Princess Milica of Serbia

Princess Milica Hrebeljanović née Nemanjić ( sr, Милица Немањић Хребељановић · ca. 1335 – November 11, 1405) also known as Empress (''Tsaritsa'') Milica, was a royal consort of Serbia by marriage to Prince Lazar, and regent of Serbia during the minority of her son, despot Stefan Lazarević from 1389 to 1393.

She later became a Serbian Orthodox nun under the name Jevgenija. She is the author of "''A Mother's Prayer''" ( sr, Молитва матере) and a famous poem of mourning for her husband, ''My Widowhood's Bridegroom'' ( sr, Удовству мојему женик).

Biography

Early life

She was the daughter of Prince Vratko Nemanjić (known in Serb epic poetry as ''Jug Bogdan''), who as a great-grandson of Vukan Nemanjić, Grand Prince of Serbia (ruled 1202-1204)), was part of the collateral, elder branch of the Nemanjić dynasty. Her husband was Prince Lazar Hrebeljanović. She was the fourth cousin once removed of Emperor Dušan of Serbia.

Regency

After the death of her husband at the Battle of Kosovo in 1389, Milica ruled Serbia until 1393 when her son, Stefan Lazarević Hrebeljanović, came of age to take the throne.

Nun

She founded the Ljubostinja monastery around 1390 and later took monastic vows at her monastery and became the nun Eugenia (Јевгенија, later abbess Euphrosine, Јефросина) around 1393.

In later diplomatic negotiations with Sultan Bayezid I, Eugenia and Euphemia, the former Vasilissa of Serres, both travelled to the Sultan's court in 1398/99.

In 1403, Eugenia went to the Sultan at Serres, arguing in favour of her son Stefan Lazarević in a complicated dispute that had emerged between her two sons and Branković.

Writer

Princess Milica was also a writer. She wrote several prayers and religious poems. In 1397 she issued the "A Mother's Prayer" together with her sons at the Dečani monastery.Pdf.
She commissioned the repairing of the ''bronze horos'' of Dečani.

Death and burial

She was buried in Ljubostinja, her monastery. She was canonized by the Serbian Orthodox Church.

Family

With Prince Lazar she had the following sons:

*Dobrovoj, died after birth
*Despot Stefan,
*Vuk Lazarević
and following daughters:
*Jelena Lazarević, whose husband was Đurađ II Balšić and of Grand Duke of Hum Sandalj Hranić Kosača
*Mara Branković, whose husband was Vuk Branković
* Dragana, whose husband was Emperor Ivan Shishman of Bulgaria
*Teodora
* Olivera 'Despina', whose husband was Bayezid I.

Legacy

Street names

Several streets throughout Central Serbia are named after the Princess. In the once thriving industrial city of Trstenik, Serbia, the main street that runs directly through city center is named Kneginje Milice. Trstenik, Serbia, is the closest major city to her burial site at Ljubostinja Monastery.

There is a Kneginje Milice street also located in Lazarevac, in borough Lukavica. The street is about 250 m long. Near that street is Kolubarski trg and Zivojina Zujovica street.

See also

* Lazarević dynasty
* Jefimija
* Saint Angelina of Serbia
* Olivera Despina
* Jelena Balšić
* Helen of Anjou
* Simonida
* Maria Angelina Doukaina Palaiologina
* Mara Branković
* Katarina Branković

References

Sources

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Milica, Princess Of Serbia
14th-century Serbian royalty
14th-century women writers
14th-century Serbian writers
14th-century women rulers
15th-century Serbian women
Eastern Orthodox abbesses
Eastern Orthodox royal saints
14th-century Christian saints
Medieval Serbian princesses
Serbian women writers
1405 deaths
Year of birth unknown
Characters in Serbian epic poetry
Serbian saints of the Eastern Orthodox Church
Medieval Serbian poets
Serbian women poets
Christian female saints of the Middle Ages
Regents of Serbia
Nemanjić dynasty