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Stojan Čupić (, sr-cyr, Стојан Чупић; ca. 1765 – 1815) was a Serbian revolutionary general (''vojvoda''), one of the most important commanders of 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 ...
. He was active in the
Mačva Mačva ( sr-Cyrl, Мачва, ; ) is a geographical and historical region in the northwest of Central Serbia, on a fertile plain between the Sava (river), Sava and Drina rivers. The chief town is Šabac. The modern Mačva District of Serbia is nam ...
region. __NOTOC__


Early life

Born in
Piva Piva may refer to: Locations * Piva (Drina), a river in Montenegro and Bosnia and Herzegovina * Piva, Montenegro, a region in Montenegro and tribe * Lake Piva, a reservoir in Montenegro * Piva River, Bougainville, Papua New Guinea * Piva Trail ...
, in the
Sanjak of Herzegovina The Sanjak of Herzegovina (; ) was an Ottoman administrative unit established in 1470. The seat was in Foča until 1572 when it was moved to Taşlıca (Pljevlja). The sanjak was initially part of the Eyalet of Rumelia but was administrated int ...
(now in
Montenegro , image_flag = Flag of Montenegro.svg , image_coat = Coat of arms of Montenegro.svg , coa_size = 80 , national_motto = , national_anthem = () , image_map = Europe-Mont ...
), his original surname was Dobrilović (Добриловић). He was brought up in Salaš Crnobarski (at that time known as Ali-Agin Salaš) in
Mačva Mačva ( sr-Cyrl, Мачва, ; ) is a geographical and historical region in the northwest of Central Serbia, on a fertile plain between the Sava (river), Sava and Drina rivers. The chief town is Šabac. The modern Mačva District of Serbia is nam ...
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 ...
(now in
Serbia , image_flag = Flag of Serbia.svg , national_motto = , image_coat = Coat of arms of Serbia.svg , national_anthem = () , image_map = , map_caption = Location of Serbia (gree ...
), where he was schooled. He lived with his grandfather, Todor "Toda", his parents being dead. His grandfather was a chieftain in his home village, but moved for an unknown reason to Serbia, leaving his sons back home. The sons died, so Stojan and his three older sisters went to live with grandfather Toda. Strahinja Čupić, a rich man without children from
Salaš Noćajski Salaš Noćajski () (Салаш Ноћајски) is a village in Serbia, near more known village Noćaj. It is located in the Sremska Mitrovica municipality, in the Srem District, Vojvodina province. The village has a Serb ethnic majority and i ...
, adopted Stojan when he was a boy, and brought him up "as though he was of his own blood". His adoptive father found a girl for him, and he married, so that he could inherit. Stojan worked in trade.


Career

Stojan Čupić first met
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 ...
, a pig trader and Austrian veteran, somewhere in the
Valjevo Valjevo (Serbian Cyrillic: Ваљево, ) is a List of cities in Serbia, city and the administrative center of the Kolubara District in western Serbia. According to the 2022 census, the city itself has a population of 56,145 while the city admini ...
'' nahija'' in 1804. In 1805, Stojan began assembling his own band (among whom were
Zeka Buljubaša Jovan Gligorijević ( sr-cyr, Јован Глигоријевић, 1785–1813), known as Zeka Buljubaša (Зека Буљубаша), was a Serbian revolutionary captain ('' buljubaša'') and nobleman active during the First Serbian Uprising. ...
), which closed off roads in Mačva by the
Drina The Drina ( sr-Cyrl, Дрина, ) is a long river in the Balkans, which forms a large portion of the border between Bosnia and Herzegovina and Serbia. It is the longest tributary of the Sava River and the longest karst river in the Dinaric Al ...
river, and dug trenches from Zasavica to 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 ...
– from where he attacked Turks crossing the Drina. He quickly became a local hero, feared by the Turks. At the end of July 1806, the Vizier with 45,000 soldiers dispatched from
Šabac Šabac ( sr-Cyrl, Шабац, ) is a List of cities in Serbia, city and the administrative centre of the Mačva District in western Serbia. The traditional centre of the fertile Mačva region, Šabac is located on the right banks of the river ...
heading for
Belgrade 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 ...
. At the same time, Karađorđe had left the Morava with 8–9,000 soldiers and awaited the Ottoman forces on the field of Mišar. The Serb rebels destroyed the Ottomans in the battle; the decimated Ottoman troops were forced to retreat to Šabac, from where they would leave for Bosnia. Čupić, who participated in the battle, hurried to Mačva to intercept the fleeing Ottoman troops; near Drenovac he cut down acclaimed Mula of Sarajevo. Along with
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 ...
and other notable commanders, he participated in the bloody Battle of Loznica (1810), which left many Turks dead. He was wounded during the battle, but still managed to save Cincar-Janko's life, about to be slain by an armored Turk soldier. At the beginning of September 1813, the Serbian rebels were defeated at Ravnje, by a strong Ottoman force commanded by French officers. The rebels were forced to retreat; Čupić swam over the Zasavica and arrived at Šabac, where he together with his
blood brother Blood brother can refer to two or more people not related by birth who have sworn loyalty to each other. This is in modern times usually done in a ceremony, known as a blood oath, where each person makes a small cut, usually on a finger, han ...
, '' vojvode''
Luka Lazarević Luka Lazarević ( sr-cyr, Лука Лазаревић; 1774–1852), known as Pop-Luka (), was a Serbian Orthodox priest and ''vojvoda'' (commander) that participated in the First Serbian Uprising (1804–13) of the Serbian Revolution against the ...
, started organizing the defense of the city. When the Ottomans assembled a very large force outside the city, the rebel soldiers run asunder, leaving the commanders, who concluded that it was impossible to defend the city. Luka Lazarević sent his family 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 ...
, while he, Čupić, and their men descended the Sava to Zabrežje, from where they crossed the Sava into Austrian territory (
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 ...
), in order to save their lives. As other commanders, he found refuge in
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 ...
. However, after a short period of time, he returned to Mačva, staying in the forests. There are several stories about his death: *Ahead 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), Čupić had returned to Serbia and raised the people against the Turks; according to Konstantin Nenadović he came into conflict with
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 ...
, another '' vojvode''; Obrenović ordered that he be betrayed to the Turks, who then murdered him. *According to Milan Milićević, he met with Obrenović, who then had him sent to rise up Mačva. Some
serfs 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 dur ...
and others in Mačva (listed by Milićević) were not ready to break the peace, thus conspired against Čupić, whom they thought was the only one planning to raise a rebellion. They contacted the Turks in Bosnia and promised his head. Marashli Ali Pasha and his men waited in ambush at the given place, where the serfs took him, having told him that they would meet up with an ammunition dealer who he knew. He was taken to Vizier Rushid Pasha, where he was nicely received, then sent to
Zvornik Zvornik ( sr-cyrl, Зворник, ) is a city in Republika Srpska, Bosnia and Herzegovina. In 2013, it had a population of 58,856 inhabitants. Zvornik is located on the Drina River, on the eastern slopes of Majevica mountain, at the altitude of ...
. There, he was thrown into jail bound in cuffs. He died after a month. A Dimitrije Nogić learned of the conspiracy and killed several of the serfs.


