Balša ( sr-Cyr, Балша) or Balsha ( sq, Balsha) 1362) was a provincial lord of the

Zeta Zeta (, ; uppercase Ζ, lowercase ζ; grc, ζῆτα, el, ζήτα, label=Demotic Greek, classical or ''zē̂ta''; ''zíta'') is the sixth letter of the Greek alphabet. In the system of Greek numerals, it has a value of 7. It was derived fr ...

in ca. 1362. He is the eponymous founder of the Balšić noble family.

Life

He was a nobleman and military commander during the rule of Emperor Dušan the Mighty (r. 1331–1355) but managed to expand his power after the death of Dušan (20 December 1355) and gained control of the island of

Mljet Mljet (; la, Melita, it, Meleda) is the southernmost and easternmost of the larger Adriatic islands of the Dalmatia region of Croatia. The National Park includes the western part of the island, Veliko jezero, Malo jezero, Soline Bay and a sea be ...

. He began by taking lands previously held by Lord Žarko, in Lower Zeta (south of

Lake Skadar Lake Skadar ( sh-Cyrl-Latn, Скадарско језеро, Skadarsko jezero, ; sq, Liqeni i Shkodrës, ) also called Lake Scutari, Lake Shkodër and Lake Shkodra lies on the border of Albania and Montenegro, and is the largest lake in Southern ...

, and is then recognized as a "provincial lord" in charters of Emperor Uroš the Weak (r. 1355–1371). In 1362 his sons defeated and killed ''Head of Upper Zeta'' Đuraš Ilijić and expanded further into Upper Zeta. He is believed to have died by this time. He had three sons,

Đurađ Đurađ ( sr-Cyrl, Ђурађ, ; ) is a Serbian masculine given name, derived from the Greek ''Georgios''. It is also transliterated as Djuradj. It is, along with the variant '' Đorđe'', the equivalent of the English '' George''. It was wides ...

, Stracimir and

Balša II Balša Balšić ( sr-cyr, Балша Балшић); or Balsha II ( sq, Balsha II) died September 18, 1385), known in historiography as Balša II, was the Lord of Lower Zeta from 1378 to 1385. He managed to expand his borders towards the south; def ...

, two of whom ruled the Principality of Zeta: Đurađ I and Balša II.

References

Sources

* * *D. Živković, ''Istorija Crnogorskog Naroda'', 1989, Cetinje People of the Serbian Empire Medieval Montenegro League of Lezhë Principality of Zeta {{Europe-royal-stub