Jail. The very sound of it makes me shake. Jail is supposed to be meant for true criminals, but look at me now. I have been chained up for 14 years and I do not know how much longer I will survive in here. Thus, I am writing a journal to keep at least some of my sanity alive. How did I get thrown in jail? Well, I was a revolutionary. A nationalist. A lover of my country. It all started in 1804. That year I had just turned seventeen and the world was completely open to me. Having a rather wealthy family I went to a higher level school and was offered great opportunities, but in all reality, I was not the student type. I loved to cause trouble and I guess this was what got me interested in being a revolutionary. After my seventeenth birthday, my parents did not have as much control over me as they did before and normally, I took advantage of this. After that faithful birthday I went to school for about four more months and soon dropped out. My parents were furious at this decision, but I was an independent man. Soon I heard about an ideology called nationalism that was spreading in my hometown of Novi Sad. Being a curious teenager I soon got to know some local nationalists and you can probably predict what happened next. I got sucked in to one of the largest national revolts in Serbian history.
I will have to sacrifice the details of all of the people that I met, but I will tell you the main events of my involvement in the nationalistic movement that happened in my country. On my eighteenth birthday, about nine months since I joined the revolutionaries, I became one of the main leaders of the nationalistic revolution in Novi Sad. One more year passed and despite my influence in Novi Sad, the people were just not getting the message that Serbia had to be free from the oppressive Ottoman Empire and those damn Russians that were always trying to influence us. That year our lack of luck took a turn for the better when me and my fellow nationalists traveled to Belgrade to see the tactics that other revolutionaries were using to gain acceptance among the people. There we met Petrovic Karageorge, the leader of the nationalists in Belgrade. Soon we got whiff of a siege that was to be happening in Belgrade. I, being the curious devil that I am, had to be part of this and thus I took my men to meet Petrovic and organize this siege. A great day came upon us on January 8, 1807 when 25,000 men (mine included) had a successful siege and proclaimed Belgrade the official capital of Serbia.
Thanks to our bravery, national self-identity and national interest increased among the Serbian people and such organizations as the Governing Council, the Great Academy, and the Theological Academy were created as a means of spreading this national identity. At this I must end my journal for today. I must get some sleep. Tomorrow, those damn Ottomans will have me working the coal mines and hopefully I can write after work.
I am so tired. The work that they give here is unbearable. I hope these Ottomans burn in Abaddon. Luckily though, I was able to write today. Yesterday, I ended with the siege in Belgrade that I and my men took part in.
Ok let’s see . . . . Ah yes. After that siege we began to get more and more supporters in Serbia. People became aware of the oppression that they were under and finally wanted freedom. Even in my home city of Novi Sad, more people became aware of the conditions that they were living under and the large influence that the Ottomans had. This national zeal continued to increase until about 1812, when then the French invaded our country under Napoleon Bonaparte and we lost many of the supporters that were helping with our cause. Despite this takeover, me and my men were not about to give up and we wanted national independence more than anything in the world. We fought back against the French and the Ottomans until on one faithful day hell broke loose. The Ottomans entered Serbia in full force and brutally killed or captured all the revolutionaries that they could find. Even Petrovic got captured, but luckily I escaped with my life. Since that day, that faithful day, I have never again seen Petrovic and I assume that he is dead.
Brutality. That is all that I can call it. The Ottomans, in their entrance to Serbia murdered everyone in sight and even recaptured the capital of Belgrade. Hundreds upon hundreds of citizens were murdered and thousands were put into slavery and sent away to foreign lands. It was pure chaos. I must thank God for keeping me alive in Novi Sad, the place where I hid. If I had never escaped Belgrade, I would probably have encountered the same fate as Petrovic.
Thus, for the next 3 years things seemed to be quiet. There were a few revolts in other Serbian cities, but the Ottomans had us on a tight leash. I was still in hiding when I heard that a sizable revolt was occurring in Takovo on April 23, 1815, with Milos Obrenović chosen as the leader. After hearing this I soon left for Takovo to meet this famous Milos. Once again, I could not help my curiosity.
