| Vojvoda Čolak-Anta Anta Simeonović Анта Симеоновић |
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Duke Čolak-Anta |
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| Nickname | Čolak-Anta |
| Born | August 23, 1777 Prizren Ottoman Empire (modern day Serbia, southern Kosovo) |
| Died | August 23, 1853 Kragujevac, Principality of Serbia |
| Allegiance | Serbia |
| Service/branch | Army |
| Rank | Vojvoda |
Anta Simeonović, known as Čolak-Anta (Serbian Cyrillic: Чолак-Анта Симеоновић[a]; 1777–1853) was a Serbian voivode (military commander or duke), and one of the most important figures of the First Serbian Uprising (1804–1813).
The uprising was the first stage of the Serbian Revolution, in which Serbs initially revolted against the tyranny of the dahis, the four janissary commanders who had seized power, becoming a national struggle for independance throughout the country.
The uprising which lasted for almost 10 years resulted in the break away province of the Sanjak of Smederevo also known as the Pashaluk of Belgrade, paving the way for more uprisings and ultimately the the establishment of the Principality of Serbia and the liberation from Ottoman rule.
Čolak-Anta fought under Grand Vožd Karađorđe, and is the eponymous founder of the notable Čolak-Antić family (also spelled Tcholak-Antitch).
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Anta Simeonović hailed from Sredska, a village in the municipality of Prizren, under the Ottoman Empire (modern Kosovo and Metohija, see Serbs of Kosovo) although his family may have originally came from Herzegovina.
As a young man he moved to Belgrade where he was a prosperous merchant trading furs and weaponry across the river Sava with neighbouring Habsburg Hungary and Austria.
His real name was Anta (from Antonije, en. Anthony), but he became known by the name Čolak-Anta (“çolak” meaning one-armed in Turkish) when, in 1806, during a fight with an Ottoman commander, he was hit with a sabre and lost the usage of his left arm.
In February 1804, the Dahis despots and their emissaries were plundering and terrorizing the population, following the slaughter of the most prominent Serbian notables, the Christian subjects started to revolt. On the eve of the uprising Čolak-Anta secretly transported arms and ammunition from Prizren to Belgrade, and then to the town of Topola where he handed them over to Djordje Petrovic aka Karađorđe, the leader of the insurgents.[1] Čolak-Anta joined the rebellion, repeatedly distinguishing himself in the battles which ensued, becoming one of Karađorđe’s military commander.[2]
By the winter of 1806 the Serbs had gained control of the whole Pashalik, in January 1807 they were able to capture Belgrade’s forteress from the Turks, by the summer of 1807 all the main Ottoman fortresses in Serbia were liberated. The Ottoman Sultan Selim III then offered them autonomy but the Serbs refused and kept fighting for complete independence. The rebels achieved several victories and were able to withstand Turkish forces despite the fact that the Ottoman Sultan had declared Holy War against them.
In 1810 The Russo-Turkish War (1806–1812) brought the Russians on the banks of the Danube to help the Serbs, the rebels managed to advanced towards Niš and even gained territory in Bosnia. These victories encouraged the rebels to transform the insurection into a general liberation movement, Karađorđe appealed to the confraternity of the Montenegrins and Bosnians to restore the unity of the Serbian nation.[3] Together with voivode Vujica Vulićević, Čolak-Anta led Karageorge's offensive from Nikšić to Montenegro in May 1809.
In 1811 a governing council representing each of the twelves districts was established, Čolak-Anta was appointed the position of Vojvoda, Governor or Duke, of the province (Nahija) of Kruševac, the former medieval capital, with 31 townships under his administration. For the first time an entire Christian population had successfully risen up against the Ottomans and Serbia existed as a de facto independent state.[4]
The withdrawal of Russian troops following the the Russian-Ottoman Treaty of Bucharest of 1812 allowed the Turks to concentrate on the Serbian rebels, the treaty stipulated modest autonomy for the Serbs but the Ottomans did not accept the provision.[5]
In July, three formidable Turkish armies converged on Serbia, on three fronts, to crush the insurrection without outside interference, eventually, the rebel forces, exhausted, were compelled to retreat across the Danube to Austria and then to Bessarabia[6]
In September 1814 Čolak-Anta and his family moved to Russia with his wife Jela and children: Jovanka, Angelka, Stevana and Kosta.
His son Konstantin was accepted in the First Cadet Corps at Saint Petersburg by special decree of Emperor Alexander I.
Čolak-Anta and his family returned to Serbia in 1831 after the country became a semiautonomous state and a full amnesty was granted to those who had participated in the rebellion.[7]
Čolak-Anta was appointed Chief Magistrate a function he held until his retirement in 1843.
He died August 23, 1853 in Kragujevac, leaving to his descendants the surname of Čolak-Antić (Tcholak-Antitch or Colak-Antic).
With his first wife Jelena he had a son, Kosta and nine daughters, with his second wife he had a son: Paul.
His male descendants all attended the Military Academy and include:
The Slava (Serbian patron saint) of the family is St. Archangel Michael.
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