Pavle Cukić

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Pavle Cukić (1778–1817) was a Serbian duke and a fighter in the First and Second Serbian Uprisings. He came from Krčmar, near Kragujevac.

In 1812 the Governing Council removed him from his duke title because of abuses in his duties. He tried to flee, and an arrest warrant and death sentence were issued. He surrendered and received a pardon, but later quarreled with Milos Saranovac, the new duke of the area. After a clash and rebellion against Prince Miloš, Pavle Cukić was killed at Rogača near Sopot and buried there.

Prince Miloš harshly punished disobedient subordinates and executed many famous revolutionaries, including Karađorđe and others. There were many revolts against Miloš’s autocratic rule.

Cukić’s tombstone was declared a cultural monument in 1987 and was renovated in 2006. He was married twice. One wife lived in exile in Srem, the other in central Serbia; later both wives lived in his house after his death. From his first marriage he had a daughter, Persida; her grandson was the writer Radoje Domanović. He had no sons with his legal wives. He had an illegitimate son through adoption: Petar Lazarević Cukić, who, with Ana (daughter of Duke Petar Nikolajević Moler), had a son, Kosta Cukić, who became Minister of Finance. Another woman, the widow of Pavle Cukić, after marrying Captain Stevan Piroćanac, had a son, Milan Piroćanac, a statesman who led the 31st Serbian government.

The tombstone of Vojvoda Pavle Cukić from 1817 stands on the left side of the road from the village center toward the “Albanian area.” It’s made of tough greenish sandstone, a common material for Belgrade-area tombstones. The monument is an elongated block with a curved top and a small central projection. There are no inscriptions on the stone or tablet, and decoration is only on the front: a simple low-relief human figure. The tablet is plain, with no ornaments, and a carved edge line can be seen along the top in places.