Second Serbian Uprising The Second Serbian Uprising ( 1815 - 1817 ) was a second phase of the Serbian revolution against the Ottoman Empire , which erupted shortly after the re - annexation of the country to the Ottoman Empire , in 1813 . The occupation was enforced following the defeat of the First Serbian Uprising ( 1804 - 1813 ) , during which Serbia existed as a " de facto " independent state for over a decade . The second revolution ultimately resulted in Serbian semi - independence from the Ottoman Empire . The Principality of Serbia was established , governed by its own parliament , constitution and royal dynasty . " De jure " independence followed during the second half of the 19th century . Background . The First Serbian Uprising managed to liberate the country for a significant time ( 1804 - 1813 ) from Ottoman Empire ; for the first time in three centuries , Serbs governed themselves without the supremacy of the Ottoman Empire or Habsburg Austria . After the failure of the First Serbian uprising , most commanders escaped to the Habsburg Monarchy ; only a few remained in Serbia . Karađorđe Petrović leader of the First Serbian Uprising , escaped with his family . Despite the efforts of Karađorđe to obtain allies among Austrian Serbs , Bosnian Serbs , Russians , or Napoleon Bonaparte , the rebel Serbian state was crushed by the Ottomans in 1813 . Miloš Obrenović surrendered to the Ottoman Turks and received the title of " obor - knez " ( " senior leader " ) . Stanoje Glavaš also surrendered to the Turks and was made a supervisor of a road , but the Turks killed him after they became suspicious of him . Hadži Prodan Gligorijević knew the Turks would arrest him and so declared an uprising in 1814 , but Obrenović felt the time was not right for an uprising and did not provide assistance . Hadži Prodan ' s Uprising soon failed and he fled to Austria . After the failure of this revolt , the Turks inflicted more persecution against the Serbs , such as high taxation , forced labor , and rape . In March 1815 , Serbs had several meetings and decided upon a new revolt . Uprising . The national council proclaimed a revolt in Takovo on April 24 , 1815 . Obrenović was chosen as the leader and famously spoke , " Here I am , here you are . War to the Turks ! " When the Ottomans discovered the new revolt they sentenced all of its leaders to death . The Serbs fought in battles at Ljubić , Čačak , Palež , Požarevac and Dublje and drove the Ottomans out of the Pashaluk of Belgrade . In mid - 1815 , the first negotiations began between Obrenović and Maraşlı Ali Paşa ( English , Marashli Ali Pasha ; Serbian , Marašli Ali Paša ) , the Ottoman governor . Obrenović managed to get a form of partial autonomy for Serbs , and , in 1816 , the Turkish Porte signed several documents for the normalization of relations between Serbs and Turks . The result was acknowledgment of a Serbian Principality by the Ottoman Empire . Although the principality paid a yearly tax to the Porte and had a garrison of Turkish troops in Belgrade until 1867 , it was , in most other matters , an independent state . In 1817 , Obrenović succeeded in forcing Maraşlı Ali Paşa to negotiate an unwritten agreement , and , with this , the Second Serbian uprising was finished . The same year , Karađorđe , the leader of the First Uprising , returned to Serbia and was assassinated by Obrenović ' s orders . Obrenović received the title of Prince of Serbia . Under the grandson of his brother , Milan , Serbia gained complete independence in 1878 in the Treaty of Berlin .