Vasilije "Vasa" Popović (1775–1832) was a Serbian revolutionary. He became known as the "People's Prince" after 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 ...

as the most reliable and most important informant of Prince

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 prince addressed him as "brother".

Early life

Popović was the brother of Princess Ljubica's uncle.

Career

Obrenović appointed him the chief prince of the Požega

nahiye 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 1819, despite his lack of war experience. Prince Vasa was an actor and creator of spy and diplomatic missions, a transmitter of dispatches and oral messages. He headed a group of Serbian spies in other countries. However, his significance and merit for the liberation of Serbia remained a secret; the truth about his fate and role emerged only before the 200th anniversary of the

. Aleksandar Marušić, "In the lists of champions of Miloš Obrenović's uprising from 1815, Vasa Popović is first mentioned as the scribe of master Jovan Obrenović (1786-1850) who was a brother of Miloš Obrenović, Master, Divisional General, and a Commander of Morava and Podrinje military district". Then he became one of Miloš Obrenović's three secret advisers. The uprising lasted only a few months. Diplomatic struggles, negotiations and agreements followed, first with the Turkish Marashli Ali Pasha and "Furthermore, all the way to the employees and emissaries of the then superpowers. The prince needed the most capable and loyal people for all that, and they, in addition to that diplomatic and intelligence activity, represented and exercised judicial and military power on his behalf in the domestic political field". Marušić wrote several books on the Obrenović dynasty. He explained that the painting ''Takovo Uprising'' shows Popović's character. Folklore claims that Vasa and Miloš had ups and downs. He wrote letters to the prince in which he says that he served with both Obrenović rulers and knows "what kind of people they are". Unlike some Serbs who were Turkophiles or Austrophiles, he was among the majority leaning towards

Imperial Russia Imperial is that which relates to an empire, emperor/empress, or imperialism. Imperial or The Imperial may also refer to: Places United States * Imperial, California * Imperial, Missouri * Imperial, Nebraska * Imperial, Pennsylvania * ...

. He recruited merchants, travellers, ordinary people and priests as agents. He used a cane as a tool, now kept in the museum in Takovo. It is a two-part walking stick, with a built-in

dagger A dagger is a fighting knife with a very sharp point and usually one or two sharp edges, typically designed or capable of being used as a cutting or stabbing, thrusting weapon.State v. Martin, 633 S.W.2d 80 (Mo. 1982): This is the dictionary or ...

. The lower part is a narrow cylinder in which Vasa carried confidential dispatches. Popović corresponded with language reformer

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 ...

Legacy

He died on 17 January 1832 in

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 ...

under mysterious circumstances , according to Milan Milićević in ''Pomenik znameniti ljudi u srpskoga naroda novijega doba''. He was buried in the gate of the Belgrade church so that his remains could be transferred to Brezna near the church of which he was the founder. Vuk Karadžić openly blamed Miloš Obrenović for Vasa's death.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Popovic, Vasilije Serbian revolutionaries 1775 births 1832 deaths