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Pavle Nestorović ( sr-cyr, Павле Несторовић), known as Dejak (Дејак) or Deak (Деак), was an
Archduchy of Austria The Archduchy of Austria (; ) was a major Princes of the Holy Roman Empire, principality of the Holy Roman Empire and the nucleus of the Habsburg monarchy. With its capital at Vienna, the archduchy was centered at the Empire's southeastern periph ...
military officer of Serbian ethnicity. He was most notable as commander of the
Serbian Militia The Serbian (Rascian) Militia (; , ) was an auxiliary military unit of the Habsburg Monarchy composed primarily of Serbs. It was active between approximately 1686 and 1704 and operated as part of the Habsburg military structure during the Great ...
during the
Great Turkish War The Great Turkish War () or The Last Crusade, also called in Ottoman sources The Disaster Years (), was a series of conflicts between the Ottoman Empire and the Holy League (1684), Holy League consisting of the Holy Roman Empire, Polish–Lith ...
.


Biography

The Slavic language word ''deak'' () was used by Hungarians to denote those who studied at schools with textbooks. Pavle Nestorović was among them. The Ottomans captured Nestorović and handed him over to their
vassal A vassal or liege subject is a person regarded as having a mutual obligation to a lord or monarch, in the context of the feudal system in medieval Europe. While the subordinate party is called a vassal, the dominant party is called a suzerain ...
Imre Thököly Imre () is a Hungarian masculine first name, which is also in Estonian use, where the corresponding name day is 10 April. It has been suggested that it relates to the name Emeric, Emmerich or Heinrich. Its English equivalents are Emery and He ...
, who put him in prison in Veliki Varadin (modern-day
Oradea Oradea (, , ; ; ) is a city in Romania, located in the Crișana region. It serves as the administrative county seat, seat of Bihor County and an economic, social, and cultural hub in northwestern Romania. The city lies between rolling hills on ...
in Romania). He was ransomed in June 1688. In 1688, after the successful siege of Belgrade, Nestorović was appointed as commander of
Smederevo Smederevo ( sr-Cyrl, Смедерево, ) is a list of cities in Serbia, city and the administrative center of the Podunavlje District in eastern Serbia. It is situated on the right bank of the Danube, about downstream of the Serbian capital, ...
with the rank of
captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader or highest rank officer of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police depa ...
. He had under his command 400 Austrian musketeers and 600 Serbs. He was then appointed as commander of the
Serbian Militia The Serbian (Rascian) Militia (; , ) was an auxiliary military unit of the Habsburg Monarchy composed primarily of Serbs. It was active between approximately 1686 and 1704 and operated as part of the Habsburg military structure during the Great ...
. Count
Đorđe Branković Đorđe Branković ( sr-Cyrl, Ђорђе Бранковић; anglicized as George; also known as Saint Maksim; 1461–1516) was the last male member of the Branković dynasty, and titular Despot of Serbia from 1486 to 1497. The title was grant ...
had no military experience and tried to engage Nestorović to command units of Serbs he would mobilize to join the
Army of the Holy Roman Empire The Army of the Holy Roman Empire (; , ''Reichsheer'', or ''Reichsarmatur''; ) was created in 1422 and came to an end when the Holy Roman Empire was dissolved in 1806 as a result of the Napoleonic Wars. The Army of the Empire was not a standing ...
. Branković may have had the intention to marry Nestorović's sister to establish closer ties with him. From the beginning of 1689, according to instructions from Vienna, Nestorović organized anti-Ottoman uprisings of Serbs in the
sanjak A sanjak or sancak (, , "flag, banner") was an administrative division of the Ottoman Empire. The Ottomans also sometimes called the sanjak a liva (, ) from the name's calque in Arabic and Persian. Banners were a common organization of nomad ...
of Smederovo. He was strongly disappointed because the rebels were not immediately supported by the Habsburg imperial army. The rebels left their homes and fieldwork expecting a quick advance by the army; which, however, continued its invasion into Ottoman Serbia only in July 1689. On 29 August 1689 the Serbian Militia under the command of Dejak as a vanguard unit of the Habsburg army were victorious against a vanguard unit of the Ottoman army during the Battle of Batočina. On 24 September 1689, the Habsburg army captured
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 ...
after defeating the Ottomans at the Battle of Niš. Nestorović and the Serbian unit under his command participated in this battle. When Louis William learned that there were no Ottoman defensive positions on Vinik, he ordered Nestorović to attack it. Nestorović managed to bypass the right wing of the Ottoman forces and with this maneuver won the battle. For this achievement, Nestorović was promoted to the rank of lieutenant. On 4 October 1689 Nestorović was appointed as commander of all units of Serbian Militia in Serbia. Following the plan of the supreme command, the army was then split into two parts. One part under command of Louis William headed toward
Vidin Vidin (, ) is a port city on the southern bank of the Danube in north-western Bulgaria. It is close to the borders with Romania and Serbia, and is also the administrative centre of Vidin Province, as well as of the Metropolitan of Vidin (since ...
, while the remaining part of 3,700 soldiers, under the command of general Piccolomini, went from Niš via
Prokuplje Prokuplje ( sr-Cyrl, Прокупље, ) is a city and the administrative center of the Toplica District in southern Serbia. As of 2022 census, the municipality has a population of 38,054 inhabitants. Prokuplje is one of the Roman sites of Serb ...
to Kosovo Vilayet in the middle of October 1689. The bulk of his soldiers were 3,400 members of the Serbian Militia under the command of
Antonije Znorić Antonije Znorić ( sr-cyr, Антоније Знорић; 1689 – September 21, 1695) was a military officer (colonel) of the Habsburg army and the commander of the Serbian Militia during the Great Turkish War. Early life He was born in Vnoro ...
who was appointed as assistant of Nestorović. In 1695 Nestorović attacked Ottoman-held Temišvar, but without success. In 1697 Nestorović successfully fought against
Imre Thököly Imre () is a Hungarian masculine first name, which is also in Estonian use, where the corresponding name day is 10 April. It has been suggested that it relates to the name Emeric, Emmerich or Heinrich. Its English equivalents are Emery and He ...
near
Tokaj Tokaj () is a historical town in Borsod-Abaúj-Zemplén county, Northern Hungary, 54 kilometers from county capital Miskolc. It is the centre of the Tokaj-Hegyalja wine district where Tokaji wine is produced. History The wine-growing area ...
. In 1699, after the Treaty of Karlovac, the Serb regiment under command of Nestorović was disbanded and he was appointed as Oberstarzt () of
Titel Titel ( sr-Cyrl, Тител, ) is a town and municipality located in the South Bačka District of the province of Vojvodina, Serbia. The town of Titel has a population of 4,522, while the population of the municipality of Titel is 13,984 (2022 ...
.


