Vujica Vulićević also known as Vule Vulićević ( sr-cyr, Вујица Вулићевић; c. 1773–1828) was a Serbian ''voivode'' (military commander) 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 ...

of the

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 ...

, led by ''Grand Leader''

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 ...

against the

Ottoman Empire The Ottoman Empire (), also called the Turkish Empire, was an empire, imperial realm that controlled much of Southeast Europe, West Asia, and North Africa from the 14th to early 20th centuries; it also controlled parts of southeastern Centr ...

. He held the rank of ''Obor-knez''. He was also the '' kum'' (godfather) of Karađorđe, but betrayed him on behalf of

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 rival prince.

Life

Personal

Vujica was born in the village of

Azanja Azanja (Serbian Cyrillic: Азања) is a village in Central Serbia, in the municipality of Smederevska Palanka. It lies in the region of Great Morava valley, on rivers of Jezava and Jasenica. Azanja is 160 meters above mean sea level. With ...

, in

Smederevska Palanka Smederevska Palanka ( sr-cyr, Смедеревска Паланка, ) is a town and municipality located in the Podunavlje District and the geographical region of Šumadija. According to the 2022 census, the town has 20,345 while the municipality ...

, then part of 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 ...

, an Ottoman province covering central Serbia. His eldest brother was ''voivode'' Đuša Vulićević, the district holder of Smederevo. His son,

Petar Petar (, sr-Cyrl, Петар) is a South Slavic masculine given name, their variant of the Biblical name Petros cognate to Peter. Derivative forms include Pero, Pejo, Pera, Perica, Petrica, Periša. Feminine equivalent is Petra. People ...

, was married to the sister of

Ljubica Vukomanović Ljubica Vukomanović ( sr-cyr, Љубица Вукомановић; September 1788 – 26 May 1843) was Princess consort of the Principality of Serbia as the wife of Miloš Obrenović, Prince of Serbia, and the founder of the Obrenović dyn ...

, the wife of

Revolution

He was part of the

since the start. Among his subordinates, was Djordje Zagla. In December 1806, ''voivodes'' Vujica,

Mladen Milovanović Mladen Milovanović ( sr-cyrl, Младен Миловановић; – 1823) was a Serbian merchant and politician who served as the prime minister of Serbia from 1807 to 1810. A notable voivode during the First Serbian Uprising, he briefly se ...

and Stanoje Glavas commanded an army of 18,000 soldiers to defend at the

Battle of Deligrad The Battle of Deligrad was fought between Serbian revolutionaries and an army of the Ottoman Empire, and took place in 3 September 1806 during the First Serbian Uprising. A 55,000-strong Ottoman army commanded by Albanian Pasha of Scutari Ibrahim ...

. The fight ended in Serbian victory, with

Ibrahim Bushati Ibrahim Bushati or Ibrahim Bushat Pasha (; died 1810) was a noble of the Bushati family in Ottoman controlled Albania near the city of Shkodër. Brother of Kara Mahmud Bushati, the Ottoman appointed governor of Shkodër, Albania. During his ru ...

, pasha of

Shkodër Shkodër ( , ; sq-definite, Shkodra; historically known as Scodra or Scutari) is the List of cities and towns in Albania, fifth-most-populous city of Albania and the seat of Shkodër County and Shkodër Municipality. Shkodër has been List of o ...

, signing a 6-week truce. Together with ''voivode''

Čolak-Anta Simeonović Čolak-Anta Simeonović (Serbian Cyrillic: Чолак-Анта Симеоновић; 1777–1853) was a Serbian military commander and revolutionary leader who played a significant role in the First Serbian Uprising (1804–1813), the initial ph ...

, he led Karađorđe's offensive from

Nikšić Nikšić (Cyrillic script, Cyrillic: Никшић, ), is the second largest city in Montenegro, with a total population of 32,046 (2023 census) located in the west of the country, in the centre of the spacious Nikšić field at the foot of Trebjesa ...

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 ...

in May 1809. After the murder of his brother Đuša, Vujica becomes ''

Obor-knez ''Ober-knez'' ( sr-Cyrl, обер-кнез) was a title borne by elected local native Serbs, Serbian chiefs (''Knyaz'') of the ''Nahiye (Ottoman), nahiyah'' (district of a group of villages) in the Sanjak of Smederevo (also known as the Pashalik ...

