Mihailo Rašić (

Aleksinac Aleksinac ( sr-Cyrl, Алексинац) is a town and municipality located in the Nišava District of Southern and Eastern Serbia, southern Serbia. According to 2022 census, the municipality has a population of 43,258 inhabitants. History Preh ...

Principality of Serbia The Principality of Serbia () was an autonomous, later sovereign state in the Balkans that came into existence as a result of the Serbian Revolution, which lasted between 1804 and 1817. Its creation was negotiated first through an unwritten agre ...

, 13 June 1858 -

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 ...

Kingdom of Serbia The Kingdom of Serbia was a country located in the Balkans which was created when the ruler of the Principality of Serbia, Milan I of Serbia, Milan I, was proclaimed king in 1882. Since 1817, the Principality was ruled by the Obrenović dynast ...

, 17 February 1932) was a

Serbian Serbian may refer to: * Pertaining to Serbia in Southeast Europe; in particular **Serbs, a South Slavic ethnic group native to the Balkans ** Serbian language ** Serbian culture **Demographics of Serbia, includes other ethnic groups within the co ...

military leader. He served as

Royal Yugoslav Army The Yugoslav Army ( sh-Latn-Cyrl, Jugoslovenska vojska, JV, Југословенска војска, ЈВ), commonly the Royal Yugoslav Army, was the principal Army, ground force of the Kingdom of Yugoslavia. It existed from the establishment of ...

general A general officer is an Officer (armed forces), officer of high rank in the army, armies, and in some nations' air force, air and space forces, marines or naval infantry. In some usages, the term "general officer" refers to a rank above colone ...

and Minister of War of the

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

. After the war, in the

Kingdom of Yugoslavia The Kingdom of Yugoslavia was a country in Southeast Europe, Southeast and Central Europe that existed from 1918 until 1941. From 1918 to 1929, it was officially called the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats, and Slovenes, but the term "Yugoslavia" () h ...

, he continued his service as Minister of the Army and Navy in the

Ministry of Defence A ministry of defence or defense (see American and British English spelling differences#-ce.2C -se, spelling differences), also known as a department of defence or defense, is the part of a government responsible for matters of defence and Mi ...

. He served as the 16th dean of the Academic Board of the Military Academy in Belgrade (1912-1914).

Early life

Rašić was born on June 13, 1858, in

to father Petar, a court clerk, and mother Katarina. In the third grade, he moved to

and lived with his aunt Stana until he graduated from high school. He enrolled in the Artillery School of the Military Academy as a cadet on 20 September 1874. He became a

corporal Corporal is a military rank in use by the armed forces of many countries. It is also a police rank in some police services. The rank is usually the lowest ranking non-commissioned officer. In some militaries, the rank of corporal nominally corr ...

on 6 September 1875, Sub-Sergeant on 4 May 1876, and

sergeant Sergeant (Sgt) is a Military rank, rank in use by the armed forces of many countries. It is also a police rank in some police services. The alternative spelling, ''serjeant'', is used in The Rifles and in other units that draw their heritage f ...

on 1 June 1876. He graduated from the academy in September 1880, eighth in his class, ahead of

Stepa Stepanović Stepan "Stepa" Stepanović ( sr-Cyrl, Степан Степа Степановић, ; – 29 April 1929) was a Serbian military commander who fought in the Serbo-Turkish War, the Serbo-Bulgarian War, the First Balkan War, the Second Bal ...

and

Živojin Mišić Živojin Mišić ( sr-cyrl, Живојин Мишић; 19 July 1855 – 20 January 1921) was a field marshal who participated in all of Serbia's wars from 1876 to 1918. He directly commanded the First Serbian army in the Battle of Kolubara an ...

Military career

At the beginning of the First Serbian-Turkish War, Rašić and his fellow cadets in the Artillery School were mobilized. During this conflict he was promoted to the rank of infantry Sublieutenant on 10 December 1876. He became a

lieutenant A lieutenant ( , ; abbreviated Lt., Lt, LT, Lieut and similar) is a Junior officer, junior commissioned officer rank in the armed forces of many nations, as well as fire services, emergency medical services, Security agency, security services ...

on 20 August 1883. Rašić was promoted to

captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader or highest rank officer of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police depa ...

