Radoslav Čelnik ( sr-cyrl, Радослав Челник, hu, Cselnik Radoszláv; 1526–1532), known as Vojvoda Rajko (), was a
Serb
The Serbs ( sr-Cyr, Срби, Srbi, ) are the most numerous South Slavic ethnic group native to the Balkans in Southeastern Europe, who share a common Serbian ancestry, culture, history and language.
The majority of Serbs live in their na ...
general (''
vojvoda'') in the army of
Jovan Nenad
Jovan Nenad ( sr-cyr, Јован Ненад; hu, Fekete Iván or ; ca. 1492 – 26 July 1527), known as ''the Black'' was a Serb military commander in the service of the Kingdom of Hungary who took advantage of a Hungarian military defeat at Moh ...
, the titular Serbian Emperor who held present-day
Vojvodina
Vojvodina ( sr-Cyrl, Војводина}), officially the Autonomous Province of Vojvodina, is an autonomous province that occupies the northernmost part of Serbia. It lies within the Pannonian Basin, bordered to the south by the national capital ...
, who after the death of Jovan Nenad (1527) took part of the army from
Bačka
Bačka ( sr-cyrl, Бачка, ) or Bácska () is a geographical and historical area within the Pannonian Plain bordered by the river Danube to the west and south, and by the river Tisza to the east. It is divided between Serbia and Hungary ...
to
Syrmia
Syrmia ( sh, Srem/Срем or sh, Srijem/Сријем, label=none) is a region of the southern Pannonian Plain, which lies between the Danube and Sava rivers. It is divided between Serbia and Croatia. Most of the region is flat, with the exce ...
and acceded into
Ottoman service. Radoslav then ruled over Syrmia as "Duke of Syrmia (Srem)", initially as an Ottoman vassal (1527–1530) and then as a Habsburg vassal (1530–1532), until the region was conquered by the Ottomans. His residence and capital was in
Slankamen (
sr).
Life
Radoslav hailed from
Orahovica
Orahovica is a town in Slavonia, Croatia. It is situated on the slopes of the mountain Papuk and positioned on the state road D2 Varaždin- Koprivnica- Našice- Osijek.
History
The name Orahovica is derived from the word ''orah'', meaning ...
.
Service under Jovan Nenad
He was one of the generals of Jovan Nenad, the titular Serbian Emperor who occupied a province of the former Kingdom of Hungary which had been conquered by the Ottomans in 1526, in present-day
Vojvodina
Vojvodina ( sr-Cyrl, Војводина}), officially the Autonomous Province of Vojvodina, is an autonomous province that occupies the northernmost part of Serbia. It lies within the Pannonian Basin, bordered to the south by the national capital ...
. Jovan Nenad had defeated the Ottomans in Syrmia and the neighbouring regions, and had supported Ferdinand after John Zapolya refused to acknowledge his rule over Bačka, Banat and Syrmia. After defeating Zapolya's army he had himself proclaimed "Serbian Emperor". Jovan Nenad's army was then led by the chief general, Radoslav. In 1526, Radoslav held a province under Jovan Nenad, which included a town known as
Belzond, near
Sonta
Sonta ( sr-cyr, Сонта) is a village located in the municipality of Apatin, West Bačka District, Vojvodina, Serbia. The village has a Croat ethnic majority and its population numbering 4,238 people (2011 census).
Name
According to some sou ...
.
By the beginning of 1527 the army had ca. 15,000 soldiers. In 1527, he is mentioned alongside Emperor Jovan in Subotica as his "personal and general captain".
After the murder of Jovan Nenad (1527) and fall of the territory, Radoslav had an army of 2,000 in Upper
Podunavlje
Podunavlje ( sr-Cyrl, Подунавље) is the name of the Danube river basin parts located in Serbia (Vojvodina, Belgrade and Eastern Serbia) and Croatia (Slavonia, Syrmia, and Baranya). Podunavlje is located on the southern edge of Pannoni ...
.
