Starting out as a captain under the command of Petar Dobrnjac, Paulj was elevated to vojvoda (general) in the Gornja Mlava region upon showing his courage.
He was born in the village of Melnica,[1] at that time part of the Požarevac nahiya in the Sanjak of Smederevo ("Belgrade Pashaluk").
[1] Paulj Matejić participated in the victories in the eastern parts of the Belgrade Pashaluk that strengthened rebel holding.
[2] A rebel army led by commanders Miloje Todorović, Petar Dobrnjac, Ilija Barjaktarović, Paulj Matejić, Stevan Sinđelić and Veljko Petrović arrived on 27 April [O.S.
[1] Paulj did not reach in time; when the Ottomans had surrounded and overtook Sinđelić's trench, he decided to blow up the gunpowder magazine and kill everyone on the hill.