Battle on Vrtijeljka

The Battle on Vrtijeljka (бој на Вртијељци/boj na Vrtijeljci) was fought between the hajduk bands of Bajo Pivljanin and the Ottoman forces of sanjak-bey Süleyman.

History
The bands of Bajo Pivljanin were made up of Herzegovinians (of the Sanjak of Herzegovina) and also Bokelji (of the Bay of Kotor). Bajo Pivljanin was the harambaša (bandit leader) of hajduks in Venetian service who protected the Kotor krajina (frontier) against the Ottomans. The Ottoman forces approached Cetinje, and the two met at the hill of Vrtijeljka. The hajduks were annihilated by the Ottomans. It is claimed that Süleyman managed to penetrate into Cetinje only with the help of the Brđani, who were in feud with the Montenegrin tribes.

The victorious Ottomans paraded with 500 severed heads through Cetinje after the battle. They also attacked the Cetinje monastery and the palace of Ivan Crnojević. Süleyman had Bajo's head sent to the Sultan as a trophy.

Legacy
Bajo Pivljanin is enumerated in Serbian epic poetry.