Kučuk-Alija
{{Short description|Ottoman civil servant}}
{{dablink|"Kuchuk Ali" redirects here.}}
{{Infobox military person
| honorific_prefix =
| name = Kučuk-Alija
| honorific_suffix =
| native_name =
| native_name_lang = Serbian
| image = Dahias & Mustapha Pasa.jpg
| image_size = 250px
| alt =
| caption = Kučuk Alija kills Hadži Mustafa Pasha in Belgrade, 15 December 1801 (1802 engraving)
| birth_date =
| death_date = 5 August 1804
| birth_place = Rudnik, Sanjak of Smederevo, Ottoman Empire (modern-day Serbia)
| death_place = Ada Kaleh, Ottoman Empire
| placeofburial =
| placeofburial_label =
| placeofburial_coordinates =
| nickname =
| birth_name = Alija Đevrlić (Алија Ђеврлић)
| allegiance = Ottoman Empire (1799–1801)
"Dahije" (1801–04)
| branch = Janissary
| serviceyears =
| rank = {{Plainlist |
- mutesellim of Kragujevac
- "Dahije" (one of four leaders) of Belgrade Pashaluk
}}
| unit =
| commands =
- Rudnik nahija (1800)
- Sanjak of Smederevo (1801–04)
| battles =
| battles_label =
| awards =
| relations =
| laterwork =
| signature =
}}
Kučuk-Alija ({{lang-sr-cyr|Кучук-Алија}}, {{langx|tr|Küçük Ali}}; {{floruit}} 1801 – 5 August 1804) was a Janissary, mutesellim of Kragujevac and one of four Dahiyas (leaders of rebel Janissaries) who controlled the Sanjak of Smederevo (aka "Belgrade Pashalik") in the period between 15 December 1801 (when he killed Belgrade's vizier Hadži Mustafa Pasha) and the beginning of the First Serbian Uprising in Spring 1804.{{cite book | title=Biografije | publisher=Matica Srpska | page=11 | quote=Алија Ђеврлић (Кучук-Алија), јаничар, муселим, дахија (Рудник, ? — Ада Кале на Дунаву, 5/6. VIII 1804)}} He was a brother of Sali Aga, a mutesellim of Rudnik Ottoman nahiyah at the beginning of 19th century.
Biography
Alija was born in the Rudnik nahiyah and belonged to the Đevrlić family. He advanced in Ottoman service from regular Janissary to the position of mutesellim of Kragujevac.{{cite book | title=Pet vekova Kragujevca: Članci i uspomene, prevodi i prepiska | publisher=Narodna biblioteka "Vuk Karadžić | author=Bakić, Dragoljub N. | year=1972 | quote=Крагујевац је и даље био седиште турске власти, кадије и муселима. У њему је као муселим (представник полицијске власти) био једно време и један од злогласних београдских дахија Кучук Алија}} Recruited from the local Muslim population, he was a Yamak.
