava (Vlasotince, Crna Trava, Vranje area), and in the West Morava valley, including theSokobanja andSvrljig areas.[8] The rebels established civilian organs of government in the liberated areas such as municipalities, courts, hospitals and post offices, but without central authority.[5]
In early March, ColonelAleksandar Protogerov became the chief of the Morava Area.[9] By 7 March, Bulgarian troops had concentrated around 15 battalions with 22 machine guns and 28 cannons.[10] In their attack on 8 March, Bulgarians used around 5 battalions, with strong artillery and air support, while Albanian detachments also took part. The Austro-Hungarian supreme command allocated two battalions of the 102nd Infantry Regiment together with a hill battery from the Socha front, the 3rd border battalion and a gendarmerie battalion fromBosnia.[10] Around 30,000 men of the occupiers' armies have been estimated, of whom 25,000 to 26,000 were involved in operations.[11] On 10 March, Protogerov issued an ultimatum to the rebels to surrender within five days, or otherwise they would be executed, their homes burnt down and their families deported. None of the rebels surrendered.[9]Internal Macedonian-Adrianople Revolutionary Organization (IMARO) detachments led byTane Nikolov participated in the fight against the rebels.[12] The Austro-Hungarian attack started on 12 March from the Dubci-Zlatari sector.[11] Per military reports on 14 March, an Austro-Hungarian detachment of around 630 men, which had been reinforced with 2 cannons and around 170 men, ended up having 2 officers and 50 soldiers killed, 16 wounded, 126 missing and 22 ill soldiers. Their supply train consisting of 20 men, 1 doctor and 20 horses was captured by rebels. On 18 March, the German consul reported that one Austro-Hungarian officer and 53 soldiers were killed, while 120 went missing.[13] After several days of fighting, the Bulgarians enteredProkuplje on 14 March, and the Austro-Hungarians enteredKuršumlija on 16 March. On 25 March, the order there was fully restored.[14] IMARO commander and Bulgarian officerTodor Aleksandrov participated in the uprising's violent suppression.[15]
Around 20,000 civilians were killed as a result of the uprising.[16] The Bulgarian troops burned and destroyed the village of Gajtan, massacring 200 people, mostly women and children. In the village of Barje, they burned 42 people to death in a house, including a woman and 10 children.[17]Mass rape also took place.[9] More than 80,000 people were deported.[16] IMARO detachments also committed atrocities such as killing, pillaging and raping. TheMilitary General Governorate of Serbia executed around 600 rebels and civilians suspected of giving the rebels support. Rebels also targetedSerbs who had worked for the occupiers and had material benefits.[6]
Atrocities continued even after the defeat of the rebels under Protogerov's replacement Colonel Tasev and the chief of staff Lieutenant ColonelDarvingov (chosen by Protogerov).[9] Even after the uprising's suppression, insurgency remained an issue for the occupiers, thus both the Bulgarians and the Austro-Hungarians developed anti-insurgency strategies. The Austro-Hungarians targeted the rebels with paramilitary tactics.[6]
In April 1917, Pećanac, with his guerrillas, attacked a railway station.[18] On 15 May, Pećanac entered the old Bulgarian border and invadedBosilegrad, which was burned. Then his band withdrew toKosovo, controlled by the Austro-Hungarians. The Allies opened a new front at Salonika in June, but the Serbian army could not break through the Bulgarian lines. After reemerging briefly, in September – October 1917, Pećanac again disappeared. In October 1917, the Austro-Hungarian command created entirely Albanian paramilitary detachments to assist the Bulgarian and Austro-Hungarian forces and capture the remaining Serbian rebels in the mountains. On 23 December 1917, surrounded by enemy forces, per historianAndrej Mitrović, Vojinovićtook his own life before they could kill him.[19] According to Hoare, Vojinović was killed by the Bulgarians.[20]
The uprising is a notable event in the history of Serbia in World War I. It was the only rebellion in the territories occupied by the armies of the Central Powers.[4] On 9 September 1934, at the center square ofProkuplje, the administrative center of theToplica District, a monument to all Toplica inhabitants who had died in previous wars was erected. The event was attended by Pećanac, Serbian patriarchVarnava and Yugoslav kingAlexander, as well as around 40,000 people.[12]
