Stanisa Stano Radonjic

Staniša Radonjić , known as Staniša Popov (Станиша Попов; 1682 - 1693), was a Serbian Orthodox priest, chieftain (vojvoda) of the Njeguši tribe, and Serdar of the Prince-Bishopric of Montenegro.

Life Staniša was born the son of a priest (hence popov), of the Radonjić-Rajićević brotherhood. He is believed to have been first mentioned in the mid-17th century as living in Njeguši. He was a priest, In 1682, he gave the mitre (a ceremonial head-dress for bishops), which he had paid for to be done, to the treasury of Cetinje as a gift to Serbian Orthodox Metropolitan Visarion Borilović (s. 1674–1692). In 1687, Staniša gained notability in trade relations with Kotor, which at the time was part of the Republic of Venice. That year Staniša and Ivan Maričević obliged to the Kotoran court that they would purchase fine wool within ten days from the receival of 435 reals from captain Bernardo Paulucci. In the beginning, Staniša was only the serdar of a nahija, however, thanks to the prominence of his family and relations to the Venetians, he seized the title as the title of serdar of all of Montenegro. As Staniša became serdar and the title became hereditary to the Radonjić brotherhood, the Njeguši tribe was led by the serdar instead of the earlier vojvoda. Later, the significance of the "serdar of all Montenegro" fell, and it remained as a traditional function of a manager, now under the name of guvernadur.

He died in ca. 1720. He had three sons: Vukoslav (Vukosav), Jovan (Jovo) and Marko. After him, his son Vuk, his grandson Stano and his great-grandson Vukolaj III held the position of guvernadur until 1832.

Legacy On the right central icon of Jesus Christ with the apostles in the church of Holy Mary (sv. Gospođa) on Njeguši, the work of Maksim Tujković from 1720, it mentions the children of Staniša: Vukosav, Jovo and Marko. In that same church, Staniša is mentioned in an inscription by Rafailo Dimitrijević from 1756.

In the folk song about the events from the historical period encompassing his tenure as Serdar c. 1719, the words Stanišić Tower and Stanišić Vuk are mentioned.

Family He had three sons: Vuk (or Vukosav /Vukajlo/Vukale/Vukolaj I), priest and serdar of all Montenegro Stanislav "Stano" Radonjić (1690–1758), vojvoda, serdar, first guvernadur (1756–1758) Vukajlo/Vukale (or Vukolaj II), guvernadur (1758–1764) Jovan (Joko), guvernadur (1764–1802) Vukolaj III, guvernadur (1804–1832) Jovo Popov Marko