2025150 Years of Herzegovina Uprising - First Day Cover

In the long history of Herzegovina, among the numerous uprisings and rebellions over the centuries, an event called the Herzegovina Uprising, also known as the Nevesinje Rifle, stands out. The date is most often associated with July 9, 1875, when the first major battle between Serbian insurgents and the Turkish army took place near Krekovo, on the outskirts of Nevesinje Field, and which soon spread to the whole of Bosnia and Herzegovina. The insurgents were supported, with weapons and volunteers, by the Principality of Montenegro and Serbia, which led to the beginning of the Serbian-Turkish War. The Nevesinje Rifle, however, also has its much broader historical significance – it marks the beginning of a major Balkan and international crisis, the so-called Great Eastern Crisis of 1875-1878. which represents an important turning point in the history of the Serbian national movement and Southeast Europe as a whole. The Great Eastern Crisis refers to the withdrawal of Turkey from the Balkans and the struggle over its legacy, and Nevesinje was the hearth of that movement.