Mihailo Ovčarević

Mihailo Ovčarević (Serbian Cyrillic: Михаило Овчаревић; fl. 1550–79) was a Habsburg Serb vojvoda (commander) of the Šajkaši (river flotilla). Mihailo Ovčarević belonged to the Ovčarević family, a notable Serb family in Habsburg service in the 16th century, and was a relative of the earlier Petar Ovčarević (fl. 1521–41), a Šajkaši commander and spy, and contemporaries Dimitrije Ovčarević (fl. 1552–66), captain of Gyula, and Jovan Ovčarević (fl. 1557), an emissary.^[1] He is mentioned in 1550 as a vojvoda of the Šajkaši.^[1] After a denunciation, Emperor Ferdinand I had Mihailo imprisoned, where he stayed for several months until having proved his innocence.^[1] As compensation, Ferdinand I issued him a yearly 50 gold coins, which was then changed to 25.^[2] In 1557 he asked the War Council to appoint him a vojvoda in Komárno.^[1] It is unknown whether he succeeded.^[1] It seems that he continued living on his low pension which was not paid regularly;^[3] the payment issue is evident from his many appeals.^[2] He is last mentioned in 1579.^[1]

View of Komárno with chaikas, 1597. Mihailo Ovčarević was a vojvoda (commander) of the Šajkaši, the river flotilla that defended the Danube and Sava rivers against the Ottomans.