Battle of Krusi

After Kara Mahmud Pasha was defeated at Martinići (1796), he planned new operations to subdue the Principality of Montenegro. With his main army in Scutari, Kara Mahmud Pasha advanced to Podgorica. In the meantime, near the Montenegrin borders, a rather large number of forces were stationed due to the concentration of attacks towards Montenegro and Brda. From Podgorica, the Pasha's forces moved onto Lješkopolje because his goal was to use the Lješkopolje-Krusi-Carev laz-Rijeka Crnojevića line to his advantage in order to carry out a raid towards Cetinje.

Petar I was informed of the Pasha's plans, and had managed to organize a defence. He took the larger part of his army and camped beneath the Sađavce mountain on the right bank of the Matica river. Another large unit under the command of Jovan Radonjić camped under the Busovnika mountain near the village of Krusi. One of the early accounts of the battle authored by Archimandrite Stefan Vukčević in 1811.{{harv|Pavićević|1996|p=326}}

The battle occurred on 3 October 1796 when Pasha ordered his troops to cross the right hand bank of the Sitnica River and attack Montenegrin positions. Krusi was directly in the path of his army.

Half of the Montenegrin army was led by Metropolitan Petar I, and the other half by Jovan Radonjić.{{harvnb|Novak|1949|p=178}} {{blockquote|... под Мартинићима и 22 септембра исте године у Крусима, недалеко Под- горице, половином црногорске војске командовао владика Петар I, а другом половином гувернадур Јоко. Из овога се јасно види до које висине је доспела ...}}

The earliest historical sources about this battle include records of Russian deacon Aleksije, at that time the scribe of Petar I.{{cite book|last=muzeji|first=Cetinje (Montenegro) Etnografski|title=Glasnik: Bulletin|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=aehCLa4m5_sC|year=1961|page=43}} Deakon Aleksije wrote that both Petar I and Radonjić were armed and wore uniform and that 500 chosen soldiers also wore uniforms.{{cite book|last=Зечевић|first=Слободан|title=Гласник Етнографског музеја у Београду књ. 43: Bulletin of the Ethnographic Museum in Beograd|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=7YR2BgAAQBAJ&pg=PA128|publisher=Etnografski muzej u Beogradu|pages=128–|id=GGKEY:3EJL1KKYG38}} According to deakon Aleksije, the battle started at 8:30 am and lasted until evening.{{cite book|title=Istorija Črne Gore: Od poěetka XVI do kraja XVIII vijeka. pts|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=gmUNAQAAIAAJ|year=1975|publisher=Red. za istoriju Črne Gore}} After a whole day of fighting, the Montenegrins were able to defeat the Ottoman army. Pasha was killed by the Montenegrin army during the battle. Legend has it that it was a Bogdan Nikolić from Zalazi who managed to kill Bushati.{{harv|Jovanović|1995|p=155}} Before Kara Mahmud was killed and decapitated in battle, it is said that he single-handedly slew 32 Montenegrins during his last stand while being surrounded by Montenegrin soldiers.{{Cite book |last=Jazexhi |first=Olsi |url=http://www.dielli.net/pdf/historia/KaraMahmudPashBushati.pdf |title=Kara Mmahmud Pashë Bushati, Bualli i Shkodrës (1776–1796 ER/1190–1211 AH) |publisher=Dielli |year=2018 |pages=18 |quote=Por përpara se të vdiste ai mendohet të ketë vrarë rreth 32 malazezë. |access-date=2023-11-08 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180819030914/http://www.dielli.net/pdf/historia/KaraMahmudPashBushati.pdf |archive-date=2018-08-19}} The remains of the defeated Ottoman army were forced to withdraw to Podgorica.{{cite book |last= Rastoder |first= Šerbo |author2=Andrijašević, Živko|author3=Popović, Dragutin|author4=Folić, Zvezdan|author5=Šabotić, Sait|author6=Drobnjak, Slobodan|author7=Selhanović, Jadranka|author8=Drinčić, Željko|author9= Prekić, Adnan |title= Istorijski Leksikon Crne Gore |volume= I: A - Crn |pages= 123–124 |location= Podgorica |publisher= Daily Press - Vijesti |year= 2006 |language= Serbian | isbn= 86-7706-165-7 }} According to voivode Mirko, the Ottomans had 7,000 killed men.{{harv|Pavićević|1990|p=344}}: "Војвода Мирко у свом извјештају тврди да је на бојишту остало 7.000 турских лешева, ..." Vučetić presents a figure of 32 dead and 64 wounded Montenegrin soldiers.{{harv|Pavićević|1996|p=333}} Deakon Arsenije presents the probably more realistic figures of 132 dead and 237 wounded Montenegrin soldiers.{{harv|Pavićević|1996|p=333}}

