Tomo Milinović
Encyclopedia
Tomo Milinović Serbo-Croatian pronunciation: [tɔmɔ (dʑurɔʋ) milinɔʋitɕ]; (Serbian Cyrillic: Томо Милиновић; Anglicised: Tomo Milinovich), (1770–1846) was a Duke serving under Karađorđe Petrović during the First Serbian Uprising
against the Ottoman Empire
, he was also Karađorđe's advisor and head of artillery in one of the greatest battles during the uprising, Battle of Deligrad
.
municipality, Montenegro
). He learned how to read and write from a deacon in Morinj, and that was all of the schooling he attended throughout his life. At a young age in order to make a living and help out his family he became a sailor
like most of the men from this region.
For more than ten years he was serving on different merchant ships locally and around Europe. During these voyages he managed to save money and gain trading knowledge so he decided to settle down and become a merchant
in Trieste
. Considering that there was certain amount of merchants from Boka Kotorska living in Trieste as well as other connections he established thru his sailing years he found his place quickly in that environment and became quite successful in his business.
He even managed to financially help the planning of the First Serbian
Uprising through friendship and connections he had with Dositej Obradović
and other Serbian patriots that either lived there or visited Trieste.
, most of Tomo's possession had been overtaken. Just around that time The First Serbian Uprising was getting more successful and also more popular between the Serbian people that lived abroad, so Tomo decided to leave Trieste with his wife and son and join the uprising. After ariving to Serbia
he had been accepted by Karađorđe to be his advisor and artillery specialist since he already had some artillery experience while sailing on armed merchant vessels.
After the Treaty of Bucharest
has been reached between Russians and Ottomans, few of the Russian gumsmiths assigned to Karađorđe by Russian Military left Serbia. Tomo offered himself to take over the job which Karađorđe gladly accepted.
In 1813. Tomo has created two cannons of the same size consisted of five pieces each weighing 35 kilograms which made them extermely useful because of the mobility.
That same year Tomo has been sent to defend Deligrad
as a Head of Artillery, where the Serbian army consisted of 30,000 troops defeted Turkish army consisted of 55,000 troops. Under his command Artillery
made a great effort in this battle by good positioning and frequent relocation of the cannons which caught opposing army unprepared in mutiple occasions.
On Karađorđe's recommandation he moved to Russia
, to the town called Akkerman, Bessarabia
.
While in exile Tomo wrote two books:
Umotvorine and Istorija Slavenskog Primorja.
"Umotvorine" has been published 1847. in Belgrade
, and republished 2004. in Morinj after great effort made by one of the family descendants Jeremije Milinović.
Unfortunatelly "Istorija Slavenskog Primorja" was lost and had never been published.
made efforts and got approval from Serbian government at the time to bring Tomo back to Serbia, which was Tomo's great wish, but unfortunatelly it was too late.
First Serbian Uprising
The First Serbian Uprising was the first stage of the Serbian Revolution , the successful wars of independence that lasted for 9 years and approximately 9 months , during which Serbia perceived itself as an independent state for the first time after more than three centuries of Ottoman rule and...
against the Ottoman Empire
Ottoman Empire
The Ottoman EmpireIt was usually referred to as the "Ottoman Empire", the "Turkish Empire", the "Ottoman Caliphate" or more commonly "Turkey" by its contemporaries...
, he was also Karađorđe's advisor and head of artillery in one of the greatest battles during the uprising, Battle of Deligrad
Battle of Deligrad
The Battle of Deligrad was fought between Serbia and the Ottoman Empire in 1806.-The battle:The First Serbian Uprising had begun in 1804 with the expulsion of the ruling janissary elite and the proclamation of an independent Serbian state by the revolution's leader, Karageorge. The Ottoman Sultan,...
.
Origin and early life
Tomo Milinović was born in Morinj, Boka Kotorska, Venetian Republic (today's KotorKotor
Kotor is a coastal city in Montenegro. It is located in a secluded part of the Gulf of Kotor. The city has a population of 13,510 and is the administrative center of the municipality....
municipality, Montenegro
Montenegro
Montenegro Montenegrin: Crna Gora Црна Гора , meaning "Black Mountain") is a country located in Southeastern Europe. It has a coast on the Adriatic Sea to the south-west and is bordered by Croatia to the west, Bosnia and Herzegovina to the northwest, Serbia to the northeast and Albania to the...
). He learned how to read and write from a deacon in Morinj, and that was all of the schooling he attended throughout his life. At a young age in order to make a living and help out his family he became a sailor
Sailor
A sailor, mariner, or seaman is a person who navigates water-borne vessels or assists in their operation, maintenance, or service. The term can apply to professional mariners, military personnel, and recreational sailors as well as a plethora of other uses...
like most of the men from this region.
