Janko Gagić ( sr-Cyrl, Јанко Гагић; died 4 February 1804) was a Serbian hajduk leader (''buljubaša'') He was killed during the ''

Slaughter of the Knezes The Slaughter of the Knezes ( sr, Сеча кнезова, Seča knezova) was the organized assassinations and assaults of noble Serbs in the Sanjak of Smederevo in January 1804 by the rebellious Dahije. Fearing that the Sultan would make use ...

'', the incident that sparked the

Serbian Revolution The Serbian Revolution ( sr, Српска револуција / ''Srpska revolucija'') was a national uprising and constitutional change in Serbia that took place between 1804 and 1835, during which this territory evolved from an Ottoman prov ...

, ultimately leading to

Serbia Serbia (, ; Serbian: , , ), officially the Republic of Serbia (Serbian: , , ), is a landlocked country in Southeastern and Central Europe, situated at the crossroads of the Pannonian Basin and the Balkans. It shares land borders with Hungar ...

's liberation from the

Ottoman Empire The Ottoman Empire, * ; is an archaic version. The definite article forms and were synonymous * and el, Оθωμανική Αυτοκρατορία, Othōmanikē Avtokratoria, label=none * info page on book at Martin Luther University) ...

. Gagić was born in village of Ribnica in the

Ribarska Banja Ribarska Banja ( sr-cyr, Рибарска Бања) is a village and spa located in the municipality of Kruševac Kruševac ( sr-cyr, Крушевац, , tr, Alacahisar or Kruşevca) is a city and the administrative center of the Rasina Distr ...

region near

Kruševac Kruševac ( sr-cyr, Крушевац, , tr, Alacahisar or Kruşevca) is a city and the administrative center of the Rasina District in central Serbia. It is located in the valley of West Morava, on Rasina river. According to the 2011 census, t ...

. After several Turks abducted his sister Teodora, Janko, a young and courageous man, with several comrades chased them down and killed them. As it was unsafe for him to remain in his home region, he moved to the village of

Boleč Boleč ( sr-cyr, Болеч) is a suburban settlement of Belgrade, Serbia. It is located in the municipality of Grocka. Location Boleč is located 17 km east of the Belgrade, near the road of ''Smederevski put'' which connects Belgrade ...

between Belgrade and

Grocka Grocka ( sr-cyr, Гроцка, ) or Grocka na Dunavu ( sr-cyr, Гроцка на Дунаву, ) is a municipality of the city of Belgrade. According to the 2011 census results, the municipality has 83,906 inhabitants. Location and geography Th ...

. He joined the

Serbian Free Corps The Serbian Free Corps (german: Serbische Freikorps), known simply as ''frajkori'' ( sr-cyr, фрајкори), was a volunteer militia composed of ethnic Serbs, established by the Habsburg monarchy, to fight the Ottoman Empire during the Austro-T ...

and participated in the Austro-Turkish War and Koča's frontier rebellion, where he gained military experience. Known for his bravery, he was chosen to be a ''knez'' (village chieftain) in Boleč during the Habsburg occupation of Serbia. After the war and return of Ottoman rule, the Janissaries began to empower themselves. In 1801, the Janissary leaders, known as ''

Dahije The Dahije ( sr-cyr, Дахије) or Dahijas were the renegade Janissary officers who took power in the Sanjak of Smederevo (also known as the Belgrade Pashaluk), after murdering the Vizier Hadži Mustafa Pasha of Belgrade on 15 December 1801. Th ...

'', took over the

Sanjak of Smederevo The Sanjak of Smederevo ( tr, Semendire Sancağı; sr, / ), also known in historiography as the Pashalik of Belgrade ( tr, Belgrad Paşalığı; sr, / ), was an Ottoman administrative unit (sanjak), that existed between the 15th and the out ...

in defiance of the Sultan. Janko had by then become an influential freedom-fighter. Janko was unreluctant in attacking Dahije but controlled a road to

Smederevo Smederevo ( sr-Cyrl, Смедерево, ) is a city and the administrative center of the Podunavlje District in eastern Serbia. It is situated on the right bank of the Danube, about downstream of the Serbian capital, Belgrade. According to ...

near Boleč along with his comrades. When the Dahije started to fear that the Sultan would make use of the Serbs to oust them, they decided to execute all notable Serbs to forestall this. As a notable hajduk commander, Janko was subject of fear among Turks, which is why he was targeted; the Turks abducted his son, forcing Janko to surrender. He was decapitated. His death was described in the Serbian epic folk poem ''Otac'' ("The Father"). Today, one of the major streets, and a public fountain in Boleč, are named after him. In February 2014, exactly 210 years after his assassination, his remains were moved into a Boleč churchyard tomb.

References

External links

Lyrics of a folk song Seča (Slaughter)
at rajko-maksimovic.net {{DEFAULTSORT:Gagic, Janko 1804 deaths 1804 murders in Europe Serbian soldiers People murdered in Serbia People of the First Serbian Uprising Executed Serbian people People executed by the Ottoman Empire by decapitation Year of birth missing Murder victims from the Ottoman Empire Serbian murder victims Serbs from the Ottoman Empire People from Kruševac 18th-century Freikorps Trophy heads