FROM THE OTTOMAN ARCHIVES ABOUT THE FOUNDATION OF ČA MITA’S SCHOOL IN LESKOVAC

Abstract

The Serbs in Rumelia, which were under the Ottoman rule till 1878, faced constant political problems and cultural denial. Therefore, in the Niš eyalet during the Tanzimat (1839–1876) they practiced the fight against this in various ways. One of the most successful ways to do this was shown in the case of the Ča Mita’s School in Leskovac (1853).

This institution was one of the key carriers of Serbian culture and education in the southern part of central Serbia which remained under the Ottomans until 1878. Therefore, in Serbian historiography after that year it was documented as a topic of national importance. However, although researchers’ interest in it has been constant throughout all periods of our contemporary historiography, the circumstances in which this institution was founded remain unclear. The answer to this question is provided by archival materials from the Ottoman archives, which refers not only to the founding of this school, but also to political methods of the Serbs in the Niš eyalet, in order to preserve themselves as a nation with its own cultural characteristics. By citing and analyzing specific material from Ottoman archives which discusses this topic, through this paper future researchers are pointed to new sources on Ča Mita’s school, thereby creating the possibility for richer works on the local history of Leskovac and Serbian education under the Ottomans in the future.