Janko Katić ( sr-cyr, Јанко Катић; fl. 1795–1806†) was a Serbian

voivode Voivode ( ), also spelled voivod, voievod or voevod and also known as vaivode ( ), voivoda, vojvoda, vaivada or wojewoda, is a title denoting a military leader or warlord in Central, Southeastern and Eastern Europe in use since the Early Mid ...

and one of the organizers 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 ...

(1804–1813). He participated in the uprising since day one, and was an important ''oborknez'' of the

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 ...

district, and was one of the most courageous commanders, so influential as a military and political leader that he was held by many as the second only to

Karađorđe Petrović 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 ...

, the leader, in

Šumadija Šumadija ( sr-Cyrl, Шумадија, ) is a geographical region in the central part of Serbia. The area used to be heavily covered with forests, hence the name (from ''šuma'' 'forest'). The city of Kragujevac is the administrative center of t ...

Life

Janko was born in Rogača, beneath the

Kosmaj Kosmaj (Serbian Cyrillic: Космај, ) is a mountain south of Belgrade. With an elevation of 626 meters, it is the highest point of the entire Belgrade City area and is nicknamed one of two "Belgrade mountains" (the other being the mountain o ...

to Mr. and Mrs. Stevan Katić who had four sons: the first born, Jovan, died young; Janko; Marko; and Stevan (all three were celebrated heroes of the

); and one of their daughters was the mother of Nikola Katić, the hero 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 ...

. In his youth, Janko Katić mostly lived 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 ...

with his sister, who was married to a Turk. In this time he learned Turkish, which would benefit him later on. He, however, came to bad terms with his sister's husband and was forced to leave and return to Rogača. In the region, the

Uprising Rebellion is an uprising that resists and is organized against one's government. A rebel is a person who engages in a rebellion. A rebel group is a consciously coordinated group that seeks to gain political control over an entire state or a ...

was planned and he joined the uprising and was appointed as the '' knez'' of one of the former Ottoman

nahiyah 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 ...

, and as he was known for being just, prudent and heroic, he quickly became the head commander of the Belgrade nahija. He had a good appearance, and in the assemblies, he was a good speaker, and in the battles, he was a very adaptive, adroit, and heroic chief. He was popular with the people, and his contemporaries called him "prude and heroic Janko". He was one of the most important figures of the First Serbian Uprising. He participated in all battles since the beginning: Belgrade, Požarevac, Rudnik, Vrbica, etc. He,

Vasa Čarapić Vasilije "Vasa" Čarapić ( sr-Cyrl, Василије "Васа" Чарапић; 1768–1806), known as the Dragon from Avala () and Vasso Tscharapitsch (German), was a Serbian voivode who participated in the First Serbian Uprising of the Serbian ...

and Sima Marković commanded 4,000 soldiers that besieged Belgrade.Суботић, p. 103 Karđorđe sent him to the fighting 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 1806, as help. He showed great skills, and after the burning of the Sovljak village, he killed 65 Turks and took what they had confiscated earlier. He died while fighting the

Ottomans Ottoman may refer to: * Osman I, historically known in English as "Ottoman I", founder of the Ottoman Empire * Osman II, historically known in English as "Ottoman II" * Ottoman Empire The Ottoman Empire (), also called the Turkish Empir ...

around

, in the village of Krnić, just before the Battle of Mišar. His death was a huge loss for the Serbian revolutionaries. Although he was a close friend of Karađorđe, he was part of the political group that sought to tackle the Vožd's

autocracy Autocracy is a form of government in which absolute power is held by the head of state and Head of government, government, known as an autocrat. It includes some forms of monarchy and all forms of dictatorship, while it is contrasted with demo ...

. Several more revolutionaries came from his family. His brother was also a freedom fighter, a revolutionary.

References

Sources

* * * *Vojvoda Janko Katić *Michael Boro Petrovich, A history of modern Serbia, 1804-1918: Volume 1; Volume 1, Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, 1976 *Војислав Суботић, Memorijali oslobodilačkih ratova Srbije, Book 1, Volume 1, Vlada Republike Srbije, Ministarstvo rada, zapošljavanja i socijalne politike, 2006 {{DEFAULTSORT:Katic, Janko 18th-century Serbian nobility 19th-century Serbian nobility Serbian revolutionaries People of the First Serbian Uprising Šumadija 18th-century births 1806 deaths

Life

See also

References

Sources