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The Extermination of the Turks (1702)

From EverybodyWiki Bios & Wiki

The Extermination of the Turks (1702) or Serbian Christmas Eve (Alb: Shfarrosja e të konvertuarëve) (Serb: Istraga Poturica)[1] were part of a series of massacres and expulsions carried out by Montenegrins, known as "Vespers" against Muslim Slavs, Turks and Albanians in the 18th century. The first popular documentation of these massacres occurred in 1702 known as ”Serbian Christmas Eve (1702)” ordered by Danilo.[2] 150 years later, the massacre was celebrated by vladika Petar II Petrović-Njegoš (1830-1851) in the Gorski Vijenac (The Mountain Wreath).[3] Although murder was considering wrong, and instead a re-converting of Muslims was preferred by Montenegrin tribal law, the massacre was vested in a religious apotheosis.[4] In 1912, Danilo was described more of a warrior than a priest and he allegedly ordered the massacre of all "Mohammedans".[5] The poem became a national myth depicting the massacres part of the popular Serb memory, although, it is not historically recorded.[6] The massacre has been celebrated by Serb nationalists, such as Ratko Mladić who used the term "poturice" (converts) in 1993 during the ICTY trials referring to the epic poem.[7] The massacre has also been criticized as it greatly contributed to the Serb-Albanian conflict and was cited by Montenegrin soldiers when they forcibly baptised Albanians with "hideous cruelty", according to Durham.[8]

Background[edit]

During the Great War of Vienna European powers united with the goal of weakening Ottoman influence and pursued a policy of enforcing Christian populations. In 1690, Patriarch Arseny III Čarnojević encouraged Serbs to revolt against the Ottomans. During the same year, a Montenegrin movement of liberation began, initiated by Venice, thus creating resentment between Christians and Muslims leading to the events.[9] Danilo I then decided, after a series of severe conflicts, that the Muslims and Christians could no longer live together.[10] In the plot of The Mountain Wreath, two assemblies of Christian Montenegrin chieftains gather, one the eve of Pentecost, and the other on the Nativity of the Virgin Mary, with the decision "cleanse the country of infidels".[11] The Martinovici clan is set out to massacre Christians who converted to Islam but who refused to revert. Some Balkan historians doubt the massacre ever occurred.[12][13]

Massacre[edit]

According to Montenegrin folklore, the massacre was carried out on Christmas Eve, however there are disagreements of the date of the massacre, stretching from 1702-1702,[14] and 1709-1711.[15] The main driver was Bishiop Danili Scepcevic, native of Njegos, who was elected as bishop in 1697 and consecrated by Arsenius III Carnojevic in 1700 in Secu. Danili gathered the chieftains and ordered them to exterminate "native Turks" (Albanians) who refused to be baptized. Serb historian Vladimir Corovic states that the action was directed by Vuk Borilovic and the Martinovic brothers, along with several bureaucrats. At Christmas, before dawn, they killed the Muslims of Cetinje. Thousands were massacred and on the Montenegrin side, only one of the Bishops men was wounded. The following days, many Muslims were expelled from surrounding settlements. Men, women and children were slaughtered.[16] These events made Bishop Danilo a worthy authority in Montenegro and greatly contributed to the Montenegrin-Albanian conflict.

Albanian sources state that on the night of the massacre, the Montenegrins would knock on doors and pierce anyone who refused to convert singing "their arms were covered with blood at the bottom" to which Danilo replied "O great God, thank you for everything! A Mass of thanksgiving was given to God and a celebration followed. It doesn't matter who gets baptized, but in what blood his chest is warmed...".[17] Historian Hajrudin Muja writes that the Montenegrins would put six bodies in a grave after having massacred the Muslims of Crmnica.[18]

Literature[edit]

Pavle Rak, a Serb-Slovenian journalist, describe the massacre as a "total inversion of the meaning of Christmas celebration that should bring peace to God to the whole world" as Christian values were abandoned for politics.[19] Author Rebecca West, an admirer of Montenegrin culture who published "Black Lamb and Grey Falcon" (1941), is described as an admirer of the alleged massacre. Literary critic Vojislav Nikcevic stated that the poem was artistic with a lively spirit to make reader and scholar experience the depicted event as reality.[20]

