Vukašin Mrnjavčević or Vukašin of Serbia ( sr-cyr, Вукашин Мрњавчевић, ; c. 1320 – 26 September 1371) was

King of Serbia This is an archontological list of Serbian monarchs, containing monarchs of the medieval principalities, to heads of state of modern Serbia. The Serbian monarchy dates back to the Early Middle Ages. The Serbian royal titles used include Knya ...

as the co-ruler of Stefan Uroš V from 1365 to 1371. He was also a nobleman. Principal domains of king Vukašin and his family were located in southern parts of medieval Serbia and northwestern parts of the modern region of

Macedonia Macedonia most commonly refers to: * North Macedonia, a country in southeastern Europe, known until 2019 as the Republic of Macedonia * Macedonia (ancient kingdom), a kingdom in Greek antiquity * Macedonia (Greece), a traditional geographic reg ...

.King Vukasin and the Disastrous Battle of Maritsa
M.A. Vladislav Boskovic, GRIN Verlag, 2009, He died in the Battle of Maritsa in 1371 with his brother,

Jovan Uglješa Jovan may refer to: *Jovan (given name), a list of people with this given name *Jovan, Mawal, a village on the western coastal region of Maharashtra, India *Jōvan Musk, a cologne *Deli Jovan, a mountain in eastern Serbia *Róbert Jován (born 1967 ...

. In folk tradition, Vukašin is referred to as a usurper and, wrongly, the murderer of

Tsar Uroš Tsar ( or ), also spelled ''czar'', ''tzar'', or ''csar'', is a title used by East and South Slavic monarchs. The term is derived from the Latin word ''caesar'', which was intended to mean "emperor" in the European medieval sense of the ter ...

Background

According to 17th-century

Ragusan Ragusan may refer to: * citizen of the Republic of Ragusa hr, Sloboda se ne prodaje za sve zlato svijeta it, La libertà non si vende nemmeno per tutto l'oro del mondo"Liberty is not sold for all the gold in the world" , population_estimate ...

historian

Mavro Orbini Mavro Orbini (1563–1614) was a Ragusan chronicler, notable for his work '' The Realm of the Slavs'' (1601) which influenced Slavic ideology and historiography in the later centuries. Life Orbini was born in Ragusa (now Dubrovnik), the capital ...

, his father was a minor noble named

Mrnjava Mrnjava ( sr, Мрњава) was a Serbian provincial nobleman, born in Zahumlje, a frontier province in the western Kingdom of Serbia (medieval), Serbian Kingdom. Mrnjava is the eponymous founder of the notable Mrnjavčević family; his son Vukaš ...

from Zachlumia, whose sons Vukašin and Uglješa Mrnjavčević were born in Livno in western

Bosnia Bosnia and Herzegovina ( sh, / , ), abbreviated BiH () or B&H, sometimes called Bosnia–Herzegovina and often known informally as Bosnia, is a country at the crossroads of south and southeast Europe, located in the Balkans. Bosnia and He ...

. Orbin, Mavro (1968). "Наставак већ поменуте историје краљева Далмације" (in Serbian). Miroslav Pantić, Radovan Samardžić, Franjo Barišić, Sima M. Ćirković. eds. ''Краљевство Словена

he Realm of the Slavs He or HE may refer to: Language * He (pronoun), an English pronoun * He (kana), the romanization of the Japanese kana へ * He (letter), the fifth letter of many Semitic alphabets * He (Cyrillic), a letter of the Cyrillic script called ''He'' ...

'. trans. Zdravko Šundrica. Belgrade: Srpska književna zadruga. Some of Orbin's historical accounts are based on oral traditions of his time, but a 1280 Ragusan document mentions a Mrnjan as a nobleman from Trebinje, a town in Travunia in the vicinity of Zachlumia. Jireček, Konstantin Josef (1952). "Чиновници у жупама: сатник, казнац camerarius, доцније прахтор порезник" (in Serbian). ''Политичка историја: до 1537. године''. Историја Срба istory of the Serbs 1. trans. Jovan Radonjić. Belgrade: Naučna knjiga. The same Mrnjan is mentioned again in a 1289 charter as a treasurer of the Serbian queen Helen of Anjou. Miklosich, Franz (1858). ''Monumenta serbica spectantia historiam Serbiae Bosnae Ragusii'' (in Serbian and Latin). Vienna: apud Guilelmum Braumüller. pp. 56, 180, 181. After Zachlumia was annexed by

in 1326, the family of Mrnjan, or Mrnjava, could have moved to Livno. Possibly the family supported Serbian Emperor

Dušan Dušan ( sr-Cyrl, Душан) is a Slavic given name primarily used in countries of Yugoslavia; and among Slovaks and Czechs. The name is derived from the Slavic noun ''duša'' "soul". Occurrence In Serbia, it was the 29th most popular name ...

