Ljuba Čupa

Ljuba Čupa
Birth nameLjubomir S. Jovanović
Nickname(s)Čupa
Born1877
Brezova
Died25 June 1913 (aged 36)
Skopje
Buried
Skopje
Allegiance Kingdom of Serbia

Ljubomir S. Jovanović (Serbian Cyrillic: Љубомир С. Јовановић, 1877–25 June 1913), known as Ljuba Čupa (Љуба Чупа), was a Serbian guerilla fighter, member of the Black Hand, soldier in the Balkan Wars, and journalist.[1] He advocated for a united state of South Slavs under the leadership of Serbia.[2]

Life

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He was born in Brezova, Principality of Serbia.[3] He attended primary school in his hometown and high school in Belgrade.[4] He was enrolled in law school but his studies were disrupted by his political interest.[4] A Serbian nationalist,[5] he participated in the March Demonstrations (1903) in Belgrade against King Aleksandar Obrenović, and was accused of being the leader of Greater Serbia-demonstrations and an associate of the rivaling officers; he was forced to flee by boat to Zemun, at the time part of the Austro-Hungary.[4] He moved to Vienna, and then returned to Serbia following the May Coup.[4]

As many nationalistic youths he was inspired by the Serbian Chetnik Organization.[4] In February 1905 he joined the unit of Aksentije Bacetović-Baceta and operated in the Kozjak area, participating in several operations.[4] After the death of Baceta in 1905, he returned to Belgrade where he finished his law studies.[4] At this time he began working in journalism. He spent some time in Brussels. As a student, he was a founder and editor of the Slovenski jug magazine, and when he was unable to pay the rent for his apartment he slept in the office.[4] In 1911, Ljuba Jovanović with two colleagues, Branko Božović and Bogdan Radenković, started a daily called Pijemont that had among its contributors well-known critics, poets, and writers, including Jovan Skerlić Milutin Bojić, Milan Rakić, Jovan Dučić, and others. Apart from tirelessly campaigning for pan-Serb unification, Pijemont offered a variety of political ideas, targeting corruption and discord in Serbia.

Ljuba was one of initiators of the establishment of the Black Hand (1911), and one of the founding members.[4] Together with Bogdan Radenković and Vojislav Tankosić he wrote the constitution of the organization.[4] The constitution was modeled after similar German secret nationalist associations and the Italian Carbonari.[4] He founded the Pijemont magazine in August 1911.[6]

He was mobilized in the First Balkan War and fought as a reserve officer.[4] He participated in the Second Balkan War against Bulgaria in the summer of 1913 and was wounded in the knee in fighting around Veles.[4] He was transported for treatment in Skopje, but the hospital was infected with cholera, from which he died on 25 June 1913.[4] He was buried in Skopje, but the location of his remains is unknown.[4]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ Boeckh, Katrin; Rutar, Sabine (31 January 2018). The Wars of Yesterday: The Balkan Wars and the Emergence of Modern Military Conflict, 1912-13. Berghahn Books. ISBN 9781785337758.
  2. ^ Mackenzie, David (1979). "Ljuba Jovanović-Čupa and the Search for Yugoslav Unity". The International History Review. 1 (1): 36–54. doi:10.1080/07075332.1979.9640175. ISSN 0707-5332.
  3. ^ Borivoje Nešković (1953). Istina o solunskom procesu. Narodna knjiga. p. 113.
  4. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o Stanoje Stanojević (1929). Narodna enciklopedija srpsko-hrvatsko-slovenačka, knjiga 2 (in Serbo-Croatian). Zagreb. p. 181.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
  5. ^ Dušan Baranin (1977). Milan Obrenović: kralj Srbije. V. Karadžić. p. 388.
  6. ^ "Пијемонт". Veliki rat. National Library of Serbia.