In 1804, the year of the First Serbian Uprising, he was a Buljubaša (the commander of a četa), under Milenko Stojković. In 1805 he took part in the Battle of Ivankovac against Hafiz-paša, after which the Правитељствујушчи совјет awarded him the rank of Bimbaša (a commander of 1000 men) and Vojvoda. After the Battle of Deligrad in 1806 against Ibrahim Bushati, pasha of Scutari, he became one of the most important men in Serbia.