He had taken part of the destroyed and dispersed army from
Bačka
Bačka ( sr-cyrl, Бачка, ) or Bácska () is a geographical and historical area within the Pannonian Plain bordered by the river Danube to the west and south, and by the river Tisza to the east. It is divided between Serbia and Hungary ...
to
Syrmia
Syrmia ( sh, Srem/Срем or sh, Srijem/Сријем, label=none) is a region of the southern Pannonian Plain, which lies between the Danube and Sava rivers. It is divided between Serbia and Croatia. Most of the region is flat, with the exce ...
, and acceded into
Ottoman service.
Rule of Syrmia
Radoslav then ruled over Syrmia as an Ottoman vassal and styled himself as the "Duke of Syrmia (Srem)", while his residence was in
Slankamen (
sr).
At the same, he also secretly kept relations with the
Habsburgs
The House of Habsburg (), alternatively spelled Hapsburg in Englishgerman: Haus Habsburg, ; es, Casa de Habsburgo; hu, Habsburg család, it, Casa di Asburgo, nl, Huis van Habsburg, pl, dom Habsburgów, pt, Casa de Habsburgo, la, Domus Hab ...
, which the Ottomans soon understood. Ferdinand had much hope in Radoslav.
When the Ottoman army passed through Srem, Radoslav Čelnik crossed into Habsburg territory, and then returned when they had left. In 1530 he denounced the Ottoman vassalage and officially became a Habsburg nobleman, entitled the rule of Syrmia. In 1532, the Ottomans conquered Syrmia.
Retreat into Hungarian/Habsburg territory
With the Ottoman conquest of Syrmia in 1532,
Radoslav retreated to
Slavonia
Slavonia (; hr, Slavonija) is, with Dalmatia, Croatia proper, and Istria, one of the four historical regions of Croatia. Taking up the east of the country, it roughly corresponds with five Croatian counties: Brod-Posavina, Osijek-Baranja ...
, and later lived in his town called
Nebojc.
It was located on the river
Vuka, near
Vukovar
Vukovar () ( sr-Cyrl, Вуковар, hu, Vukovár, german: Wukowar) is a city in Croatia, in the eastern region of Slavonia. It contains Croatia's largest river port, located at the confluence of the Vuka and the Danube. Vukovar is the seat of ...
. Many Syrmian Serbs migrated into Hungary with the Ottoman conquest.
[
]
Aftermath and legacy
He is enumerated in Serbian epic poetry
Serbian epic poetry ( sr, Српске епске народне песме, Srpske epske narodne pesme) is a form of epic poetry created by Serbs originating in today's Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Montenegro and North Macedonia. The ...
, in the song ''Margita devojka i vojvoda Rajko'' (Маргита девојка и војвода Рајко).
He may be the same as ''veliki komornik'' Raka Milošević Raka can refer to:
* A Turkish rendering of the Arabic geographical name Raqqa
* Raka'ah, one unit of Islamic prayer, or ''Salaa''
* Raka Maomao
* Rajdhani College
* Raka, Burkina Faso
* Raka, Tibet
* Raka, Krško, a village in the Municipality o ...
, who served Despot Jovan Branković
Jovan Branković ( sr-Cyrl, Јован Бранковић; ; c. 1465 – 10 December 1502) was the titular Despot of Serbia from 1493 until his death in 1502. The title of despot was given to him by Hungarian king Vladislas II of Hungary. From 1 ...
.
Annotations
*"Lord of Syrmia" or "Duke of Syrmia" (господар сремски војвода Радослав Челник).
References
* Dr. Aleksa Ivić, ''Istorija Srba u Vojvodini'', Novi Sad, 1929.
* Dr. Dušan J. Popović, Srbi u Vojvodini, knjiga 1, Novi Sad, 1990.
{{DEFAULTSORT:Celnik, Radoslav
16th-century Serbian nobility
Serbian military leaders
History of Syrmia
Ottoman history of Vojvodina
16th century in Serbia
Ottoman Serbia
Year of death missing
Year of birth unknown
Serbian vassals of the Ottoman Empire
Characters in Serbian epic poetry