(Turkish Syrp, Slavonic Serbia), one of the Danubian principalities, nominally included in the Ottoman empire, but in reality only tributary to that power; lying between N. Lat. 43. 2. and 44. 58., E. Long. 19. 10. and 22. 20.; bounded on the N. by the Austrian dominions, E. by Wallachia and Bulgaria, S. by Rumilia and Albania, and W. by Bosnia. Length from E. to W., 160 miles; greatest breadth, 200; area, 21,152 square miles. The country is very mountainous, having a general inclination towards the north, where the Danube flows along the frontier, and receives all the running water of the country. The mountains consist of northern branches of the Balkan chain, and are the most considerable offshoots of that range, being higher and more numerous than those either in Bulgaria to the east or Bosnia to the west. The extreme S.W. of the principality is also occupied by an offshoot of the Dinaric Alps, which divides the waters of the Drina from those of the Morava. The whole country is traversed by ridges extending from south to north, forming between them numerous narrow valleys, which seldom expand into plains. The passes over the mountains towards the south are very difficult, even for foot-passengers and beasts of burden. Indeed, in this direction, there extends an almost unbroken mass of ridges and plateaus, as far as the borders of Macedonia, Albania, and the Herzegovina. At the north-eastern corner of the land a branch of the Carpathian Mountains extends down to the Danube, forming the division between Wallachia and the Austrian empire. On the north and east Servia is bounded by the Danube and its affluent the Save. The former river touches the boundary at Belgrade, where it is joined by the Save from the west. It then flows eastward as far as Orsova, where it turns to the south, and separates Wallachia from Servia. It receives from the south the Morava, which is formed by the confluence of the Bulgarian and Servian Moravas; and the Timok, which, for a short distance, separates Bulgaria from Servia. The chief affluents of the Save are the Drina, forming the frontier of Servia towards Bosnia and the Kolubara. The scenery of Servia is exceedingly beautiful; for the mountains are almost all covered with dense forests of oaks and other trees; the valleys and rivers form an endless and agreeable diversity; and the lower ground is exceedingly fertile, covered in many places with rich meadows, and in others with fields of Turkish wheat, which grows most luxuriantly. The mountains of Servia are very rich in minerals, such as gold, silver, copper, iron, leadstone, lead, and coal; and the forests abound in valuable timber. The country is, however, little cultivated, and scantily peopled; and its great resources want the hand of industry to develop them. Wolves, bears, foxes, deer, and hares, are the most numerous wild animals of the land. Fish abound in the rivers; and silk-worms and bees are reared in large numbers. Corn is grown chiefly in the valleys of the Morava, Save, and lower Drina; and notwithstanding the defective system of cultivation, the quantity raised is more than sufficient for the wants of the country. Vines are cultivated along the banks of the Danube. On an average there is more red than white wine produced; but the white grapes of Semendria, from vineyards said to have been originally planted by the emperor Probus, are highly esteemed. Tobacco, hemp, and various kinds of fruit, especially plums, are also grown in different parts of Servia. Various measures have been adopted by the government for the improvement of the cultivation of the country, by the establishment of agricultural schools, and of a model farm; but the effect of these has not yet been apparent. The rearing of cattle is one of the most important sources of wealth to the country; and live stock form one of the most considerable exports of the country. The horses are of good breed, but more remarkable for strength and endurance than for beauty. Horned cattle are chiefly used here in the labour of the farm; and the sheep, which are numerous, supply the people with milk, butter, cheese, and wool. The rearing of swine is very profitable, and is spread over all the country. Manufacturing industry is in Servia still in its infancy, and is somewhat discouraged by the little demand that there is for manufactured goods. But the Servians have a great aptitude for mechanical employments, and produce many articles of excellent construction. The women weave, during the winter, linen, woollen, and silk cloth, to supply the wants of the whole family; and many of the men are employed as masons, carpenters, tilers, smiths, millers, tailors, &c. There is a government printing-office at Belgrade, a cloth factory at Topdschider, a glass-work at Jagodina, a foundry at Kragujevaz, and an extensive powder-mill at Stragari. The trade with foreign countries is very active, and daily increasing in importance. Owing to the very limited demand for articles of foreign produc- tion, the exports greatly exceed the imports. The principal articles of export are cattle, pigs, leeches, hides, wool, tallow, wax, and honey. The chief places of trade are Belgrade, Jagodina, Schaibaz, Negotin, and Aleksinac. For year ending 31st October 1857 the total imports were, L.648,000; exports, L.740,000; goods in transit, L.206,600. Of the imports, L.412,000 were from Turkey, and L.133,000 from Austria; of the exports, L.173,800 were to Turkey, and L.552,000 to Austria.