Upon arriving to Takovo, I briefly met with Milos and he gave me the names of several nationalist supporter groups in the area. After that moment we went our separate directions and I began to spread nationalistic fervor in Takovo and the countryside around it. I a matter of a couple of months Takovo and many smaller towns around it were screaming for national freedom and independence. I could not wait to go into battle again.
My dreams came true very promptly when fighting commenced on the Easter of 1815. Milos, being the leader of the nationalistic movement in Kosovo, became the overall leader of the entire rebellion. Do you know what the Ottomans did in response to this? They sentenced all of us to death. You know what we did? We advocated a policy of restraint: captured Ottoman soldiers were not killed and civilians were released. We actually treated those bastards with respect! That was because our goal was not immediate independence but an end to abusive misrule which is a liberal ideal.
Despite the support of Milos and the many nationalists in Serbia, we were still low on members. Thus, we needed to include more people in our plan to create an independent Serbia. Luckily, other European events helped the Serbian cause. Political and diplomatic means in negotiations between the Prince of Serbia and the Ottoman Porte, instead of further war clashes coincided with the political rules during that time. Prince Miloš Obrenović, an astute politician and able diplomat, debated with the Porte and eventually made Serbia a semi-independent state in 1815.
You could not believe the amount of celebration that occurred after this announcement. I personally rejoiced until . . . . .
Damn. I finally got my journal back from the stupid guard who took it from me. Yesterday I was writing patiently and all of a sudden swoosh! The guard took my journal away. I could not believe his audacity. Whatever though. I will continue.
Serbia’s semi-independence made all of us very proud until we found out that the Ottomans still has a lot of influence in our country. After 1815 is seemed that they still controlled us despite their claim that we were independent. Once again, I was going to start another revolt, but the Ottoman officials got whiff of my plan and clank! I was put in jail.
Thus, I have been rotting in here for about 14 years as I said, but today I am finally satisfied. I have heard word that Serbia has finally become a free country a couple of days ago and now I know that my work was not done in vain. Thank God for helping my country achieve true freedom. Now hopefully, I will be released soon by my fellow nationalists and can live my life normally. This is my last journal entry and life has finally repaid me for my service. I am proud to be a Serbian and would die rather than loose hope in my county.
After reading the set of journal entries from the Serbian revolutionary I was able to learn a lot about how the revolutionaries wanted to leave the Ottoman rule and live a new life of their own. It is interesting to hear about how the ottomans were brutally killing the Serbians and then putting thousands into slavery just because they were angered about the want for independence. But as they went on to be free in the short time they had been overthrown another time by Napoleon, showing how they cannot escape the larger countries thirst for land and power.
Prior to reading your journal i was not aware that Serbia wanted to leave the Ottoman Empire so badly. I also found it interesting how you stated that the revolutionaries needed to find tactics to draw in the supporters of nationalism. I never considered there to be methods to be a nationalist, but rather thought of it as a personal feeling and emotion one got from being a citizen in their country, just as a player gets a sense of pride and satisfaction from a team. Yet i realized that like a player on a team, a citizen cannot have pride in their country without believing in the plan and focus for their victory. Like a teammate, a citizen of Serbia must be fully enveloped in the cause and believe in their counrty as a winning and strong force that will push ahead in order to create opportunities and victories. I enjoyed seeing the campaign for nationalism as a force that must use different tactics to gather a group to believe in their cause, even when the cause is as drastic and significant as moving away from being oppressed by the Ottoman Empire.
It is almost funny how accurately this portrays the lack of unity in the Ottoman empire. When bisco showed us the map of cultures within, you could see the melting pot type of feel. Each sect wanted its own independence and that caused for a split. Each had an individual nationalism which caused for the whole to fall as very few were still backing it. Also, the Serbians had no reason to fight for the empire as they were being treated so poorly. Many were executed for no reason and they were repressed in their rights.
This is the result of an Empire, like the Ottomans, who think that gaining so much territory would have a positive outcome. In some cases it can be, but they had a lack of control, it was almost like they wanted the territory but they didn't want the responsibility to maintain it. The result is the divison of the Empire and revolts from unhappy nations. The Ottomans had no goals to unify and that was their down fall, their mistake. And for that they had many revolts and many countries declaring themselves independent from rulers who only cared about themselves.
