 Painting depictingKarađorđe at Drlupa. | |
| Date | Second half of February 1804 |
|---|---|
| Location | Drlupa andSmederevska Palanka,Ottoman Empire (nowSerbia) |
| Type | Peace talks |
| Cause | Burning of the Inns (First Serbian Uprising) |
| Organised by | Dahije |
| Participants | Karađorđe (Serbian rebels) Aganlija (Dahije) |
| Outcome | Failed |
TheFirst Serbian Uprising broke out in February 1804 following theSlaughter of the Knezes conducted by theDahije (renegade Janissaries) that had wrested theBelgrade Pashalik and ruled in tyranny. After theBurning of the Inns, the Dahije sent one of their leaders to negotiate with the rebels under supreme commanderKarađorđe. They met inDrlupa, where themeeting became abattle,[a] and then tried negotiating again atSmederevska Palanka. The negotiations failed and the uprising continued to expand.
After theOrašac Assembly held on 14 February 1804, Karađorđe's rebels went toŠumadija villages where theyburnt down the Turk inns, killed the Dahije followers (handžije) and collected men.[1] The Dahije sent monk Mata, theprotosynkellos of MetropolitanLeontios Lambros,[2] with four elder Belgrader Turks to Topola to get Karađorđe to stop the uprising through promising a huge sum of money.[3] Karađorđe declined, saying that the Serbs would no longer endure Turk inns, Janissaries and their henchmen, nor their disgrace and evil, and that only a warranty with the Habsburg emperor would be accepted.[4] Karađorđe threatened Kučuk-Alija, the worst of the Dahije,[5] and exchanged 19 Turks for his imprisoned friendMladen Milovanović.[6] The Dahije sent Aganlija to negotiate peace with Karađorđe.[7]
The Dahije chose the Kolubaraknežina, which was not yet caught up in rebellion, as the meeting place between Aganlija and Karađorđe.[8] Apart from 60 Janissaries and 200 Turks collected on the way,[9] the Dahije suggested that Aganlija also gather armed Serbs in Kolubara with whom he would partake in the negotiation.[8] Aganlija was thechiflik-holder of the villagesKonatice,Vranić andDrlupa.[10] Apart from the concessions from the previous meeting at Topola, the Dahije wanted to bribe Karađorđe with 200,000groschen for him to stop the uprising.[8]
Aganlija arrived with 200 men of Kolubara (Batalaka claimed 500–600[8]) at Drlupa.[9] Karađorđe wanted to have the meeting at Ranilović instead, but Aganlija insisted on Drlupa.[8] With 200 chosen men, Karađorđe arrived atRogača.[8] It is believed the Dahije wanted to bribe Karađorđe to stop the uprising and then to continue their tyranny and murders.[8] Karađorđe was untrusting and wanted to destroy Aganlija and his followers, and thus sent some men to Drlupa to inform the Kolubara men of his intent and have them join in the attack, at the same time telling Aganlija that the meeting would be held the next day at rifle-distance with a smaller number of participants.[11] The Kolubara men underknez Aksentije declined, as he didn't believe that the uprising would succeed.[11]
The next day, a meeting was held either on the road between Rogača and Drlupa,[12] according to Gavrilo Kovačević atSibnica below theKosmaj (a village next to Drlupa), or at Drlupa itself.[13] Batalaka and Janićije Đurić dated the meeting at Drlupa to 24 February [O.S. 12 February] 1804,[11][2] while S. Novaković concluded that the meeting at Drlupa took place within 16–18 February, using all available sources.[14] Karađorđe's entourage was made up of prominent people and the most prominent commanders,[13] numbering tenmomci ("lads") according to K. Protić,[4] while Aganlija's entourage was made up of twenty[4] or twenty-something chosen Turk elders, while the troops of both sides were behind them at half a rifle distance.[13] Among notables in Karađorđe's entourage were Janićije Đurić andStanoje Glavaš.[15] Aganlija promised the previous concessions and that the Dahije would stop allzulum ("injustice"), close down the Turk inns in Serb villages, remove thesubaşi andchiflik, and also proclaim and recognize Karađorđe theobor-knez of all of the Belgrade Pashalik.[11] The Dahije wouldn't interfere in Serb affairs and give all the collection of taxes,haraç, tobacco, and all other dation meant for the empire, to Karađorđe and his knezes, to hand over to the Dahije, and in return Karađorđe would receive 200 bags of yearly payment (ajluk).[11] Karađorđe was to have no involvement in the Dahije handling of the collection meant for the empire.[11] The Dahije was to negotiate with the emperor, and therayah (commoners) would then either give the collection to the Belgrade Pasha or the Dahije.[16] According to some, Aganlija proposed a retirement in Austria to Karađorđe.[9]
