He was mentioned for the first time after 1590, as a youngster commanding a band of Serb soldiers in the service of Sigismund Báthory, the Prince of Transylvania.
[1] Báthory's army which headed to liberate Timișoara included notable Serbs, such as Đorđe Rac, Deli-Marko, and Sava Temišvarac.
[3] These Serb leaders, including Starina 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 as Plovdiv and Adrianople.
When Emperor 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.