Svetozar Ranković-Toza (; 1880 – November or December 1914) was a Serbian Chetnik soldier and

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 ...

during the struggle for Macedonia, the Balkan Wars and World War I. He was one of the key Chetnik commanders in the fight to liberate the

Balkan Peninsula The Balkans ( , ), corresponding partially with the Balkan Peninsula, is a geographical area in southeastern Europe with various geographical and historical definitions. The region takes its name from the Balkan Mountains that stretch throug ...

from Ottoman and

Habsburg The House of Habsburg (; ), also known as the House of Austria, was one of the most powerful dynasties in the history of Europe and Western civilization. They were best known for their inbreeding and for ruling vast realms throughout Europe d ...

occupation.

Biography

Svetozar Ranković was born in Junkovac in the region of Lepnitsa, Serbia. After graduating from high school, he enrolled in the 33rd class of the Military Academy in 1900, but left and completed his military education in

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 returned home and joined the Serbian Army. He was active in the struggle for Macedonia and

Old Serbia Old Serbia () is a Serbian historiographical term that is used to describe the territory that according to the dominant school of Serbian historiography in the late 19th century formed the core of the Serbian Empire in 1346–71. The term does ...

from 1904. In 1907, he became a voivode. Prior to the First Balkan War in 1912, he was the head (chief) of the mountain staff headquarters at Kozjak, near

Kumanovo Kumanovo ( ; , sq-definite, Kumanova; also known by other #Etymology, alternative names) is the second-largest city in North Macedonia after the capital Skopje and the seat of Kumanovo Municipality, the List of municipalities in the Republic ...

. Before the Kumanovo battle, he got the villagers to rise against the Ottoman government in the region of

Kriva Palanka Kriva Palanka ( ) is a town located in the northeastern part of North Macedonia. It has 13,481 inhabitants. The town of Kriva Palanka is the seat of Kriva Palanka Municipality which has 18,059 inhabitants. The town lies near the ''Deve Bair'' ...

and Kratovo. He led 200 Chetniks against the Turks in the

Battle of Kumanovo The Battle of Kumanovo (Serbian: Кумановска битка / Kumanovska bitka, Turkish: Kumanova Muharebesi), on 23–24 October 1912, was a major battle of the First Balkan War. It was an important Serbian victory over the Ottoman army ...

. He was also wounded there. He also commanded the Chetniks in the

Second Balkan War The Second Balkan War was a conflict that broke out when Kingdom of Bulgaria, Bulgaria, dissatisfied with its share of the spoils of the First Balkan War, attacked its former allies, Kingdom of Serbia, Serbia and Kingdom of Greece, Greece, on 1 ...

in 1913. At the Battle of Kolubara in

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 ...

, he was the commander of the Brigade of the Gornjače Chetnik Detachment. In the position of Trešnjica near

Užice Užice ( sr-cyr, Ужице, ) is a List of cities in Serbia, city and the administrative centre of the Zlatibor District in western Serbia. It is located on the banks of the river Đetinja. According to the 2022 census, the city proper has a popu ...

in Bici on 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 ...

, a grenade had pierced both legs, after which he committed suicide in order not to be caught alive. His death was immortalized in

Milosav Jelić Milosav Jelić (Skobalj (Smederevo), Kingdom of Serbia, 13 March 1883 – Belgrade, Yugoslavia, 6 July 1947) was a Serbian chetnik active in Old Serbia and North Macedonia, Macedonia. He was also a writer, war poet and one of the leading Belgrade j ...

's "''Srbijanski venac''" (Serbian Wreath). A street 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 ...

was once named after him.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Rankovic-Toza, Svetozar 1880 births 1914 deaths People from Topola Serbian military personnel killed in World War I 1914 suicides Suicides in Serbia

Biography

See also

References