Croatian-Slovene Peasant Revolt (1573)

Sun Jan 28, 1573

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Image: A non-contemporary representation of the execution of Matija Gubec at the square in front of St. Mark’s Church in Zagreb, by Oton Iveković (1912) [Wikipedia]

On this day in 1573, the Croatian-Slovene Peasant Revolt began with an attack on the fortress of Cesargrad, near the town of Klanjec. Peasants formed their own government, planning to abolish feudalism and establish self-rule.

Amidst growing incursions by Ottoman forces into the region, local feudal lords ramped up economic demands on the local peasantry. One powerful noble, Franjo (or Ferenc) Tahy was particularly notorious for his cruel and violent treatment of the local populace.

Complaints made by peasants to the central government were ignored, so popular resistance efforts began to develop. The local peasantry refused to pay taxes to Tahy, who responded by sending armed mercenaries to attack them, however they were defeated by armed peasants.

On the night of January 27-28, rebels seized the fortress of Cesargrad, marking the start of the revolt. The peasants formed an alternative government, with serf Matija Gubec elected as leader.

The rebels made long term plans of systemic reform, including replacing feudal lords with peasant officials, abolishing feudal land holdings and provincial borders, canceling obligations to the Roman Catholic Church, opening of highways for trade, and establishing self-rule by the peasants.

News of the uprising quickly spread through the discontented lower classes of the region, who followed suit by fighting back against their oppressors, taking further territory throughout Carniola, Croatia and Styria.

The Croatian Parliament declared the revolutionary peasants traitors. After their initial wave of success, peasant forces suffered a major defeat at Krško on February 5th, which precipitated a further wave of defeats over the coming days.

The rebels made their final stand at Stubičke Toplice on the 9th, where the uprising was crushed for good. Matija Gubec was captured, and Ivan Mogaić, another important revolutionary leader, was killed on the battlefield.

Captives were maimed and tortured by authorities, and Gubec was publicly tortured and executed on the 15th. Although the revolt was unsuccessful, its memory has persisted in the region in the centuries since, with Gubec attaining legendary status in local folklore.

A detachment of Yugoslav volunteers for the Republicans in the Spanish Civil War named themselves the “Grupo Matija Gubec”. In 1975, a film based on the events entitled “Anno Domini 1573” was released, and historical re-enactments of the Revolt are held in Croatia every year.