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Atanasije Rajić ( sr-cyr, Атанасије Рајић; 31 January 1754 – 6 June 1815), known by his nickname Tanasko (Танаско), was a Serbian ''vojvoda'' (commander) and
revolutionary A revolutionary is a person who either participates in, or advocates a revolution. The term ''revolutionary'' can also be used as an adjective, to refer to something that has a major, sudden impact on society or on some aspect of human endeavor. ...
, the ''barjaktar'' (flag-bearer) in the First Serbian Uprising led by Karađorđe against the Ottoman Empire, and the captain in Obrenović's Second Serbian Uprising, during which he died (1815).


Life

Atanasije was born on , 1754, in the village of
Stragari Stragari ( sr-cyr, Страгари) is a rural settlement within the City of Kragujevac. Geography Located at 250 m above sea level, it lies 30 km northwest of Kragujevac and about 120 km south of state capital, Belgrade. It lie ...
, below the Rudnik mountain. As he was born on the ''
slava Slava may refer to: Ships * ''Slava'' class cruiser, a modern Russian warship ** Soviet cruiser Slava (1979), now Russian cruiser ''Moskva'', a ''Slava'' class guided missile cruiser sunk during the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine * Russian ba ...
'' (Serbian feast day) of
St. Athanasius Athanasius I of Alexandria, ; cop, ⲡⲓⲁⲅⲓⲟⲥ ⲁⲑⲁⲛⲁⲥⲓⲟⲩ ⲡⲓⲁⲡⲟⲥⲧⲟⲗⲓⲕⲟⲥ or Ⲡⲁⲡⲁ ⲁⲑⲁⲛⲁⲥⲓⲟⲩ ⲁ̅; (c. 296–298 – 2 May 373), also called Athanasius the Great, ...
(Atanasije), he was named Atanasije. He was a friend of Janićije Đurić, the later secretary of Karađorđe. One of his sons married Perunika, the younger sister of Đurić. With Karađorđe and other Šumadijan rebels, he clashed many times with the
Ottoman Turks The Ottoman Turks ( tr, Osmanlı Türkleri), were the Turkic founding and sociopolitically the most dominant ethnic group of the Ottoman Empire ( 1299/1302–1922). Reliable information about the early history of Ottoman Turks remains scarce, ...
. In his area, Sali-aga was known for his cruelty. Tanasko gathers his friends and plans an attack on Sali-aga. He was part of the talks between prominent Serbs in planning the uprising. In the evening of '' Sretenje Gospodnje'', 1804, Tanasko, Karađorđe,
Stanoje Glavaš Stanoje Stamatović ( sr-cyr, Станоје Стаматовић), known as Stanoje Glavaš (Станоје Главаш; 21 February 1763 – 15 February 1815) was a Serbian hajduk and hero in the First Serbian Uprising. Life Glavaš was born i ...
, Janićije Đurić, and 70 other armed Šumadijans arrived at Orašac. The next day, the Orašac assembly elected Karađorđe, leader of the Serbs. Karađorđe handed over a red and white war flag and appointed Tanasko the flag-bearer of the Serbian revolution. After the outbreak of the uprising, Tanasko went to his home village and gathered and organized people for the siege of Rudnik which would follow. Tanasko was indignant to Sali-aga and promised that he would personally kill him and save Rudnik from violence. On 2 March 1804, the Serbian army led by Tanasko surrounded the city, demanding the surrender of Sali-aga. The Ottomans refused and prepared for battle, waiting for Kučuk Alija from
Belgrade Belgrade ( , ;, ; Names of European cities in different languages: B, names in other languages) is the Capital city, capital and List of cities in Serbia, largest city in Serbia. It is located at the confluence of the Sava and Danube rivers a ...
. Tanasko commanded the operation. Turkish reinforcements arrived from Čačak, resulting in a great battle on the outskirts of town. The Turks were defeated, with their horses and weapons seized. Tanasko was wounded in the arm. Tanasko did not participate in forming the first state government. He remained a soldier, known for his bravery. Sali-aga was delivered to and beheaded by Tanasko. He further participated against the fightings against
Alija Gušanac Alija Gušanac ("Alija from Gusinje"; 1804–05), known in epic poetry as Gušanac-Alija, was an Albanian Ottoman brigand (''krdžalija'') that served the ''Dahije'', the renegade Janissaries that had taken the rule of the Sanjak of Smederevo fol ...
on the Morava river when he and his army fortified Crni Vrh near Jagodina and awaited Gušanac. Gušanac fled from the battle, and his army was disarmed. ''voivode''
Jovan Kursula Jovan Petrović ( sr-cyr, Јован Петровић, 1768–16 August 1813), known as Jovan Kursula (Јован Курсула), was a Serbian ''vojvoda'' (commander) that participated in the Serbian Revolution. Biography Petrović was born ...
also participated in this battle. After the victory, there was political arguing between Tanasko and Karađorđe, due to the leader's centralism. Tanasko returned to his village and stayed there until 1813. When Serbia faced serious difficulty, Tanasko reconciled with Karađorđe and planned the defence. After the failure of the uprising, Tanasko returns to his village, becoming a witness to Ottoman retaliation. Despite his advancing age, he immediately joined Miloš Obrenović's Second Serbian Uprising and returned to the battlefield. As chief commanders of the Serb rebels, Tanasko sought to expel the Ottomans from the Čačak nahija (district). On 6 June 1815, the two sides met at the Ljubić hill. The Ottoman commander Imšir Pasha went to destroy the Serbian positions near Čačak. The rebels hurried and fortified the trenches of Ljubić, 1.5 km north of Čačak, where Imšir was holding. The battle began in the morning, with an Ottoman surprise attack on Serbian positions, and the Serbs managed in the beginning. Tanasko commanded the cannon batteries in the surrounding hills. Just before the battle, Tanasko was elevated to ''captain'' in Obrenović's Serbian army. In the beginning of the battle, Tanasko had successfully attacked the Ottoman positions, but Ottomans had his position encircled. The situation became difficult, and Tanasko held on to his cannons. When the Ottomans advanced on the trenches where Tanasko was situated, he continued to command, climbed onto a top and began to shoot at the Ottomans. The Ottomans surrounded him and had him cut into pieces. The Serbian army later gathered and won the battle. Imšir Pasha also died in the battle, and the Ottoman army retreated to Čačak.