Aftermath

Obrenović became the supreme leader of the Second Serbian Uprising. Čupić left a son, Toma, and two daughters, Vasilija and Tomanija "Toka", after him. His son had seven children, all of whom died before him. The daughters married in Šabac. According to Konstantin Nenadović, contemporary authors, such as
Moler Moler, previously called Snuff, are an Australian Indie power pop band which formed in 1993 as a three-piece with founding mainstays Helen Cattanach on bass guitar and lead vocals and Julien Poulson on lead guitar. They had a changing line-up ...
, Radič and Cukić, tried to hide the truth about Čupić's death, and fabricated a story that Čupić had turned himself over to the Turks.


Character

Čupić was tall, with a slender waist, wide shoulders, mid-boned, and had strong muscles and long fingers. He had a long face, and a large brown moustache. At the time of his death he was about 50 years old, without
gray hair Greying of hair, also known as greying, canities, or achromotrichia, is the progressive loss of pigmentation in the hair, eventually turning the hair grey or white which typically occurs naturally as people age. Terminology Greying of hair is ...
. He was very talkative, and held long speeches on many assemblies in Belgrade. He was just in trials, and a friend of the poor. He wore armour and a steel helmet. He rode the best horses, his favourite being a dark
bay horse Bay is a hair coat color of horses, characterized by a reddish-brown or brown body color with a black point coloration on the mane, tail, ear edges, and lower legs. Bay is one of the most common coat colors in many horse breeds. The black a ...
called "Pejza" (who is also the theme of a poem). He was described as usually quick, both in thinking and execution, and undeniably heroic.


Legacy

Stojan Čupić distinguished himself at the battles of Mišar (1806); Glavica in Bosnia, where he also saved Cincar-Janko's life; Klenje;
Bajina Bašta Bajina Bašta ( sr-Cyrl, Бајина Башта, ) is a town and municipality located in the Zlatibor District of western Serbia. The town lies in the valley of the Drina river at the eastern edge of Tara National Park. According to the 2022 ce ...
, when he also dueled ''beg'' Zulumbić in Bosnia; and Crnobarski Salaš, about which
Filip Višnjić Filip Višnjić ( sr-Cyrl, Филип Вишњић, ; 1767–1834) was a Serbian epic poet and '' guslar''. His repertoire included 13 original epic poems chronicling the First Serbian Uprising against the Ottoman Empire and four reinterpret ...
authored a poem. He was dubbed "the Dragon of Noćaj" (Zmaj od Noćaja; ) in the
epic poetry In poetry, an epic is a lengthy narrative poem typically about the extraordinary deeds of extraordinary characters who, in dealings with gods or other superhuman forces, gave shape to the mortal universe for their descendants. With regard t ...
due to his quick-thinking and heroism. A statue has been erected in his honour in front of the church in
Salaš Noćajski Salaš Noćajski () (Салаш Ноћајски) is a village in Serbia, near more known village Noćaj. It is located in the Sremska Mitrovica municipality, in the Srem District, Vojvodina province. The village has a Serb ethnic majority and i ...
. There are several streets named after him, such as in Belgrade, Niš, and others. An annual cultural festival named after him is held at Salaš Noćajski. A relative of his has planned to recreate the church he founded in 1811 in the village (2009). His clothing and weapons are at display in the Museum in Šabac. One of his few remaining descendants is Matija Čupić.


See also

*
List of Serbian Revolutionaries This is a list of Serbian Revolutionaries, participants in the Serbian Revolution (1804–1817). See also * Serbian revolutionary organizations References Sources

* * * * * * {{Serbian revolutionaries People of the Serbian Revol ...


References


Sources

* * * * *


External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Cupic, Stojan 1760s births 1815 deaths People from Sremska Mitrovica Serbs of Vojvodina Serbs of Montenegro 18th-century Serbian people 19th-century Serbian people People of the First Serbian Uprising Serbian military leaders Serbian revolutionaries Hajduks Burials at Serbian Orthodox monasteries and churches