Veljko Petrović
| Veljko Petrović | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Nickname(s) | Hajduk Veljko |
| Born | 1780 Lenovac, Zaječar, Ottoman Empire (present-day Serbia) |
| Died | 1813 (aged 33) Negotin, Ottoman Empire (present-day Serbia) |
| Allegiance |
 Revolutionary Serbia
|
| Years of service | 1803-1813 |
| Rank | buljukbašica, buljubaša, vojvoda |
| Unit |
Stanoje Glavaš's unit (1804) Vulićević's unit (1804-1807) Timočka Krajina forces |
| Battles/wars | First Serbian Uprising |
Veljko Petrović (Serbian: Вељко Петровић; Serbian pronunciation: [v̞ɛ̌ːʎkɔ pɛ̌trɔv̞itɕ]; c. 1780–1813), known simply as Hajduk Veljko (Хајдук Вељко, [xǎjduːk v̞ɛ̌ːʎkɔ]), was one of the vojvodas (military commanders) of the Serbian Revolutionary forces in the First Serbian Uprising against the Ottoman Empire, in charge of the Negotin area. He was one of the biggest heroes of the Uprising.
He was born in Lenovac, near Zaječar, in the Crna Reka nahija, into the family of Petar (hence he took Petrović as his surname) and Petrinja. He had two younger brothers, Milutin and Miljko. His father was called Sirenjar Petar ("Peter the Cheese Maker") due to his multitude of which he possessed, and the amount of cheese he sold. His father was a very calm person, though Veljko was an unruly kid. In his youth he kept cattle, even becoming čobanbaša ("head herder") among the local herders. The local Turks often visited their house, eating their food, drinking and taking cheese, butter oil, and milk.
Osman Pazvantoğlu's krdžalije (Ottoman brigands), who were deemed rebels by the Sultan, had fought the Imperial troops at Crna Reka, and then continued to attack local Turks loyal to the Sultan, and burned and devastated several villages in the region, including Lenovac. This prompted Veljko, only 15 years old, to leave his parents and brothers for Vidin. There he was hired as a shepherd by a Turk, and after some time he left for Požarevac, where he was hired by the Vojvoda of Požarevac to prepare food. As he had also spent some time there, at Easter time, he danced the kolo with his friends, forgetting to prepare the important dinner for his master. For this, his master chased to beat him, thus Veljko fled, ending up in the hajduk (Serbian brigands) bands of Stanoje Glavaš. In the winter time of 1803, Glavaš had arranged for Veljko to stay at the house of a jatak ("concealer", civil hajduk supporter) in Dubona, in the Smederevo nahija, where he would work as a shepherd. In the same village Veljko met Marija, a widow and relative of Glavaš, and married her, moving to her house. Not long after the wedding, the Slaughter of the Knezes took place (January 1804), in which prominent Serb leaders were executed by the Janissary military junta of the Sanjak of Smederevo (these janissaries, under the leadership of Kučuk Alija, had murdered sanjak-bey Hadži Mustafa Pasha on 15 December 1801 and taken the rule of the sanjak). As a response to the executions, the Serbian population, without a central figure, took measures of self-defence, and spontaneously attacked the jannisaries.
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