, 2nd class on 22 February 1887, full-fledged

on 1 January 1891,

major Major most commonly refers to: * Major (rank), a military rank * Academic major, an academic discipline to which an undergraduate student formally commits * People named Major, including given names, surnames, nicknames * Major and minor in musi ...

on 22 February 1893, lieutenant colonel on 22 February 1897,

colonel Colonel ( ; abbreviated as Col., Col, or COL) is a senior military Officer (armed forces), officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries, a colon ...

on 6 April 1901,

on 20 October 1912, and

Divisional General Divisional general is a general officer rank who commands an army division. The rank originates from the French Revolutionary System, and is used by a number of countries. The rank is above a brigade general, and normally below an army corps ...

on 21 October 1923.

Active service

After the outbreak of the war, he was assigned as a cadet to the ordnance of the Headquarters of the

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 ...

Artillery Brigade. He served with that unit from 10 December 1876, when he was promoted to the rank of artillery

. He was appointed platoon officer of the Field artillery in the same brigade. During the Second Serbian-Turkish War (1877), from 28 December he served as

adjutant Adjutant is a military appointment given to an Officer (armed forces), officer who assists the commanding officer with unit administration, mostly the management of “human resources” in an army unit. The term is used in French-speaking armed ...

in the 1st Šumadija Artillery Regiment. He remained in that position until 12 April 1878 when he acted as an

officer An officer is a person who has a position of authority in a hierarchical organization. The term derives from Old French ''oficier'' "officer, official" (early 14c., Modern French ''officier''), from Medieval Latin ''officiarius'' "an officer," fro ...

in the headquarters of the same brigade, assigned to the duties of the newly liberated

Vranje Vranje ( sr-Cyrl, Врање, ) is a city in Southern Serbia and the administrative center of the Pčinja District. According to the 2022 census, the city itself has a population of 55,214 while the city administrative area has 74,381 inhabitan ...

district. From May 1 to 20 August 1878 he was sent to the Headquarters of the 1st Division of the Šumadija Corps. After that he returned as a commanding officer to the Sumadija Artillery Brigade. He remained in that position until 1 December 1878, when he resumed his schooling in Belgrade until he was interrupted by the 1876 war. After graduating on 1 September 1880 he attended a German Military Academy. In 1883, he graduated and returned to Serbia, where he served in the ordnance department of the ''Lafetnice'' (military carriages section) of the Military Technical Institute. From April 1884, he was an adjutant of the Management of the Military Institute. In March 1885 he was appointed a water officer of the Timok Artillery Regiment. In the 1885 war conflict with Bulgaria, he was reassigned first to ''Nišava'' Army Headquarters, and then to the Operational Department of Supreme Command Headquarters. From 1 March 1886 to April 1887, he was at the head of the Telegraph Detachment. On 16 April 1887, he became King Milan Obrenović's ordinance officer. Rašić performed this duty until February 21, 1889, when he was promoted to Prince

Alexander Obrenović Alexander I (; 14 August 187611 June 1903) was King of Serbia from 1889 until his death in 1903, when he and his wife, Draga Mašin, were assassinated by a group of Royal Serbian Army officers, led by Captain Dragutin Dimitrijević. Accession ...

Adjutant Adjutant is a military appointment given to an Officer (armed forces), officer who assists the commanding officer with unit administration, mostly the management of “human resources” in an army unit. The term is used in French-speaking armed ...

and King Milan Obrenović's Acting Adjutant. In addition to these duties, from October 1890 to September 1892, he served as commander of the 1st battery of the

Danube The Danube ( ; see also #Names and etymology, other names) is the List of rivers of Europe#Longest rivers, second-longest river in Europe, after the Volga in Russia. It flows through Central and Southeastern Europe, from the Black Forest sou ...

Artillery Regiment. From September–November 1892 he served as acting commander of the Artillery Non-Commissioned Officer School (NCO school) and a member of the Artillery Committee. He remained as the king's aide until August 1893, when he was appointed Marshal of the Royal Court. He served as marshal of the court for almost seven years, until February 1900, when he was appointed commander of the Morava Artillery Regiment. From April 1902 to 1905, he was the commander of the

divisional area. In the same period, from June 1903 to August 1906, he served as artillery inspector at the Ministry, and until January 1907, was commissioner for border disputes against

Turkey Turkey, officially the Republic of Türkiye, is a country mainly located in Anatolia in West Asia, with a relatively small part called East Thrace in Southeast Europe. It borders the Black Sea to the north; Georgia (country), Georgia, Armen ...

. In July 1910, he was detained, together with Colonel Damjan Vlajić, on charges of "improper receipt of ammunition and artillery material". After a long, official stay in France, he retired in February 1911.

