Ademaga Mešić or Adem Aga Mešić (25 March 1868 – 1 July 1945) was a Bosnian politician and military officer who served in the

Austro-Hungarian Austria-Hungary, also referred to as the Austro-Hungarian Empire, the Dual Monarchy or the Habsburg Monarchy, was a multi-national constitutional monarchy in Central Europe between 1867 and 1918. A military and diplomatic alliance, it consist ...

'' Schutzkorps'', and later a member of the

Ustaše The Ustaše (), also known by anglicised versions Ustasha or Ustashe, was a Croats, Croatian fascist and ultranationalist organization active, as one organization, between 1929 and 1945, formally known as the Ustaša – Croatian Revolutionar ...

government of the

Independent State of Croatia The Independent State of Croatia (, NDH) was a World War II–era puppet state of Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy (1922–1943), Fascist Italy. It was established in parts of Axis occupation of Yugoslavia, occupied Yugoslavia on 10 April 1941, ...

for Bosnian region during

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

Ottoman Bosnia

Mešić was married without children, and considered himself a Muslim

Croat The Croats (; , ) are a South Slavs, South Slavic ethnic group native to Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina and other neighboring countries in Central Europe, Central and Southeastern Europe who share a common Croatian Cultural heritage, ancest ...

.Kisić Kolanović, Nada
''Ademaga Mešić i hrvatska nacionalna ideja 1895.–1918. godine''
// '' ČSP'', Vol. 40, No. 3 (December 2008), pp. 1124:Kisić Kolanović, Nada
''Ademaga Mešić i hrvatska nacionalna ideja 1895.–1918. godine''
// '' ČSP'', Vol. 40, No. 3 (December 2008), pp. 1128-1229: He was the publisher of '' Behar'', a

Bosnian Muslim Islam is the most widespread religion in Bosnia and Herzegovina. It was introduced to the local population in the 15th and 16th centuries as a result of the Ottoman conquest of Bosnia and Herzegovina. Muslims make the largest religious co ...

political journal published in the period 1900–11.

Austrian annexation of Bosnia and Herzegovina

Mešić belonged to a Croatian-Muslim bloc installed in 1908 by the government of

Austria-Hungary Austria-Hungary, also referred to as the Austro-Hungarian Empire, the Dual Monarchy or the Habsburg Monarchy, was a multi-national constitutional monarchy in Central Europe#Before World War I, Central Europe between 1867 and 1918. A military ...

to support its annexation of Bosnia and Herzegovina. As a

Germanophile A Germanophile, Teutonophile, or Teutophile is a person who is fond of Culture of Germany, German culture, Germans, German people and Germany in general, or who exhibits German patriotism in spite of not being either an ethnic German or a German ...

, he was a leader of the Muslim supporters of the annexation of Bosnia and Herzegovina who renounced any kind of autonomy, including one based on religion. In 1908, he established the Muslim Progressive Party, which had a pro-Croat orientation. He wrote and published a work titled ''"Moj odgovor bezimenim klevetnicima"''.

First World War

At the beginning of

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 ...

he was military commander in the '' Schutzkorps'', an auxiliary volunteer militia established in Bosnia and Herzegovina by the Austro-Hungarian authorities. The unit he organized and commanded was also known as "Ademaga's Army" (). After the war Mešić was a poultry trader in Tešanj.

Second World War

During

, he belonged to a narrow circle of Muslims who were supporters of the

and was vice-president of its government () with his seat in

Banja Luka Banja Luka ( sr-Cyrl, Бања Лука, ) or Banjaluka ( sr-Cyrl, Бањалука, ) is the List of cities in Bosnia and Herzegovina, second largest city in Bosnia and Herzegovina and the largest city in Republika Srpska. Banja Luka is the tr ...

. At the end of the war he was part of the Independent State of Croatia evacuation to Austria, only to be imprisoned by British forces, who extradited him to the new Yugoslav communist government.

Trial and death

After the war he was tried. In his closing statement he said that he was only a loyal citizen of the

Ottoman sultan The sultans of the Ottoman Empire (), who were all members of the Ottoman dynasty (House of Osman), ruled over the Boundaries between the continents, transcontinental empire from its perceived inception in 1299 to Dissolution of the Ottoman Em ...

, Austrian emperor and Yugoslav king Karađorđević in turn, emphasizing his willingness to continue his loyal service, now to the new communist government. Mešić was sentenced to life in prison, where he died in 1945.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Mesic, Ademaga 1868 births 1945 deaths People from Tešanj Bosnia and Herzegovina people of World War I Austro-Hungarian military personnel of World War I Bosnian Muslim Ustaše Bosnia and Herzegovina politicians Bosnian Muslim collaborators with Nazi Germany Bosnian Muslim collaborators with Fascist Italy Genocide of Serbs in the Independent State of Croatia perpetrators Bosniaks of Bosnia and Herzegovina convicted of war crimes People extradited to Yugoslavia Yugoslav prisoners sentenced to life imprisonment Prisoners who died in Yugoslav detention Yugoslav people who died in prison custody