Smail-aga Čengić

Smail Agha Čengić (; 1780 – 23 September 1840) was an Ottoman aga, muselim (muteselim) and general in the Ottoman Army of Bosniak origin. In 1831–32, Čengić was one of the Ottoman generals who fought against Husein Gradaščević, who was leading a rebellion in Bosnia against the central Ottoman government.

Čengić was known for his battles against the Serb tribes of the Sanjak of Herzegovina. Čengić was killed by Novica Cerović as revenge for killing the younger brother of the Prince-Bishop of Montenegro, Petar II Petrović-Njegoš. His death inspired the 1846 epic poem The Death of Smail-aga Čengić by Ivan Mažuranić.

Early life

Smai-aga was born into the Bosniak noble family of Čengić, who primarily lived in the Nahiye of Foča. The origins of the Čengić family are disputed, by some family accounts they come from a noble Turkoman family which originates from Eğil, in present-day Turkey. Smai-aga was born in the village of Jelašća, then part of the Nahiye of Foča. The Čengić family have been living in Foča and the villages around the town for centuries. Smail's father's name was Ibrahim. in the Sanjak of Bosnia, 35 km from Kalinovik (in modern-day Bosnia and Herzegovina). His father died when he was young.

Marriage and family After Smail-aga moved to the nahiye of Gacko, where he became the muteselim, he married Čelebija, the daughter of Bešir-aga Hasanbegović from Haptovac (now Serbianised as Avtovac). Smail-aga was married twice more but the names of his other wives are unknown. Smail-aga has a total of seven sons and one daughter.

1835 In 1835, Smail-aga and the pasha of Pljevlja agreed to murder the Drobnjak Serbian Orthodox priest Milutin Cerović; he was killed by the Turks in the centre of the town, and beheaded. Milutin's son Novica, who was the leading Drobnjak chieftain, denounced the Ottomans alongside his fellow tribal chiefs. Njegoš ordered a Montenegrin tribal leader, Novica Cerović, to ambush Smail-aga Čengić, the Ottoman commander who was responsible for killing Njegoš's brother Joko.

In late September 1840, Montenegrins attracted Čengić and his army deep into their territory, organised an ambush and killed them by attacking their camp during the night. The assault occurred in the village of Mljetičak, north of Nikšić. In the ensuing clash, Smail-aga was shot and killed, after which his severed head was brought to Cetinje. As a sign of his gratitude, Njegoš made Cerović a senator. The events are richly attested in Serb epic poetry.

Smail-aga was buried in a turbe in Lipnik, which was burned down by in 1941. The remains of the turbe were used to build a monument to the Yugoslav Partisans.

Governorship mütesellim of [the nahiyah of] Gacko, Piva and Drobnjak.