Korun "Koča" Anđelković ( sr-cyr, Коча Анђелковић, 1755 – 7 September 1788), known as Captain Koča (Kapetan Koča), was a Serbian military leader who served as commander of the

Serbian Free Corps The Serbian Free Corps (), 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-Turkish War (1787–1791). T ...

, the

Habsburg The House of Habsburg (; ), also known as the House of Austria, was one of the most powerful dynasties in the history of Europe and Western civilization. They were best known for their inbreeding and for ruling vast realms throughout Europe d ...

military unit that fought the Ottomans during the

Austro-Turkish War (1787–91) The term Austro-Turkish War may refer to: * Austro-Turkish War (1593–1606) * Austro-Turkish War (1663–1664) * Austro-Turkish War (1683–1699) * Austro-Turkish War (1716–1718) * Austro-Turkish War (1737–1739) * Austro-Turkish War (178 ...

Life

Korun Anđelković was born around 1755 in the Moravian village of Panjevac (today Kočino Selo), where his father, Anđelko Petrović, moved after fleeing Albanian tyranny in the

Pashalik of Scutari The Pashalik of Scutari (1757–1831), also known as the Bushati Pashalik, was an Albanian pashalik within the Ottoman Empire that was ruled by the Bushati family. Its capital was Shkodër and ruled areas in modern-day Albania and large majorit ...

. At that time, Serbian volunteer detachments were being formed in Austria, the Serbian Free Corps was under the command of Major Mihaljević. Before the beginning of the war, Koča and his brother Petar joined the volunteers in the company of Radič Petrović, the three men took part in both Austrian expeditions against Belgrade in 1787 and 1788. In 1788 an uprising was organised in the

Sanjak of Smederevo The Sanjak of Smederevo (, ), also known in historiography as the Pashalik of Belgrade (, ), was an Ottoman Empire, Ottoman administrative unit (sanjak) centered on Smederevo, that existed between the 15th and the outset of the 19th centuries. It ...

by the Serbs, Kara-George (

Karađorđe Đorđe Petrović (; ; – ), known by the sobriquet Karađorđe (; ), was a Serbian revolutionary leader who led a struggle against the Ottoman Empire during the First Serbian Uprising. He held the title of Grand Vožd of Serbia from 14 ...

) was one of them and Captain Koča led the group, the liberated territory became known as Kočina Krajina (Koča's country). The area became part of

Habsburg-occupied Serbia (1788–1791) Habsburg Serbia may refer to several periods and territories in the history of Serbia: * Habsburg-occupied Serbia (1686–1691), temporary Habsburg occupation of central Serbia (1686–1691) * Kingdom of Serbia (1718–1739), crown land of the Habs ...

. Koča led more raids in Pomoravlje, and it is known to have carried out three major ambushes on Turkish detachments. For his service, he received the rank of captain from Austrian Emperor

Joseph II Joseph II (13 March 1741 – 20 February 1790) was Holy Roman Emperor from 18 August 1765 and sole ruler of the Habsburg monarchy from 29 November 1780 until his death. He was the eldest son of Empress Maria Theresa and her husband, Emperor F ...

and was awarded a gold medal for bravery. Koča was captured by the Turks near Brzaska on 7 September 1788, he was taken to Tekija and tortured along with 30 of his men, he was then executed through public

impalement Impalement, as a method of torture and execution, is the penetrating trauma, penetration of a human by an object such as a stake, pole, spear, or hook, often by the complete or partial perforation of the torso. It was particularly used in respon ...

Legacy

The village where he was born, Panjevac, was renamed Kočino Selo in 1930 in his honor.

Life

Legacy

References

Further reading