A large number of people in this area only know about deli that they are Red Star fans and that they bear that name, while many do not know who the delije really were.
Even more confusing are the fan skirmishes between red and black and white. Partizan fans claim that they were Turkish soldiers and in that way they are trying to insult the supporters of the eternal rival.
That is somewhat true.
Who exactly were Delije? Serbian samurai that history has actually forgotten.
Very little is known about everyday life in the Middle Ages in this area. While tournaments in the countries of Western Europe have become legends, and the Megdan players who won fame at them have become an integral part of songs and myths, there are almost no written traces in our country.
That is why it is not surprising that the Detainees - Serbian knights - have also been forgotten.
The detainees were special knights who fought for glory. They were not interested in wealth, or political goals, or when or why they were fighting. They just wanted to prove they were the best
Although to many the term may sound completely new, it is a tradition at least 6 centuries old.!
In short, the detainees were Serbian samurai! Not only did they share the same historical period but there were them all over the world. In Germany they were called Ritter, in England Champions (hence the term "champion"), in France Chevalier Blanc - white knight, in Spain Campeador…
However, the name given to these Serbian detainees in Turkey is still known to many today.
- When these detainees went to serve with the Turks, they gave them the name Delije and that term has remained to this day. They were great warriors and became famous outside the borders of Serbia, and Serbia repaid them by forgetting them.
The problem lies in the fact that Serbian medieval sources are mostly reduced to church records in which there are no records of detainees. Some more concrete traces are found in epic folk songs.
The most famous description of the detainees was given by the 16th-century French travel writer Nicolas de Nicole, who was translated into Serbian by the historian Radovan Samardžić. On about two pages, he described these unusual Serbian warriors.
- The detainees came from the classic Megdanji, who understood fighting as a profession. They were characterized by the fact that they were excellent fighters who adorned themselves with eagle feathers. However, in order to be able to do that, they had to beat 10 others in a duel, to be the best.
When the Serbian state disintegrated at the end of the 15th century with the fall of Smederevo, most of the detainees went illegal and became road robbers, so they were called pirates. They thus spread and reached Hungary, even Poland.
- In Poland, they were the inspiration for their light cavalry - the legendary hussars. This will be told to you by every serious historian in that country. Wherever you go to foreign sites that discuss Delija and Hussars, everyone admits that they originate from Serbian territory.
Like their occupation, the names of these brave Serbian fighters have been lost in history. There are indications that the legendary Miloš Obilić was one of them.
While medieval tournaments in countries such as England or France became legends, and the Megdan players who won fame at them became an integral part of songs and myths, almost nothing is known about them in our country. That is why it is not surprising that the Detainees - Serbian knights - have also been forgotten!