 Balević was born in Pelev Brijeg in 1728 and was captured with his father in 1737 during the Serb Uprising of 1737–39 in the Brda region.He was then sent to Sarajevo where he was ransomed by Bosnian archbishop Umilinković who provided him with education in Sremski Karlovci.His upbringing in Karlovci according to this theory explains his Vojvodina accent, for which he was remembered and which made him stand out amidst different dialects spoken in Montenegro.