Kačer (region)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Kačer (Serbian: Качер) is a historical subregion (or microregion) in Šumadija in central Serbia. The most notable settlements are Ljig, Belanovica and Rudnik. It was a knežina (administrative unit) in Revolutionary Serbia and was then organized as a srez of the Rudnik okrug in the Principality of Serbia.
The region borders on the Rudnik mountain to the south and Vagan height to the north, Jarmenovci and Bosuta to the east, Kadina Luka, Slavkovica and Cvetanovac to the west.[1] The region is further divided into parts, such as visoki ("high"), with villages around the Rudnik mountain; gornji ("upper") with Belanovica and the surroundings; donji ("lower") with Ljig.[1] The most notable settlements are Ljig, Belanovica and Rudnik.[1] Kačer is a subregion of Šumadija.[1] Some of the villages of Kačer, currently part of the Gornji Milanovac municipality, are also regarded part of the Rudnik–Takovo region.
History
During the First Serbian Uprising (1804–13), the Kačer area was organized into a knežina (administrative unit) of Revolutionary Serbia, belonging to the Rudnik nahiya.[2] The Rudnik nahiya had included two knežina (Christian self-governing village groups) prior to 1804, the Crna Gora–Podgora (which included what is later known as the Takovo area), and the Rudnička Morava (area from Vujan to Western Morava); with the uprising, the Kačer knežina was organized, including the northern and western foothills of Rudnik to the eastern part of the Jasenica river.[2]
The Rudnik nahiya was liberated at the start of the uprising,[3] and Karađorđe appointed Milan Obrenović the vojvoda of the Rudnik nahija; Obrenović appointed Arsenije Loma the buljubaša (captain) of Kačer.[4]
The villages of Kačer involved in the uprising were Dragolj, Garaši, Bosuta, Šutci, Rudnik, Kamenica Rudnička, Stragari, Krćevac, Živkovci, Moravci, Ugrinovci, Zagrađe, Gornja Crnuća, Donja Crnuća, Vrbava (now Gornja Vrbava and Donja Vrbava), Jarmenovci, Šilopaj, Smrdljikovac (now Brajkovac), Kozelj, Mutanj.[5] Among the most notable participants in the Serbian Revolution that hailed from Kačer are:
- Arsenije Loma (1770–1815), vojvoda (general) of Karađorđe, from Dragolj.[6]
- Milutin Savić (1762–1842), obor-knez (mayor) of Jasenica under Miloš Obrenović, from Garaši.[6]
- Antonije Ristić-Pljakić (1781–1832), vojvoda of Karanovac, from Kamenica.[6]
- Janićije Đurić-Dimitrijević (1779–1850), Karađorđe's secretary, from Stragari.[7]
- Atanasije Rajić (1765–1815), Karađorđe's barjaktar (flag-bearer) and tobdžija (cannoneer), from Stragari.[7]
- Gavrilo Đurić (1775–1835), slew the Kragujevac mutesellim, from Krćevac.[7]
- Milentije Pavlović (1766–1833), Miloš Obrenović's follower, from Vrbava.[7]
- Uzun-Mirko (1782–1868), bimbaša (captain), from Smrdljikovac.[7]
The Kačer knežina was commanded by Arsenije Loma, titled vojvoda of Kačer (vojvoda Kačerski).
During the reign of Prince Miloš Obrenović, the seat of the Kačer knežina was in Blaznava, and then from 1830 in the Rudnik village.[8] From 1830, the knežina was renamed to srez.