Cene Marković

Aleksandar Marković (Александар Марковић, 1864–1918+), known by his nickname Cene (Цене Марковић), was a Serbian Chetnik in Macedonia, in the Balkan Wars and World War I.

Life
Marković was born in the village of Jelošnik near Tetovo (now R. Macedonia). He lived in his village for his first 15 years, then went on work abroad (pečalba) in the Principality of Bulgaria, then in the Russian Empire. He finished NCO school and served as a soldier, then returned to Bulgaria, as a cavalry officer of the Bulgarian Army.

He joined the Internal Macedonian Revolutionary Organization (IMRO) and quickly became a voivoda (commander). After the massacre of Serbs in Kokošinje and Rudar by IMRO in 1905 he left IMRO and joined the Serbian Chetnik Organization. Identifying as a Serb, he could not forgive the cruelty, and fled at once in night-time and joined the Serbian bands. He operated on the left side of the Vardar.

With the outbreak of the First Balkan War (1912), he joined the Chetnik detachment of Vojislav Tankosić and participated in fighting in Merdare, destroying the Turkish border stations. In World War I he fought against the Austrians in Belgrade, then was sent to his home region to monitor the IMRO. In 1915, with the fall of Serbia, the Bulgarians attacked him in Tetovo, killing his horse, but he survived and went into Albania. He participated in the Thessaloniki Front. During this time he had married in Bitola, then returned to fighting in the north. When the war ended, he returned to his village, which was devastated, the houses being burnt down by the Bulgarians.