| First Tarnovo uprising | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Part ofBulgarian–Ottoman wars | |||||||
 | |||||||
| |||||||
| Belligerents | |||||||
.png) Bulgarian rebels |  Ottoman Empire | ||||||
| Commanders and leaders | |||||||
| Theodore Balina Ivan Shishman II Dionysus Rallis Pavel Đorđić Sorkočević brothers | Unknown | ||||||
| Strength | |||||||
| Over 12,000 | Unknown | ||||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||||
| Unknown | Unknown | ||||||
TheFirst Tarnovo uprising (Bulgarian:Първо търновско въстание,romanized: Parvo tarnovsko vastanie) was aBulgarian uprising againstOttoman rule based in the former Bulgarian capital,Tarnovo, that broke out in 1598 and was severely crushed by the Ottoman authorities.
The uprising was organized by religious leaders, as well as public figures and merchants. These included the Archbishop of TarnovoDionysus Rallis, the nobleTheodore Ballina fromNikopol, as well as the local merchants fromRagusaPavel Đorđić[1] and theSorkočević brothers, with the bishops Theophanes ofLovech, Jeremiah ofRousse, Spyridon ofShumen, and Methodius ofThrace, and other high-ranking religious figures also taking part in the organization.[2] Đorđić established relations with the Habsburgs, theTransylvanian andWallachian rulers, and a plan for the uprising was created inVienna in 1597.[3]
The invasion ofWallachian forces underMichael the Brave in the northern Bulgarian lands in the autumn of 1598 provided good conditions for the uprising, as the fellowChristian army would support the insurrection according to the plan. At the time the Ottomans were engaged in theLong War with theHabsburg monarchy. An alleged descendant of the medievalShishman dynasty was proclaimedTsar of Bulgaria (asIvan Shishman II)[3] and Tarnovo was briefly liberated, with about 12,000 people gathering.[4]
However, the Ottoman authorities reacted immediately and quickly recaptured the city using a regular army, brutally suppressing the uprising. It is unclear what the scale of the First Tarnovo Uprising was, but according to fragmentary information it may have included the regions ofOhrid,[5] where the local archbishop was killed, as well asSofia andNiš,[5] whereAustrian travellers mention seeing exposed dead bodies and severed human heads.[4]
As a consequence, about 16,000 Bulgarians fled centrally-governed Ottoman territory and crossed theDanube to settle in autonomous neighbouring Wallachia,[3] where they established a Bulgarian community.
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