Battles fought nearby

**Stickybomb** · Posted On: 10/30/2012 2:37am

I know I promised you a story about Pero Popivoda, but I'm still researching that S.O.B.!!! Luckily I have some first hand info.

I'll rather tell you a different and much older story. A story about Slovenian national hero and battle at Kokovo.

Every nation has it's heroes, some are mythical, some are half - mythical, much was added and much was cut from their stories. That includes Wilhelm Tell, Robin Hood, Shaka Zulu,.... So here it goes:

The year is 1478. Europe is unstable, under pressure from invading Turks, famine, disease, internal disputes,... Our lands were hit hard. Though the Turks treated their taken countries much nicer than Cristian forces ever did theirs, they fight with burned ground tactics - to soften the lands which they wanted to incorporate. They also took the babies back into their homeland to create much feared elite 'Janičar' units from them. Here and in parts of Croatia the system of defense was created by our rulers from Wienna. That includes peasants erecting new castles, town walls, but staying out on the weather themselves. The lords feared the wrath of their subjects, and rightly so. Over the years there was plenty uprisings, burned castles and hard fights. The peasants were beaten many times because they thought the Kaiser is an almost divine kind ruler, who listens to people, and therefore wanted to talk, negotiate, write,... to him. What happened to those who were captured was inhuman......
The peasants fortified some of the churches, but were monitored closely and there were decrees how high the wall can be (so they won't turn them in effective fortresses against their masters), so really good protection was rare.
There were only a couple such fortresses for peasants, others had much more primitive walls. Many are still preserved today.

So the peasants were hungry, hit by invaders, there was a plague,... and they rallied again against their church and 'noble' masters at Koroška, which is now a part of Austria.

They elected their leaders, refused to collect tributes to landlords, formed their courts, and demanded, that the priests should be elected by them.
The army was prepared to fight them, but suddenly there was a Turkish invasion! And a big one! The peasants went to meet them and defend their homes and families. But morale was waning. On one side the Kaiser forces, on the other the fierce and merciless invaders. Most of peasants fled. A few hundred remained under leadership of Matjaž. They set up a blockade in the gorge near Kokovo. The battle was Slovenian Thermopylae. They held them! Until the Turks found the way behind their backs. It was over....

After the raid the Kaiser forces had an easy task. Many peasants were publicly inhumanly tortured (as is the custom during revolts) and greeted death with a smile.

They say the peasant king Matjaž sleeps under mountain Peca. There he waits, until the situation will be most unbearable, than he will rise again, with his trusty courageous army and save our land from the enemies....

Have a nice day from a person, who bears his name and watch the pretty pictures...

**Stickybomb** · Posted On: 10/30/2012 2:49am

C'mon guys, I don't want to be the only one posting. With internet at your disposal I'm sure you can do better! Although Europeans have some advantages from historical point of view I want to know!!!!!!
Waiting.

**Stickybomb** · Posted On: 10/30/2012 5:11am

Uhhhhhhh, one interesting fact I forgot to add to this section on peasant revolt.

The American constitution is/was based on that from the land of Carantania in early middle ages, which Slavic people - our distant ancestors formed. Because constantly being attacked and harassed by nomadic tribes, the Carantanian people turned for help to pre-Austrian Germanic kingdom which made them subordinate with time. The nobility and simple people lived there as equals, before that happened.

Just that you know where your state foundations came from. Just that - you know - you don't have as many rights... And I'm not just flapping my mouth, I'm talking historical facts.

**doofaloofa** · Posted On: 10/30/2012 7:43am

1796 Bantry Bay (Half an hour from my house)

The Rebellion that never was

Wolfe Tone got the French to invade Ireland (the soft underbelly of England) to spread the Revolution. Alas the French got cold feet and returned to thier womanising and wine drinking leaving the United Irishmen high and dry

Tone was sentanced to hang but cheated the noose.

