Mišar was Serbia’s Marathon. A victory of the free against the tyrant, of the few against the many. And it echoes still.
Today, a large white church stands on top of Mišar hill. But the real monument isn't the stone. It is Serbia itself. Every time you hear the phrase "Samo sloga Srbina spasava" (Only unity saves the Serb), remember that it was first written in blood on the slopes of Mišar.
Opposite them stood (Black George), a pig trader turned military leader, and his 4,000 to 5,000 rebels. The Serbs had no uniforms, only opanci (traditional shoes) and guns they had made in hidden mountain forges. They had gunpowder, courage, and a single, desperate plan.
Lazarević didn't stop to form a line. He slammed into the Ottoman flank like a thunderbolt. The Ottoman formation shattered. Suleiman Pasha watched his elite army dissolve into a mob. The retreat became a slaughter. The Serbs chased the fleeing Ottomans all the way back to the Drina River. Thousands drowned trying to swim to safety. The Ottoman camp, filled with supplies, gunpowder, and treasure, fell into Karađorđe's hands.
This is the story of the Battle of Mišar, retold. By the summer of 1806, the First Serbian Uprising was hanging by a thread. The Ottomans, furious at losing control of the Belgrade Pashaluk, sent a massive army from Bosnia under the command of Suleiman Pasha . They had cannons, thousands of regular soldiers, and a reputation for cruelty.
Just when the Serbs were exhausted beyond reason, a rumble was heard from the west. It was , a Serbian duke, arriving with 2,000 fresh rebels. They had been guarding a nearby ford and had slipped through the Ottoman lines.
When the Ottomans were just fifty paces away, the hill exploded. The Serbian fire was devastating. Ranks of Janissaries crumpled. The survivors retreated in panic, leaving the slope carpeted in green and red. Suleiman Pasha was furious. He ordered his cavalry—the feared spahije (Ottoman horsemen)—to charge. The ground shook as hundreds of armored horsemen thundered up the hill, sabers drawn.
This was the critical moment. The Serbs had almost no cavalry to counter them.
