Principality of Serbia

The Principality of Serbia was the autonomous, later sovereign Balkan state born of the Serbian Revolution of 1804 to 1817. Karađorđe raised the first rising and Miloš Obrenović the second; unwritten bargains with Maraşlı Pasha and the Porte's decrees of 1828 to 1833, crowned by the Hatt-i Sharif of 1830, made Miloš hereditary prince of a Serbia that paid Istanbul a yearly tribute of two million groschen and hosted an Ottoman garrison in Belgrade fortress. At first only the old Pashaluk of Belgrade, the principality grew east, south and west in 1831 to 1833, built the First Balkan Alliance of 1866 to 1868, and watched the last Turkish soldiers march out of Kalemegdan in 1867, the Ottoman flag still flying over empty walls. Berlin in 1878 recognised independence outright with Niš and Vranje added, and in 1882 Milan took the royal crown and the principality became the Kingdom of Serbia.