The country suffers from the want of good means of communication. Of the navigable rivers in the land, only the Danube and the Save are used for purposes of traffic; but the full freedom of navigation on these rivers is secured as a fundamental privilege of the nation. Freedom of trade is also secured as a national right to all Servians, not only in their own country, but in the whole Ottoman empire. Servia has no coinage of its own; but Austrian, Turkish, and Russian moneys are in circulation. Public education is one of the chief objects of attention to the government; but it is still in a very backward condition. The parish schools are supported by each separate parish, and the higher institutions by the government. Of the former there ought by law to be at least one in each parish; but in many places this is not the case. The higher schools comprise four gymnasia, two schools of art, and one of agriculture; a lyceum, with faculties of law, natural-science, and philosophy; a theological seminary; and a military academy. The number of scholars attending these various institutions in 1855 was 11,281, of whom by far the greatest number belonged to the parish schools. There is one learned society, the Society for Servian Literature in Belgrade. In 1856 there were published in the country 3 journals, which had 1450 subscribers; and there were introduced from other countries 6 Slavonian, 84 German, 7 English, 21 French, 4 Italian, 2 Hungarian, and 1 Turkish newspaper. The religion of the great majority of the people is that of the Greek Church; and the national Church of Servia acknowledges its canonical dependence on the Constantinopolitan patriarchate by an annual remittance of 9000 piasters (about L.90). The archbishop of Belgrade enjoys the title of Metropolitan of Servia, and the supremacy over the three bishops who form with himself the National Synod, the highest ecclesiastical court in the country. Each bishop presides in a diocesan consistory; and all the prelates are appointed from the monastic order by the synod, with the concurrence of the prince. The number of the inferior clergy is 651, and that of the convents 38. Roman Catholics and Protestants are allowed to establish congregations, and to manage independently their church and school funds; but any secession from the national church is rigorously forbidden. Jews and Mohammedans are permitted the free exercise of their religion. Servia forms an integral part of the Turkish empire, but stands to it in a peculiar relation of dependence, according to which the nation and its prince are bound to loyalty and obedience to the sultan, and to the payment of an annual tribute of 2,300,000 piasters (about L.23,000); while, on the other hand, the Porte guarantees to the principality full internal sovereignty, the free election of their princes, an independent national government, full freedom of religion, legislation, trade, and navigation, and the right to maintain a national defensive force. The dignity of prince is hereditary in the male line, and was settled in 1842 on the family of Alexander Georgewitch. The Turks in the country are immediate subjects of the Porte; and there are 7 Turkish fortresses, 5 under the governor of Belgrade, and 2 under the Pasha of Widdia. The power of the prince is limited by a senate of 17 members, which possesses the chief legislative powers; and there is also a general assembly of the people which meets from time to time; but the extent of its powers is not accurately defined. There is no distinction of ranks, except what is derived from occupation. Most of the people are Servians, but the country also contains about 106,000 Wallachians, a few thousand Bulgarians, 16,000 Turks, about 1800 Jews, 18,000 gypsies, and about 6000 European foreigners. The country is divided into 17 circles, exclusive of the city of Belgrade; and it contained, in 1854, 39 towns, 2306 villages, and 160,294 houses. The total population in the same year was 1,029,092; the number of births, 34,167; of marriages, 11,863; and of deaths, 26,894. The annual average for 1837-53 was 1 birth to every 28.3 persons; 1 marriage to every 97; and 1 death to every 43.5; and the average annual increase of the population was 12.3 per cent.

