Due to few historical sources, much of what is known about him today is mainly attributed to legend and folklore detailing his life and accomplishments with a medieval romanticism.
Following an uskok revolt, he returned to Senj and became the main uskok leader, and from this point he began to make a name for himself by defeating Ahmet-aga Cukarinović in a duel, and by launching a series of expeditions to the territories under Ottoman rule primarily in the Dalmatian hinterland, namely Šibenik area (1598), Solin (1604), Skradin (1605), Trebinje and Herceg Novi.
Archduke Ferdidand promised him a regular monetary compensation and also to pay all the debts to him under the condition that he stops plundering and attacking subjects of states that are not at war with the Habsburg monarchy.
[6] In spite of his attempts to maintain peace on the border towards the Ottoman Empire, he was arrested in 1611 under the accusations of stealing the supplies of the Senj garrison.
He subsequently filed a request for pardon, in which he described himself as a "miserable captured Croatian warrior" (armer gefangener Crawatischer Kriegsdienstmann) and laid out his military accomplishments.
[8] Today there are many folk-songs and gusle poems (ballads) written in honour of Ivo due to his heroic legacy as a hajduk and uskok.
She assisted him off the horse and tended to his injuries, where Ivo recounted how he and his men had been journeying home from Italy with a hoard of treasure when they were assailed by the Turks multiple times.