Dimitrije Ovčarević ( sr-cyr, Димитрије Овчаревић; 1552–66) was a

Habsburg The House of Habsburg (; ), also known as the House of Austria, was one of the most powerful dynasties in the history of Europe and Western civilization. They were best known for their inbreeding and for ruling vast realms throughout Europe d ...

Serb The Serbs ( sr-Cyr, Срби, Srbi, ) are a South Slavic ethnic group native to Southeastern Europe who share a common Serbian ancestry, culture, history, and language. They primarily live in Serbia, Kosovo, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia ...

nobleman. Dimitrije Ovčarević belonged to the Ovčarević family, a notable Serb family in Habsburg service in the 16th century, and was a relative of the earlier Petar Ovčarević (fl. 1521–41), a Šajkaši commander and spy, and contemporaries

Mihailo Ovčarević Mihailo Ovčarević ( sr-cyr, Михаило Овчаревић; 1550–79) was a Habsburg Serb ''vojvoda'' (commander) of the Šajkaši (river flotilla). Mihailo Ovčarević belonged to the Ovčarević family, a notable Serb family in Habsburg ...

(fl. 1550–79), a Šajkaši commander, and Jovan Ovčarević (fl. 1557), an emissary., In 1552 he is mentioned as a leader of the Serbs in

Banat Banat ( , ; ; ; ) is a geographical and Historical regions of Central Europe, historical region located in the Pannonian Basin that straddles Central Europe, Central and Eastern Europe. It is divided among three countries: the eastern part lie ...

, and in 1553 as the captain of Gyula. He was very loyal to King Ferdinand I and enjoyed his support. In 1556 it was planned that he travel to Vienna to meet Ferdinand for some business, however, the king asked him to postpone due to Ottoman movement. The same year he was given to govern a part of the Csanád chapter until its populating, in order to maintain troops. The king often used Church property, due to financial shortage, to pay the voivodes' expenses and troop maintenance. Dimitrije also held the estates of Kerekegyháza and Nagyfalu in the Temes County; Turegyház, Bócsar, Bikács and Szanád in the

Torontál County Torontál (, , , ) was an administrative county (comitatus) of the Kingdom of Hungary. Its territory is now divided between Serbia and Romania, except for a small area which is part of Hungary. The capital of the county was Nagybecskerek (, , ), ...

; Mezőtakancs and

Délegyháza Délegyháza is a village in Pest county, Budapest metropolitan area, Hungary. It has a population of 2,930 (2007). Since 2008 the village is the site of a Trail of the Whispering Giants sculpture, the first of Peter Wolf Toth's sculptures loc ...

in the

Csanád County Csanád was an administrative county (Comitatus (Kingdom of Hungary), comitatus) of the Kingdom of Hungary. Its territory is now part of Hungary, except for a small area which is part of Romania. The capital of the county was Makó. Geography C ...

; Csokás, parts of Szentpéter, Fenlak, Variaș, Torny, Bata in the

Arad County Arad County () is an administrative division ( județ) of Romania roughly translated into county in the western part of the country on the border with Hungary, mostly in the region of Crișana and few villages in Banat. The administrative cente ...

; and Marian and Kétegyháza in the Zărand County. The royal treasurer paid the maintenance of 85 cavalry, several dozen being under Dimitrije's command. In war-time this number increased significantly. Other captains mentioned in the muster were Vladislav Kerecseny, Pavle Beke, Franja Horvat and others alongside Dimitrije. When the Ottoman army set out on campaign in 1566, a part of the army attacked

Transylvania Transylvania ( or ; ; or ; Transylvanian Saxon dialect, Transylvanian Saxon: ''Siweberjen'') is a List of historical regions of Central Europe, historical and cultural region in Central Europe, encompassing central Romania. To the east and ...

and surrounded Gyula. Dimitrije fell while bravely defending the city., Many castellans and captains died during the Ottoman campaign of 1566. Shortly after his death, the city surrendered to the Ottomans. He was survived by his sister Margarita, who was married to Nikola Crepović, a respected Serb leader in Banat.

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* * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Ovcarevic, Dimitrije 16th-century Serbian nobility 16th-century Hungarian nobility Serbian military leaders Hungarian military personnel killed in action Habsburg Serbs Serbs of Vojvodina