Carinthian peasant revolt
The Carinthian peasant revolt took place in Carinthia (present-day Austria) in 1478 and was the first of the larger peasant revolts in the area of the Slovene Lands. In 1477–78 the peasants established a peasant association that was an effort to take the defence of the farmers' homes into their own hands and was also aimed against the ruling nobility that had failed to protect the farmers from attacks by Turkish Akinci (cavalry). The revolt was eventually suppressed.[1]
Details
Carinthia saw five Turkish raids into its territory between 1473 and 1483, with lots of plundering and killing at the hands of Turkish cavalry. Because the local nobility had no answer to the large numbers of Turkish cavalry, they moved into their fortified castles, while the clergy fortified its churches and monasteries and held out there. This left the peasants of Carinthia without any protection. In 1478 the Carinthian Farmer's League (German: Kärntner Bauernbund) was formed in Spittal an der Drau under leadership of one Peter Wunderlich. The farmers organized a 3000-strong army to face the Turkish army that came through the Predil Pass. However, when the 20,000-strong Turkish army of professional akinci cavalry neared, most peasants fled. A small group of some 600 Slovenian peasants and miners chose to make a stand against the Turks and to try to stop them at the Battle of Kokovo. All 600 men died in the attempt, earning them a place into Slovenian legend. The Turkish army broke through and proceeded to plunder all the way into Upper Carinthia.
The rest of the revolting peasants were accused of treachery and eventually the revolt was suppressed. The leader of the uprising was captured near Gmünd and publicly dismembered in Lendorf.