Ilija Gregoric
Encyclopedia
Ilija Gregorić was a Croatia
n soldier, best known as the military commander of rebels during the Croatian and Slovenian peasant revolt
of 1573.
He was born in Marija Gorica
, a village in Croatia
. When Ottoman Turks
raided Carniola
in 1553, he was captured. He escaped captivity and became a professional soldier in the Military Frontier
.
In 1564, he became a serf
on the estates of infamous Ferenz Tahy. Three years later, as a semi-professional soldier, he raided Ottoman territories. He was again captured by the Turks, and brought as prisoner to Constantinople
. He subsequently escaped, and returned to Croatia in 1572.
Due to his military experience, rebel peasants elected him as the captain of their army. Now in command of the rebel forces, he tried to spread the revolt in Slovenia. His forces were defeated at the battles of Krško
and Sv. Petar.
Unlike Matija Gubec
, he was not captured immediately and he tried to seek shelter in Ottoman territories. He was captured near Jasenovac
and brought to Zagreb
, where he was executed.
Croatia
Croatia , officially the Republic of Croatia , is a unitary democratic parliamentary republic in Europe at the crossroads of the Mitteleuropa, the Balkans, and the Mediterranean. Its capital and largest city is Zagreb. The country is divided into 20 counties and the city of Zagreb. Croatia covers ...
n soldier, best known as the military commander of rebels during the Croatian and Slovenian peasant revolt
Croatian and Slovenian peasant revolt
The Croatian-Slovenian peasant revolt of 1573 was a large peasant revolt in today's Croatia and Slovenia. The revolt, sparked by cruel treatment of serfs by the baron Franjo Tahy, ended after 12 days with the defeat of the rebels and bloody retribution by the nobility.-Background:In the late 16th...
of 1573.
He was born in Marija Gorica
Marija Gorica
Marija Gorica is a municipality in Croatia in the Zagreb County. According to the 2001 census, there are 2,089 inhabitants, absolute majority which are Croats.-Settlements:*Marija Gorica *Kraj Donji*Bijela Gorica*Kraj Gornji...
, a village in Croatia
Croatia
Croatia , officially the Republic of Croatia , is a unitary democratic parliamentary republic in Europe at the crossroads of the Mitteleuropa, the Balkans, and the Mediterranean. Its capital and largest city is Zagreb. The country is divided into 20 counties and the city of Zagreb. Croatia covers ...
. When Ottoman Turks
Ottoman Turks
The Ottoman Turks were the Turkish-speaking population of the Ottoman Empire who formed the base of the state's military and ruling classes. Reliable information about the early history of Ottoman Turks is scarce, but they take their Turkish name, Osmanlı , from the house of Osman I The Ottoman...
raided Carniola
Carniola
Carniola was a historical region that comprised parts of what is now Slovenia. As part of Austria-Hungary, the region was a crown land officially known as the Duchy of Carniola until 1918. In 1849, the region was subdivided into Upper Carniola, Lower Carniola, and Inner Carniola...
in 1553, he was captured. He escaped captivity and became a professional soldier in the Military Frontier
Military Frontier
The Military Frontier was a borderland of Habsburg Austria and later the Austro-Hungarian Monarchy, which acted as the cordon sanitaire against incursions from the Ottoman Empire...
.
In 1564, he became a serf
SERF
A spin exchange relaxation-free magnetometer is a type of magnetometer developed at Princeton University in the early 2000s. SERF magnetometers measure magnetic fields by using lasers to detect the interaction between alkali metal atoms in a vapor and the magnetic field.The name for the technique...
on the estates of infamous Ferenz Tahy. Three years later, as a semi-professional soldier, he raided Ottoman territories. He was again captured by the Turks, and brought as prisoner to Constantinople
Constantinople
Constantinople was the capital of the Roman, Eastern Roman, Byzantine, Latin, and Ottoman Empires. Throughout most of the Middle Ages, Constantinople was Europe's largest and wealthiest city.-Names:...
. He subsequently escaped, and returned to Croatia in 1572.
Due to his military experience, rebel peasants elected him as the captain of their army. Now in command of the rebel forces, he tried to spread the revolt in Slovenia. His forces were defeated at the battles of Krško
Krško
Krško is a town and municipality in eastern Slovenia. The town lies on the Sava River. The area is traditionally divided between Lower Styria and Lower Carniola...
and Sv. Petar.
Unlike Matija Gubec
Matija Gubec
Ambroz "Matija" Gubec was a Croatian peasant and a revolutionary, best known as the leader of the Croatian-Slovenian peasant revolt...
, he was not captured immediately and he tried to seek shelter in Ottoman territories. He was captured near Jasenovac
Jasenovac
Jasenovac is a village and a municipality in Croatian Slavonia, in the southern part of the Sisak-Moslavina county at the confluence of the river Una into Sava.The name means "ash tree" or "ash forest" in Croatian, the area being ringed by such a forest....
and brought to Zagreb
Zagreb
Zagreb is the capital and the largest city of the Republic of Croatia. It is in the northwest of the country, along the Sava river, at the southern slopes of the Medvednica mountain. Zagreb lies at an elevation of approximately above sea level. According to the last official census, Zagreb's city...
, where he was executed.