Marko Vasić ( sr-cyr, Марко Васић), known as Kara-Marko () was a

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 ...

ary

Life and career

Vasić was born into a large ''

zadruga A zadruga (, ) refers to a type of rural community historically common among South Slavs. The term has been used by the Communist Party of Yugoslavia to designate their attempt at collective farming after World War II. History Originally, gene ...

'' (patriarchal extended family) in the Gručići hamlet in the village of Crvica, in the

Osat Osat ( sr-cyr, Осат) is a region in central Podrinje (left of the Drina), in Bosnia and Herzegovina. It is situated between the towns of Višegrad and Srebrenica, and includes parts of the municipalities of Bratunac and Srebrenica, in the R ...

region. He was a blacksmith by trade. As one of the strongest and bravest in Osat, he was chosen to lead the Serb villagers in the region against

Janissary A Janissary ( ota, یڭیچری, yeŋiçeri, , ) was a member of the elite infantry units that formed the Ottoman Sultan's household troops and the first modern standing army in Europe. The corps was most likely established under sultan Orhan ( ...

attacks. With the outbreak of the

First Serbian Uprising The First Serbian Uprising ( sr, Prvi srpski ustanak, italics=yes, sr-Cyrl, Први српски устанак; tr, Birinci Sırp Ayaklanması) was an uprising of Serbs in the Sanjak of Smederevo against the Ottoman Empire from 14 February 18 ...

(1804),

archimandrite The title archimandrite ( gr, ἀρχιμανδρίτης, archimandritēs), used in Eastern Christianity, originally referred to a superior abbot (''hegumenos'', gr, ἡγούμενος, present participle of the verb meaning "to lead") who ...

and rebel leader Hadži Melentije Stevanović called on him and his fellows to support the rebels against the

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 ...

in the first fights on the

Drina The Drina ( sr-Cyrl, Дрина, ) is a long Balkans river, which forms a large portion of the border between Bosnia and Herzegovina and Serbia. It is the longest tributary of the Sava River and the longest karst river in the Dinaric Alps whic ...

. He led rebels alongside Hadži Melentije,

Mateja Nenadović Mateja ( sr, Матеја) is a given name, variant of the Greek given name ''Mathias'' ( Matthew). In Serbian, it's a masculine name, while in Croatian and Slovene, it's a feminine name. Notable people with the name include: Given name * Mateja A ...

and

Jakov Nenadović Jakov Nenadović ( sr-cyr, Јаков Ненадовић; 1765 – 1836) was a Serbian voivode and politician who served as the prime minister of Serbia from 31 December 1810 to 22 January 1811. He was the first Serbian interior minister. Nenadov ...

. After his heroic deeds had been heard, supreme commander

Karađorđe Đorđe Petrović ( sr-Cyrl, Ђорђе Петровић, ), better known by the sobriquet Karađorđe ( sr-Cyrl, Карађорђе, lit=Black George, ; – ), was a Serbian revolutionary who led the struggle for his country's independ ...

summoned him and gave him the nickname "Kara-Marko". Karađorđe lent Kara-Marko an army and ''vojvoda'' (general)

Lazar Mutap Lazar may refer to: * Lazar (name), any of various persons with this name * Lazar BVT, Serbian mine resistant, ambush-protected, armoured vehicle * Lazar 2, Serbian armored vehicle * Lazar 3, Serbian armored van * Lazăr, a tributary of the river J ...

to liberate Osat and

Srebrenica Srebrenica ( sr-cyrl, Сребреница, ) is a town and municipality located in the easternmost part of Republika Srpska, an entity of Bosnia and Herzegovina. It is a small mountain town, with its main industry being Salt mine, salt mining a ...

from the Ottomans. Kara-Marko and Mutap liberated most of

until the Ottoman Army attacked and the rebels retreated across the Drina. His wife was killed during the retreat. After the Pećani Assembly (17 April 1805), Kara-Marko participated in the liberation of

Užice Užice ( sr-cyr, Ужице, ) is a city and the administrative centre of the Zlatibor District in western Serbia. It is located on the banks of the river Đetinja. According to the 2011 census, the city proper has a population of 59,747. The Cit ...

. In 1806 he returned to

Podrinje Podrinje (Serbian Cyrillic: Подриње) is the Slavic name of the Drina river basin, known in English as the Drina Valley. The Drina basin is shared between Bosnia and Herzegovina and Serbia, with majority of its territory being located in ...

with Hadži-Melentije with whom he led fights against the Turks on the Sikirić ferry on the Drina. With Hadži-Melentije, Milan Obrenović, Mateja Nenadović and Sima Birčanin he led the Serb rebel army against the Turks on ''Lučindan'' 1808 in Oklenac, Vranjkovina in Osat, and Pribićevac near Srebrenica. In this

skirmish Skirmishers are light infantry or light cavalry soldiers deployed as a vanguard, flank guard or rearguard to screen a tactical position or a larger body of friendly troops from enemy advances. They are usually deployed in a skirmish line, an ir ...

he led the army in an assault from

Skelani Skelani (Serbian Cyrillic: Скелани) is a village in the municipality of Srebrenica, in the Republika Srpska entity of Bosnia and Herzegovina. Location Altitude: 242 m According to the 1991 census the population of the town was 1123 - 95 ...

to Srebrenica and Osmače, then a battle was fought in Pribićevac.