Karađorđe demanded a warranty of the points to be concluded with any state, which Aganlija declined, as the Dahije had no diplomacy.[16] At this moment, according to several testimonies, a Turk musket went off, and the Serb delegation thought Karađorđe was targeted.[17] The shot came from the village[18] or from among the entourage, depending on testimony.[9] The Serbs proceeded to shoot at Aganlija, wounded him in the foot, wounded several more, and killed his associate, an Arab Janissary.[19] The Turks killed Jovan Đaurović fromBaroševac and Panta[20] from Kragujevac, and wounded Stanoje Glavaš in the head.[21] Karađorđe ordered his men to stand down, exchanged a few words with the wounded Aganlija, and decided to continue negotiations the next day.[16] The two sides retreated to Drlupa and Rogača.[16] There are different versions on the events; another theory is that there was first a negotiation in day-time and then a battle in the evening.[10] The Turks had 36 dead men and 15 dead horses, and 14 wounded, according to a report which describes the event as a Serb attack and makes no mention of a negotiation, by Zemun archpriest Mihailo Pejić to MetropolitanStefan Stratimirović.[22]
Aganlija, wounded, and according to Batalaka, informed on Karađorđe's real intentions from a Kolubara man, did not wait for dawn and returned to Belgrade.[16] The Serbs learnt of his pain and return to Belgrade in the morning.[23] Aganlija returned humiliated to Belgrade, which greatly excited therayah, from which the rebels drew more volunteers, surprising the Ottomans who sought to suppress the uprising.[24] At Belgrade, the Dahije accused Aganlija for failing the negotiation due to lack of skills, and didn't believe that Karađorđe intended to attack them.[25] Fearing Serb escalation and the threat from the empire, the Dahije decided for a third delegation to Karađorđe.[25]
The Dahije chose 20 of their best Janissaries and MetropolitanLeontios Lambros, who succeeded as metropolitan upon the Dahije murder ofMethodios, to negotiate with Karađorđe at Hasan-pašina Palanka (nowSmederevska Palanka).[25] According to K. Protić the Dahije sent ten-something elder Turkyerli ("natives") with Leontios.[23] They again sent monk Mata to inform Karađorđe of this, and he ensured their safe passage there.[25] Karađorđe moved fromRatari and arrived at Palanka with the Dahije delegation already there.[25] Batalaka dated the Palanka meeting to after 28 February [O.S. 16 February] 1804,[25] however, S. Novaković placed it 7–8 days after Drlupa, that is, in the period of 24–27 February;[26] V. Stojančević dated the Palanka meeting to 5 March 1804.[27] Karađorđe had forty men with him, while the rest of his army was near Palanka.[23] The Dahije promised the past concessions, with the addition of the Dahije calling upon the metropolitan's trust in them.[28] Karađorđe had a clear goal, and reiterated that the Serbs wouldn't lay down their weapons unless the Dahije came with a warranty with any of the foreign powers (or Porte) as guarantor.[28] The negotiation once again failed. Leontios feared that he would be blamed for the failure and sent monk Mata to Karađorđe asking him to take Leontios under his protection.[29] Karađorđe declined.
After Drlupa, the rebels went throughoutŠumadija,[20] and Karađorđe established firm cooperation with the rebels commanders in thenahiyas of Belgrade.[30] During the meeting at Drlupa, the Smederevonahiya Serb notables gathered atSelevac where they electedĐuša Vulićević their leader.[31]
Karađorđe was informed byMilan Obrenović,Petar Kara,Lazar Mutap andArsenije Loma, who set up ambuscades aroundRudnik, that the Dahije leader Sali-aga received reinforcements of 500 Turk cavalry from various places and that this posed a problem.[32] As more troops gathered around Karađorđe, he set out for Rudnik to liberate the area from the Dahije.[33] Next,Rudnik was attacked, held by the infamous Dahije Sali-aga, the brother of Kučuk-Alija.[34]
The fight at Drlupa is counted as the first armed conflict of the uprising.[35]
