Deli-Marko (Serbian Cyrillic: Дели-Марко, "Wild Marko"; fl. 1596–1619) or Marko Segedinac (Марко Сегединац, "Marko of Segedin"), was a Serb hajduk and military commander in Habsburg service, active during the Long Turkish War.

He was mentioned for the first time after 1590, as a youngster commanding a band of Serb soldiers in the service of Sigismund Báthory, the Prince of Transylvania.[1] Báthory's army which headed to liberate Timișoara included notable Serbs, such as Đorđe Rac, Deli-Marko, and Sava Temišvarac.[2] The army managed to conquer the Serbian part of the town.[3] These Serb leaders, including Starina Novak, fought as part of the Transylvanian Army, but carried out independent raids south of the Danube, into what is today Bulgaria and Serbia,[4] even managing to raid as deep as Plovdiv and Adrianople.[5] Deli-Marko's bold maneuvers in Ottoman territory enraged the Ottoman government.[1] He raided merchant caravans and ships, and even went as far as across the Balkan Mountains and to the Maritsa river.[1] The Serb commanders mainly operated outside Transylvania, with the support of the Emperor.[6] The Serb soldiers and refugees were taken care of by the War Council in Vienna.[6]

In 1605, together with Sava Temišvarac, he left Transylvania and crossed to western Hungary.[7] The Long Turkish War ended in 1606 with the Peace of Zsitvatorok. When Emperor Rudolf II started quarreling with his brother, Matthias, Temišvarac, Đorđe Rac and Deli-Marko supported the latter, joining with their people.[7] All mercenary bands commanded by the three Serb leaders participated in the march on Rudolf II.[8]

Deli-Marko joined the forces of Italian general Giorgio Basta. In 1616 he moved to Transylvania.

References

  1. 1 2 3 Popović 1957, p. 185.
  2. ↑ Popović 1957, p. 184.
  3. ↑ Etnografski institut (1952). Posebna izdanja. Vol. 4–8. Naučno delo. p. 199.
  4. ↑ Slavko Gavrilović (1993). Iz istorije Srba u Hrvatskoj, Slavoniji i Ugarskoj: XV-XIX vek. Filip Višnjić. p. 17. ISBN 9788673631264.
  5. ↑ Даница: српски народни илустровани календар за годину ... Вукова задужбина. 2008. p. 477.
  6. 1 2 Samardžić et al. 1993, p. 277.
  7. 1 2 Kolundžija 2008, p. 251.
  8. ↑ Samardžić et al. 1993, p. 279.

Sources

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