I write this in attempt to relieve some burdensome stress as these liberals spread and multiply like that of coach roaches. The preservation of Serbia’s culture, government, and economy is a must for success. These liberals believe that we can instantaneous do away with what has founded and structured our country throughout the ages. Yes I am Serbian, and yes I am not a liberal does that make me a criminal? My neighbors and once friends look at me as if I am the spawn of Satan, all because I don’t agree with such revolution. The Ottoman Empire in my eyes is just watching over us, and looking out for our benefit as a country. I don’t believe were even ready to be independent, we still need the influential leadership of the Russians, and Ottomans in my eyes. It worries me to think what if. I don’t want to see this beautiful country drive straight into the ground in a blazing fire as these so called “liberators” create anarchy amongst our guiding forces. Revolts have been arising throughout the country over the years and it is honestly tiresome as I myself have had to fight my own family in order to maintain the peace. I often wash my hands in an attempt to rid myself of such hardships, but I can still feel the blood of those men I’ve murdered enveloping my fingers and palms. I grow tired of this fighting on January 8th, 1807 me and a band of men attempted to fight off the revolutionaries as they took over Belgrade and claimed it as their capital. I feel as if my own cause is one of great difficulty as they seem to be progressing quite rapidly. They have been instituting new programs like that of the Great Academy as they spread their corrupt teachings to the public. I just hope that this all ends soon. The Ottomans are doing nothing wrong just simply maintaining the peace is all. These radical views will do nothing but cripple us. Word however has been traveling through Serbia that the French have taken interest in our country. It excites me to think that assistance is on the way. I’ve heard great things about this Napoleon fellow; I heard rumors of him being a military genius. I pray that he’ll be able to put an end to this tyranny. That is if he ever comes, for if not who knows where this country might end up. That is all for now, I’ve gotten word that another revolt has broken out and my assistance is needed. All I can do now is hope, fight, and pray that this all ends soon; we must put a stop to these liberals immediately! Sincerely, Nicholas Beklovic
Serbian Independence
ReplyDeleteDecember 28, 1829
Jail. The very sound of it makes me shake. Jail is supposed to be meant for true criminals, but look at me now. I have been chained up for 14 years and I do not know how much longer I will survive in here. Thus, I am writing a journal to keep at least some of my sanity alive. How did I get thrown in jail? Well, I was a revolutionary. A nationalist. A lover of my country. It all started in 1804. That year I had just turned seventeen and the world was completely open to me. Having a rather wealthy family I went to a higher level school and was offered great opportunities, but in all reality, I was not the student type. I loved to cause trouble and I guess this was what got me interested in being a revolutionary. After my seventeenth birthday, my parents did not have as much control over me as they did before and normally, I took advantage of this. After that faithful birthday I went to school for about four more months and soon dropped out. My parents were furious at this decision, but I was an independent man. Soon I heard about an ideology called nationalism that was spreading in my hometown of Novi Sad. Being a curious teenager I soon got to know some local nationalists and you can probably predict what happened next. I got sucked in to one of the largest national revolts in Serbian history.
I will have to sacrifice the details of all of the people that I met, but I will tell you the main events of my involvement in the nationalistic movement that happened in my country. On my eighteenth birthday, about nine months since I joined the revolutionaries, I became one of the main leaders of the nationalistic revolution in Novi Sad. One more year passed and despite my influence in Novi Sad, the people were just not getting the message that Serbia had to be free from the oppressive Ottoman Empire and those damn Russians that were always trying to influence us. That year our lack of luck took a turn for the better when me and my fellow nationalists traveled to Belgrade to see the tactics that other revolutionaries were using to gain acceptance among the people. There we met Petrovic Karageorge, the leader of the nationalists in Belgrade. Soon we got whiff of a siege that was to be happening in Belgrade. I, being the curious devil that I am, had to be part of this and thus I took my men to meet Petrovic and organize this siege. A great day came upon us on January 8, 1807 when 25,000 men (mine included) had a successful siege and proclaimed Belgrade the official capital of Serbia.
Thanks to our bravery, national self-identity and national interest increased among the Serbian people and such organizations as the Governing Council, the Great Academy, and the Theological Academy were created as a means of spreading this national identity. At this I must end my journal for today. I must get some sleep. Tomorrow, those damn Ottomans will have me working the coal mines and hopefully I can write after work.
