Jovan Albanez
| Jovan Albanez | |
|---|---|
| Native name | Јован Албанез |
| Born | second half of the 17th century Podgorica |
| Died |
c. 1732 Russian Empire |
| Allegiance |
 Russian Empire
|
| Rank | Colonel |
| Commands held | Serb Hussar Regiment |
| Battles/wars | Pruth River Campaign |
Jovan Albanez (Serbian: Јован Албанез) or Ivan Albanez (born Ivan Lukačević, second half of the 17th century – c. 1732) was a military officer of Montenegrin Serb origin who led the first group of colonists from the Military Frontier of the Habsburg Monarchy to the Russian Empire in the first half of the 18th century. Albanez and his kin originally came from Podgorica,Venetian Albania, hence the sobriquet "Albanez" which became his surname.
Owing to Rákóczi's War of Independence (1703–1711), the position of Serbian militiamen in the Military Frontier of the Habsburg Monarchy was endangered. In 1704 the first Serbian attempts were made to offer their services to Imperial Russia in the latter's struggle against the Ottomans. Before the beginning of the Russo-Turkish War (1710–11) Russian Emperor Peter the Great invited Serbian militiamen and Serbs in general to join the Russian forces. During this period, a small group of Serbs, including Jovan Albanez, who emigrated to Russia from Austria. A small Serb unit commanded by then-Captain Albanez distinguished itself in the Pruth River Campaign (1710–11), so Peter the Great decided to expand this unit and turn it into a separate Serbian Hussar Regiment.
In 1711, on the orders of count Sava Vladislavich, togehter with colonel Mihailo Miloradovich, he was sent to his native Montenegro to ignite an anti-Ottoman revolt. His instructions were to grow a beard so he could pass as an orthodox monk, and thus reach Montenegro via Moldova. The duo disembarked in Grbalj and proceded to Cetinje, where they were received by Luka Petrović, brother of Prince-Bishop Danilo. They brought two gramatas, written by Sava in Serbian and signed by Peter the Great on 3 March, in which Russian Emperor calls upon the Christians of the Balkans to rise against the Ottomans. They were both read on Vidovdan in front of Montenegrin assembly by metropolitan Danilo. The event marked the establishment of Montenegrin-Russian relations. They left Montenegro on 16 April, 1712.
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