Matija Gubec Revolt of 1573

an antifeudal uprising of Croatian and Slovene peasants, which lasted from January 29 to February 9.

The revolt takes its name from the leader, the Croatian peasant Matija Gubec, and was brought on by the heightening of feudal exploitation. Having broken out on the estates of Susedgrad and Donja Stubica (near Zagreb), it soon extended beyond Croatia and took in a number of areas in Slovenia, a peasant detachment 2,000-strong under the command of I. Gregorić having crossed over from Croatian territory. In the course of the revolt several of its participants conceived the idea of creating a peasant state that could ensure the country’s protection from the Turks, who by then had seized most of Croatia. The successes scored by the insurgents in taking a number of feudal patrimonies, small towns, and castles made the Croatian feudal lords appeal for help to the emperor and the nobility of neighboring lands, thanks to whose support they managed to quell the revolt.