Vasilija Vukotić ( sr-cyr, Василија Вукотић ; (1897–1970) was a Serbian from Montenegro military ordonance and a daughter of the

Serdar Serdar may refer to * Serdar (given name) * Serdar (surname) Serdar is a surname of the following notable people: * Can Serdar (born 1996), German-Turkish football midfielder * Emerîkê Serdar (1935–2018), Kurdish-Yezidi writer from Armenia * I ...

Janko Vukotić Janko Vukotić ( sr-Cyrl, Јанко Вукотић; 18 February 1866 – 4 February 1927) was a Montenegrin serdar, general in the armies of the Principality and Kingdom of Montenegro in the Balkan Wars and World War I. Biography Vukotić was b ...

, accompanying her father in the armies of the

Principality A principality (or sometimes princedom) is a type of monarchy, monarchical state or feudalism, feudal territory ruled by a prince or princess. It can be either a sovereign state or a constituent part of a larger political entity. The term "prin ...

and

Kingdom of Montenegro The Kingdom of Montenegro was a monarchy in southeastern Europe, present-day Montenegro, during the tumultuous period of time on the Balkan Peninsula leading up to and during World War I. Officially it was a constitutional monarchy, but absolu ...

throughout the battles in the

Balkan Wars The Balkan Wars were two conflicts that took place in the Balkans, Balkan states in 1912 and 1913. In the First Balkan War, the four Balkan states of Kingdom of Greece (Glücksburg), Greece, Kingdom of Serbia, Serbia, Kingdom of Montenegro, M ...

and

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

. She was and remains a heroine and a role model for the participation of Montenegrin women in all wars for the liberation of the Serbian people from the occupiers. In the newly established state of Serb Croats and Slovenes, her role and significance, as the role and significance of her father, were completely suppressed.

Biography

Vasilija Vukotić was born in

Čevo Čevo ( cnr-Cyrl, Чево), historically also known as Kčevo (Кчево), is a village in the municipality of Cetinje, Montenegro. History The village was held by the Ozrinići tribe of the Katunska nahija. Five families of the Ozrinići foun ...

in 1897. She was the only daughter and the eldest of two children of

. Belonging to the Vukotić brotherhood, she was related to

Petar Petar (, sr-Cyrl, Петар) is a South Slavic masculine given name, their variant of the Biblical name Petros cognate to Peter. Derivative forms include Pero, Pejo, Pera, Perica, Petrica, Periša. Feminine equivalent is Petra. People ...

and Milena Vukotić. She took part in the

First Balkan War The First Balkan War lasted from October 1912 to May 1913 and involved actions of the Balkan League (the Kingdoms of Kingdom of Bulgaria, Bulgaria, Kingdom of Serbia, Serbia, Kingdom of Greece, Greece and Kingdom of Montenegro, Montenegro) agai ...

, the

Second Balkan War The Second Balkan War was a conflict that broke out when Kingdom of Bulgaria, Bulgaria, dissatisfied with its share of the spoils of the First Balkan War, attacked its former allies, Kingdom of Serbia, Serbia and Kingdom of Greece, Greece, on 1 ...

, and

, until the fall of the Montenegrin army and state in 1916. She was the only woman to participate in the

Battle of Mojkovac The Battle of Mojkovac was a World War I battle fought between 6 and 7 January 1916 near Mojkovac, in today's Montenegro, between the armies of Austria-Hungary and the Kingdom of Montenegro. It ended with a decisive Montenegrin victory. Prelude ...

. When World War I broke out, Vasilija’s brother Vukašin, who was twelve years her junior, was not yet old enough to fight. As Vasilija already had some military experience, her father gave her the rank of

corporal Corporal is a military rank in use by the armed forces of many countries. It is also a police rank in some police services. The rank is usually the lowest ranking non-commissioned officer. In some militaries, the rank of corporal nominally corr ...

. She personally transmitted his orders to military units and their commanders. As she was the only woman, and none other than the Serdar’s daughter, she was well-loved by the soldiers, especially for her daring, honor and courage. She took part in the Battle of Mojkovac, in which the Montenegrin army defended the retreat of the Serbian army, moving towards northern Albania. Having survived the battle, she left a detailed account of the moments of heroism and tragedy: “If it were not for that bloody Christmas at

Mojkovac Mojkovac ( Montenegrin Cyrillic: Мојковац, ) is a town in Montenegro in the northern region. It has a population of 2,506 (2023 census). Mojkovac is the centre of Mojkovac Municipality, which has a population of 6,824. Geography The mu ...

, there would not have been Easter in Kajmakchalan. Had it not been for the Montenegrin eagles, those young men, who scorned death and closed the doors of Mojkovac with their own bosoms and stopped the enemy army from reaching the Serbian rear, perhaps the fate of the Serbs would have been sealed for good…” She died in

Belgrade Belgrade is the Capital city, capital and List of cities in Serbia, largest city of Serbia. It is located at the confluence of the Sava and Danube rivers and at the crossroads of the Pannonian Basin, Pannonian Plain and the Balkan Peninsula. T ...

in 1970.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Vukotic, Vasilija 1897 births 1970 deaths 20th-century Serbian people People from the Principality of Montenegro People of the Kingdom of Montenegro Montenegrin soldiers Serbian military personnel of the Balkan Wars Serbian military personnel of World War I Montenegrin military personnel of the Balkan Wars Montenegrin military personnel of World War I Military personnel from Cetinje Serbs of Montenegro Burials at Belgrade New Cemetery Serbian women in World War I

Biography

Further reading

References