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KARAGEORGE (in Servian, Karadyordye) ...

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Originally appearing in Volume V15, Page 674 of the 1911 Encyclopedia Britannica.
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KARAGEORGE (in Servian, Karadyordye) (c. 1766-1817) , the See also:leader of the Servians during their first revolution against the See also:Turks (1804-13), and founder of the Servian See also:dynasty Karageorgevich. His See also:Christian name was See also:George (Dyordye), but being not only of dark complexion but of gloomy, taciturn and easily excitable See also:temper, he was nicknamed by the Servians" Tsrni Dyordye " and by the Turks " Karageorge," both meaning " See also:Black George," the See also:Turkish name becoming soon the generally adopted one. He was See also:born in 1766 (according to some in 1768), the son of an extremely poor Servian See also:peasant, Petroniye Petrovich. When quite a See also:young See also:man, he entered the service of a renowned Turkish brigand, Fazli-See also:Bey by name, and accompanied his See also:master on his adventurous expeditions. When twenty he married and started a small See also:farm. But having killed a Turk, he See also:left See also:Servia for Syrmia, in Croatia-Slavonia, where the monks of the monastery Krushedol engaged him as one of their See also:forest See also:guards. He remained in the service of the monks nearly two years, then enlisted into an See also:Austrian See also:regiment, and as sergeant took See also:part in the Austrian See also:war against See also:Turkey (1788-91). He deserted his regiment, returned to Servia, and settled in the See also:village of Topola, living sometimes as a peaceful See also:farmer and sometimes again as the leader of a small See also:band of " hayduks "—men who attacked, robbed and in most cases killed the travelling Turks in revenge for the oppression of their See also:country. The circumstances in which the Servians See also:rose against the See also:janissaries of the pashalik of See also:Belgrade are related in the See also:article on SERVIA. The leaders of the insurgents' bands and other men of See also:influence met about the See also:middle of See also:February 1804 at the village of Orashatz, and there elected Karageorge as the supreme leader (Vrhovni Vozd) of the nation. Under his command the Servians speedily cleared their country not only of the janissaries disloyal to the See also:Sultan, but of all other Turks, who withdrew from the open country to the fortified places.

Karageorge and his armed Servians demanded from the Sultan the privileges of self-See also:

government. The See also:Porte, confronted by the chances of a war with See also:Russia, decided in the autumn of 18o6 to See also:grant to the Servians a fairly large measure of See also:autonomy. Unfortunately Karageorge was comparatively poor in See also:political gifts and See also:diplomatic tact. While the hattisherif granting the rights demanded by the Servians was on the way to Servia, Karageorge attacked the Turks in Belgrade and See also:Shabats, captured the towns first and then also the citadels, and allowed the Turkish See also:population of Belgrade to be massacred. At the same See also:time the See also:Russian headquarters in See also:Bucharest informed Karageorge that Russia was at war with Turkey and that the See also:Tsar counted on the co-operation of the Servians. Karageorge and his Servians then definitely rejected all the concessions which the Porte had granted them, and joined Russia, hoping thereby to secure the See also:complete See also:independence of Servia. The co-operation of the Servians with the Russians was of no See also:great importance, and probably disappointing to both parties. But as the See also:principal See also:theatre of war was far away from Servia on the See also:lower See also:Danube, Karageorge was able to give more See also:attention to the See also:internal organization of Servia. The See also:national See also:assembly proclaimed Karageorge the hereditary See also:chief and gospodar of the Servians (Dec. 26, 18o8), he on his part promising under See also:oath to govern the country " through and by the national See also:council " (See also:senate). Karageorge's hasty and uncompromising temper and imperious habits, as well as his want of political tact, soon made him many enemies amongst the more prominent Servians (voyvodes and senators). His difficulties were considerably increased by the intrigues of the Russian political See also:agent to Servia, Rodophinikin.

A crisis came during the summer months of the See also:

year 1813. The treaty of See also:peace, concluded by the Russians somewhat hurriedly in Bucharest in 1812, did not secure efficiently the safety of the Servians. The Turks demanded from Karageorge, as a preliminary See also:condition for peace, that the Servians should See also:lay down their arms, and Karageorge refused to comply. Thereupon the entire Turkish See also:army which fought against the Russians on the Danube, being disengaged, invaded Servia. After a few inefficient attempts to See also:stem the invasion, Karageorge gave up the struggle, and with most of the voyvodes and chiefs of the nation left the country, and crossed to See also:Hungary as a refugee (See also:Sept. 20, 1813). From Hungary he went to Russia and settled in See also:Khotin (See also:Bessarabia), enjoying a See also:pension from the Tsar's government. But in the summer of 1817 he suddenly and xv. zz secretly left Russia and reappeared quite alone in Servia in the neighbourhood of See also:Semendria (Smederevo) on the Danube. The motives and the See also:object of his return are not clear. Some believe that he was sent by the Hetaerists to raise up Servia to a new war with Turkey and thereby facilitate the rising of the See also:Greek See also:people. It is generally assumed, however, that, having heard that Servia, under the guidance of Milosh Obrenovich, had obtained a certain measure of self-government, he desired to put himself again at the See also:head of the nation. This impression seems to have been that of Milosh himself, who at once reported to the See also:Pasha of Belgrade the arrival of Karageorge.

