Čolak-Anta Simeonović

Vojvoda Čolak-Anta Anta Simeonović Анта Симеоновић
Duke Čolak-Anta
Nickname	Čolak-Anta
Born	August 23, 1777 Prizren Ottoman Empire (modern day Serbia, southern Kosovo)
Died	August 23, 1853 Kragujevac, Principality of Serbia
Allegiance	Serbia
Service/branch	Army
Rank	Vojvoda

Anta Simeonović, known as Čolak-Anta (Serbian Cyrillic: Чолак-Анта Симеоновић^[a]; 1777–1853) was a Serbian voivode (military commander or duke), and one of the most important figures of the First Serbian Uprising (1804–1813)
The uprising was the first stage of the Serbian Revolution, in which Serbs initially revolted against the dahis, the four janissary commanders who had seized power and executed the most prominent Serbian nobles during an event known as The Slaughter of the Knezes.
The uprising then resulted in the break away province of the Sanjak of Smederevo also known as the Pashaluk of Belgrade, and the establishment of the Principality of Serbia - ultimately the liberation of Serbia from Ottoman rule.
Čolak-Anta fought under Grand Vožd Karađorđe, and is the eponymous founder of the notable Čolak-Antić family (also spelled Tcholak-Antitch).

Life

Early life

Anta Simeonović hailed from Prizren, under the Ottoman Empire (modern Kosovo and Metohija, see Serbs of Kosovo) although his family may have originally came from Herzegovina, he was a prosperous merchant trading furs and weaponry across the river Sava with neighbouring Habsburg Hungary and Austria. His father was Simeon, hence his surname. His real name was Anta (from Antonije, en. Anthony), but he became known by the name Čolak-Anta (“çolak” meaning one-armed in Turkish) when, in a battle with an Ottoman commander, he was hit with a sabre and lost the usage of his left arm.

The Uprising

In 1804, on the eve of the uprising Čolak-Anta secretly transported arms and ammunition from Prizren to Belgrade and handed them over to Djordje Petrovic aka Karađorđe, the leader of the Uprising.^[1]
Čolak-Anta joined the rebellion repeatedly distinguishing himself in the battles which ensued,^[2]the rebels achieved several victories and were able to withstand Turkish forces despite the fact that the Ottoman Sultan declared Holy War against them in 1805.^[3]
The Russo-Turkish War (1806–1812) brought the Russians to the help of the Serbs^[4] and by 1807 the rebels won several battles and were able to free Belgrade from Ottoman rule.
Together with voivode Vujica Vulićević, he led Karageorge's offensive from Nikšić to Montenegro in May 1809.
The Ottoman Sultan then offered them full autonomy but the Serbs refused and kept fighting for complete independence, for the first time an entire Christian population had successfully risen up against the Ottomans and Serbia existed as a de facto independent state.^[5]
In 1811 Čolak-Anta was appointed the position of Vojvoda, Governor or Duke, of the province (Nahija) of Kruševac, the former medieval capital, with 31 townships under his administration.

Exile

The withdrawal of Russian troops following the Treaty of Bucharest of 1812 allowed the Turks to concentrate on the Serbian rebels, three formidable Turkish armies converged on Serbia to crush the insurrection, eventually, the rebel forces exhausted were compelled to retreat across the Danube and to Bessarabia^[6]
In September 1814 Čolak-Anta and his family moved to Russia with his wife Jela and children: Jovanka, Angelka, Stevana and Kosta.
His son Konstantin was accepted in the First Cadet Corps at Saint Petersburg by special decree of Emperor Alexander I.

Return to Serbia

Čolak-Anta and his family returned to Serbia in 1831 after the country became a semiautonomous state and a full amnesty was granted to those who had participated in the rebellion.^[7]
Čolak-Anta was appointed Chief Magistrate a function he held until his retirement in 1843.
He died August 23, 1853 in Kragujevac, leaving to his descendants the surname of Čolak-Antić (Tcholak-Antitch or Colak-Antic).

Family

With his first wife Jelena he had a son, Kosta and nine daughters, with his second wife he had a son: Paul.
His male descendants all attended the Military Academy and include:

• Colonel Ilya Tcholak-Antitch, commander of the Ibar Army (1836–1894)
• Lt. Colonel Lazar Tcholak-Antitch, commander of the Morava division (1839–1877)
• Cavalry Colonel Milivoje Tcholak-Antitch (1884–1944)
• Dr. Bosko Tcholak-Antitch, Marshal of the King's Petar Ist Court, Envoy Extraordinary, Ambassador and Minister Plenipotentiary of the Kingdom of Yugoslavia (1871–1949)
• Division General Vojin Tcholak-Antitch, Chief Inspector of Cavalry, Commander of the Order of the Légion d'Honneur (1877–1945)
• Cavalry Colonel (French army) Ilija Tcholak-Antitch (1905–1974)
• Cavalry Major Grujica Tcholak-Antitch (1906–1967)
• Cavalry Lt Colonel Petar Tcholak-Antitch (1907–1964)
  

Ilija, Grujica and Petar Tcholak-Antitch were grandsons of Sava Grujić, 5 times Prime Minister of The Kingdom of Serbia (Obrenovitch and Karadjordjevitch).
The Slava (Serbian patron saint) of the family is St. Archangel Michael.

Placenames

• Čolak Antina is a street of the western section of downtown Belgrade (Savski Venac) named after Čolak-Anta Simonović^[8]
  
• The town of Kruševac, central Serbia, has a street named Čolak Antina^[9]
  

See also

• Čolak-Antić family page (in Serbian)
• The list of prominent personalities of the First Serbian Uprising (in Serbian)
• A list of the most prominent Serbian family in the Principality and the Kingdom of Serbia (in Serbian)

Notes

1. ^ Name: His last name is also spelled Simeunović, Simonović and Simonovič.^[10]

References

1. ^ Dušan T. Bataković -The Kosovo Chronicles, Belgrade: Plato Books 1992, ISBN 86-447-0006-5
2. ^ Srbija i Albanci u XIX i početkom XX veka: ciklus predavanja 10-25. novembar 1987 Vladimir Stojančević
3. ^ Gerolymatos Andre (2003). The Balkan Wars: Conquest, Revolution, and Retribution from the Ottoman Era to the Twentieth Century and Beyond.Basic Books. ISBN 0465027326
4. ^ Andrianov, P. M. Russko-turetskaia Voina 1806-1812 gg. (Po povodu stoletnego iubileia). Spb., izd, Russk. voenn.-istorich. o-va., 1912. 82 p.
5. ^ Glenny, Misha. The Balkans: Nationalism, War, and the Great Powers, 1804-1999. New York: Penguin, 2001.
6. ^ The first Serbian uprising and the restoration of the Serbian state Nebojša Damnjanović, Vladimir Merenik 2004
7. ^ Petrovich, Michael Boro. A History of Modern Serbia 1804-1918 vol. 1. New York: Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, 1976.
8. ^ [1]
9. ^ [2]
10. ^ [3]