Belgrade Before the Principality of Serbia: 1792-1830

After the Ottoman Empire lost Belgrade in 1718, Vidin undertook the duties of the region for a while, however the capture of Belgrade by the Ottomans in 1739 was not enough for Belgrad to regain its old importance. In other words, the state began to see Belgrade as a land that would be discarded soon. As a result of this approach, Belgrade was handed over to the Austria by janissaries without defending during the 1788-91 Ottoman-Austrian War. On the other hand 1791 Treaty of Sistova which made Ottoman Empire to recapture Belgrade, did not bring stability to the region. In the course of the next four decades, the Empire would have to deal with the exiled janissaries in Belgrade, the subsequent "Dayı" problems and the tensions which would lead to the Serbian uprisings and ultimately autonomy. In this context, the aim of our thesis will be to evaluate the political, military and socio-economic structure of Belgrade and Serbia within this period of time before autonomy.