Together with other renegade Janissaries, Alija captured Hadži Mustafa Pasha, the Vizier of Belgrade, in October 1801 and killed him on 15 December 1801 in the Belgrade Fortress.{{cite web | title=Istorija srpskog naroda | publisher=Ars Libri | accessdate=December 7, 2012 | author=Ćorović, Vladimir | url=http://www.rastko.rs/rastko-bl/istorija/corovic/istorija/7_2_l.html | quote=janjičari ga 15. decembra 1801. ubiše u beogradskom gradu. Potom uzeše vlast u svoje ruke, spremni da je brane svima sredstvima. Kao glavne njihove vođe istakoše se četiri dahije: Kučuk Alija, pašin ubica, Aganlija, Mula Jusuf i Mehmed-aga Fočić. | author-link=Vladimir Ćorović}} After the murder, Alija became one of four leaders, known as dahije, who ruled the Sanjak of Smederevo (also known as the Belgrade Pashalik), alongside Aganlija, Mula Jusuf and Mehmed-aga Fočić. His wife was the sister of one of his military commanders.{{cite book | title=Pusto tursko | publisher=Almanah | author=Bašić, Husein | year=2000 | page=111 | quote=Žena tog Kučuk-Alije bila je rođena sestra zapovjedinika njegovih jerlu-nefera, čijom su zaslugom pohvatani, i koji je stradao u borbi, utopivši se u Dunavu, pošto ga je Kučuk-Alija, iako savladan i vezan, gurnuo glavom preko ivice lađe. | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=mQdjAAAAMAAJ}}
In early March 1804,{{cite book | title=Oslobodilački rat srpskih ustanika, 1804-1806 | publisher=Vojnoizdavački zavod | author=Đorđević, Miroslav | year=1967 | quote=Карађорђе је са устаничком војском стигао под Рудник првих дана марта и опколио га | page=94}} at the beginning of the First Serbian Uprising, rebels besieged Rudnik which was under control of Sali Aga, Kuchuk's brother. When four dahiyahs were informed about the rebellion they agreed that Kuchuk Ali should go from Belgrade to Rudnik with 600 Janissaries to release Rudnik from siege and to advance with his forces to Šabac through Valjevo, while Belgrade was left under protection of three remaining dahiyahs.{{cite book | title=Srbija u ustanku 1804-1813 | publisher=Rad | author=Đorđević, Miroslav R. | year=1979 | location=Belgrade | page=84 | quote=У то време је дахија Кучук Алија са 600 јаничара кренуо из Београда како би, према првобитном плану, ослободио Рудник опсаде, а затим наступао преко Ваљева ка Шапцу.}} According to some sources Kuchuk Ali had intention to first go to Kragujevac to gather more forces{{cite book | title=Pet vekova Kragujevca: Članci i uspomene, prevodi i prepiska | publisher=Narodna biblioteka "Vuk Karadžić | author=Bakić, Dragoljub N. | year=1972 | quote=Због тога је дахија Кучук Алија требало да дође из Београда у Крагујевац да прикупи крагујевачке Турке, да крене са њима према Јагодини да би ... На путу за Крагујевац Кучук Алија се сукоби у Врбици}} then to Jagodina to hire Halil Gušanac and his Arnauts and then to attack rebels.{{cite book | title=Book 2 of Sabrana dela Dušana Baranina | publisher=Vuk Karadžić | author=Baranin, Dušan | year=1968 | page=255 | quote=Да Кучук Алија оде на Мораву, најми Гушанца и Арнауте и отуда нападне.}} Gušanac with 1,600 Arnauts and Krdžalijas were sent by Osman Pazvantoğlu to help dahiyah in suppressing the rebellion.{{cite book | title=Evropa i vaskrs Srbije | author=Jakšić, Grgur | year=1927 | page=23 | quote= Баш у то доба Гушанац Алија, који је био послат од Пазван Оглуа у помоћ дахијама, стигао је у Јагодину са 1600 одабраних људи, Арнаута и Крџалија.| url= https://books.google.com/books?id=Rr1BAAAAYAAJ&q=%D0%BA%D1%83%D1%87%D1%83%D0%BA+%D0%B0%D0%BB%D0%B8%D1%98%D0%B0+%D0%B3%D1%83%D1%88%D0%B0%D0%BD%D0%B0%D1%86}}