's invasion of Bosnia in 1350, as did other Zachlumian nobles, and fearing punishment, emigrated to Serbia when the war was about to start. In favor of Zachumlian or Travunian origin of Vukašin also speaks the inscription on the tomb in a church in Ohrid, where certain Ostoja Rajaković of the Ugarčić clan (died 1379) is referred to as a cousin of Vukašin's eldest son Marko. The Ugarčić clan is attested in contemporary sources as inhabiting the region of Trebinje. Jireček, Konstantin Josef (1952). "Насеља, земљорадња и занати" (in Serbian). ''Политичка историја: до 1537. године''. Историја Срба istory of the Serbs 1. trans. Jovan Radonjić. Belgrade: Naučna knjiga. After Serbia had expanded southwards into Macedonia, the local feudal lords—Greeks—were replaced with Serbs, many of whom were from Zachlumia and Travunia.Šuica, Marko. (2000). "Остоја Рајаковић" (in Serbian). ''Немирно доба српског средњег века: властела српских обласних господара''. Belgrade: Službeni list SRJ. . In c. 1350 Emperor Dušan appointed Vukašin the župan (district governor) of Prilep in Macedonia. Stojanović, Ljubomir (1902). ''Стари српски записи и натписи ld Serbian Inscriptions and Superscriptions' (in Serbian). 1. Belgrade: Serbian Royal Academy. p. 37. From then on Vukašin rapidly rose, and was one of the most dominant Serbian nobles at the time of the sudden death of Dušan in 1355. He was given the title of despot by Dušan's successor Emperor Stefan Uroš V. In 1365 he was crowned King of the Serbs and Greeks as the co-ruler of Emperor Uroš. He ruled over an area which included

Prizren ) , settlement_type = Municipality and city , image_skyline = Prizren Collage.jpg , imagesize = 290px , image_caption = View of Prizren , image_alt = View of Prizren , image_flag ...

, Skopje and Prilep, and had good relations with his brother, Despot

who ruled an area around

Ser Ser or SER may refer to: Places * Ser, a village in Bogdand Commune, Satu Mare County, Romania * Serpens (Ser), an astronomical constellation of the northern hemisphere * Serres, known as Ser in Serbian, a city in Macedonia, Greece Organization ...

. Later he became strong enough to disobey Uroš. By 1369, as Uroš was childless, Vukašin designated his eldest son Prince Marko as heir to the throne, with the title of "young king". In 1370 he contributed to the monasteries of

Mount Athos Mount Athos (; el, Ἄθως, ) is a mountain in the distal part of the eponymous Athos peninsula and site of an important centre of Eastern Orthodox monasticism in northeastern Greece. The mountain along with the respective part of the penins ...

and prepared a war against the Ottoman Empire, which his brother supported. Vukašin was to attack Trebinje in June 1371 but it was never carried out. In September 1371, he established a coalition with his brother against the Ottomans and advanced. The Serbian army of the coalition numbering ca. 70,000 men met the Ottoman army led by

beylerbey ''Beylerbey'' ( ota, بكلربكی, beylerbeyi, lit=bey of beys, meaning the 'commander of commanders' or 'lord of lords') was a high rank in the western Islamic world in the late Middle Ages and early modern period, from the Anatolian Seljuks ...

of Rumeli

Lala Şâhin Paşa Lala may refer to: Geography * Lala language (disambiguation) Places * Lala (Naples Metro), an underground metro station in Naples, Italy * Lala, Assam, a town in Assam, India * Lala, Ilam, a village in Ilam Province, Iran * Lala, Lanao del No ...

at Battle of Maritsa on 26 September 1371 where superior Ottoman tactics won over outnumbering coalition army. The Ottomans attacked the Serbian Army while they rested and Vukašin's forces were routed and himself killed during the battle.

Family

With his wife Jelena ( Old Cyrillic: Алѣна), Vukašin had at least five children: *

Marko Mrnjavčević Marko Mrnjavčević ( sr-cyr, Марко Мрњавчевић, ; – 17 May 1395) was the ''de jure'' Serbian king from 1371 to 1395, while he was the ''de facto'' ruler of territory in western Macedonia centered on the town of Prilep. He ...

Andrijaš Mrnjavčević Andrijaš Vukašinović Mrnjavčević or Andrija Kraljević (?) was a 14th-century Serbian noble who governed the region of Prilep 1371–1395. His father was the Serbian King Vukašin (co-ruler with Stefan Uroš V). His brother was the Serbian ...

Dmitar Mrnjavčević Dmitar Mrnjavčević ( sr-cyr, Дмитар Мрњавчевић; 1376–1407), known in epic poetry as Dmitar Kraljević (), was a Serbian nobleman, a member of the Mrnjavčević family, who served the Kingdom of Hungary. He was the son of Vuka� ...

* Ivaniš Mrnjavčević * Olivera Mrnjavčević ** Jelisanta *** Jelena, married to Rajko Moneta

In popular culture

Brian Aldiss - published an alternative-history fantasy story "The Day Of The Doomed King" about King Vukašin.

References

Sources

* * * * * * * * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Vukasin of Serbia 14th-century Serbian nobility People of the Serbian Empire Yukasin Despots of the Serbian Empire History of Kosovo Medieval Macedonia People from Livno Characters in Serbian epic poetry 1320s births 1371 deaths Medieval Serbian magnates Medieval Serbian military leaders 14th-century soldiers

Background

Family

In popular culture

See also

References

Sources