Starina Novak
| Starina Novak | |
|---|---|
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| Nickname(s) | Baba Novak |
| Born | ~1530 Poreč, Ottoman Empire (now Donji Milanovac, Serbia) |
| Died | 1601 (aged 70–71) Kolozsvár, Principality of Transylvania (now Cluj-Napoca, Romania) |
| Allegiance |
Hajduks Serbia Wallachia |
| Years of service | 153x–1601 |
| Rank | Captain |
| Unit | Hajduk unit of Michael the Brave |
| Battles/wars | Long War |
Starina Novak (Serbian: Старинa Новак, Romanian: Baba Novac, meaning "Old Novak") was a Serb hajduk (brigand and rebel) who distinguished himself in many battles against the Ottoman Empire. He is considered a national hero by both the Serbs and the Romanians.
Novak was born in c. 1530 in the village of Poreč, on an island on the Danube, at the time part of the Ottoman Empire (today Donji Milanovac, Serbia). He descended from a noble family that had built several fortresses for the defence of the Sokobanja Valley against the Ottomans. He studied at the monastery of Poreč and was fluent in both Serbian and Old Slavonic. He also spoke Romanian and Greek.
He began his career as a hajduk at an early age after he was imprisoned and beaten by Turks, losing all his teeth (hence the name Old Novak) that led him to leave his birthplace and take refuge in the forests of Timočka Krajina where he quickly learned the use of weapons and military from a hajduk harambaša (commander). He soon formed his own četa (hajduk band) and started a violent fight against the Ottomans. His strong personality and military prowess made him a man of many followers and his guerrillas became a strong fighting force.
The oldest mention of Novak is from 1595, when he was mentioned in the forces of Wallachian Duke Michael the Brave. Novak joined the forces of Michael in the region of Banat, and received the rank of captain with 2,000 Serbian hajduks (brigands) under his command, set to liberate the Wallachian lands. His forces participated in the seizure of Călugăreni, liberated Târgovişte, Bucharest and Giurgiu in October 1595. His forces were part of the attack on Bulgarian Sofia which earned him great reputation after he and his 700 soldiers tricked the Turks by changing route through the Balkan mountains and successfully surprise-attacked the Turkish forces only leaving behind 8 of his soldiers and capturing vast amounts of livestock and supplies from the Ottomans. He liberated Plevna with 1,500 soldiers. In 1598, his sizable forces, composed primarily of Serbs but also some Bulgarians, met the remaining forces of Michael the Brave, amounting to a total of 16,000 armed men. They liberated Plevna, Rahovo, Vratsa, Vidin and Florentin, after which the Serbs and Bulgarians of the cities gathered with the forces and had a feast. In Ploeşti, 1599, the forces of 50,000+ under Bordj Mako gathered with the forces of Novak in a square with 5-6 rows in the center before the taking of Sibiu. In 1600 his forces were deployed in Banat and was later given the instructions of liberating all lands to the south, also part of the uprisings in Mirăslău and the near towns. He followed Mihai to Vienna in December 1600.
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