Petar Topalović

Petar Topalović (September 14, 1840 – August 20, 1891) was a Serbian general, minister of defence, minister of construction of the Kingdom of Serbia and chief of the Military Academy.

Biography Early life and military career Petar Topalović was born on September 14, 1840, in Kragujevac. He is the son of Milosav Topalović and Anka Nenadović (1820-1843), the grandson of Jevrem Nenadović and the great-grandson of Jakov Nenadović. He was married to Lenka, the daughter of George Pantelic, a merchant from Sremska Mitrovica. He had a son Milosav and daughters Draginja and Anka. Draginja's daughter was married to Lieutenant Ljubomir Pokorny. After the Serbian defeat at Slivnica, he replaced him on December 2, 1885 by Jovan Petrovic as Chief of Staff of the Supreme Command. He was promoted in March 1887 to the rank of general. From April 4, 1886, until February 17, 1887, he was the Minister of Construction in the government of Milutin Garašanin. After that, he was the Minister of Defense in the same government from February 17 to June 13, 1887. In November 1887, he was appointed commander of the Moravian divisional area. Since 1886 until 1890, was a professor at the Military Academy. He was the director of the Military Academy on two occasions, from March 13 to April 4, 1886, and again from April 8, 1889, until his death in 1891.

He published several articles in Ratnik and Vojin. He translated from German: A Soldier on the Land (1875) and from Sherf A few instructions for fighting (1876). He translated Vial's Strategy (1876) from French.

Awards and Later Life He was awarded the following domestic decorations, the Order of the Cross of the 1st and 2nd order, the Gold Medal for Courage, the War Memorial for Liberation and Independence 1879-1878. Monument to the War of 1885-1886. and the Order of the Officer's Cross of the Legion of the Part (France and the Order of the Iron Crown of the 2nd Order) (Austria).

He died in Belgrade, on August 20, 1891.