Serbian ferbian angmovements and the Ottoman State 1804 - 1878

The period between the Serbian revolts of 1804 and the Saint Stephanos Agreement of 1878 constitues one of the most troublesome years of the Ottoman State both in terms of domestic and international relations.During this period, covering 74 years, starting from the 1804 Serbian Revolt to the 1878 Saint Stephanos Agreement, the Ottoman State encountered severe problems bought up by her own Christian community. The problems the Ottoman State encountered with in the 1856-1908 period were also the common concerns of the Europen states as well.The systematic Panslav politics pursued by Russian since the 17th century gradually affected the Serbs, living peacefully under the Ottoman sovereignty for more than 300 years, who finally revolted againt the Ottoman State in 1804.The Serbians, who achieved their semi-autonomous rights from the Ottoman State with the signing of the Teraty of Bucharest in 1812, obtained their full autonomy with the signing of Edirne Treaty between Russia and the Ottoman State in September 14, 1829.The most problematic years of the Ottoman-Serbian relations started with the signing of the Paris Peace Treaty in 1856 following the Crimean War, where the foundation for today's Europe was laid, and continued until the 1878 Saint Stephanos Agreement.The Serbian right of autonomy, which was granted by the Treaty of Edirne, was also encompassed by the Paris Treaty. But the guarantorship of this autonomy was taken away from Russia and given to the Western States. The Ottoman were abandoning their rights over the Serbian territories. She was not to take any initiative without the approval of the European States and could not dispatch troops to Serbia any longer.These provisions on Serbia were important in two aspects. First, Serbia was under Russian influence until the signing of the Paris Peace Treaty. However, with the signing of the treaty, Russia lost all its rights on Serbia, and the treaty in fact paved the way for the losing of all rights in favor of the European States.Second, during these years, the Serbians pursued the aim of uniting with Bosnia-Herzegovina, and Montenegro; and to this end, they trusted Russia to put an end to the Ottoman sovereignty which they regarded as an obstacle in the way to their unification. The Turkish-Russian War of 1877-1878 in this respect may be regarded as the apex of the Serbian-Russian cooperation against the Ottoman State.Moreover, with the signing of the Saint Stephanos Agreement, Serbia would turn into an independent state.Key Words: Serbian Gangs, Serbian Revolt, Panslavism, Ottoman State, Serbia, Russia.