Novica Cerović (Serbian Cyrillic: Новица Цepoвић; 1805–1895) was a Montenegrin vojvoda (duke) of the Drobnjak clan,[1] who is noted as having defeated and killed a local Ottoman tyrant, Smail-aga Čengić, on the auspices of Petar II Petrović-Njegoš, the Prince-Bishop of Montenegro. He later became a senator in the Montenegrin government.[2]

Novica Cerović
Novica Cerović by Ferdo Quiquerez, 1889
Born(1805-10-27)27 October 1805
Died1895 (aged 89–90)
NationalityMontenegrin

Life

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Cerović was born in Tušina, a village near Šavnik in the Drobnjaci clan, then part of the Ottoman Empire (today in Montenegro). His most noted act was leading a successful assault to kill local Ottoman tyrant Smail-aga Čengić under the auspices of Petar II Petrović-Njegoš[3] thereby freeing parts of Herzegovina from the Ottoman Empire and joining them to the Principality of Montenegro.

Legacy

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His heroism and the death of Smail-aga Čengić was the theme of Ivan Mažuranić's poem Smrt Smail-age Čengića, an epic poem celebrating the struggle for freedom.

There is a tower in Tušina named after him (the Tower of Duke Novica Cerović).

See also

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References

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  1. ^ Istorijski institut Crne Gore, Višetomna istorija Crne Gore, knjiga 3, str. 194
  2. ^ Coglievina, Franz (1875). Allerhöchste Reise : beschrieben und zusammengestellt. p. 325.
  3. ^ Zulfikarpašić, Adil (1998). The Bosniak. Milovan Djilas. C. Hurst & Co. Publishers. p. 7. ISBN 1-85065-339-9.
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