Michael Angelović{{Cref2, a ({{floruit 1451–73) ({{langx, sr, Михаило Анђеловић) was a Serbian magnate, initially serving the

Serbian Despotate The Serbian Despotate () was a medieval Serbian state in the first half of the 15th century. Although the Battle of Kosovo in 1389 is mistakenly considered the end of medieval Serbia, the Despotate, a successor of the Serbian Empire and Moravi ...

with the titles of '' veliki čelnik'' and ''

veliki vojvoda ''Veliki vojvoda'' ( sr-cyr, велики војвода; from ''veliki'' = great and ''voivode, vojvoda'' = duke) was a Serbs, Serbian military and noble title in use during the Middle Ages and the Modern period. It is often translated into "gran ...

'', and briefly part of the Serbian three-member regency in 1458. He plotted with the Ottomans but was apprehended and after brief captivity joined his brother, Ottoman official Mahmud Pasha, as a

Timariot Timariot (or ''tımar'' holder; ''tımarlı'' in Turkish) was the name given to a Sipahi cavalryman in the Ottoman army. In return for service, each timariot received a parcel of revenue called a timar, a fief, which were usually recently conqu ...

Origin

After the Ottoman conquest of Thessaly in 1394, the ruling

Angeloi The House of Angelos (; pl. Angeloi; , pl. ) was a Byzantine Greek noble family that produced several Emperors and other prominent nobles during the middle and late Byzantine Empire. The family rose to prominence through the marriage of its foun ...

Philanthropenoi family took refuge in Serbia. Michael and his brother (the later Mahmud Pasha) were grandchildren of either

Alexios Alexius is the Latinization (literature), Latinized form of the given name Alexios (, polytonic , "defender", cf. Alexander), especially common in the Byzantine Empire. The female form is Alexia (given name), Alexia () and its variants such as Ales ...

Manuel Manuel may refer to: People * Manuel (name), a given name and surname * Manuel (''Fawlty Towers''), a fictional character from the sitcom ''Fawlty Towers'' * Manuel I Komnenos, emperor of the Byzantine Empire * Manuel I of Portugal, king of Po ...

. He may have also been related to the noblemen

Alessio Alessio is an Italian male name, Italian form of Alexius. Individuals with the given name Alessio *Alessio Ascalesi (1872–1952), Italian cardinal * Alessio Bandieri (born 1974), Italian footballer * Alessio Boni (born 1966), Italian actor * A ...

and Peter Spani through

Alexios III Angelos Alexios III Angelos (; 1211), Latinized as Alexius III Angelus, was Byzantine Emperor from March 1195 to 17/18 July 1203. He reigned under the name Alexios Komnenos (; Aléxios Komnēnós) associating himself with the Komnenos dynasty (from whi ...

, who was possibly their ancestor.{{sfn, Stavrides, 2001, p=228 According to

Laonikos Chalkokondyles Laonikos Chalkokondyles (; – ), also latinized as Laonicus Chalcocondyles, was a Byzantine Greek historian from Athens. He is known for his '' Demonstrations of Histories'' in ten books, which record the last 150 years of the Byzantine Empi ...

, his brother was captured by the horsemen of Sultan Murad II, while traveling with his Serbian mother from

Novo Brdo Novo Brdo ( sr-Cyrl, Ново Брдо) or Novobërda and Artanë ( Albanian indefinite form: ''Novobërdë'' or ''Artanë''), is a town and municipality located in the Pristina district of Kosovo. According to the 2011 census, it has a populati ...

Smederevo Smederevo ( sr-Cyrl, Смедерево, ) is a list of cities in Serbia, city and the administrative center of the Podunavlje District in eastern Serbia. It is situated on the right bank of the Danube, about downstream of the Serbian capital, ...

.{{sfn, Stavrides, 2001, pp=73–74 His brother was abducted as part of the ''

devşirme Devshirme (, usually translated as "child levy" or "blood tax", , .) was the Ottoman Empire, Ottoman practice of Conscription, forcibly recruiting soldiers and bureaucrats from among the children of their Balkan Christian subjects and raising th ...

'' practice, and became

Mahmud Mahmud is a transliteration of the male Arabic given name (), common in most parts of the Islamic world. It comes from the Arabic triconsonantal root Ḥ-M-D, meaning ''praise'', along with ''Muhammad''. Given name Mahmood * Mahmood Ali (1928 ...

, later rising to the highest ranks of the Ottoman Empire, becoming

beylerbey ''Beylerbey'' (, meaning the 'commander of commanders' or 'lord of lords’, sometimes rendered governor-general) was a high rank in the western Islamic world in the late Middle Ages and early modern period, from the Anatolian Seljuks and the I ...

(governor-general) of

Rumelia Rumelia (; ; ) was a historical region in Southeastern Europe that was administered by the Ottoman Empire, roughly corresponding to the Balkans. In its wider sense, it was used to refer to all Ottoman possessions and Vassal state, vassals in E ...

in 1451 and

Grand Vizier Grand vizier (; ; ) was the title of the effective head of government of many sovereign states in the Islamic world. It was first held by officials in the later Abbasid Caliphate. It was then held in the Ottoman Empire, the Mughal Empire, the Soko ...

in 1455.

Career

Michael served as an official at the court of Serbian despots

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 ...

