The land reform of the 1830s in Serbia: the impact of the shattering of the Ottoman property system

Abstract

The paper concerns the process of weakening of the Ottoman property system in Serbia after the Serbian uprisings, particularly in the period of 1815–1830, its subsequent abolition by the Hatt-i humayun of 1830 and the introduction of a modern system of private property in the 1830s, culminating with the Restoration of lands Act in 1839. This reform, although beyond any doubt useful both for the economy and for the legal system of Serbia, was also accompanied by frequent abuse of the rights of peasants by rich (large) landowners, including the ruler of Serbia, Prince (Knjaz) Miloš himself. Such a course of action caused great displeasure in the general population, resulting in numerous peasant revolts (the most important being Đak’s revolt of 1824 and Mileta’s revolt of 1835), which, in turn, impacted the reform process again. The paper shows the legal consequences of the new concept of property rights, their impact upon the dominantly rural society of Serbia and the intricate interrelationship of the revolts and the reform process. Refs 62.