'', or holder of the Smederevo district. He was sent by Miloš with Prota Mateja to negotiate with

Marashli Pasha Marashli Ali Pasha (, ) was an Ottoman governor, serving as the Vizier of Belgrade (Sanjak of Smederevo) in ca. 1815. He was from the city of Marash and he succeeded the previous Ottoman governor Sulejman-paša Skopljak Sulejman Pasha Skopljak ...

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 ...

The murder of Karađorđe

In 1812, threatened by Napoleon's French Empire, Russia had to quickly sign a peace treaty with the Ottomans. In 1813, the Ottoman Empire launched a big assault on Serbia taking land all up to the rivers Morava and the river Drina, and Karađorđe, along with other rebel leaders, fled to the Austrian Empire on 21 September 1813. After some time, Karađorđe emigrated to

Bessarabia Bessarabia () is a historical region in Eastern Europe, bounded by the Dniester river on the east and the Prut river on the west. About two thirds of Bessarabia lies within modern-day Moldova, with the Budjak region covering the southern coa ...

, where he joined the

Greek Greek may refer to: Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Southern Europe: *Greeks, an ethnic group *Greek language, a branch of the Indo-European language family **Proto-Greek language, the assumed last common ancestor of all kno ...

national liberation movement

Filiki Eteria Filiki Eteria () or Society of Friends () was a secret political and revolutionary organization founded in 1814 in Odesa, Odessa, whose purpose was to overthrow Ottoman Empire, Ottoman rule in Ottoman Greece, Greece and establish an Independenc ...

, where he became an active member.History of the Balkans: Eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, p. 207 The Greeks were primarily interested in using the Serbian lands as base of the Greek operations.History of the Balkans: Eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, p. 240 Miloš Obrenović was fully uncooperative. On 25 July 1817, in the Radovanjski Lug forest, within reach of

Velika Plana Velika Plana ( sr-Cyrl, Велика Плана, pronounced ) is a town and municipality located in the Podunavlje District of Serbia. As of 2022, the town has 14,609 inhabitants, while the municipality has 35,451. Velika Plana lies on the left b ...

, Miloš Obrenović had Karađorđe killed, and although Vujica was his godfather, he helped in the arrangement and betrayed his godson.The poetics of Slavdom: the mythopoeic foundations of Yugoslavia, Volume 2, p. 488 There also exist stories that Vujica himself killed Karađorđe, when he slept in his cabin, as a guest. Miloš had his head sent to the Sultan. In a sign of regret, he founded the Pokajnica Monastery (''

Repentance Repentance is reviewing one's actions and feeling contrition or regret for past or present wrongdoings, which is accompanied by commitment to and actual actions that show and prove a change for the better. In modern times, it is generally seen ...

'') wooden-church in 1818.Fodor's Yugoslavia, p. 283

Later years

In 1821, he is appointed diplomat and sent to

Constantinople Constantinople (#Names of Constantinople, see other names) was a historical city located on the Bosporus that served as the capital of the Roman Empire, Roman, Byzantine Empire, Byzantine, Latin Empire, Latin, and Ottoman Empire, Ottoman empire ...

(now

Istanbul Istanbul is the List of largest cities and towns in Turkey, largest city in Turkey, constituting the country's economic, cultural, and historical heart. With Demographics of Istanbul, a population over , it is home to 18% of the Demographics ...

). In 1827, he returns to Serbia. He was given an Ottoman

Kilij A kilij (from Turkish language, Turkish ''kılıç'', literally "sword") is a type of one-handed, single-edged and curved scimitar used by the Seljuk dynasty, Seljuk Empire, Timurid Empire, Mamluk Empire, Ottoman Empire, and other Turkic khanat ...

for his service.

References

Bibliography

* Matica Srpska
''Biografija''
* Stojan V. Živadinović, ''Vujica Vulićević'', 1933 * Nebojša Damnjanović, Vladimir Merenik, ''The first Serbian uprising and the restoration of the Serbian state'', Historical Museum of Serbia, Gallery of the Serbian Academy of Science and Arts, 2004 {{DEFAULTSORT:Vulicevic, Vujica 1770s births 1828 deaths People from the Ottoman Empire People from Smederevska Palanka People of the First Serbian Uprising Serbian revolutionaries 18th-century Serbian nobility 19th-century Serbian nobility Burials at Serbian Orthodox monasteries and churches