War and last years

In the war of 1912, as a reserve officer, he was appointed commander of the 2nd Danube Division. By the decision of 20 October 1912, he was returned to active service and was promoted to the rank of

. He commanded that division in the wars of 1912 and 1913. After the end of the wars, on 1 September 1913, he was appointed dean of the Military Academy, and at the same time, president of the Military Disciplinary Court. He remained in that position until the

Austrian Empire The Austrian Empire, officially known as the Empire of Austria, was a Multinational state, multinational European Great Powers, great power from 1804 to 1867, created by proclamation out of the Habsburg monarchy, realms of the Habsburgs. Duri ...

declared war on the

when he was immediately appointed commander of the Combined Division of the 1st call-up. He commanded that division until the arrival of the Serbian army in

Corfu Corfu ( , ) or Kerkyra (, ) is a Greece, Greek island in the Ionian Sea, of the Ionian Islands; including its Greek islands, small satellite islands, it forms the margin of Greece's northwestern frontier. The island is part of the Corfu (regio ...

in January 1916. In Corfu, he was appointed commander of the Timok army. He was appointed a delegate of the Supreme Command of the Serbian Army to the Supreme Command of the French Army on 27 February 1916. In June 1917, due to organizational changes in the French army, he was appointed to a new position - head of the Serbian military mission in

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

. He served as representative of the Serbian army with other allies. In the second half of 1917, as a member of the state mission, he went to the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

, with the task of motivating and gathering volunteers for

Salonica front The Macedonian front, also known as the Salonica front (after Thessaloniki), was a military theatre of World War I formed as a result of an attempt by the Allied Powers to aid Serbia, in the autumn of 1915, against the combined attack of Germa ...

. He held that position until February 1918, when he returned to France, as head of the Military Mission. With the reconstruction of the government of

Nikola Pašić Nikola Pašić ( sr-Cyrl, Никола Пашић, ; 18 December 1845 – 10 December 1926) was a Serbian and Yugoslav politician and diplomat. During his political career, which spanned almost five decades, he served five times as prime minis ...

, he was appointed Minister of War on 24 June 1918. He kept this department in Pašić's new cabinet, from 3 November 1918. In the newly formed cabinet of

Stojan Protić Stojan Protić ( sr-cyrl, Стојан Протић; 28 January 1857 – 28 October 1923) was a Serbian politician and writer. He served as the prime minister of the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats, and Slovenes between 1918 and 1919, and again in 1920 ...

, from 7 December 1918, he was again department head and remained in that position until 30 March 1919, when he officially resigned. On September 20, 1920, he was appointed President of the Board of the Overhaul Fund in the military. At his request, he retired once again on 7 November 1921, though he was transferred to the reserve on 21 October 1923. Mihailo Rašić died in his family home on 17 February 1932. He was buried in the

Belgrade New Cemetery The New Cemetery ( sr-Cyrl-Latn, Ново гробље, Novo groblje) is a cemetery A cemetery, burial ground, gravesite, graveyard, or a green space called a memorial park or memorial garden, is a place where the remains of many death, ...

Works

* ''Sa Nj. V. Kraljem Milanom Na Istoku: Putničke Beleške'' (1891)

Personal life

Rašić married Leposava, the daughter of Gliša Isajlović, a telegraph operator and post office manager. They had three sons: Svetozar, Branivoje, and Dragoljub and three daughters: Katarina, Ružica, and Jelena. His son, Svetozar, born in 1885, was a lawyer, chief of staff to Dr. Voje Marinković and a diplomat. Rašić's daughters Katarina, Ružica, and Jelena were married to General Dragomir Ž. Stojanović, pharmacist Sima Protić, and industrialist Vladimir Đorđević respectfully. Academician's grandson

Dimitrije Đorđević (historian) Dimitrije "Mita" Đorđević (; 27 February 1922 – 5 March 2009) was a Serbian historian of modern European history, especially of the Balkans. Biography Đorđević was born in Belgrade to a prominent Serbian family. When he was a law ...

was a professor of history at the

University of California, Santa Barbara The University of California, Santa Barbara (UC Santa Barbara or UCSB) is a Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Santa Barbara County, California, United States. Tracing its roots back to 1891 as an ...

from 1970 to 1991.

References

Sources

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Rašić, Mihailo 1858 births 1932 deaths 19th-century Serbian people 20th-century Serbian people Defence ministers of Serbia Military personnel from Belgrade People from Aleksinac Serbian generals Serbian military leaders Serbian military personnel of World War I