Husein-kapetan Gradaščević (August 31, 1802 – August 17, 1834) was a Bosniak general who fought for Bosnian autonomy in the Ottoman Empire.
He is often referred to as "Zmaj od Bosne", meaning "Dragon of Bosnia". Gradaščević was born in
Gradačac in 1802 - hence his surname Gradaščević, meaning "of Gradačac" - and grew up surrounded by a political climate of turmoil in the western reaches of the Ottoman Empire.
When his brother Murat was poisoned by a rival in 1821, Gradaščević rose to the head of the Gradačac military captaincy.
The young Husein developed a reputation for wise rule and tolerance and soon became one of the most popular figures in Bosnia. In 1831 Gradaščević was called upon to lead the movement for a Bosnian autonomy. He overthrew the loyalist, vizier, and other anti-rebellion figures, becoming the de facto ruler of the Ottoman Bosnia Province (eyalet) in the process.
On July 18 of the same year, Gradaščević met a large force commanded by the grand vizier himself near Štimlje (Shtimje) in Kosovo and dealt a heavy defeat to the imperial army (this is sometimes referred to as the "Third battle of Kosovo").
At that point, he decided to turn back from further campaigns and returned to Bosnia where he was proclaimed the new vizier by his soldiers on September 12. By 1832, however, the tide of the rebellion had turned. After a series of smaller clashes, the decisive battle occurred on the 17th and 18th of May outside Sarajevo. Initially successful, the rebels were eventually defeated when Herzegovinian reinforcements arrived and sided with the Sultan. Although the Bosniak uprising would not be completely quelled for another 18 years, Gradaščević was forced to flee to the Austrian Empire on May 31.
From there he negotiated for his return with the Sultan and was ultimately allowed back but barred from ever entering Bosnia again. He moved to Belgrade and then to Istanbul, where he died under mysterious circumstances on August 17, 1834. A legend in his own time, Gradaščević is considered a Bosniak national hero and one of the most revered figures in the history of Bosnia and Herzegovina.
