Živojin Mišić | Origin of Street Names

Živojin Mišić (1855 - 1921) was a Serbian voivode, a celebrated military leader of the Great War, and arguably the greatest military strategist in the war-filled history of Serbia.

He was born in Struganik, a village near Mionica, as the thirteenth (!) and youngest child of his parents, Radovan and Anđelija.

In his early childhood, he worked as a shepherd, taking care of sheep and goats until the age of ten when his parents sent him to school. He received his first education at the nearby Ribnica Monastery, and then attended lower and upper grades of the gymnasium in Kragujevac and Belgrade.

Reflecting the spirit of the time and the social and political circumstances in Serbia, after completing his gymnasium education, he enrolled in the Artillery School (the precursor to the Military Academy). However, due to the outbreak of the First Serbian-Turkish War in 1876, he interrupted his studies and was mobilized. Thus, the unfinished cadet of the Artillery School began his military career as an instructor in the Kolubara Battalion.

As an astute and undoubtedly talented officer, with bravery, determination, and exceptional tactical abilities, he successfully paved his way to becoming one of the greatest military strategists of his time. Indeed, there were ample opportunities for him to prove himself - from the two Serbian-Turkish wars, through the Serbian-Bulgarian and Balkan Wars, to the glorious triumph in the Great (World War I). Živojin Mišić emerged from each of these conflicts with a higher rank and prestigious medals.

However, not everything went so smoothly in the military career of Voivode Mišić. It is little known that Živojin Mišić, as a staunch Obrenović supporter in his time, was retired after the May Coup and brought to the brink of existence with his family in the following years. During that period, he wrote the seminal work "Strategy - The Art of Warfare," which allowed him to recover financially, leading to his military rehabilitation and reactivation before the start of the Balkan Wars.

Countless scholarly papers and books have been written about the military successes, tactics, and strategies of Živojin Mišić, and they are studied at military academies worldwide. Among the most significant maneuvers in the history of warfare is the retreat and subsequent counteroffensive of the Serbian First Army in the Battle of Kolubara, where a completely exhausted and shattered but impeccably led army returned from the edge of the abyss and triumphed over an immeasurably stronger adversary. It was after the Battle of Kolubara that Živojin Mišić became the recipient of the highest decoration in the Serbian army - the voivode.

Beloved among soldiers and the people, Voivode Mišić, due to his sharpness, determination, and the habit of sticking to his beliefs even in defiance of authorities such as Voivode Radomir Putnik and even King Aleksandar Karađorđević himself, was not favored in high circles. However, he was immensely respected as an exceptional commander.

However, for some of the key and perhaps fateful decisions for the Serbian people in the 20th century, the opinion of Voivode Mišić was not respected. Namely, his doubts about the sustainability of a shared state of Serbs and Croats, as well as the issue of what would prove to be an epic and tragic retreat across Albania, are well known.

Towards the end of his life, already seriously ill, Voivode Mišić was appointed as the first Chief of the General Staff of the Army and Navy of the Kingdom of SHS.

A year and a half later, at the age of 67, the renowned voivode passed away and was buried with the highest honors at the New Cemetery in Belgrade.

Symbolically, numerous streets, squares, and schools throughout Serbia bear the name of the greatest Serbian military leader, Voivode Živojin Mišić. In his native village, his birth house is also arranged as a monument of history and culture.