Niš rebellion (1841)

The Niš rebellion (Serbian: Нишка буна); Bulgarian: Нишко въстание) was a short-lived Christian uprising (5–26 April 1841) that broke out in the Ottoman nahiya (sub-districts) of Niš, Pirot, Vranje and Toplica, led by Miloje Jovanović and Nikola Srndaković-Srndak. The revolt emerged in an ethnic border area with mixed Serbian and Bulgarian ethnic sentiments. It was part of that period's agrarian riots; it was mainly prompted by the appeals relating to the repeal of the spahee and the Ottoman government's readiness to attribute the ownership of the land to new Muslim holders. It was a rapid, large and forceful rebellion, relatively unexpected to the Ottomans, with great combat successes. During the rebellion, the Ottomans burnt down 120 villages in Niš and 104 in Leskovac. 10–11,000 people fled to the Principality of Serbia; the Ottoman government appealed for their return.