Stepan "Stepa" Stepanović OLH, KCB, DSO (Serbian Cyrillic: Степан Степа Степановић, pronounced [stɛ̌ːpa stɛpǎːnoʋitɕ]; 11 March [O.S.

[2] Stepanović finished triennial primary school in Kumodraž and attended gymnasium in Captain Miša's Mansion.

[4] In September 1874, Stepanović enlisted in the XI class of the Belgrade artillery school instead of attending his sixth year of gymnasium.

[5] At the time, the Belgrade artillery school possessed a technical character and paid much attention to knowledge of mathematics, a subject in which Stepanović always performed poorly.

After Herzegovina Uprising broke out, the Principality of Serbia began preparing for war with the Ottoman Empire and the Belgrade artillery school initiated a program of practical martial training.

Stepanović's participation alongside regular Serbian soldiers raised moral and helped turn the tide of the battle.

[12] After the fall of Knjaževac, Stepanović and his squadron moved from Deligrad to Sokobanja in order to prevent the Ottomans from reaching the Morava Valley.

In Sokobanja, Serb forces regrouped and formed the IV Army Corps, under the command of Colonel Đura Horvatović.

[16] Under the overall command of General Jovan Belimarković, Stepanović and his 300-strong force attacked the left flank of Nišor, one of two locations that the Ottomans had fortified in the town.

On the morning of 27 September, when the main Serbian attack began, his squad opened fire on Nišor, confusing the Ottomans stationed there.

One soldier from Stepanović's unit said: "I find that, if I’m not wrong, our action struck the main blow to the Turkish position on Nišor and had resolved the fate of Pirot.

[25]On 1 September 1882, Stepanović was promoted to the rank of infantry lieutenant and he became a commander in Užice, where he remained until 13 February 1883, when he returned to Kragujevac.

[27] Several days later, Stepanović became commander of the 1st Battalion in the 12th Regiment and together with troops from another unit attacked the weakened Bulgarian center on Slivnitsa.

At the meeting which was held at the end of 1888, the General Staff's commission stated ″that II class captain Mr. Stepanović showed enough qualification and proof for headquarters' service", concluding that "he should be approved to start an exam this winter for the rank of I class captain.″[30] In March 1889, Stepanović reported for this exam, and the commission gave him permission on 2 April to start.

[30] From 29 March to 15 April 1892, Stepanović wrote and successfully passed an exam for the rank major in the same time as Milutin Milanović and Živojin Mišić.

The office kills the spirit, drains the strength and changes man into mechanism.″[33] On 18 August 1901, Stepanović was promoted to headquarters colonel, and on 11 November he became deputy executive of the active military command of the Serbian Army.

Because of these promotions, many historians have come to believe that Stepanović was on the side of the conspirators that overthrew the Obrenović dynasty despite his stated neutrality on the matter.

Emulating General Đura Horvatić, Stepanović then instituted Prussian-style military drills in his division and punished every irregularity, inaccuracy, legal offence and confiscation of state property.

[34] In the spring of 1906 in Kragujevac, where Stepanović was garrisoned as commander of the Šumadija Division, a so-called corporal counter conspiracy occurred.

The conspiracy involved about thirty officers of the Kragujevac garrison who had planned to take several important public buildings in the town and then to arrest Stepanović.

Stepanović responded by warning that the country and the army were not ready for war, and that both needed to undertake great amounts of diplomatic, financial and military training.

At the beginning of 1910, Stepanović became commander of the Morava divisional area and undertook the task of preparing the division for armed combat.

Soon after, Prince Aleksandar Karađorđević became suspicious of Stepanović, whom he believed to be a sympathizer of commander Dragutin Dimitrijević Apis, the leader of the May Overthrow who was said to have wanted a foreign monarch on the Serbian throne.

[36] Consequently, the prince rushed to Stepanović and requested that Apis and General Staff major Milovan Milovanović Pilac be transferred from Belgrade.

[36] When Stepanović became Minister of Army for the second time, the government of Serbia realized that the Great Powers intended to divide the Balkan and that the Christian population of the Ottoman Empire was on the verge of rebellion.

Informing the Serbian troops that the Seventh Rila Division became part of the Army, Stepanović said: ″I look with confidence at our future work and strongly believe in success, because for centuries separated and now fraternized and embraced, closest brothers, Serbs and Bulgarians represent an irresistible force that will crush all hurdles and liberate downtrodden brothers.″[37] On 17 October 1912, Putnik informed Stepanović of Serbia's declaration of war against the Ottoman Empire.

Yet again, Stepanović hasn't been informed about this event, and next day he ordered his troops to capture Stracin, which wasted a lot of time.

[39] However, general Todorov obeyed the orders from his High Command, so he only sent one battalion of ten batteries to take over Kočani, which was defended by an entire division.

[40] General Stepa Stepanović arrived with his headquarters in place called Mustafa Pasha (railway station outside of Adrianople) on 6 November 1912.

Nikola Aranđelović, who was in charge of army telegraph, described the atmosphere: Standing alone, like statue, General Stepanović transferred himself in the trenches of his countrymen and peasants from 7th company: people from Kumodraž, Mokri Lug, Avala and Kosmaj, and from time to time he clapped his hand and shouts: – Bravo my sons, bravo my heroes.