The former German name of the village, Rudolfsgnad, was in use since 1868, when the village was named after Crown Prince Rudolf (1858-1889).
During the rule of Prince Miloš Obrenović, Knićanin's political career began as a commissioner of the Jasenica municipality in 1835, and in 1839 as a commissioner of the Smederevo district, but he eventually joined the opposition as a Constitutionalist and supporter of the rival Prince Aleksandar Karađorđević of the Karađorđević dynasty.