Commanders

*
Antonije Znorić Antonije Znorić ( sr-cyr, Антоније Знорић; 1689 – September 21, 1695) was a military officer (colonel) of the Habsburg army and the commander of the Serbian Militia during the Great Turkish War. Early life He was born in Vnoro ...
*
Jovan Monasterlija Jovan Monasterlija ( sr-cyr, Јован Монастерлија; fl. 1683–1706) was a Serbian ''vice-voivode'' (podvojvoda) and Austrian (Holy Roman Empire) imperial officer that led a Serbian Militia against the Ottoman Empire and other enemie ...
Komoranac *
Subota Jović Subota Jović () was late 17th century Habsburg military officer of Serbian origin. In September 1691 units of Serbian Militia from Transylvania commanded by Subota Jović captured Arad. Because Subota Jović distinguished himself during this capt ...
*
Pera Segedinac Petar Jovanović (, , 1655 – 4 April 1736), known as Pera Segedinac (, ), was a Habsburg Serb military officer, a captain in Pomorišje. He led a Serb revolt in 1735. What is known about him is that he was a retired officer in the Serbian Mil ...
* Novak Petrović * Pane Božić * Stefan Prodan Šteta


See also

*
Serbian Militia The Serbian (Rascian) Militia (; , ) was an auxiliary military unit of the Habsburg Monarchy composed primarily of Serbs. It was active between approximately 1686 and 1704 and operated as part of the Habsburg military structure during the Great ...
*
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 ...
*
Military Frontier The Military Frontier (; sh-Cyrl-Latn, Војна крајина, Vojna krajina, sh-Cyrl-Latn, Војна граница, Vojna granica, label=none; ; ) was a borderland of the Habsburg monarchy and later the Austrian and Austro-Hungari ...


References


Sources

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Nestorovic, Pavle 17th-century Serbian nobility Habsburg Serbs Serbian military leaders Serbian Militia 17th-century Austrian people 17th-century soldiers People of the Great Turkish War