Ilija Gregorić (c. 1520 – 1574) was a

Croatia Croatia, officially the Republic of Croatia, is a country in Central Europe, Central and Southeast Europe, on the coast of the Adriatic Sea. It borders Slovenia to the northwest, Hungary to the northeast, Serbia to the east, Bosnia and Herze ...

n soldier, and a prominent peasant army commander from

Croatian and Slovenian peasant revolt Croatian may refer to: *Croatia *Croatian language *Croatian people *Croatians (demonym) See also * * * Croatan (disambiguation) * Croatia (disambiguation) * Croatoan (disambiguation) * Hrvatski (disambiguation) * Hrvatsko (disambiguation) * Se ...

of 1573. He was also known under the nickname "Prebeg" (The Escapee) for escaping twice from Ottoman captivity.

Biography

He originated from village of Ribnik, near

Karlovac Karlovac () is a city in central Croatia. In the 2021 census, its population was 49,377. Karlovac is the administrative centre of Karlovac County. The city is located southwest of Zagreb and northeast of Rijeka, and is connected to them via the ...

and was a serf on estates of Stjepan Frankopan of

Ozalj Ozalj is a town in central Croatia, located north of Karlovac and southwest of Jastrebarsko, on the Kupa River. It is close to Žumberak/Gorjanci, Žumberak in the north and the border with Slovenia in the northwest, with Metlika being the close ...

. When Ottoman

akinji Akinji or akindji (, ; plural: ''akıncılar'') were Turkish people, Turkish Irregular military, irregular light cavalry, scout divisions (deli) and advance troops of the Ottoman Empire's Military of the Ottoman Empire, military. When the pre-e ...

s raided these lands in 1553, he was captured and taken into captivity. He nonetheless, escaped Ottoman captivity and settled again on

Brdovec Brdovec is a municipality in the Zagreb County, Croatia. The closest town to Brdovec is neighboring Zaprešić on the east. Demographics According to the 2001 Croatian census, 2001 census, there are 10,287 inhabitants, 92% which are Croats. They ...

, where he had a house and a

vineyard A vineyard ( , ) is a plantation of grape-bearing vines. Many vineyards exist for winemaking; others for the production of raisins, table grapes, and non-alcoholic grape juice. The science, practice and study of vineyard production is kno ...

. He also earnt his salary as a soldier on

Croatian Military Frontier The Croatian Military Frontier ( or ') was a district of the Military Frontier, a territory in the Habsburg monarchy, first during the period of the Austrian Empire and then during Austria-Hungary. History Founded in the late 16th century out of ...

, under command of captains Lenković and Semenić. In 1564, as

Ferenc Tahy Ferenc Tahy de Tahvár et Tarkő, (also known as Franjo Tahi, or Tahy in Croatian and as Ferenc Tahi in Slovenian; 1526–1573) was a Hungarian– Croatian nobleman from the Tahy family, which draws its origins from Pilis County. He was known ...

. bought one part of Susedgrad-Stubica seigniory, including Brdovec, Gregorić became his

serf Serfdom was the status of many peasants under feudalism, specifically relating to manorialism and similar systems. It was a condition of debt bondage and indentured servitude with similarities to and differences from slavery. It developed du ...

. He took part in armed conflicts between Henning family and Tahy family for the control of Susedgrad castle. Three years later, as a semi-professional soldier, he raided Ottoman territories by order of Tahy's wife Jelena Zrinski. He was again captured by the Turks, and taken as prisoner to

Constantinople Constantinople (#Names of Constantinople, see other names) was a historical city located on the Bosporus that served as the capital of the Roman Empire, Roman, Byzantine Empire, Byzantine, Latin Empire, Latin, and Ottoman Empire, Ottoman empire ...

. He somehow managed to get a hold on some axe, and break his

shackle A shackle (or shacklebolt), also known as a gyve, is a U-shaped piece of metal secured with a clevis pin or Bolt (fastener), bolt across the opening, or a hinged metal loop secured with a quick-release locking pin mechanism. The term also appl ...

s, which allowed him to escape again, after which he returned to Croatia in 1572. Due to his previous military experience, rebel peasants elected him as the captain of their army. Now in command of the rebel forces, he tried to spread the revolt in Slovenia. His forces were defeated at the battles of

Krško Krško (; ) is a town in eastern Slovenia. It is the seat of the City Municipality of Krško. The town lies on the Sava River and on the northwest edge of the Krško Plain (), which is part of the larger Krka Flat (). The area is divided between t ...

and Sv. Petar. Unlike

Matija Gubec Matija Gubec () ( 1548 – 15 February 1573), also known as Ambroz Gubec (or ''Gobec''), was a Croatian revolutionary, and a leader of the Croatian–Slovene Peasant Revolt of 1573. He was part of the court of three people that governed the rebe ...

, he was not captured immediately and he tried to seek shelter in Ottoman territories. He was captured near Jasenovac and brought to

Zagreb Zagreb ( ) is the capital (political), capital and List of cities and towns in Croatia#List of cities and towns, largest city of Croatia. It is in the Northern Croatia, north of the country, along the Sava river, at the southern slopes of the ...

, where he was executed.

In popular culture

* Gregorić was portrayed by Serbian actor

Bata Živojinović Velimir "Bata" Živojinović ( sr-Cyrl, Велимир "Бата" Живојиновић; 5 June 1933 – 22 May 2016) was a Yugoslav and Serbian actor and politician. He appeared in more than 340 films and TV series, and is regarded as one of ...

in 1975 Yugoslav-Croatian movie

Anno Domini 1573 ''Anno Domini 1573'' (, ) is a 1975 Yugoslav/ Croatian feature film directed by Vatroslav Mimica. The film was selected for Directors' Fortnight section at Cannes Film Festival in 1976. It is a historical drama film depicting events surround ...

References

1574 deaths Croatian rebels Croatian soldiers Executed Croatian people 16th-century Croatian military personnel Year of birth uncertain People from Marija Gorica 16th-century executions by the Ottoman Empire Prisoners and detainees of the Ottoman Empire Croatian feudalism 16th-century farmers {{Croatia-bio-stub