For more than ten years he was serving on different merchant ships locally and around Europe. During these voyages he managed to save money and gain trading knowledge so he decided to settle down and become a merchant
Merchant
A merchant is a businessperson who trades in commodities that were produced by others, in order to earn a profit.Merchants can be one of two types:# A wholesale merchant operates in the chain between producer and retail merchant...
in Trieste
Trieste
Trieste is a city and seaport in northeastern Italy. It is situated towards the end of a narrow strip of land lying between the Adriatic Sea and Italy's border with Slovenia, which lies almost immediately south and east of the city...
. Considering that there was certain amount of merchants from Boka Kotorska living in Trieste as well as other connections he established thru his sailing years he found his place quickly in that environment and became quite successful in his business.
He even managed to financially help the planning of the First Serbian
Serbia
Serbia , officially the Republic of Serbia , is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeast Europe, covering the southern part of the Carpathian basin and the central part of the Balkans...
Uprising through friendship and connections he had with Dositej Obradović
Dositej Obradovic
Dositej Dimitrije Obradović was a Serbian author, philosopher, linguist, polyglot and the first minister of education of Serbia...
and other Serbian patriots that either lived there or visited Trieste.
Move to Serbia and Uprising
In year 1809. after the third occupation of Trieste by French during Napoleonic warsNapoleonic Wars
The Napoleonic Wars were a series of wars declared against Napoleon's French Empire by opposing coalitions that ran from 1803 to 1815. As a continuation of the wars sparked by the French Revolution of 1789, they revolutionised European armies and played out on an unprecedented scale, mainly due to...
, most of Tomo's possession had been overtaken. Just around that time The First Serbian Uprising was getting more successful and also more popular between the Serbian people that lived abroad, so Tomo decided to leave Trieste with his wife and son and join the uprising. After ariving to Serbia
Serbia
Serbia , officially the Republic of Serbia , is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeast Europe, covering the southern part of the Carpathian basin and the central part of the Balkans...
he had been accepted by Karađorđe to be his advisor and artillery specialist since he already had some artillery experience while sailing on armed merchant vessels.
After the Treaty of Bucharest
Treaty of Bucharest
Five peace treaties were signed in Bucharest:# Treaty of Bucharest - May 28, 1812, at the end of the Russo-Turkish war, Turkey cedes Bessarabia to Russia# Treaty of Bucharest - March 3, 1886, at the end of the Serbo-Bulgarian War...
has been reached between Russians and Ottomans, few of the Russian gumsmiths assigned to Karađorđe by Russian Military left Serbia. Tomo offered himself to take over the job which Karađorđe gladly accepted.
In 1813. Tomo has created two cannons of the same size consisted of five pieces each weighing 35 kilograms which made them extermely useful because of the mobility.
That same year Tomo has been sent to defend Deligrad
Deligrad
Deligrad is a village in the municipality of Aleksinac, Serbia. According to the 2002 census, the village has a population of 211 people....
as a Head of Artillery, where the Serbian army consisted of 30,000 troops defeted Turkish army consisted of 55,000 troops. Under his command Artillery
Artillery
Originally applied to any group of infantry primarily armed with projectile weapons, artillery has over time become limited in meaning to refer only to those engines of war that operate by projection of munitions far beyond the range of effect of personal weapons...
made a great effort in this battle by good positioning and frequent relocation of the cannons which caught opposing army unprepared in mutiple occasions.
Exile
After the failure of First Serbian Uprising, Tomo moved back to Trieste where he stayed until 1815.On Karađorđe's recommandation he moved to Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
, to the town called Akkerman, Bessarabia
Bessarabia
Bessarabia is a historical term for the geographic region in Eastern Europe bounded by the Dniester River on the east and the Prut River on the west....
.
While in exile Tomo wrote two books:
Umotvorine and Istorija Slavenskog Primorja.
"Umotvorine" has been published 1847. in Belgrade
Belgrade
Belgrade is the capital and largest city of Serbia. It is located at the confluence of the Sava and Danube rivers, where the Pannonian Plain meets the Balkans. According to official results of Census 2011, the city has a population of 1,639,121. It is one of the 15 largest cities in Europe...
, and republished 2004. in Morinj after great effort made by one of the family descendants Jeremije Milinović.
Unfortunatelly "Istorija Slavenskog Primorja" was lost and had never been published.
Death
Tomo Milinović died in exile in 1846. Without being aware of that fact one of his great friends Sima MilutinovićSima Milutinovic Sarajlija
Sima Milutinović "Sarajlija" was a Bosnian–Serbian poet, hajduk, translator, historian, philologist, diplomat and adventurer.-Biography:...
made efforts and got approval from Serbian government at the time to bring Tomo back to Serbia, which was Tomo's great wish, but unfortunatelly it was too late.