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

Serbian Revolution The Serbian Revolution ( sr, Српска револуција / ''Srpska revolucija'') was a national uprising and constitutional change in Serbia that took place between 1804 and 1835, during which this territory evolved from an Ottoman pro ...

ary commander (''vojvoda''), earlier a

Military Frontier The Military Frontier (german: Militärgrenze, sh-Latn, Vojna krajina/Vojna granica, Војна крајина/Војна граница; hu, Katonai határőrvidék; ro, Graniță militară) was a borderland of the Habsburg monarchy and ...

guard and volunteer in the Austro-Turkish War (1787–91).

Early life and Habsburg service

Petrović was born in

Siokovac Siokovac is a village in the municipality of Jagodina, Serbia. According to the 2002 census, the village has a population of 381 people.Popis stanovništva, domaćinstava i Stanova 2002. Knjiga 1: Nacionalna ili etnička pripadnost po naseljima. ...

in the Levač region, and moved to

Ostružnica Ostružnica ( sr-cyr, Остружница) is a 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 bank of the Sava river, at the m ...

by the

Sava The Sava (; , ; sr-cyr, Сава, hu, Száva) is a river in Central and Southeast Europe, a right-bank and the longest tributary of the Danube. It flows through Slovenia, Croatia and along its border with Bosnia and Herzegovina, and finally t ...

. Many Serbs fled across the

Danube The Danube ( ; ) is a river that was once a long-standing frontier of the Roman Empire and today connects 10 European countries, running through their territories or being a border. Originating in Germany, the Danube flows southeast for , ...

and

into the

of the Habsburg monarchy after increased Ottoman oppression. Petrović and his family moved to

Syrmia Syrmia ( sh, Srem/Срем or sh, Srijem/Сријем, label=none) is a region of the southern Pannonian Plain, which lies between the Danube and Sava rivers. It is divided between Serbia and Croatia. Most of the region is flat, with the ex ...

, and he entered Habsburg service, becoming a border guard. With the outbreak of the Austro-Turkish War (1787–91), he joined the Serbian Free Corps, 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 knighthood by a head of state (including the Pope) or representative for service to the monarch, the Christian denomination, church or the country, especially in a military capacity. 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, Prvi srpski ustanak, italics=yes, sr-Cyrl, Први српски устанак; tr, Birinci Sırp Ayaklanması) was an uprising of Serbs in the Sanjak of Smederevo against the Ottoman Empire from 14 February 1 ...

(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) 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-cyr, Краљево, ) is a city and the administrative center of the Raška District in central Serbia. It is situated on the confluence of West Morava and Ibar, in the geographical region of Šumadija, between the mountains 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), 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 judici ...

. In the following years he took part in the fortification and defence of Ćuprija. 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 ( sr, Други српски устанак / ''Drugi srpski ustanak'', tr, İkinci Sırp Ayaklanması) was the second phase of the Serbian Revolution against the Ottoman Empire, which erupted shortly after the re ...

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

Miloš Obrenović Miloš, Milos, Miłosz or spelling variations thereof is a masculine given name and a surname. It may refer to: Given name Sportsmen * Miłosz Bernatajtys, Polish rower * Miloš Bogunović, Serbian footballer * Miloš Budaković, Serbian fo ...

, 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 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 mode ...

'' (1987), Radič Petrović was played by Milan Srdoč.

References

Sources