Janko Vukotić ( sr-Cyrl, Јанко Вукотић; 18 February 1866 – 4 February 1927) was a Montenegrin

serdar Serdar may refer to * Serdar (given name) * Serdar (surname) Serdar is a surname of the following notable people: * Can Serdar (born 1996), German-Turkish football midfielder * Emerîkê Serdar (1935–2018), Kurdish-Yezidi writer from Armenia * I ...

, general in the armies of the

Principality A principality (or sometimes princedom) is a type of monarchy, monarchical state or feudalism, feudal territory ruled by a prince or princess. It can be either a sovereign state or a constituent part of a larger political entity. The term "prin ...

and

Kingdom of Montenegro The Kingdom of Montenegro was a monarchy in southeastern Europe, present-day Montenegro, during the tumultuous period of time on the Balkan Peninsula leading up to and during World War I. Officially it was a constitutional monarchy, but absolu ...

in the

Balkan Wars The Balkan Wars were two conflicts that took place in the Balkans, Balkan states in 1912 and 1913. In the First Balkan War, the four Balkan states of Kingdom of Greece (Glücksburg), Greece, Kingdom of Serbia, Serbia, Kingdom of Montenegro, M ...

and

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

Biography

Vukotić was born in Čevo, belonging to the Vukotić brotherhood; he was related to Petar and Milena Vukotić. He studied at the lower gymnasium at

Cetinje Cetinje ( cnr-Cyrl, Цетиње, ) is a List of cities and towns in Montenegro, town in Montenegro. It is the former royal capital ( cnr-Latn-Cyrl, prijestonica, приjестоница, separator=" / ") of Montenegro and is the location of sev ...

, and at the Military Academy of Modena in Italy.

Politics

Vukotić served as Minister of Defence of

in the periods of 1905–1907, 1911–1912 and 1913–1915, and as

Prime Minister of Montenegro The prime minister of Montenegro ( cnr-Latn, Premijer/Premijerka Crne Gore, cnr-Cyrl, Премијер/Премијерка Црне Горе), officially the president of the Government of Montenegro ( cnr-Latn, Predśednik/Predśednica Vlade ...

in 1913–1916.

Balkan Wars

Vukotić commanded the Montenegrin Eastern Army during the

First Balkan War The First Balkan War lasted from October 1912 to May 1913 and involved actions of the Balkan League (the Kingdoms of Kingdom of Bulgaria, Bulgaria, Kingdom of Serbia, Serbia, Kingdom of Greece, Greece and Kingdom of Montenegro, Montenegro) agai ...

and the Montenegrin division of the First Serbian Army during the

Second Balkan War The Second Balkan War was a conflict that broke out when Kingdom of Bulgaria, Bulgaria, dissatisfied with its share of the spoils of the First Balkan War, attacked its former allies, Kingdom of Serbia, Serbia and Kingdom of Greece, Greece, on 1 ...

, in which he distinguished himself at the Battle of Bregalnica.

World War I

During the First World War, Vukotić was the Chief of Staff of the Montenegrin Army and the Commander of the Sandžak Army of Montenegrin forces. He is most famous for winning the Battle of Mojkovac, in which his daughter, the only female participant, Vasilija Vukotić was assigned to his headquarters to conduct correspondence. Despite frequent writings, he was not taken prisoner after the fall of Montenegro in January 1916. According to information from his son, Vukasin Vukotic, after the fall of Montenegro, a treaty was signed with the

Austrians Austrians (, ) are the citizens and Nationality, nationals of Austria. The English term ''Austrians'' was applied to the population of Archduchy of Austria, Habsburg Austria from the 17th or 18th century. Subsequently, during the 19th century, ...

and the

Montenegrins Montenegrins (, or ) are a South Slavic ethnic group that share a common ancestry, culture, history, and language, identified with the country of Montenegro. Montenegrins are mostly Orthodox Christians; however, the population also includes ...

went home. Later there were uprisings in the north, attacks on Austrian troops and slaying of Austrian officers. When they requested he subside the attacks of komits in the north who assaulted Austrian officers, he refused explaining that they had a right to do so because the Austrians were occupants. He was interned - house arrest with his family - in Bjelovar because he refused to cooperate with the Austrian authorities. In his free time there he wrote his memoirs, the text beginning with: "Today in Bjelovar..."

Later years

After the war, Vukotić served as a general in the Royal Yugoslav Army until his death in 1927. He is interred in the Belgrade New Cemetery.

References

Sources

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Vukotic, Janko 1866 births 1927 deaths Military personnel from Cetinje 19th-century military history of Montenegro 20th-century military history of Montenegro People from the Principality of Montenegro People of the Kingdom of Montenegro Politicians from Cetinje Montenegrin soldiers Serbs of Montenegro Dukes of Montenegro 20th-century Serbian people Serbian military leaders Serbian military personnel of the Balkan Wars Serbian military personnel of World War I Montenegrin military personnel of the Balkan Wars Montenegrin military personnel of World War I World War I prisoners of war held by Austria-Hungary Companions of the Order of St Michael and St George Burials at Belgrade New Cemetery Defence ministers of Montenegro