Luka Lazarević Luka Lazarević ( sr-cyr, Лука Лазаревић; 1774–1852), known as Pop-Luka (), was a Serbian Orthodox priest and ''vojvoda'' (commander) that participated in the First Serbian Uprising (1804–13) of the Serbian Revolution against the O ...

mentioned him in his memoirs, regarding fights in Osat and Srebrenica in 1809: "Karamarko expels the Turks, and rises the rthodoxChristians against them". After Hadži-Melentije left for the

Russian Empire The Russian Empire was an empire and the final period of the Russian monarchy from 1721 to 1917, ruling across large parts of Eurasia. It succeeded the Tsardom of Russia following the Treaty of Nystad, which ended the Great Northern War. ...

in 1810, Karađorđe appointed Kara-Marko the vojvoda of the Sokol ''

nahija A nāḥiyah ( ar, , plural ''nawāḥī'' ), also nahiya or nahia, is a regional or local type of administrative division that usually consists of a number of villages or sometimes smaller towns. In Tajikistan, it is a second-level division w ...

'' (district) and a military senior (''starešina'') in Rača. At this time, his clerk was Nićifor Ninković, and his ''buljubaše'' (captains) were Petar and Janko. After an

intrigue Intrigue may refer to: TV and film * ''Intrigue'' (1920 film), a 1920 German silent drama film * ''Intrigue'' (1942 film), a Spanish film * ''Intrigue'' (1947 film), 1947 film directed by Edwin L. Marin * ''The Intrigue'', 1916 silent film dra ...

, Karađorđe had him removed on 7 April 1813, after which he was for a short period with Mateja Nenadović in

Valjevo Valjevo (Serbian Cyrillic: Ваљево, ) is a List of cities in Serbia, city and the administrative center of the Kolubara District in western Serbia. According to the 2011 census, the administrative area of Valjevo had 90,312 inhabitants, 59,07 ...

. In May 1813 he gathered an army and crossed into Osat to defend it from the Ottomans. He was one of few that did not flee to the

Habsburg monarchy The Habsburg monarchy (german: Habsburgermonarchie, ), also known as the Danubian monarchy (german: Donaumonarchie, ), or Habsburg Empire (german: Habsburgerreich, ), was the collection of empires, kingdoms, duchies, counties and other polities ...

after the suppression of the uprising. He settled a village near

Topola Topola ( sr-cyrl, Топола, ) is a town and municipality located in the Šumadija District of central Serbia. It was the place where Karađorđe, a Serbian revolutionary, was chosen as the leader of the First Serbian Uprising against the Ottom ...

and became a ''

hajduk A hajduk ( hu, hajdúk, plural of ) is a type of irregular infantry found in Central and parts of Southeast Europe from the late 16th to mid 19th centuries. They have reputations ranging from bandits to freedom fighters depending on time, p ...

'' (

brigand Brigandage is the life and practice of highway robbery and plunder. It is practiced by a brigand, a person who usually lives in a gang and lives by pillage and robbery.Oxford English Dictionary second edition, 1989. "Brigand.2" first recorded us ...

). Due to his loyalty to Karađorđe, the new Serbian leader

Miloš Obrenović Miloš, Milos, Miłosz or spelling variations thereof is a masculine given name and a surname. It may refer to: Given name Sportsmen * Miłosz Bernatajtys, Polish rower * Miloš Bogunović, Serbian footballer * Miloš Budaković, Serbian f ...

ordered his murder and had his severed head given to the Vizier of Belgrade. The rest of his body were brought by his descendants to the church in

Grabovac Grabovac may refer to: Places * Grabovac, Osijek-Baranja County, a village in eastern Croatia * Grabovac Banski, a village in central Croatia * Grabovac, Split-Dalmatia County, a village near Šestanovac in southern Croatia * Grabovac, Karlovac ...

near Valjevo to be buried in the ''porta'' in 1845.

References

Notes Sources * } * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Vasic, Kara Marko 18th-century births 1815 deaths 19th-century Serbian people Serbs from the Ottoman Empire Serbian revolutionaries People of the First Serbian Uprising Serbs of Bosnia and Herzegovina Serbian people of Bosnia and Herzegovina descent People from Srebrenica Hajduks Trophy heads Serbian blacksmiths Assassinations in the Ottoman Empire 1815 murders in the Ottoman Empire

Life and career

See also

References