Legacy

A monument was erected in his honour on the hill of Ljubić, near Čačak, the site of the battle in which he fell. His weapons are held on display at the Military Museum, Belgrade. Schools in Čačak (and Ljubić) and Pirot are named after him. Streets in Čačak and Kraljevo are named after him. A Yugoslav Army barrack was named after him, stationed in Čačak. The Cultural and Artistic Association from Ljubić is named "Tanasko Rajić". A local football team in Pirot is named "FK Tanasko Rajić". His great-grandson was Serbian poet
Velimir Rajić Velimir Rajić ( sr, Велимир Рајић; 20 January 1879 – 9 October 1915) was a Serbian lyric poet. Biography Velimir Rajić was born at Aleksinac, Principality of Serbia, on 20 January 1879. He finished elementary school, gymnasium and ...
.Riznica srpska
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See also

*
List of Serbian Revolutionaries This is a list of Serbian Revolutionaries, participants in the Serbian Revolution (1804–1817). See also * Serbian revolutionary organizations References Sources * * * * * * {{Serbian revolutionaries * Revolutionaries Revolutionaries ...


References


Sources

* * *Milica Baum, "Belgrade", A. S. Barnes, 1970, p. 87 *Nebojša Damnjanović, Vladimir Merenik, "The first Serbian uprising and the restoration of the Serbian state", Historical Museum of Serbia, Gallery of the Serbian Academy of Science and Arts, 2004, pp. 72–74 *Novosti Online
"Rano bez oca"
29 May 2006, {{DEFAULTSORT:Rajic, Tanasko 18th-century Serbian nobility 19th-century Serbian nobility Serbian military leaders Serbian revolutionaries People of the First Serbian Uprising People of the Second Serbian Uprising Military personnel from Kragujevac 1754 births 1815 deaths