Mašo Vrbica ( sr-Cyrl, Машо Врбица; 1833 in Vrba – 10 May 1898 in
Banja Luka
Banja Luka ( sr-Cyrl, Бања Лука, ) or Banjaluka ( sr-Cyrl, Бањалука, ) is the second largest city in Bosnia and Herzegovina and the largest city of Republika Srpska. Banja Luka is also the ''de facto'' capital of this entity. I ...
) was a
Montenegrin ''
vojvoda'' and military commander.
Biography
He graduated from the
Mikhailovskaya Artillery Military Academy
Russia has a number of military academies of different specialties. This article primarily lists institutions of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation rather than those of the Soviet Armed Forces.
Russian institutions designated as an "acad ...
in
St. Petersburg
Saint Petersburg ( rus, links=no, Санкт-Петербург, a=Ru-Sankt Peterburg Leningrad Petrograd Piter.ogg, r=Sankt-Peterburg, p=ˈsankt pʲɪtʲɪrˈburk), formerly known as Petrograd (1914–1924) and later Leningrad (1924–1991), i ...
.
After his return to Montenegro, he was appointed as a captain in the Njeguši militia, which was part of the Montenegrin army. He commanded a unit at the
Battle of Grahovac
The Battle of Grahovac took place in the eponymous village of Grahovac from 11 to 13 May 1858, when the Montenegrin Grand Duke Mirko Petrović-Njegoš led the army of Principality of Montenegro against the Ottomans, ending in a decisive Mont ...
in 1858, and with the cannon
captured there organized the artillery for Montenegrin army. During the
Montenegrin-Ottoman War of 1861-1862, he commanded the artillery.
Between the wars he joined the nationalist "
United Serbian Youth
The United Serb Youth ( sr, Уједињена омладина српска, Ujedinjena omladina srpska), also known as ''Omladina'' ("the Youth"), was a diverse progressive Serbian political, cultural and national movement active between 1866 an ...
" where he met such men as
Vladimir Jovanović,
Svetozar Miletić
Svetozar Miletić ( sr-cyr, Светозар Милетић; 22 February 1826 – 4 February 1901) was a Serbian lawyer, journalist, author and politician who served as the mayor of Novi Sad between 1861 and 1862 and again from 1867 to 1868.
...
,
Nikola Pašić
Nikola Pašić ( sr-Cyrl, Никола Пашић, ; 18 December 1845 – 10 December 1926) was a Serbian and Yugoslav politician and diplomat who was a leading political figure for almost 40 years. He was the leader of the People's Radical P ...
,
Nikola Petrovic,
Marko Popovic Miljanov, and
Valtazar Bogišić
Valtazar Bogišić ( sr-Cyrl, Валтазар Богишић; 20 December 1834 – 24 April 1908), also known as Baltazar Bogišić, was a Serbian jurist and a pioneer in sociology.
In the domain of private law his most notable research was on ...
.
In 1875 Vrbica was given the title of ''
vojvoda''. He was a liaison of Montenegro to the Serbian Supreme Command during the
Serbo-Turkish War (1876–78) 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 ...
, during which he commanded Montenegrin dragoons in the
battles of Aleksinac and Deligrad (20–21 October 1876).
He was appointed Montenegrin Minister of Internal Affairs in 1877. He commanded the Montenegrin forces in the attack on
Nikšić
Nikšić ( cnr, Никшић, italic=no, sr-cyrl, Никшић, italic=no; ), is the second largest city in Montenegro, with a total population of 56,970 located in the west of the country, in the centre of the spacious Nikšić field at the foot ...
. Strategically, he took Trebješka Glava, where he placed the artillery that supported the attack on the town. After the fall of Nikšić, his main effort was in clearing out the Ottoman troops in the area. He took three battalions and on 16 September captured the fort at Bilek, on 25 September he captured the fortifications at Dugskogo Pass. In November 1877 he laid siege to
Stari Bar
Stari Bar ( cyrl, Стари Бар; sq, Tivar i Vjetër, lit. "Old Bar") is a small town in Montenegro. It is located inland, a few miles from the new city of Bar, resting on Londša hill, at the foot of Mount Rumija. According to the 2003 cen ...
, taking the coastal port and eventually the town in January 1878.
Vrbica headed several large construction works in Montenegro, notably the bridge over the
Zeta
Zeta (, ; uppercase Ζ, lowercase ζ; grc, ζῆτα, el, ζήτα, label= Demotic Greek, classical or ''zē̂ta''; ''zíta'') is the sixth letter of the Greek alphabet. In the system of Greek numerals, it has a value of 7. It was derived f ...
in
Danilovgrad
Danilovgrad ( cnr, Даниловград) is a town in central Montenegro. It has a population of 6,852 (2011 census). It is situated in the Danilovgrad Municipality which lies along the main route between Montenegro's two largest cities, Podgoric ...
, the road from
Rijeka Crnojevića
Rijeka Crnojevića (Montenegrin Cyrillic: Ријека Црнојевића, lit. "River of Crnojević") is a town in Montenegro on the eponymous Rijeka Crnojevića river, near the coast of Skadar lake.
History
The Ottomans captured Žabljak ...
to
Podgorica
Podgorica (Cyrillic script, Cyrillic: Подгорица, ; Literal translation, lit. 'under the hill') is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Montenegro, largest city of Montenegro. The city was formerly known as Titograd ...
and the water supply in
Cetinje
Cetinje (, ) is a town in Montenegro. It is the former royal capital (''prijestonica'' / приjестоница) of Montenegro and is the location of several national institutions, including the official residence of the president of Montenegro ...
.
On 16 May 1881, he was awarded the Russian Military
Order of St. George
The Order of Saint George (russian: Орден Святого Георгия, Orden Svyatogo Georgiya) is the highest military decoration of the Russian Federation. Originally established on 26 November 1769 Julian (7 December 1769 Gregorian) a ...
.
Vrbica came into conflict with
Prince Nikola, and defected to
Austria-Hungary
Austria-Hungary, often referred to as the Austro-Hungarian Empire,, the Dual Monarchy, or Austria, was a constitutional monarchy and great power in Central Europe between 1867 and 1918. It was formed with the Austro-Hungarian Compromise of ...
with his son Labud, who was married to Danica, the daughter of the Austro-Hungarian envoy to Montenegro, Theodor von Milinković. With the help of Milinković, Mašo Vrbica was awarded an estate near
Banja Luka
Banja Luka ( sr-Cyrl, Бања Лука, ) or Banjaluka ( sr-Cyrl, Бањалука, ) is the second largest city in Bosnia and Herzegovina and the largest city of Republika Srpska. Banja Luka is also the ''de facto'' capital of this entity. I ...
and a state pension. He remarried and spent his final years there. Prince Nikola denied him the right to be buried in
Njeguši
Njeguši ( cnr, Његуши) is a village in the Cetinje Municipality of southern Montenegro, located on the slopes of Mount Lovćen, within the Lovćen national park. It is part of the territory of Njeguši (tribe), Njeguši tribe.
Demographics ...
.
Vrbica died and was buried near Banja Luka in 1898. His remains were transferred and reburied by the St Petka Church in Vrba, Njeguši on 17 November 2007.
References
Sources
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Vrbica, Maso
1833 births
1898 deaths
People of the Principality of Montenegro
19th-century Serbian people
Serbian military leaders
Military personnel from Cetinje
Serbs of Montenegro