Radič Petrović ( sr-cyr, Радич Петровић; 1738–1816), known as Captain Radič (''kapetan Radič''), 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 commander (''vojvoda''), earlier a

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 ...

guard and volunteer in the

Austro-Turkish War (1787–91) The term Austro-Turkish War may refer to: * Austro-Turkish War (1593–1606) * Austro-Turkish War (1663–1664) * Austro-Turkish War (1683–1699) * Austro-Turkish War (1716–1718) * Austro-Turkish War (1737–1739) * Austro-Turkish War (178 ...

Early life and Habsburg service

Petrović was born in Siokovac in the

Levač Levač ( sr-Cyrl, Левач) is a historical region in central Serbia. It is located between Juhor mountain on east and Gledićke planine on west.Ostružnica Ostružnica ( sr-cyr, Остружница) is a List of Belgrade neighborhoods, suburban settlement of Belgrade, Serbia, in the municipality of Čukarica. It has a population of 4,218 people (2011). Geography Ostružnica is located on the right b ...

by the

Sava The Sava, is a river in Central Europe, Central and Southeast Europe, a right-bank and the longest tributary of the Danube. From its source in Slovenia it flows through Croatia and along its border with Bosnia and Herzegovina, and finally reac ...

. Many Serbs fled across the

Danube The Danube ( ; see also #Names and etymology, other names) is the List of rivers of Europe#Longest rivers, second-longest river in Europe, after the Volga in Russia. It flows through Central and Southeastern Europe, from the Black Forest sou ...

and

into the

of 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 ...

after increased Ottoman oppression. Petrović and his family moved to

Syrmia Syrmia (Ekavian sh-Latn-Cyrl, Srem, Срем, separator=" / " or Ijekavian sh-Latn-Cyrl, Srijem, Сријем, label=none, separator=" / ") is a region of the southern Pannonian Plain, which lies between the Danube and Sava rivers. It is div ...

, and he entered Habsburg service, becoming a border guard. With the outbreak of the

, he joined the

Serbian Free Corps The Serbian Free Corps (), known simply as ''frajkori'' ( sr-cyr, фрајкори), was a volunteer militia composed of ethnic Serbs, established by the Habsburg monarchy, to fight the Ottoman Empire during the Austro-Turkish War (1787–1791). T ...

, a Serb volunteer unit fighting the Ottomans in central Serbia, consequently occupied by the Habsburgs (1788–92). For his operation, managing to open the Belgrade Fortress Gates, he was awarded the rank of captain. For his service during the war, he was awarded

knighthood A knight is a person granted an honorary title of a knighthood by a head of state (including the pope) or representative for service to the monarch, the church, or the country, especially in a military capacity. The concept of a knighthood ...

by Leopold II in 1792. He also served as a volunteer fighting the French. He used his military experience to train Serb rebels 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). The leader of the uprising, Karađorđe, who had fought in Petrović's volunteer unit, viewed him as his foster father.

Serbian Revolution

Petrović returned to Serbia (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 ...

) in 1804 after the outbreak of the uprising. He distinguished himself throughout the uprising through military skills and prowess. After the liberation of Karanovac (now

Kraljevo Kraljevo ( sr-Cyrl, Краљево, ) is a List of cities in Serbia, city and the administrative center of the Raška District in central Serbia. It is situated on the confluence of West Morava and Ibar River, Ibar, in the geographical region of ...

) in 1805, Karađorđe appointed him ''vojvoda'' (general). In March 1806, Ottoman commander Suleiman Pasha defeated the Serbian rebel band of Radič Petrović near the Studenica Monastery. He was seriously wounded during the

Siege of Belgrade (1806) A siege () . is a military blockade of a city, or fortress, with the intent of conquering by attrition, or by well-prepared assault. Siege warfare (also called siegecrafts or poliorcetics) is a form of constant, low-intensity conflict characte ...

, and became permanently hunched. After recovering, he stayed in Belgrade, and in 1808 became a

magistrate The term magistrate is used in a variety of systems of governments and laws to refer to a civilian officer who administers the law. In ancient Rome, a '' magistratus'' was one of the highest ranking government officers, and possessed both judi ...

. In the following years he took part in the fortification and defence of

Ćuprija Ćuprija (Serbian Cyrillic: Ћуприја, ) is a town and municipality located in the Pomoravlje District of central Serbia. The population of the town is 16,522, while the municipality has 25,325 inhabitants (2022 census). History The Romans ...

. After the Ottoman suppression of the uprising in 1813, he lived in Syrmia under very modest conditions. After the outbreak of the

Second Serbian Uprising The Second Serbian Uprising ( / ''Drugi srpski ustanak'', ) was the second phase of the Serbian Revolution against the Ottoman Empire, which erupted shortly after the re-annexation of the country to the Ottoman Empire in 1813. The occupation was ...

(1815), Radič Petrović returned to Serbia in 1816. His return was not seen positively by

Miloš Obrenović Miloš Obrenović (; ; 18 March 1780 or 1783 – 26 September 1860) born Miloš Teodorović (; ), also known as Miloš the Great () was the Prince of Serbia twice, from 1815 to 1839, and from 1858 to 1860. He was an eminent figure of the Firs ...

, the new Serbian leader, due to Petrović's close ties to Karađorđe (now exiled) and the fear of mutiny against Obrenović. He was quickly captured and killed along with

Petar Nikolajević Moler Petar Nikolajević Moler (1775 – 1816) was a Serbian politician and revolutionary who served as prime minister of Serbia from 1815 to 1816. He participated in both the first and second uprising. Biography Petar Nikolajević was born in 1775. ...

by the Ottomans, at close to 80 years of age.

Personal life

Petrović was regarded a great patriot and hero. He was physically strong and tall, described as very courageous, and was wounded several times in battles, allegedly having 30 wounds. He married three times, and from the first marriage he had two sons, and from the third, a daughter.

Legacy

In the Serbian historical drama TV series ''

Vuk Karadžić Vuk Stefanović Karadžić ( sr-Cyrl, Вук Стефановић Караџић, ; 6 November 1787 (26 October OS)7 February 1864) was a Serbian philologist, anthropologist and linguist. He was one of the most important reformers of the moder ...

'' (1987), Radič Petrović was played by

Milan Srdoč Milan ( , , ; ) is a city in northern Italy, regional capital of Lombardy, the largest city in Italy by urban area and the second-most-populous city proper in Italy after Rome. The city proper has a population of nearly 1.4 million, while i ...

References

Sources