In 1804 , the Dahias , the Jannisary junta that ruled Serbia at the time , had taken power in the '' Sanjak of Smederevo '' in defiance of the Sultan and they feared that the Sultan would make use of the Serbs to oust them . To forestall this they decided to execute all prominent nobles throughout Central Serbia , a move known as Slaughter of the Knezes . According to historical sources of the city of Valjevo , heads of the murdered men were put on public display in the central square to serve as an example to those who might plot against the rule of the Janissaries . The event triggered the start of the Serbian Revolution with the First Serbian Uprising aimed at putting an end to the 300 years of Ottoman occupation of modern Serbia
Slaughter of the Knezes
Slaughter of the Knezes
Janissaries