Wikipedia-
Before this sentence was carried out, he attempted suicide by slitting his throat. The story goes that he was initially saved when the wound was sealed with a bandage, and he was told if he tried to talk the wound would open and he would bleed to death. He responded with the statement 'so be it'. He died on 19 November 1798 at the age of 35 in Provost's Prison, Dublin

Not bad as last words go

A rebellion did take place a few years later in 1798. The only engagement of note in my area was the Battle of Big Cross, Half an hour away in Clonakilty.

But it was not Irelands' time for Liberty and would have to wait 120 years to gain Indipendence from England

**Diesel_tke** · Posted On: 10/30/2012 9:34am

Just to jump in the mix: about all we have that is cool is Ft. Pickens. It's a cook fort to go visit.

http://www.nps.gov/guis/planyourvisit/fort-pickens.htm

Fort Pickens is the largest of four forts built to defend Pensacola Bay, Florida, and its navy yard. The fort was begun in 1829, completed in 1834, and was named in honor of Major General Andrew Pickens of the South Carolina militia, who fought with distinction in several Revolutionary War battles including Cowpens and the Siege of Ninety-six. He also led several campaigns against the Cherokees, who called him "Wizard Owl."
Fort Pickens was one of only four forts in the South that was never occupied by Confederate forces during the Civil War, thanks to a heroic stand by Lieutenant Adam Slemmer with one company of artillery and a few sailors, aided by one U.S. Navy ship, the Wyandotte. Fort Pickens was as important as Fort Sumter in Charleston, S.C. during the crisis between Abraham Lincoln's election in November, 1860 and the firing on Fort Sumter on April 12. 1861. The fort was reinforced the day after Fort Sumter surrendered, preventing the Confederates from controlling Pensacola Bay and using the Pensacola Navy Yard

My ancestor was the Company Comander of the Florida Militia Indians.

http://www.southernhistory.us/flamilind.htm

Later on, it seems that Richards was dismissed from his duties working for the Indian agent for allegations of fraud.

Hey, these things happen, right?!

And my family was the first settlers in the Wewahitchka, Calhoun County of Florida.

http://lat34north.com/HistoricMarker...rds%20Cemetery

So that's kind of cool.

As one of Floridas first pioneer families and Interpreters for Andrew Jackson for Florida treaties, they built Fort Richards where Georges son Thomas C. Richards (1774-1838) was killed during an Indian attack. Thomass son, Rev. John G. Richards (1797-1876), built the church and named Wewahitchka, and served as Calhoun County Elections Inspector (1843), Clerk of the Court (1851) and in Company A 2nd Florida Calvary.

Good job gramps, couldn't have named it something easy to pronounce could yah?

**Stickybomb** · Posted On: 10/30/2012 9:38am

I wonder what the name means in native language...

What a nice fort - and interesting. Thanks for sharing.

**DCS** · Posted On: 10/30/2012 10:00am

Where I was born: In 844 CE viking raiders (a fleet of about 150 ships) had their asses handed to them by locals commanded by King Ramiro I of Asturias. It is said vikings lost about half of their forces.

**Diesel_tke** · Posted On: 10/30/2012 12:02pm

Originally Posted by Stickybomb

I wonder what the name means in native language...

What a nice fort - and interesting. Thanks for sharing.

It is seminole and it literally means "water eyes". I still hunt and fish in the area and there is literally water everywhere. Matter of fact we gator hunt in the same area that we camp and hunt for squirrels, hogs, and deer. Sometimes the water can raise up to about 10 feet above where the ground is and covers a lot of the hunting and camping area.

It's cool to me to be able to camp and hunt in the same area where over 200 years ago, my ancestors were doing the same thing.

**samsun** · Posted On: 10/30/2012 1:22pm

For me, there's the War of 1812. Now I haven't polished up on my history in quite a while but I believe that was when the Americans tried to invade Canada, of course at that time it wasn't Canada yet. After some two years of fighting the British Colonists "now Canadians" burned down many buildings in D.C including the White House.
Now why this war was fought is an entire history lesson which i'm not about to teach.