1847–1917
○ Died of illness in Nice
Serbia's first field marshal, victor of Kumanovo and Bregalnica, who threw back the Austro-Hungarian invasions of 1914
Born in Kragujevac, the son of a teacher, he graduated from the Artillery School in Belgrade, fought in the wars against the Ottomans of 1876–78 and in the Serbo-Bulgarian War of 1885, taught at the Military Academy and became deputy chief of the General Staff, but was forced to retire in 1895 amid allegations of Radical sympathies. Rehabilitated after the 1903 coup, he became Chief of the General Staff under Peter I and three times Minister of the Army, reorganising the army. In 1912 he won at Kumanovo and Monastir and was made field marshal; in 1913 he beat the surprise Bulgarian attack at Bregalnica. In 1914 he defeated the Austro-Hungarian offensives at Cer and Kolubara, and in 1915 directed the retreat across the Albanian mountains, carried in a sedan chair. Dismissed in January 1916, he went to Nice and died there in 1917.
Activities and affiliations
- 1903–1916 Military command
- 1904–1912 Government and administration
Career Timeline
- 1876–1878Artillery officer in the wars against the Ottomans
- 1886–1895Professor at the Military Academy; deputy chief of the General Staff
- 1903–1916Chief of the General Staff of the Serbian army
- 1912Victories at Kumanovo and Monastir; field marshal
- 1913Victory at Bregalnica
- 1914Victories at Cer and Kolubara
- 1915Directed the retreat through Albania