Carinthian Peasant Revolt

Coccau Field

Date	1478
Location	Duchy of Carinthia (modern Austria)
Result	Suppression of revolt and execution of participants

Belligerents

Peasant Army

Commanders and leaders

Peter Wunderlich †

Strength

3,000

Casualties and losses

300

The Carinthian Peasant Revolt (German: Kärntner Bauernaufstand; Slovene: koroški kmečki upor) took place in the Duchy of Carinthia (present-day Austria) in 1478. It was the first of the larger peasant revolts in the area of Inner Austria. After several Ottoman raids from 1473 onwards, the rural population established a peasants' association that was an effort to take the defence of the farmers' homes into their own hands and was also aimed against the ruling nobility that had failed to protect the farmers from attacks by Turkish Akinci (cavalry). The revolt was eventually suppressed.

The Ottoman forces had entered the Balkan peninsula during the disintegration of the Serbian Empire in the 14th century. In 1389 they defeated a Serbian army at the Battle of Kosovo. Upon the Fall of Constantinople in 1453, Turkish troops advanced northwestwards and in 1469 reached the borders of the Holy Roman Empire entering the Duchy of Carniola.

In view of the threat, the Carinthian estates had strong fortifications erected and mountain pass routes secured. The Habsburg administration under Emperor Frederick III imposed new taxes and contributions on the local population to fund the operations. Nevertheless, in late September 1473, Ottoman forces first crossed Seeberg Saddle and plundered the Drava and Glan valleys. Again in 1476, they moved into Carinthia from the upper Sava valley, laid siege to the Arnoldstein monastery, moved into the Gail valley and devastated the area of Villach. They set up a camp at Wernberg, from where they started further raids.

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