The Death of Smail-aga Čengić

The Death of Smail-aga Čengić (Croatian: Smrt Smail-age Čengića) is an epic poem by Croatian poet and later Ban of Croatia Ivan Mažuranić during 1845 and first published in the almanac Iskra for 1846. It is based on the real events of the murder of Bosnian Ottoman army general (aga) Smail-aga Čengić by Montenegrin vojvoda Novica Cerović in 1840. In the poem, Smail-aga is famous for his bravery, but disparaged for his truculence; the main motif is his death, happening after he engages in a battle against the Herzegovinian Montenegrins. The poem was initially ordered by Dimitrija Demeter. It is divided in five sections and contains exactly 1134 verses.