Pavle Matejić ( sr-cyr, Павле Матејић; 1770–1816), known as Paulj (), was a

Serbian Revolution The Serbian Revolution ( / ') was a national uprising and constitutional change in Serbia that took place between 1804 and 1835, during which this territory evolved from an Sanjak of Smederevo, Ottoman province into a Revolutionary Serbia, reb ...

ary that participated in the

First Serbian Uprising The First Serbian Uprising (; sr-Cyrl, Први српски устанак; ) was an uprising of Serbs in Orašac (Aranđelovac), Orašac against the Ottoman Empire from 14 February 1804 to 7 October 1813. The uprising began as a local revolt ...

(1804–13). Starting as a captain under the command of

Petar Dobrnjac Petar Teodorović ( sr-cyr, Петар Теодоровић; 1771–1831), known as Petar Dobrnjac (Петар Добрњац) was a Serbian Vojvoda in the First Serbian Uprising. He was born in the Požarevac nahija, in the village of Dobrnje, ...

, Paulj was elevated to ''vojvoda'' (general) in the Gornja Mlava region upon showing his courage. He took part in the successful campaigns in the eastern parts of the

Belgrade Pashaluk 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 ...

, and the campaign to take

Niš Niš (; sr-Cyrl, Ниш, ; names of European cities in different languages (M–P)#N, names in other languages), less often spelled in English as Nish, is the list of cities in Serbia, third largest city in Serbia and the administrative cente ...

(1809).

Life

He was born in the village of Melnica, at that time part of the

Požarevac Požarevac ( sr-cyr, Пожаревац, ) is a list of cities in Serbia, city and the administrative centre of the Braničevo District in eastern Serbia. It is located between three rivers: Danube, Great Morava and Mlava and below the hill Čač ...

nahiya A nāḥiyah ( , plural ''nawāḥī'' ), also nahiyeh, nahiya or nahia, is a regional or local type of administrative division that usually consists of a number of villages or sometimes smaller towns. In Tajikistan, it is a second-level divisi ...

'' in the

Sanjak of Smederevo The Sanjak of Smederevo (, ), also known in historiography as the Pashalik of Belgrade (, ), was an Ottoman Empire, Ottoman administrative unit (sanjak) centered on Smederevo, that existed between the 15th and the outset of the 19th centuries. It ...

("Belgrade Pashaluk"). He became a ''buljubaša'' (captain) already by the beginning of the uprising, appointed by

. For his courage and other great traits, he was later appointed ''vojvoda'' (general) in Gornja Mlava. Paulj Matejić participated in the victories in the eastern parts of the

that strengthened rebel holding. A rebel army led by commanders Miloje Todorović,

, Ilija Barjaktarović, Paulj Matejić,

Stevan Sinđelić Stevan Sinđelić ( sr-cyr, Стеван Синђелић; 1771 – 19 May 1809) was a Serbian revolutionary commander in Resava, who fought during the First Serbian Uprising (1804–1813) against Ottoman rule. As the commander of the Resa ...

and

Veljko Petrović Veljko Petrović ( sr-cyr, Вељко Петровић, ; c. 1780 – 1813), known simply as Hajduk Veljko (Хајдук Вељко, ǎjduːk v̞ɛ̌ːʎkɔ, was one of the '' vojvodas'' (military commanders) of the Serbian Revolutionary force ...

arrived on 1809 outside

. During preparations for the takeover of Niš, Paulj made a

trench A trench is a type of digging, excavation or depression in the ground that is generally deeper than it is wide (as opposed to a swale (landform), swale or a bar ditch), and narrow compared with its length (as opposed to a simple hole or trapping ...

above the village of Kamenica. The trench, above the church, had two cannons. It was one of eleven or twelve rebel trenches around the city. On , when the Ottomans rushed on the Čegar hill defended by

, and ''vojvoda'' Miloje did not let anybody aid them, Paulj decided against the command and went for Čegar. Paulj did not reach in time; when the Ottomans had surrounded and overtook Sinđelić's trench, he decided to blow up the gunpowder magazine and kill everyone on the hill. Paulj and his small unit were defeated and forced to retreat, as others, to Deligrad. He mostly stayed in Deligrad after this. The

Serbian Ruling Council Revolutionary Serbia (), or Karađorđe's Serbia (), refers to the state established by the Serbian revolutionaries in Ottoman Serbia (Sanjak of Smederevo) after the start of the First Serbian Uprising against the Ottoman Empire in 1804. The Subli ...

appointed Paulj the first permanent commander of Gurgusovac (Knjaževac) after the

Treaty of Bucharest (1812) The Treaty of Bucharest between the Ottoman Empire and the Russian Empire, was signed on 28 May 1812, in Manuc's Inn in Bucharest, and ratified on 5 July 1812, at the end of the Russo-Turkish War of 1806–1812. The Ottomans had done poorly in ...

. In the 1812–13 ''Protocol'' of

Karađorđe Đorđe Petrović (; ; – ), known by the sobriquet Karađorđe (; ), was a Serbian revolutionary leader who led a struggle against the Ottoman Empire during the First Serbian Uprising. He held the title of Grand Vožd of Serbia from 14 ...

, there are ten numbers written for Paulj. In 1813, he fled to the

Habsburg monarchy The Habsburg monarchy, also known as Habsburg Empire, or Habsburg Realm (), was the collection of empires, kingdoms, duchies, counties and other polities (composite monarchy) that were ruled by the House of Habsburg. From the 18th century it is ...

, while the Austrians sent him to stay in

Leoben Leoben () is a Styrian city in central Austria, located on the Mur River, Mur river. With a population in 2023 of about 25,140 it is a local industrial centre and hosts the University of Leoben, which specialises in mining. The Peace of Leoben, ...

for a time. He returned to Serbia in 1815, and died in his home village. He begged for the hand of the daughter of

Momir of Lučica Momir of Lučica ( sr-cyr, Момир из Лучице; 1804–13) was a Serbian Revolutionary commander who participated in the First Serbian Uprising (1804–13). He was born in Lučica, Požarevac, Lučica, at that time part of the Požarevac ...

for his son Budimir, and they married.

Legacy

There is a Serbian cultural association named after him. A statue of his was erected in his home village Melnica in 2004. A water mill in his ownership is today a recognized

cultural monument A national heritage site is a heritage site having a value that has been registered by a governmental agency as being of national importance to the cultural heritage or history of that country. Usually such sites are listed in a heritage registe ...

References

Sources

* * * * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Matejic, Paulj 1770s births 1816 deaths 19th-century Serbian people Serbian revolutionaries People of the First Serbian Uprising People from Petrovac, Serbia Serbian military leaders

Life

Legacy

See also

References

Sources