The original manuscript of the proclaimation and other printed proclaimations of Emperor Leopold the first from 1690 with which he takes the Macedonian people under his protection

3 AD when Rome was conquered by Germanic tribes. Pope Leo III crowned Charlemagne as the first emperor of the newly established Holy Roman Empire, which encompassed much of Central and parts of Southern Europe. Over time, the empire’s territorial extent changed, and from the 15th century, it came under the rule of the Habsburg dynasty, to which Emperor Leopold I (1640–1705) belonged. He ruled from 1658 until his death. Under such circumstances, the next target of Ottoman expansion in Europe became Vienna, the capital of the Holy Roman Empire. The Ottomans first besieged Vienna in 1529 under Sultan Suleiman the Magnificent, after previously conquering parts of Hungary. However, due to strong resistance and other factors, the siege ended in failure, and the Ottomans withdrew. In 1683, the Ottomans besieged Vienna once again. At that time, the empire was ruled by Sultan Mehmed IV, who sent his grand vizier Kara Mustafa Pasha with about 200,000 soldiers to capture the city. After a two-month siege, help arrived for Emperor Leopold I: a 30,000-strong Polish army led by King Yan Sobieski. In the decisive Battle of Vienna on September 12, the Ottomans were heavily defeated and their army routed, retreating and yielding previously conquered territories to theAustrian army, which continued advancing into the Balkans. Because of this defeat, Kara Mustafa Pasha was executed by order of the sultan. In 1684, a military alliance known as the Holy League was formed against the Ottoman Empire, consisting of Austria, Poland, and Venice, later joined by Russia. Advancing gradually, the Austrian army, led by General Silvio Piccolomini (an Italian in Habsburg service), reached Macedonia in October 1689. In all territories liberated from Ottoman rule, theAustrian troops were enthusiastically welcomed by the Christian population. On October 25, 1689, the Austrian army under Piccolomini entered Skopje, but because they were far from their main forces and because of a plague devastating the city, Piccolomini ordered Skopje — almost abandoned by its inhabitants — to be burned and the army to withdraw. Piccolomini himself died of the plague and was replaced by the Duke of Holstein, who continued the campaign in Macedonia. On November 10, 1689, a major battle near Štip took place, where the Ottoman forces suffered a severe defeat, and theAustrians entered and burned the town before retreating. Other clashes between Austrian and Ottoman forces occurred throughout Macedonia. The Ottoman defeats and territorial losses further worsened the already harsh conditions of the Macedonian population, which had to pay increased taxes to compensate for the empire’s material losses. In addition, bands of Turkish brigands began raiding and plundering the local inhabitants. As a result, in October 1689, an uprising broke out in northeastern Macedonia against Ottoman rule, led by the Karposh. This event is known today as the Karposh Uprising. Its main center was Kriva Palanka, which was liberated by the insurgents. There are no surviving records confirming whether the rebels acted in coordination with the Austrian army, but according to some Turkish chronicles, Emperor Leopold I granted (or confirmed) Karposh the title “King of Kumanovo.” However, the Ottomans soon regrouped and took strong countermeasures against the rebels and the Austrian army. They brought in Crimean Tatar troops led by the Khan of Crimea, Selim Giray.