Ilija Čolak-Antić

Ilija Čolak-Antić (4 July 1836 – 12 October 1894) was a Serbian Army officer and military diplomat who played a significant role in the Serbian–Turkish Wars, leading military units and contributing to Serbia's struggle for independence from the Ottoman Empire. Following the wars, he was instrumental in shaping Serbia's military and diplomatic strategy in the newly independent kingdom.

A graduate of the Serbian Military Academy, Čolak-Antić received advanced artillery training as a state cadet in Belgium. Upon his return to Serbia, he founded and later managed the arsenal in Kragujevac, where his expertise in artillery contributed to the modernisation of Serbia's military capabilities in anticipation of a conflict with the Ottoman Empire. Shortly before the outbreak of the Herzegovina uprising, he commanded a battalion group and later served as an intelligence officer in the Sanjak of Novi Pazar. During the First Serbo-Turkish War, he was awarded the Order of the Cross of Takovo for bravery and succeeded General Zach as commander of the Ibar Army. In the Second War of 1877–1878, he served as the chief of staff of the Serbian Army's Drina Corps.

Following the treaty of Berlin, Čolak-Antić held a series of diplomatic missions in France and Italy for the Serbian Ministry of Defence before being appointed military attaché to the Austro-Hungarian empire. He later conducted additional diplomatic and procurement missions in France, Italy and the Russian Empire, while also teaching at the Military Academy.