Zaječar was mentioned for the first time in 1466 in a Turkish notebook related to the population of Vidin pashaluk, and there is little information about the settlement from the 16th-18th centuries. 1806 favorable conditions were created for an uprising in these regions. Karađorđe approved the hajduk Veljko Petrović, Prince Milisava and Pope Radosava to start an uprising with the Timočani and Crnorečani, and after a series of successful battles, most of Krajina and Zaječar were liberated. The crisis and collapse of the First Serbian Uprising had serious consequences in these regions as well. 1833 this region was finally liberated and annexed to Serbia. The name is most likely of Turkish origin. According to some assumptions, it originates from a certain Said-Assir Pasha who stationed his army in the Timok Valley during the years of crisis for the Serbian despotism.