Kosta Protić ( sr, Коста Протић; 29 September 1831 – 4 June 1892) was the first Serbian General and the

Chief Chief may refer to: Title or rank Military and law enforcement * Chief master sergeant, the ninth, and highest, enlisted rank in the U.S. Air Force and U.S. Space Force * Chief of police, the head of a police department * Chief of the boa ...

of the

Serbian General Staff The Serbian Armed Forces General Staff ( sr, Генералштаб Војске Србије, Generalštab Vojske Srbije) is the highest authority within the Serbian Armed Forces and a significant command entity with numerous organizaional unit ...

Biography

During the Herzegovinian Uprising in 1875, Kosta Protić was sent by the Serbian government to Russia to investigate the possibilities for a war loan.

Ivan Aksakov Ivan Sergeyevich Aksakov (russian: Ива́н Серге́евич Акса́ков; , village Nadezhdino, Belebeyevsky Uyezd, Orenburg Governorate – , Moscow) was a Russian littérateur and notable Slavophile. Biography Aksakov was born in ...

received Protić, instructed him and gave him letters of recommendation to the right persons in Saint Petersburg; moreover, since Aksakov's wife was a former lady-in-waiting with connections at the court, she introduced Protić to the empress Maria Alexandrovna and to the heir, the future

Alexander III of Russia Alexander III ( rus, Алекса́ндр III Алекса́ндрович, r=Aleksandr III Aleksandrovich; 10 March 18451 November 1894) was Emperor of Russia, King of Poland and Grand Duke of Finland from 13 March 1881 until his death in 18 ...

. The two were in favor of helping the Serbs of Bosnia and Herzegovina rid themselves of the Turks, more so than their government. Through their intercession public subscription for a loan was authorized by the tsar. Protić served as a military officer during the

Serbian-Ottoman War (1876-1877) The term Serbian-Turkish War or Serbian-Ottoman War may refer to: * Serbian-Turkish War (1371) * Serbian-Turkish War (1389) * Serbian-Turkish War (1804-1813) * Serbian-Turkish War (1815) * Serbian-Turkish War (1876-1877) * Serbian-Turkish War (187 ...

and the

Russo-Turkish War (1877–78) The Russo-Turkish wars (or Ottoman–Russian wars) were a series of twelve wars fought between the Russian Empire and the Ottoman Empire between the 16th and 20th centuries. It was one of the longest series of military conflicts in European histor ...

. He served as the Chief of the Serbian General Staff during the Russo-Turkish War. He later briefly served as

Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Serbia The prime minister of Serbia ( sr-Cyrl, премијерка Србије, premijerka Srbije; masculine gender, masculine: премијер/premijer), officially the president of the Government of the Republic of Serbia ( sr-Cyrl, председ ...

during 1889. Upon the abdication of King Milan, Protić was appointed to a

Regency council A regent (from Latin : ruling, governing) is a person appointed to govern a state ''pro tempore'' (Latin: 'for the time being') because the monarch is a minor, absent, incapacitated or unable to discharge the powers and duties of the monarchy, ...

with

Jovan Ristić Jovan Ristić ( sr-Cyr, Јован Ристић; 16 January 1831 – 4 September 1899) was a Serbian politician, diplomat and historian. Biography Born at Kragujevac, he was educated at Belgrade, Heidelberg, Berlin and Paris. After failing to o ...

and

Jovan Belimarković Jovan Belimarković ( sr-cyr, Јован Белимарковић, 1827–1906), was a Serbian general and politician. Belimarković was born on January 1, 1827, in Belgrade, Principality of Serbia. He finished military school in Berlin. He wa ...

for the underage

Alexander I Alexander I may refer to: * Alexander I of Macedon, king of Macedon 495–454 BC * Alexander I of Epirus (370–331 BC), king of Epirus * Pope Alexander I (died 115), early bishop of Rome * Pope Alexander I of Alexandria (died 320s), patriarch of ...

, on which he served until his death.

Honors

;Domestic * Order of the White Eagle *

Order of the Cross of Takovo The Order of the Cross of Takovo was a Serbian state order. History It was instituted in the Principality of Serbia in 1865 to mark the 50th anniversary of the Second Serbian Uprising against the Ottoman Empire, which had started in Takovo, Serbi ...

with swords, First and Second class *

, Third class *Medal for Zealous Service, Gold with diamonds *Commemorative Medal for the War of 1876–1878 *Commemorative Medal for the Serbian-Bulgarian War of 1885 ;Foreign *

Order of St. Stanislaus The Order of Saint Stanislaus ( pl, Order Św. Stanisława Biskupa Męczennika, russian: Орден Святого Станислава), also spelled Stanislas, was a Polish order of knighthood founded in 1765 by King Stanisław August Ponia ...

, First class (Russia) *

Order of St. Anna The Imperial Order of Saint Anna (russian: Орден Святой Анны; also "Order of Saint Anne" or "Order of Saint Ann") was a Holstein ducal and then Russian imperial order of chivalry. It was established by Karl Friedrich, Duke of Holst ...

, Second class (Russia) *

Order of the Crown of Romania The Order of the Crown of Romania is a chivalric order set up on 14 March 1881 by King Carol I of Romania to commemorate the establishment of the Kingdom of Romania. It was awarded as a state order until the end of the Romanian monarchy in 1947. ...

, with a star (Romania) *

Order of the Star of Romania The Order of the Star of Romania (Romanian: ''Ordinul Steaua României'') is Romania's highest civil Order and second highest State decoration after the defunct Order of Michael the Brave. It is awarded by the President of Romania. It has five r ...

(Romania) *

Military Virtue Medal The Military Virtue Medal ( ro, Medalia "Virtutea Militară") is a Romanian military decoration, instituted on April 8, 1872, by King of Romania, King Carol I of Romania, Carol I. A previous version, called ''Pro Virtute Militari'', was establis ...

(Romania) *

Order of the Iron Crown The Order of the Iron Crown ( it, link=no, Ordine della Corona Ferrea) was an order of merit that was established on 5 June 1805 in the Kingdom of Italy by Napoleon Bonaparte under his title of Napoleon I, King of Italy. The order took its name ...

, Third class (Austria-Hungary)

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Protic, Kosta 1831 births 1892 deaths Serbian generals Prime Ministers of Serbia Regents of Serbia 19th-century Serbian people Military personnel from Požarevac Royal Serbian Army soldiers Serbian–Turkish Wars (1876–1878) Military personnel of the Russo-Turkish War (1877–1878) Defence ministers of Serbia Foreign ministers of Serbia Construction ministers of Serbia

Biography

Honors

See also

References

External links