December 29, 1829
ReplyDeleteI am so tired. The work that they give here is unbearable. I hope these Ottomans burn in Abaddon. Luckily though, I was able to write today. Yesterday, I ended with the siege in Belgrade that I and my men took part in.
Ok let’s see . . . . Ah yes. After that siege we began to get more and more supporters in Serbia. People became aware of the oppression that they were under and finally wanted freedom. Even in my home city of Novi Sad, more people became aware of the conditions that they were living under and the large influence that the Ottomans had. This national zeal continued to increase until about 1812, when then the French invaded our country under Napoleon Bonaparte and we lost many of the supporters that were helping with our cause. Despite this takeover, me and my men were not about to give up and we wanted national independence more than anything in the world. We fought back against the French and the Ottomans until on one faithful day hell broke loose. The Ottomans entered Serbia in full force and brutally killed or captured all the revolutionaries that they could find. Even Petrovic got captured, but luckily I escaped with my life. Since that day, that faithful day, I have never again seen Petrovic and I assume that he is dead.
Brutality. That is all that I can call it. The Ottomans, in their entrance to Serbia murdered everyone in sight and even recaptured the capital of Belgrade. Hundreds upon hundreds of citizens were murdered and thousands were put into slavery and sent away to foreign lands. It was pure chaos. I must thank God for keeping me alive in Novi Sad, the place where I hid. If I had never escaped Belgrade, I would probably have encountered the same fate as Petrovic.
Thus, for the next 3 years things seemed to be quiet. There were a few revolts in other Serbian cities, but the Ottomans had us on a tight leash. I was still in hiding when I heard that a sizable revolt was occurring in Takovo on April 23, 1815, with Milos Obrenović chosen as the leader. After hearing this I soon left for Takovo to meet this famous Milos. Once again, I could not help my curiosity.
Upon arriving to Takovo, I briefly met with Milos and he gave me the names of several nationalist supporter groups in the area. After that moment we went our separate directions and I began to spread nationalistic fervor in Takovo and the countryside around it. I a matter of a couple of months Takovo and many smaller towns around it were screaming for national freedom and independence. I could not wait to go into battle again.
My dreams came true very promptly when fighting commenced on the Easter of 1815. Milos, being the leader of the nationalistic movement in Kosovo, became the overall leader of the entire rebellion. Do you know what the Ottomans did in response to this? They sentenced all of us to death. You know what we did? We advocated a policy of restraint: captured Ottoman soldiers were not killed and civilians were released. We actually treated those bastards with respect! That was because our goal was not immediate independence but an end to abusive misrule which is a liberal ideal.
Despite the support of Milos and the many nationalists in Serbia, we were still low on members. Thus, we needed to include more people in our plan to create an independent Serbia. Luckily, other European events helped the Serbian cause. Political and diplomatic means in negotiations between the Prince of Serbia and the Ottoman Porte, instead of further war clashes coincided with the political rules during that time. Prince Miloš Obrenović, an astute politician and able diplomat, debated with the Porte and eventually made Serbia a semi-independent state in 1815.
You could not believe the amount of celebration that occurred after this announcement. I personally rejoiced until . . . . .
January 5, 1830
ReplyDeleteDamn. I finally got my journal back from the stupid guard who took it from me. Yesterday I was writing patiently and all of a sudden swoosh! The guard took my journal away. I could not believe his audacity. Whatever though. I will continue.
Serbia’s semi-independence made all of us very proud until we found out that the Ottomans still has a lot of influence in our country. After 1815 is seemed that they still controlled us despite their claim that we were independent. Once again, I was going to start another revolt, but the Ottoman officials got whiff of my plan and clank! I was put in jail.
Thus, I have been rotting in here for about 14 years as I said, but today I am finally satisfied. I have heard word that Serbia has finally become a free country a couple of days ago and now I know that my work was not done in vain. Thank God for helping my country achieve true freedom. Now hopefully, I will be released soon by my fellow nationalists and can live my life normally. This is my last journal entry and life has finally repaid me for my service. I am proud to be a Serbian and would die rather than loose hope in my county.
