Petar Nikolajević Moler

Petar Nikolajević Moler
File:Petar Nikolajević Moler.jpg
Representative of the Prince
In office 21 November 1815 – 16 May 1816
Monarch	Miloš
Preceded by	Mladen Milovanović
Succeeded by	Jevrem Obrenović
Personal details
Born	1775 Babina Luka, Ottoman Empire (modern Serbia)
Died	1816 Bogovađa, Principality of Serbia (modern Serbia)
Nationality	Serbian
Religion	Serbian Orthodox

Petar Nikolajević (1775–1816), known as Moler (the Painter), was a Serbian revolutionary, participating in both the First and Second phases, serving as the Prime Minister from 1815 to 1816.

Biography

Moler was educated as a painter, known for his works in several monasteries in the pre-Uprising period, and thus earning his nickname, Moler (painter in Serbian). He was a nephew of Hadži Ruvim, who was executed by the Dahia during the Slaughter of the knezes.

In the First Serbian Uprising, Moler distinguished himself in battle near the village of Jelenča. During the uprising, he painted the church built by Karađorđe in Topola. During the defense of Loznica in 1813, because of a lack of ink, Moler wrote a letter with his blood to the leaders of the uprising. After the failure of the uprising, Moler fled to the Austrian Empire, but returned to Serbia at the start of the Second Serbian Uprising.

He was President of the Serbian Government from 1815 to 1816. Moler and Bishop Melentije Nikšić were among the first opposition leaders to Prince Miloš Obrenović, and as such were killed in 1816.

See also

• List of Prime Ministers of Serbia