Battle of Ivankovac

The Battle of Ivankovac was the first significant victory for the Serb rebels during the First Serbian Uprising. The battle took place in Serbia in 1805. The two parties were striving for independence Serbs and the Ottoman Empire.

Course

The Ottoman Empire, which controlled Serbia at that time, sent the commander of the city of Nis, Hafiz - Paša out to fight the rebels. He led an army of 15,000 soldiers.

The insurgent Serbs expected to attack the Ottomans and were divided into two groups. On the mountain Gilj near the city Jagodina the rebel leader Đorđe Petrović Karađorđe expected with about 4,000 to 5,000 men to attack the Ottomans. The Duke Milenko Stojkovic had holed up with about 2500 men on the mountain Ivankovac ( about 4 kilometers from the city Ćuprija ). The Paša met with his soldiers first one at Ivankovac.

After an unsuccessful attempt to bribe Stojkovic, attacked the Turks. The attack on the Serbian trenches lasted until the evening before the troops Karađorđe Stojkovic came to the rescue. The Serbs launched a counter-offensive. The Ottoman troops retreated during the battle in the small town Paraćin back to where they were besieged by the Serbs and bombarded with guns. A shell hit - Hafiz Paša on foot. He took refuge in the city of Nis, where he died of his injuries.

This victory of the rebels was a turning point in the history of Turkish influence in the Balkans, even if the uprising in 1813 was finally defeated.