After reading the set of journal entries from the Serbian revolutionary I was able to learn a lot about how the revolutionaries wanted to leave the Ottoman rule and live a new life of their own. It is interesting to hear about how the ottomans were brutally killing the Serbians and then putting thousands into slavery just because they were angered about the want for independence. But as they went on to be free in the short time they had been overthrown another time by Napoleon, showing how they cannot escape the larger countries thirst for land and power.
ReplyDeletePrior to reading your journal i was not aware that Serbia wanted to leave the Ottoman Empire so badly. I also found it interesting how you stated that the revolutionaries needed to find tactics to draw in the supporters of nationalism. I never considered there to be methods to be a nationalist, but rather thought of it as a personal feeling and emotion one got from being a citizen in their country, just as a player gets a sense of pride and satisfaction from a team. Yet i realized that like a player on a team, a citizen cannot have pride in their country without believing in the plan and focus for their victory. Like a teammate, a citizen of Serbia must be fully enveloped in the cause and believe in their counrty as a winning and strong force that will push ahead in order to create opportunities and victories. I enjoyed seeing the campaign for nationalism as a force that must use different tactics to gather a group to believe in their cause, even when the cause is as drastic and significant as moving away from being oppressed by the Ottoman Empire.
ReplyDeleteIt is almost funny how accurately this portrays the lack of unity in the Ottoman empire. When bisco showed us the map of cultures within, you could see the melting pot type of feel. Each sect wanted its own independence and that caused for a split. Each had an individual nationalism which caused for the whole to fall as very few were still backing it. Also, the Serbians had no reason to fight for the empire as they were being treated so poorly. Many were executed for no reason and they were repressed in their rights.
ReplyDeleteThis is the result of an Empire, like the Ottomans, who think that gaining so much territory would have a positive outcome. In some cases it can be, but they had a lack of control, it was almost like they wanted the territory but they didn't want the responsibility to maintain it. The result is the divison of the Empire and revolts from unhappy nations. The Ottomans had no goals to unify and that was their down fall, their mistake. And for that they had many revolts and many countries declaring themselves independent from rulers who only cared about themselves.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteFebruary 17, 1810
ReplyDeleteDear Diary,
I write this in attempt to relieve some burdensome stress as these liberals spread and multiply like that of coach roaches. The preservation of Serbia’s culture, government, and economy is a must for success. These liberals believe that we can instantaneous do away with what has founded and structured our country throughout the ages. Yes I am Serbian, and yes I am not a liberal does that make me a criminal? My neighbors and once friends look at me as if I am the spawn of Satan, all because I don’t agree with such revolution. The Ottoman Empire in my eyes is just watching over us, and looking out for our benefit as a country. I don’t believe were even ready to be independent, we still need the influential leadership of the Russians, and Ottomans in my eyes. It worries me to think what if. I don’t want to see this beautiful country drive straight into the ground in a blazing fire as these so called “liberators” create anarchy amongst our guiding forces. Revolts have been arising throughout the country over the years and it is honestly tiresome as I myself have had to fight my own family in order to maintain the peace. I often wash my hands in an attempt to rid myself of such hardships, but I can still feel the blood of those men I’ve murdered enveloping my fingers and palms. I grow tired of this fighting on January 8th, 1807 me and a band of men attempted to fight off the revolutionaries as they took over Belgrade and claimed it as their capital. I feel as if my own cause is one of great difficulty as they seem to be progressing quite rapidly. They have been instituting new programs like that of the Great Academy as they spread their corrupt teachings to the public. I just hope that this all ends soon. The Ottomans are doing nothing wrong just simply maintaining the peace is all. These radical views will do nothing but cripple us. Word however has been traveling through Serbia that the French have taken interest in our country. It excites me to think that assistance is on the way. I’ve heard great things about this Napoleon fellow; I heard rumors of him being a military genius. I pray that he’ll be able to put an end to this tyranny. That is if he ever comes, for if not who knows where this country might end up. That is all for now, I’ve gotten word that another revolt has broken out and my assistance is needed. All I can do now is hope, fight, and pray that this all ends soon; we must put a stop to these liberals immediately!
Sincerely, Nicholas Beklovic