Vasa Čarapić

Vasilije "Vasa" Čarapić (; 1768–1806), known as the Dragon of Avala and Vasso Tscharapitsch (German), was a Serbian voivode who participated in the First Serbian Uprising of the Serbian Revolution against the Ottoman Empire.

Biography

Vasa Čarapić was born in 1768, in Beli Potok, under the Avala mountain. The Čarapić family was originally from the Kuči tribe in Montenegro, and they got an interesting nickname that turned into a surname when one of his ancestors accidentally killed a Turk's dog, and the Turk demanded 500 groschens compensation for his pet. When the family collected the money, one of his ancestors sent the money in a čarapa (a sock) instead of a bag. It was from then on that the name Čarapić stuck as a surname.

Serbian Free Corps Vasa Čarapić participated in Kočina Krajina as a Freikorps. In the war between Turkey and Austria, Vasa fought as a volunteer against the Turks. On that occasion, he was distinguished by exceptional heroism, so he gained a great reputation. That is why he was elected the prince of the Grocka nahija (municipality) at the nahija assembly. Vasa was also known for one thing - great hatred towards the Turks, which became proverbial.

In 1804, just before the winter, the Dahijas were preparing to start cutting down the Serbian princes, and Vasa, after learning about that, fled to Avala with two other Čarapićs. When the Belgrade Turks came to Beli Potok to look for him, he attacked and drove them away. Shortly afterwards, the Turks killed Vasa's brother Marko Čarapić, Obor-knez of Grocka nahiyah (d. 1804), in Kaludjerica during the Slaughter of the Knezes.

Interesting facts In the 1955 film "Poem from Kumbara", which talks about the siege of the occupation of Belgrade, Vasa Carapić is played by Vasa Pantelić. The film shows the death of the duke with his famous sentence.

Legacy In Belgrade, there is a monument to Vasa Čarapić at the spot where he was killed in front of the National Theatre, and nearby is the street (Улица Васе Чарапића) that was named after him.