Marko Mesić (c. 1640 – February 2, 1713) was a Croatian priest, military chaplain, and one of the most prominent organizers of resistance against the Ottomans in the regions of Lika and Krbava during the late 17th century. Born in Brinje to a noble family, he spent his childhood and received his primary education there. From his early youth, he was closely tied to the Church and the life of the Military Frontier, characterized by the constant Ottoman threat, which profoundly influenced his later work.
He was ordained a priest in 1664, after which he began his service as a parish priest in Brinje. Due to his exceptional commitment and reputation, he was appointed a canon of Senj in 1678. Even then, he stood out for his frequent travels to territories under Ottoman rule, where he ministered among the local Christian population—activities for which he had to provide explanations to the church authorities in Rome. In 1676, the Pope granted him special permission to perform the duties of a military chaplain.
During the Great Turkish War (1683–1699), Mesić was a key figure in organizing Croatian frontiersmen units that participated in uprisings and battles for the liberation of Lika and Krbava. In cooperation with the General of Karlovac, Ivan Fridrik Josip Herberstein, he participated in the liberation of these regions in 1689. On the ruins of the old Krbava Cathedral of St. James, he celebrated a Mass of Thanksgiving, the first one held since the Battle of Krbava Field in 1493.
Following the liberation, he exerted a strong influence on the administration, judiciary, and ecclesiastical renewal of Lika and Krbava, becoming the first Archdeacon of Lika and Krbava. He focused on repopulating the deserted regions, distributing land to Catholic and Orthodox settlers, and participated in the restoration of the Roman Catholic Church. For his merits, Emperor Leopold I granted him the village of Mušaluk in 1693. He died in Karlobag, where, according to the most credible research, he was buried.