See also[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ↑ Scharbrodt, Oliver; Akgönül, Samim; Alibašić, Ahmet; Nielsen, Jørgen; Racius, Egdunas (2015). Yearbook of Muslims in Europe. BRILL. p. 408. ISBN 9789004308909. Retrieved 3 November 2019. Search this book on
  2. ↑ Worldmark Encyclopedia of the Nations: Europe. Gale Research. 1995. p. 381. ISBN 9780810398788. Search this book on
  3. ↑ Pieter van Duin, Zuzana Poláčkova. Montenegro Old and New: History, Politics, Culture, and the People (PDF) (Indeed, the (probably true) story goes that on Christmas Eve 1702 drastic action was taken against Montenegrin Muslim renegades, who were accused of aiding the Turks, who were obviously not without influence in the country. A large-scale massacre (the ‘Montenegrin Vespers’) was carried out of all Muslim men that the Montenegrins could lay their hands on, in particular Slavs (the actual renegades), but probably also Turks, Albanians and others, an action whose aim was to ‘cleanse’ the country of real or potential enemies and affirm its confessional homogeneity. Almost 150 years later this bloodbath was celebrated in a famous and controversial poem written by the last hereditary vladika Petar II Petrović-Njegoš (who ruled from 1830-1851), Gorski ed.). Studia Politica Slovaca. pp. 64–65. Retrieved 3 November 2019. Search this book on
  4. ↑ Washburn, Dennis; Reinhart, Kevin (2007). Converting Cultures: Religion, Ideology and Transformations of Modernity. BRILL. p. 87. ISBN 9789047420330. Retrieved 3 November 2019. Search this book on
  5. ↑ Twentieth Century. Twentieth century. 1912. p. 884. Retrieved 3 November 2019. Search this book on
  6. ↑ Washburn, Dennis; Reinhart, Kevin (2007). Converting Cultures: Religion, Ideology and Transformations of Modernity. BRILL. p. 87. ISBN 9789047420330. Retrieved 3 November 2019. Search this book on
  7. ↑ Dojčinović, Predrag (2019). Propaganda and International Criminal Law: From Cognition to Criminality. Routledge. ISBN 9780429812842. Retrieved 3 November 2019. Search this book on
  8. ↑ Jezernik, Božidar (2004). Wild Europe: The Balkans in the Gaze of Western Travellers. Saqi. p. 109. ISBN 978-0-86356-574-8. Retrieved 21 December 2019. Search this book on
  9. ↑ Vladimir Corovic: Istorija srpskog naroda. Search this book on
  10. ↑ Dr. Čedomir Marjanović, „Istorija srpske crkve“, knj. II, Srpska crkva u ropstvu od 1462-1920. Beograd. „Sv. Sava“, 1930. str. 56-57.
  11. ↑ Anzulovic, Branimir (1999). Heavenly Serbia: From Myth to Genocide. NYU Press. pp. 51, 52, 189. ISBN 9780814706718. Retrieved 3 November 2019. Search this book on
  12. ↑ Morrison, Kenneth (2009). Montenegro: A Modern History - PDF Free Download (The epic poem draws on the events of Christmas Eve 1702 (although it is not known if these events actually took place) when, in an attempt to save Montenegro from Ottoman penetration, Montenegrin Muslims were offered the choice of ‘baptism or death’ ed.). London: Kenneth Morrison is a lecturer in Nationalism and Ethnic Politics at Birkbeck College (University of London) and an Honorary Research Associate at the London School of Slavonic and East European Studies (SSEES). He obtained his Ph.D. at the University of Stirling and taught Balkan and Yugoslav History and Politics at both SSEES and the University of Aberdeen. p. 23. Retrieved 3 November 2019. Search this book on
  13. ↑ Knežević, Marija; Batrićević, Aleksandra Nikčević (2009). Recounting Cultural Encounters. Cambridge Scholars Publishing. p. 21. ISBN 9781443814607. Retrieved 3 November 2019. Search this book on
  14. ↑ "[Projekat Rastko - Cetinje] Zemljopis Knjazevine Crne Gore (1899)". www.rastko.rs.
  15. ↑ dr. Čedomir Marjanović, „Istorija srpske crkve“, knj. II, Srpska crkva u ropstvu od 1462-1920. Beograd. „Sv. Sava“, 1930. str. 56-57.
  16. ↑ Žižek, Slavoj (2009). In Defense of Lost Causes. Verso. p. 463. ISBN 9781844674299. Retrieved 3 November 2019. Search this book on
  17. ↑ Kurora e maleve, Si e zhduku gjakmarrjensundimtari i Malit të zi Petar Petroviç II - Shqiptarja.com (in shqip) (Translation: On Christmas of 1702, an armed group led by the Martinovics stormed home, killing all those who did not want to be baptized. The next morning the slaughterers went to church and as the song says, "... Their arms were covered with blood at the bottom ...", and Danillo snatched in joy and exclaimed: "O great Lord, thank you for everything! U gave a mass of thanksgiving to God and therefore followed a feast ... ”. In the work he would say: "... it does not matter who is baptized, / But in what blood his chest is warmed ...". ed.). Redaksia Online (d.a/shqiptarja.com). 2014. Retrieved 3 November 2019. Search this book on
  18. ↑ Muja, Hajrudin (2016). "Ndjekja e 'turkoshakëve' në Mal të Zi - Zeri Islam.com". www.zeriislam.com (Translation: On Christmas morning, after the liturgy, they come out in front of the church and hear gunshots on the Cetinje Plain. Vladika watches the bloodied brothers Martinovic and Vuk Bariolovic arriving with 500-600 gunmen. Vojvoda Batriqi wishes Christmas and gives Vladikas the glad tidings of killing the country's Muslims, burning their homes and demolishing the mosque [p. 116-117]. Shortly thereafter, for the new year, the more distant spokesmen come 'with good news', for the next massacre of Islamized local residents of Rijeka (Chernojevic), who did not flee and refused to spit the Qur'an [ p. 121]. Meanwhile another messenger came in with a letter, in which the jockeys Nicholas and the other Dupilans informed Danilo of the massacre that the Montenegrins had committed against the local Muslims of Cermnica, so numerous that "we shot six people". This was the final of the purges: "No trace or sight of the seed of the Turk, except the bodies, or the ruins" [p. 122].). Retrieved 3 November 2019.
  19. ↑ "Žanrovske metamorfoze kosovskog zaveta - Pavle Rak". Peščanik. 17 October 2006.
  20. ↑ Kolstø, Pål (2005). Myths and boundaries in south-eastern Europe. Hurst & Co. p. 165. Retrieved 3 November 2019. Search this book on


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