Jovan Gligorijević ( sr-cyr, Јован Глигоријевић, 1785–1813), known as Zeka Buljubaša (Зека Буљубаша), was a Serbian revolutionary captain ('' buljubaša'') and

nobleman Nobility is a social class found in many societies that have an aristocracy. It is normally appointed by and ranked immediately below royalty. Nobility has often been an estate of the realm with many exclusive functions and characteristics. T ...

active during 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 ...

Early life

Jovan Gligorijević was born in 1785, in

Sjenica Sjenica ( sr-cyr, Сјеница, ) is a town and municipality located in the Zlatibor District of southwestern Serbia, on the vast Sjenica- Pešter plateau and geographically located in the central part of Sandžak. The population of the municip ...

. His family hailed from

Nevesinje Nevesinje ( sr-cyrl, Невесиње) is a town and municipality in Republika Srpska, Bosnia and Herzegovina. As of 2013, the town has a population of 5,162 inhabitants, while the municipality has 12,961 inhabitants. Geography The municipality o ...

. He was brought up working for Serb and Turkish merchants, from where he learnt to ride horses, use weapons, and the Turkish language. He went to school in a monastery. His parents called him ''zeka'' (rabbit) due to his green eyes. Zeka came to 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 ...

due to the outbreak of the

. Prior to the uprising, he lived in

Višegrad Višegrad ( sr-cyrl, Вишеград, ) is a town and municipality in Republika Srpska, Bosnia and Herzegovina. It rests at the confluence of the Drina and the Rzav (Drina), Rzav river. As of 2013, the municipality has a population of 10,668 in ...

. A story goes that he left his home village after falling out with his close friend, a Turk from

, after telling him about murdering a Turk man who was about to rape a Serb widow, his neighbour; the friend told Zeka that his Islamic faith could not look over this, and suggested a gun

duel A duel is an arranged engagement in combat between two people with matched weapons. During the 17th and 18th centuries (and earlier), duels were mostly single combats fought with swords (the rapier and later the small sword), but beginning in ...

; Zeka shot him in the shoulder and immediately left his home for Višegrad. He was not yet 20 years old at that time.

Career

At first, Zeka served in the company of ''Duke'' Stojan Čupić 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 ...

, then served as border protection 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 ...

(towards the

Bosnia Eyalet The Eyalet of Bosnia (; By Gábor Ágoston, Bruce Alan Masters ; ), was an eyalet (administrative division, also known as a ''beylerbeylik'') of the Ottoman Empire, mostly based on the territory of the present-day state of Bosnia and Herzegovina. ...

). He was usually posted in Pakašnica near Crna Bara. Zeka formed a company of 50–200 men, called the ''Goli Sinovi'' ("Naked Sons", a term for people without wives and children), or ''Golaći''. Although implying poverty, the soldiers were later richly dressed and armed. Zeka and his company also participated in great battles, such as Lešnica and

Loznica Loznica ( sr-cyrl, Лозница, ) is a List of cities in Serbia, city located in the Mačva District of western Serbia, on the right bank of the Drina river. In 2022 the city had a total population of 19,515, while the administrative area had a ...

, but especially successfully watched Turkish movements and intercepted troops. After receiving the rank of '' buljubaša/captain'' he became known by the people as "Zeka Buljubaša". He commanded a company of

volunteers Volunteering is an elective and freely chosen act of an individual or group giving their time and labor, often for community service. Many volunteers are specifically trained in the areas they work, such as medicine, education, or emergenc ...

, who were sometimes dressed in

broadcloth Broadcloth is a dense, Plain weave, plain woven textile, cloth, historically made of wool. The defining characteristic of broadcloth is not its finished width but the fact that it was woven much wider (typically 50 to 75% wider than its finish ...

, though armed with the most beautiful weapons. In 1813, he commanded a brigade (800–1000 soldiers) in the last battle of First Serbian Uprising, Battle of Ravanj. When the brigade's ammunition ran out, they rushed the Ottomans with knives and were all killed, near Zasavica.

Legacy

Dušan Baranin wrote two novels on his life, ''Zeko Buljubaša'' (1954) and ''Golaći'' (1966). A football club in Ravnje bears his name. In the novel '' Hajduk Stanko'' by Janko Veselinović, Zeka Buljubaša is one of the main characters. Also, his descendants are Savkić family, named after his brother Savko .

References

Sources

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Zeka Buljubasa 19th-century Serbian people People of the First Serbian Uprising Serbian military leaders Serbian rebels People from Sjenica Serbian military personnel killed in action 1780s births 1813 deaths

Early life

Career

Legacy

See also

References

Sources