The first report about the victory of Montenegrins was written by Metropolitan Petar I to Ivan Osterman, the Chancellor of the Russian Empire. In that report Petar I expressed his gratitude for the support of Russia and its empress, proudly stating that his forces had killed the Scutari governor and captured 33 Ottoman flags, large numbers of light weapons and plenty of ammunition.{{cite book|title=Glasnik cetinjskih muzeja: Bulletin des musʹees de Cʹetignʹe|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=d4HiAAAAMAAJ|year=1968|page=9}}

With the victory, the tribes of Bjelopavlići and Piperi were joined into the Montenegrin tribal assembly.{{harv|Rudić|Pavlović|2016|p=53}} The independence of Montenegro, though not officially internationally recognized emerged from the victory in this battle, which allowed the proclamation of the first constitutional act of Montenegro - The General Code of Montenegro and the Highlands ({{langx|sr|Законик црногорски и брдски)}}.{{harv|Veljković|2001|p=85}}: "Државна самобитност, иако званично непризната, исказана је поразом Турака на Крусима 1796, што је омогућило да се 1798. прогласи први „Законик црногорски и брдски". "

The Ottoman defeat at Battle of Krusi weakened the Ottoman rule in the region.{{harv|Slijepčević|1983|p=184}}: "... крајевима, то је у овоме тренутку отсудна битка на Крусима значила снажан ударац по турској власти у нашим крајевима уопште и истовремено догађај који је истим Турцима помогао да сузбију планове разних одметника». On the other hand, it prevented the secession of Albania from the Ottoman Empire, reducing it to simple renegade actions.{{harv|Slijepčević|1983|p=184}}: "...онемогућавао издвајање Арбаније из Турске на нивоу вишем од простога одметања...».

• Battle of Martinići
• Battle of Lopate

{{Reflist}}

• {{cite book|last1=Rudić|first1=Srđan|last2=Pavlović|first2=Lela|title=Srpska revolucija i obnova državnosti Srbije: Dvesta godina od Drugog srpskog ustanka: =Serbian Revolution and Renewal of Serbian Statehood : Two Hundred Years since the Second Serbian Uprising|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=1dttDQAAQBAJ&pg=PA53|date=1 September 2016|publisher=Istorijski institut, Beograd; Međuopštinski istorijski arhiv, Čačak|isbn=978-86-7743-116-7}}
• {{cite book|last=Veljković|first=Vidimir|title=Politički moral Srba|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=56YVAQAAIAAJ|year=2001|publisher=Prosveta|isbn=9788674555088}}
• {{cite book|last=Pavićević|first=Branko|title=Danilo I Petrović Njegoš, knjaz crnogorski i brdski, 1851-1860|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=jZ0MAAAAIAAJ|year=1990|publisher=Književne novine|isbn=9788639102029}}
• {{cite book|last=Jovanović|first=Jagoš|title=Istorija Crne Gore|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=FkgoAAAAMAAJ|year=1995|publisher=CID}}
• {{cite book|last=Slijepčević|first=Đoko M.|title=Srpsko-arbanaški odnosi kroz vekove sa posebnim osvrtom na novije vreme|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ZFRpAAAAMAAJ|year=1983|publisher=D. Slijepčević}}
• {{cite book|last=Pavićević|first=Branko|title=Boj Crnogoraca i Brđana s Mahmut pašom 1796: zbornik radova o bitkama na Martinićima i Krusima|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=tD68swEACAAJ|year=1996|publisher=Svetigora}}
• {{cite book |last=Novak |first=Viktor |title=Istoriski časopis |volume=1 |issue=1–2 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=-__iAAAAMAAJ |year=1949}}

{{Wars and battles involving Serbs}}

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{{Coord missing|Montenegro}}

Krusi

Krusi

Krusi

Krusi

Category:1796 in Europe

Category:1796 in the Ottoman Empire

Category:Prince-Bishopric of Montenegro

Krusi

Category:Pashalik of Scutari