Albanian Revolt of 1843–44

Albanian Revolt of 1843–1844
Part of the Albanian revolts against the Ottoman Empire
Date 1843–1844 Location Ottoman Albania Modern-day northern Albania, Serbia, and western Macedonia Result Suppression of the revolt by the Ottomans
Belligerents
Ottoman Empire	Albanian Rebels
Commanders and leaders
Hayredin Pasha Omar Pasha Bib Doda Pasha, Kapedan of Mirdita	Dervish Cara Sheh Mustafa Zerqani Cen Leka
Strength
30,000 Unknown number of irregulars	c. 10,000
Casualties and losses
15,000 killed	9,000 killed

The Albanian Revolt of 1843–1844, variously also known as the Revolt of 1844 or the Uprising of Dervish Cara (Albanian: Kryengritja e Dervish Carës), was a 19th-century uprising in northern Ottoman Albania directed against the Ottoman Tanzimat reforms which started in 1839 and were gradually being put in action in the regions of Albania. Some historians include the actions in Dibër of the same time under the same historical name, though the events in Dibër were independent and headed by other leaders.

The Tanzimat reforms began in 1839, and aimed to modernize the Ottoman Empire by introducing European-inspired reforms. Most importantly, it involved a centralization and streamlining of the administration and military. This hurt the old-established feudal order (cf. timariots and sipahis) among the Empire's Muslim communities, and especially the various local leaders who had exercised considerable regional authority and often enjoyed wide-ranging autonomy from the imperial government. The Albanians had long been a source of manpower for the Ottomans, providing both soldiers and statesmen such as the Köprülü family. The Tanzimat reforms however; in particular the replacement of influential local leaders by Ottoman functionaries, the imposition of new taxes, the compulsory recruitment into the regular army, and the attempt to disarm the general population; caused much resentment, and led to a series of disorders throughout the western Balkan provinces in 1840–43.

In the summer of 1843, the inhabitants of Prizren attacked and routed the new officials of the city and their example was followed by the inhabitants of Priştine (now Pristina) and Yakova (now Gjakova). These local insurrections in the cities were immediately suppressed by Ottoman authorities.

The direct cause of the uprising was the arresting and liquidation of the local Albanophone pashas, most notably that of Abdurrahman Pasha of Kalkandelen (now Tetovo) and his two brothers, Havzi Pasha of Üsküb (now Skopje) and Hussein Pasha of Kustendil. The rebels, who were led by Dervish Cara, also had the support of the Christian population and were assisted by other Albanophone pashas. The revolt began in Üsküb in July 1843 and grew strongly when an Ottoman army under Hajredin Pasha, in the process of opposing it, tried to recruit local Albanians into the regular army. In November the rebels liberated Gostivar and in January 1844, after bitter fights with the Ottoman army, they captured Kalkandelen. The leader of the rebels was Dervish Cara, who was assisted by various local leaders. In February 1844 the rebels attacked and captured Üsküb. They created a Great Council led by Dervish Cara which was the supreme body of the newly created administration in the liberated territories. In February 1844 the rebels took Kumanova (now Kumanovo). After Kumanova the rebels captured Preševo, Bujanovac, Vranje, Leskovac and other territories now in Serbia. The rebellion was spread to İpek, Yakova, Prizren and İşkodra (now Shkodër), while in the spring of 1844 the rebellion reached Ohri (now Ohrid) and Manastiri in the south, İşkodra in the west, Vranje and Leskovac in the north and Kumanova in the east. The rebels sent a letter to the Albanians of the Sanjak of Ioannina, recalling them as brothers and asking them not to fight for the Ottoman army.

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