Captain Živan S. Protić (1843–1876), Hero of Šumatovac

Abstract

This paper is dedicated to the life of Engineering Captain 2nd Class Živan S. Protić (Požarevac, 1843 – Šumatovac, 1876), tracing his origins, education, family background, peacetime service, and wartime engagement. Th rough his father, Stevan, he descended from an old Požarevac family of priests and merchants, while through his mother, Milosava, he was the grandson of Ilija Stošić, voivode of Homolje. Živan S. Protić occupies a relatively modest place in Serbian military history, having been overshadowed by his far more prominent older brother, Konstantin (Kosta) S. Protić – general, minister, prime minister, and royal regent. Nevertheless, his participation in, and death during, the renowned Battle of Šumatovac – attested in official documents and the memoirs of his contemporaries – secured him a place among the heroes of the First Serbian-Turkish War of 1876.