Stojan Janković

Stojan Janković Mitrović (; also known as Stoian Jancovich Mitrovich, Stoian Mitrovich, Stoiano Mitrovich; The village itself lied above the Žegar field, from where the population had long "jumped into" (i.e. guerilla warfare) the Dinara, the Venetian-Ottoman border for centuries. His father was harambaša Janko Mitrović (1613–1659), another renowned anti-Ottoman rebel in Venetian service, noted commander of the Morlach army in the Cretan War (1645–1669).

Cretan War and peacetime

The Kula Jankovića (Janković Tower), a fort in which Stojan Janković and his descendants lived. It is now owned by the Desnica family.

Stojan began fighting alongside his father and Ilija Smiljanić early on as a fifteen year old, In 1650, Stojan begins to receive a payment of 4 ducats, In 1666, during fighting near Obrovac, at the Cetina River, where agas Atlagić, Čengić and Baraković fell, he was captured by the Ottomans and spent 14 months in Constantinople as a slave, before escaping and returning home. He was also given a part of Islam Grčki (where was built Kula Jankovića), but lost it in 1671 with new border negotiations of Mahmud Pasha and Giann Battista. A truce ensured 1670-1684. In 1671 was named as the commander of Ostrovica Fortress. In 1683, his brother Ilija, whom the Venetians failed to implement into their military and since 1680 was banished from Venetian territories because did not respect the Venetian-Ottoman temporary peace on the boundary, instigated a revolt in Dalmatia against the Ottomans, in collaboration with uskoks of Senj revolted with the Venetian and Ottoman Morlachs with the center in Ostrovica. Because of that, Stojan and Zaviša were captured in September of the same year by the Venetians, but Stojan was freed in November. Then the governor-general Lovre Donà helped Stojan, Smoljan Smiljanić, Sorić from Zemunik, and Ivan Drašković to stop the revolt.

Family He was married twice, first to Vika with whom he had three children, sons Alojz (Alviža, given from the name of godfather Alvisa Contarini, son of governor-general Petar Contarini), Nikola (died 1687 in Levant, or 1688) and daughter Stošija (Anastazija). He murdered Vika because of alleged jealousy for possible love scam. in Islam Grcki, after one of his military victories. This became the Janković family home and in 1675 he commissioned the building of a Serbian Orthodox Church here in the name of Saint George (Đurđevdan was slava of family of Stojan Janković). The estate was named "Kula Janković" and Stojan made a legal undertaking that it could not be alienated either by marriage, testament or other reason to keep it in the Janković family.

His sons Nikola and Konstantin died in their military service, and as his descendants did not have any children his branch soon died out. His brother's Ilija (died poisoned in 1692, or 1694

In folk tradition He is enumerated in Serbian epic poetry (Ropstvo Janković Stojana, Janković Stojan i Smiljanić Ilija, Janko kapetan i turski sužnji, Ženidba Janković Stojana etc.), as well work Razgovor ugodni naroda slovinskog (1756) by Andrija Kačić Miošić. He is also enumerated in Muslim (Bosniak) folk poems.