Deli-Marko (Serbian Cyrillic:Дели-Марко, "Wild Marko";fl. 1596–1619) orMarko Segedinac (Марко Сегединац, "Marko of Segedin"), was a Serbhajduk and military commander inHabsburg service, active during theLong Turkish War.
He was mentioned for the first time after 1590, as a youngster commanding a band of Serb soldiers in the service ofSigismund Báthory, the Prince of Transylvania.[1] Báthory's army which headed to liberateTimișoara included notable Serbs, such asĐorđe Rac, Deli-Marko, andSava Temišvarac.[2] The army managed to conquer the Serbian part of the town.[3] These Serb leaders, includingStarina Novak, fought as part of the Transylvanian Army, but carried out independent raids south of the Danube, into what is today Bulgaria and Serbia,[4] even managing to raid as deep asPlovdiv andAdrianople.[5] Deli-Marko's bold maneuvers in Ottoman territory enraged the Ottoman government.[1] He raided merchant caravans and ships, and even went as far as across theBalkan Mountains and to theMaritsa river.[1] The Serb commanders mainly operated outside Transylvania, with the support of the Emperor.[6] The Serb soldiers and refugees were taken care of by the War Council in Vienna.[6]
In 1605, together with Sava Temišvarac, he left Transylvania and crossed to western Hungary.[7] The Long Turkish War ended in 1606 with thePeace of Zsitvatorok. WhenEmperor Rudolf II started quarreling with his brother,Matthias, Temišvarac, Đorđe Rac and Deli-Marko supported the latter, joining with their people.[7] All mercenary bands commanded by the three Serb leaders participated in the march on Rudolf II.[8]
Deli-Marko joined the forces of Italian generalGiorgio Basta. In 1616 he moved toTransylvania.