The territory of Servia formed part of the Roman empire, and was included in the province of Upper Moesia. From their conquerors, the original inhabitants received by degrees the benefits of civilization and Christianity; but both of these were exposed to many dangers from the incursions of the barbarians. Attila, and after him Theodoric, severely afflicted the country; but it gradually recovered from these misfortunes, and was again united to the Roman empire of the east. Afterwards it was ravaged by the Avars; and, finally, about the middle of the seventh century, the Serbs or Servians entered and occupied the land which they still possess. They spread themselves, however, over a much wider region, extending from the Euxine to the Adriatic, and from the Danube far into the valleys of the Balkan. Nominally under the protection of the Byzantine empire, they derived little advantage from that circumstance, in their constant wars with the Bulgarians and neighbouring Slavonic nations; and they made many attempts to attain an independent position. These efforts were at last successful in 1217, when Pope Honorius erected Servia into a kingdom, independent alike of Hungary and the Eastern Empire. The greatest of the monarchs of Servia was Stephan Dushan. At his coronation in 1353, he was acknowledged as the feudal lord of Ragusa, and his authority extended over Etolia and Macedonia. He assumed the title of king and emperor, and bore on his banners the imperial double eagle. Before his death in 1355, the Servian sway extended over Bulgaria, Bosnia, Dalmatia, and a part of Albania; and he had even hoped, at the head of 80,000 men, to put a final end to the Byzantine empire. But he was cut off by death, and the monarchy began thereafter to decline, and was unable to stand before the advancing arms of the Turks. In the very year of Stephan's death, these formidable opponents first gained a firm footing in Europe; and in 1389, Lazarus, the last king of Servia, was beheaded in the tent of Amurad I., after the bloody battle of Amselfeld. Another victory gained by the Turks on the same field, sixty years later, brought the country completely under their power. Servia was, however, afterwards the scene of many contests between the Christian and the Turks, and contains the battle-fields of Batucaina (1689), Nissa (1689), Belgrade (1717), Groczka (1739), and others. The country remained under the Turkish yoke till the beginning of the present century; but at last the oppression which they suffered drove the people to rebellion. The first leader who raised the standard of independence, in 1801, was George Petrovitch, surmamed Czerny, or the Black. The Servians flocked to his standard, speedily drove the Turks to take refuge in the fortresses, and proceeded to besiege these. In 1806 they totally defeated a large Turkish army at Schaibaz, soon after took Belgrade, and before the end of 1807 were in possession of the whole country. In 1811 George Czerny was appointed Prince of Servia; but not recognised by the Porte, and the conditions offered by that power in 1812 not being accepted, a fresh war ensued, which terminated unfavourably for the Servians. George Czerny had to flee, and the country was again re- duced under the Turkish sway. Another leader rose up in the person of Melosch Orenowitch, who restored, in some measure, the independence of his country, and concluded a treaty with the Porte in 1815. Two years later, George Czerny, returning to the country, was put to death by order of Melosch, who was determined to avoid any precipitate measures of hostility to the Turks. In 1827 Melosch was appointed Prince; but in 1839 he was forced to abdicate this dignity. Upon this, various contending factions strove for the supreme power in Servia; but, finally, a general assembly of the people, in 1842, elected Alexander Georgewitch, son of George Czerny, to be hereditary prince, and this choice was subsequently ratified by the Porte. The principality of Servia, which had previously been under the protection of Russia, was by the treaty of Paris, in 1856, placed under the collective guarantee of the contracting powers in that treaty.