Lazar Kujundžić-Klempa ( sr-cyr, Лазар Кујунџић: 1880 – May 25, 1905) was a Serbian Chetnik commander (vojvoda) who was active in

Old Serbia Old Serbia ( sr, Стара Србија, Stara Srbija) is a Serbian historiographical term that is used to describe the territory that according to the dominant school of Serbian historiography in the late 19th century formed the core of the S ...

and Macedonia.

Biography

He was born in Orahovac, near

Prizren ) , settlement_type = Municipality and city , image_skyline = Prizren Collage.jpg , imagesize = 290px , image_caption = View of Prizren , image_alt = View of Prizren , image_flag ...

. He graduated from a teacher's college at the Orthodox seminary in

Prizren ) , settlement_type = Municipality and city , image_skyline = Prizren Collage.jpg , imagesize = 290px , image_caption = View of Prizren , image_alt = View of Prizren , image_flag ...

. He was a teacher in Prizren and Kičevo. He wrote a report with data about the Islamization of Christian women and girls in the Kičevo region. Ever since 1902, he had been an advocate for the creation of a

Serbian Chetnik Organization Serbian may refer to: * someone or something related to Serbia, a country in Southeastern Europe * someone or something related to the Serbs, a South Slavic people * Serbian language * Serbian names See also * * * Old Serbian (disambiguation) ...

that would protect the Serb population of Poreč from being attacked by a VMRO company and Muslim looting gangs. After the

Ilinden uprising Ilinden ( Bulgarian/Macedonian Cyrillic: Илинден) or Ilindan (Serbian Cyrillic: Илиндан), meaning "Saint Elijah's Day", may refer to: Events * Republic Day (North Macedonia), 2 August Geographic locations Bulgaria * Ilinden, Blago ...

, he took up the job of organizing the first Serbian troops and revolutionary committees. The money for the first company was given to him by the painter

Nadežda Petrović Nadežda Petrović ( sr-Cyrl, Надежда Петровић; 11/12 October 1873 – 3 April 1915) was a Serbian painter and one of the women war photography pioneers in the region. Considered Serbia's most famous expressionist and fauvis ...

, who in 1903 visited the devastated areas carrying humanitarian aid. On that occasion, Kujundžić met with Savatije Milošević and

Vojislav Tankosić Vojislav Tankosić ( sr-cyr, Војислав Танкосић, 20 September 1880 – 2 November 1915) was a Serbian military officer, ''vojvoda'' of the Serbian Chetnik Organization, major of the Serbian Army, and member of the Black Hand, who p ...

. He participated in the

Fight on Čelopek Combat (French for ''fight'') is a purposeful violent conflict meant to physically harm or kill the opposition. Combat may be armed (using weapons) or unarmed ( not using weapons). Combat is sometimes resorted to as a method of self-defense, or ...

when the Chetniks destroyed the Turkish forces. After the fight, he did not want to flee into Serbia but continued to operate in Ottoman-occupied

with commanders Savatije Milošević and

Živojin Milovanović Živojin Milovanović ( sr-Cyrl, Живојин Миловановић; January 23, 1884 — May 25, 1905), known by his nickname Žika, was a Serbian soldier, member of the Serbian revolutionary Chetnik Organization that fought in Old Serbia an ...

. On the

Feast of the Ascension The Solemnity of the Ascension of Jesus Christ, also called Ascension Day, Ascension Thursday, or sometimes Holy Thursday, commemorates the Christian belief of the bodily Ascension of Jesus into heaven. It is one of the ecumenical (i.e., shared by ...

, his band appeared in Velika Hoča. They were received by Albanian Lanja Ukin who had given them his word ( besa) that nothing would happen to them in his house, however, he immediately alarmed the Turks in Orahovac who surrounded them. They set the house on fire. The Chetniks shot back and sung Chetnik songs. The Turks brought Lazar's mother to recognize him for them, but she did not, in order to save her village and family. During the Interwar period, he was hailed as a great hero.

In Serbian Literature

The heroic deaths of Kujundžić and Milošević inspired

Milan Rakić Milan Rakić (Serbian Cyrillic: Милан Ракић; 18 September 1876 – 30 June 1938) was a Serbian poet-diplomat and academic. He focused on dodecasyllable and hendecasyllable verse, which allowed him to achieve beautiful rhythm and rhym ...

to write a poem "At Gazi Mestan", and the stoic comportment of Lazar's mother moved Serbian Catholic Ivo Vojnović to write a play called "The Resurrection of Lazar" (''Lazarevo Vaskrsenje'') in 1913. Another poet and veteran Chetnik Milosav Jelić dedicated a poem to Lazar Kujunžić's mother -- ''Majka Kujundžića'' -- in his collection of poems, ''Srpski vijenac'' (Serbian Garland).

References

Sources

* * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Kujundzic, Lazar 1880 births 1905 deaths 20th-century Serbian people Serbian military leaders Serbs from the Ottoman Empire Kosovo Serbs People from Orahovac People from Kosovo vilayet Chetniks of the Macedonian Struggle