Serdar Janko Vukotic
Janko Vukotic (18 February 1866 – 4 February 1927) was a Montenegrin serdar, general in the armies of the Principality and Kingdom of Montenegro in the Balkan Wars and World War I. He was from the famous Vukotic family from Cevo, which is related to the Petrovici Njegoši royal house. His father, Serdar Stanko Vukotic, is the son of Mašan Vukotic and the grandson of Perko Vukotic. Perko Vukotic also had a son, Stevan, Mašan's brother, whose son Duke Petar Vukotic is the father of Queen Milena Petrovic Njegoš, wife of King Nikola Petrovic Njegoš. Serdar Janko Vukotic was Queen Milena's nephew. After graduating from the Military Academy in Modena, Italy, he gradually climbed the hierarchical ladder, which significantly contributed to his comprehensive and systematic training and the acquisition of valuable experience in command and leadership positions.
Montenegrin army, after military successes in the wars 1876–1878 during which the Principality of Montenegro was enlarged by a large territory, from the Tara River in the north to the Adriatic Sea in the south (liberated towns Podgorica, Nikšic, Kolašin, Andrijevica, Bar and Ulcinj), reorganization in Montenegrin army was conducted in 1880. Each kapetanija (municipality) formed its reserve battalion. There were 42 battalions in total. Since 1881, regular military exercises were conducted. Supreme Commander of the Montenegrin army was the monarch, Prince / King Nikola I. Operational command, organization and financial support of the Montenegrin army was entrusted to the Ministry of Defence, the department of the Government of the Principality / Kingdom of Montenegro. General Staff of the Montenegrin army was part of the Ministry of Defence. In 1882 first 14 Montenegrins were sent to officer schools abroad, particularly in Italy and Russia. In 1886, 10 of them completed their education and they become first trained officers in Montenegrin warrior history. These Montenegrin officers held courses in Podgorica, Nikšic and Cetinje. In September 1895, the first permanent Infantry NCO school in Podgorica was opened, and the first NCOs got desecar rank. At the end of 1896, artillery officer school in Cetinje was established – the first Montenegrin officer school.
Vukotici from Cevo were hereditary serdars, dukes, governors of Boka Kotor and Montenegro, captains of Ozrinic in the Katunska nahija of Old Montenegro, senators of the Senate, ministers and prime ministers of the Principality and Kingdom of Montenegro. They celebrate the Epiphany of Saint Michael the Archangel. The progenitor of the clan is serdar Vukota Vukašinovic they were sung in the Gorski Vijenc of Bishop Petar II Petrovic Njegoš. From the Perkovic-Vukotic Branch are Queen Milena Petrovic Njegoš (whose grandson is King Aleksandar Karadordevic) and Serdar Janko Vukotic, divisional (general) and army general of the army of the Kingdom of Yugoslavia. There were three basic branches of Vukotic. The first, the oldest branch of Vukotic-Vukalovic inherited the hereditary serdardom from serdar (and duke) Vukota Popovic-Ozrinic from around 1700 to 1861, when the last serdar from this branch, Ramo Vukotic, who died leading the Montenegrin Legion in battle, moved to Serbia in Šumatovac during the Serbian-Turkish war in 1876. The son of serdar Vukota, Dikan Vukotic was the first hereditary governor of Boka Kotor
and Montenegro, and in the middle of the 18th century the title of governor passed to Radonjic from Njeguš. The middle branch of Vukotic inherited the duchy from Serdar and duke Vukota, who, according to tradition, got the dukedom by the decision of duke Draško Popovic's uncle. Prince Danilo (in 1858) appointed Petar Vukotic from the younger branch of Vukotic, the branch of Perkovic, as district duke (1858), whose daughter Milena, according to Prince Danilo's decision, married his heir Prince Nikola Petrovic Njegoš. After the departure of serdar Ram Vukotic to Serbia (1861), Prince Nikola also handed over the hereditary serdardom to the Perkovic-Vukotic family, Stanko Vukotic, father of serdar Janko Vukotic.
Awards: Insignia, sash and star of the Order of Prince Danilo I, Stars of the Order of Karadorde's Star and the Royal Order of the White Eagle.