The pasha demanded that Karageorge, alive or dead, should be delivered to him immediately, and made Milosh personally responsible for the See also:

execution of that See also:order. Karageorge's removal could not unfortunately be separated from the See also:personal See also:interest of Milosh; already acknowledged as chief of the nation, Milosh did not like to be displaced by his old chief, who in a See also:critical moment had left the country. Karageorge was killed (See also:July 27, O.S., 1817) while he was asleep, and his head was sent to the pasha for trans-See also:mission to See also:Constantinople. It is impossible to exonerate Milosh Obrenovich from responsibility for the See also:murder, which became the starting-point for a See also:series of tragedies in the See also:modern See also:history of Servia. Karageorge was one of the most remarkable Servians of the 19th See also:century. No other man could have led the bands of undisciplined and badly-armed Servian peasants to such decisive victories against the Turks. Although he never assumed the See also:title of See also:prince, he practically was the first chief and master (gospodar) of the people of Servia. He succeeded, however, not because he was liked but because he was feared. His gloomy silence, his easily aroused anger, his See also:habit of punishing without hesitation the slightest transgressions by See also:death, spread terror among the people. He is believed to have killed his own See also:father in a See also:fit of anger when the old man refused to follow him in his See also:flight to Hungary at the beginning of his career. In another fit of rage at the See also:report that his See also:brother Marinko had assaulted a girl, he ordered his men to seize his brother and to hang him there and then in his presence, and he forbade his See also:mother to go into See also:mourning for him. Even by his admirers he is admitted to have killed by his own See also:hand no fewer than 125 men who provoked his anger.

But in battles he is acknowledged to have been always admirable, displaying marvellous See also:

energy and valour, and giving proofs of a real military See also:genius. The Servians consider him one of their greatest men. In grateful remembrance of his services to the national cause they elected his younger son, See also:Alexander, in 1842, to be the reigning prince of Servia, and again in 1903 they See also:chose his See also:grandson, See also:Peter Karageorgevich (son of Alexander) to be the See also:king of Servia. See SERBIA; also See also:Ranke, See also:Die serbische Revolution; Stoyan Novakovich, Vaskzhs srpske drzhave (Belgrade, 1904); M. G. Milityevich, Karadyordye (Belgrade, 1904). (C. M1.) KARA-See also:HISSAR (" Black See also:Castle "). (1) AFIUM KARAHISSAR (q.v.). (2) ICHJE, Or ISCHA KARA-HISSAR (anc. Docimium), a small village about 14 M. N.E. of No.

1. Docimium was a Macedonian See also:

colony established on an older site. It was a self-governing See also:municipality, striking its own coins, and stood on the See also:Apamea-Synnada-See also:Pessinus road,. by which the celebrated See also:marble called Synnadic, Docimian and Phrygian was conveyed to the See also:coast. The quarries are 21 M. from the village, and the marble was carried thence See also:direct to Synnada (Chifut Kassaba). Some of the marble has the See also:rich See also:purple See also:veins in which poets saw the See also:blood of Atys. See W. M. See also:Ramsay, Hist. Geog. of See also:Asia See also:Minor (See also:London, 189o) ; See also:Murray, Hbk. to Asia Minor (1893). KARA-HISSAR SHARKI [i.e. " eastern Kara-Hissar "], also called Shabin Kara-Hissar from the See also:alum mines in its vicinity, the chief See also:town of a sanjak of the same name in the See also:Sivas vilayet of Asia Minor. Pop. about 12,000, two-thirds Mussulman.

It is the See also:

Roman Colonia, which gradually superseded See also:Pompey's See also:foundation, See also:Nicopolis, whose ruins See also:lie at Purkh, about 12 M. W. (hence Kara-Hissar is called See also:Nikopoli by the Armenians). In later See also:Byzantine times it was an important frontier station, and did not pass into See also:Ottoman hands till twelve years after the See also:capture of Constantinople. The town, See also:altitude 486o ft., is built See also:round the See also:foot of a lofty See also:rock, upon which stand the ruins of the Byzantine castle, Maurocastron, the Kara Hissar Daula of See also:early Moslem chroniclers. It is connected with its See also:port, See also:Kerasund, and with Sivas, See also:Erzingan and See also:Erzerum, by See also:carriage roads.

End of Article: KARAGEORGE (in Servian, Karadyordye) (c. 1766-1817)

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