When Kuchuk Ali advanced toward south he did not have information that rebels already captured Rudnik on 11 March.{{cite book | title=Ustanak srbski pod Crnym Đorđem: prve tri godine | publisher=Ariadna | author=Hadžić, Jovan | year=2010 | isbn=9788691178338 | orig-year=1862 | page=26 | quote=Карађорђе сад потегне бика И тако и учиии Рудник 28 Фебр 1804}}{{cite book | title=Oslobodilački rat srpskih ustanika, 1804-1806 | publisher=Vojnoizdavački zavod | author=Đorđević, Miroslav | year=1967 | quote= Наступајући према Руднику, Кучук-Алија није знао да је Рудник већ у устаничким рукама | page=105}} He attacked Karađorđe who was with Janko Katić and around hundred rebels in Vrbica, waiting for other rebels to join them.{{cite book | title=Stanoje Glavaš | publisher=Knjiga-komerc | author=Stevanović, Miladin | year=2005 | page=130 | quote=... марта, поред Карађорђа био стигао још само Јанко Катић са својим момцима. Ту су чекали да се окупи остала војска. Када су се Кучук Алија и његови јаничари приближили Врбници, опазе их Карађорђеви и Катићеви момци који су са брега испред Врбице посматрали пут и обезбеђивали...}} Kuchuk Ali was informed about Karađorđe's position by knez Maksim from Guberevac who was later killed by the rebels because of his treason. Karađorđe and his forces fled from the battle. After battle in Vrbica Kuchuk Ali and his horsemen continued their journey through Šumadija and reached Ćuprija and Jagodina via Kragujevac{{cite book | title=Istorija Beograda, Volume 2 | publisher=Srpska akademija nauka i umetnosti. Otdeljenje istorijskikh nauka | author=Čubrilović, Vasa | year=1974 | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Wm0BAAAAMAAJ | quote=Пошто је чуо да је Рудник већ пао, Кучук Алија је отишао преко Крагујевца Јагодини на састанак са Гушанац Халилом. | page=11}} on 15 March 1804.{{cite book | title=Istorija srpskog naroda: knj. Od Prvog ustanka do Berlinskog kongresa, 1804-1878 (2 v.) | publisher=Srpska književna zadruga | author=Srejović, Dragoslav | year=1981 |author2=Slavko Gavrilović |author3=Sima M. Ćirković | page=29}} The rebels followed him and captured Kragujevac on 4 April 1804 after Kuchuk Ali already left it, taking 200 Janissaries from Kragujevac with him.{{cite book | title=Istorija srpskog naroda: knj. Od Prvog ustanka do Berlinskog kongresa, 1804-1878 (2 v.) | publisher=Srpska književna zadruga | author=Srejović, Dragoslav | year=1981 |author2=Slavko Gavrilović |author3=Sima M. Ćirković | page=29 | quote=Гонећи Кучук Алију, устаници су под Карађорђевом командом заузели Крагујевац 23. марта (4. априла по новом календару), одакле је Кучук Алија извео две стотине Турака и отишао у Јагодину да створи базу за даље ...}}
The rebels attacked Kuchuk's forces near Avala and inflicted significant casualties to them.{{cite book | title=Srbija u ustanku 1804-1813 | publisher=Rad | author=Đorđević, Miroslav R. | year=1979 | location=Belgrade | page=84 | quote=Недалеко од Авале устаници су Кучук-Алијиним четама нанели доста губитака}}
Kučuk Alija and other dahiyas fled from Belgrade abandoning their followers and went by boats to Ada Kaleh island on the Danube. The rebel forces led by Milenko Stojković soon captured and executed them, with full knowledge and approval of the Ottoman authorities.The Ottoman Empire and the Serb Uprising, S J Shaw in The First Serb Uprising1804-1813 Ed W Vucinich p80 Their bodies were decapitated and their heads (without head of Aganlija which was mistakenly dropped into Danube) were taken to the rebel camp on Vračar in Belgrade.{{cite book | title=Srpske vojskovođe | publisher=Narodna biblioteka "Resavska škola" | author=Nikolić, Dejan | year=2000 | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=bNogAQAAIAAJ&q=%22%D0%88%D0%B5%D0%B4%D0%B8%D0%BD%D0%BE+%D0%BD%D0%B8%D1%81%D1%83+%D0%BE%D0%B4%D0%BD%D0%B5%D0%BB%D0%B8+%D0%90%D0%B3%D0%B0%D0%BD%D0%BB%D0%B8%D1%98%D0%B8%D0%BD%D1%83+%D0%B3%D0%BB%D0%B0%D0%B2%D1%83%22 | page=102}}
References
{{Reflist|2}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kuchuk, Ali}}
Category:19th-century civil servants from the Ottoman Empire
Category:Military personnel of the Ottoman Empire
Category:People from the Ottoman Empire of Serbian descent
Category:Year of birth missing
Category:Ottoman military personnel of the Serbian Revolution
Category:Leaders who took power by coup