(r. 1427–56) and

Lazar Branković Lazar Branković ( sr-cyr, Лазар Бранковић; – 20 February 1458) was Despot of Serbia from 1456 to 1458. He was the third son of Despot Đurađ Branković and his wife, Eirene Kantakouzene. He died without sons, and was succeed ...

(r. 1456–58). In the negotiations between Despot Lazar and

Mehmed II Mehmed II (; , ; 30 March 14323 May 1481), commonly known as Mehmed the Conqueror (; ), was twice the sultan of the Ottoman Empire from August 1444 to September 1446 and then later from February 1451 to May 1481. In Mehmed II's first reign, ...

in January 1457, the two sides were represented by the brothers Michael and Mahmud.{{sfn, Veselinović, 2006, p=196 Owing to his personal talents, as well as his unique ability to positively steer negotiations with the Ottomans due to his brother's position, Michael rose in rank in the Serbian Despotate, from '' veliki čelnik'' in the 1440s to ''

'' in 1456/7.{{sfn, Veselinović, 2006, p=196 Mentioned with the latter title in the beginning of 1457, he may have received it earlier.{{sfn, Blagojević, 2001, p=243 In 1453,

Đurađ Golemović 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 widespr ...

is mentioned with the title of ''

čelnik ''Čelnik'' ( sr-Cyrl, челник) was a high court title in the Kingdom of Serbia, Serbian Empire and Serbian Despotate. In its early form, the holder was entrusted with the security of property belonging to the Orthodox Church from the aristo ...

'', pointing to this conclusion.{{sfn, Blagojević, 2001, p=243 The advancement is reminiscent of that of

Jovan Oliver Jovan Oliver Grčinić (; ca. 1310–1356) was a magnate of the Serbian Emperor Dušan the Mighty (r. 1331–1355), holding the titles of ''sebastokrator'' and ''despotes'', and the rank of "great voivode", showing his prominence and status as on ...

, a magnate in the

Serbian Empire The Serbian Empire ( sr-Cyrl-Latn, Српско царство, Srpsko carstvo, separator=" / ", ) was a medieval Serbian state that emerged from the Kingdom of Serbia. It was established in 1346 by Dušan the Mighty, who significantly expande ...

.{{sfn, Blagojević, 2001, p=243 Because Despot Lazar had no sons, after his death a three-member regency was formed, on February 3, 1458, of Michael, Lazar's widow

Helena Palaiologina Helena Palaiologina (; 3 February 1428 – 11 April 1458) was a Byzantine princess of the Palaiologos family, who became Queen of Cyprus and Armenia, titular Queen consort of Jerusalem, and Princess of Antioch through her marriage to King John ...

, and Lazar's blind brother Stefan.{{sfn, Grupa autora, 1982, p=306{{sfn, Pajović, 2001, p=81 Michael was the leader, with the Serbian chronicle claiming that the other two ruled only through him.{{sfn, Grupa autora, 1982, p=306 There was a secret struggle for the throne within the regency.{{sfn, Pajović, 2001, p=81 Michael was supported by the Ottomans,{{sfn, Grupa autora, 1982, p=306 and tried to become the new Despot of Serbia with their help.{{sfn, Blagojević, 2001, p=243 He began plotting behind the regency's back.{{sfn, Veselinović, 2006, p=90 After having secretly let a company of Ottoman soldiers into

, the population turned against him.{{sfn, Veselinović, 2006, p=90 The Ottoman company was captured or killed,{{sfn, Veselinović, 2006, p=90 and Michael was ousted from rule, captured and imprisoned on 31 March 1458, then transferred to Hungary.{{sfn, Blagojević, 2001, p=244 Unlike him, ''čelnik'' Đurađ and his brother

Oliver Oliver may refer to: Arts, entertainment and literature Books * ''Oliver the Western Engine'', volume 24 in ''The Railway Series'' by Rev. W. Awdry * ''Oliver Twist'', a novel by Charles Dickens Fictional characters * Ariadne Oliver ...

stayed loyal to the Branković.{{sfn, Blagojević, 2001, p=244 Stefan Branković became Despot of Serbia in his own right and ruled alongside Helena Palaiologina for the next twelve months. Michael was soon entrusted as a captive to Damjan Đurđević, a

Ragusa Ragusa may refer to: Places Croatia * Ragusa, Dalmatia, the historical name of the city of Dubrovnik * the Republic of Ragusa (or Republic of Dubrovnik), the maritime city-state of Ragusa * Ragusa Vecchia, historical Italian name of Cavtat, a t ...

n servant of the Despotate. At some point after November 1458, he managed to free himself from Đurđević. He soon joined up with his brother and was granted a ''

timar A timar was a land grant by the sultans of the Ottoman Empire between the fourteenth and sixteenth centuries, with an annual tax revenue of less than 20,000 akçes. The revenues produced from the land acted as compensation for military service. A ...

'' in the Ottoman Empire. By 1464, he had returned to Serbia, evident in the ''

ktetor ''Ktetor'' () or ''ktitor'' (; ka, ქტიტორი ; ), meaning 'founder', is a title given in the Middle Ages to the provider of funds for construction or reconstruction of an Eastern Orthodox church or monastery, for the addition of icons ...

'' inscription of the monastery of Nova Pavlica, the endowment of the 14th-century

Musić noble family The Musić family ( sr-cyr, Мусић, Musići / Мусићи) was a Serbian noble house that served the Serbian Empire (1345–1371), and during its fall (1371–1389) it served Tsar Lazar's Serbia. The eponymous founder was ''čelnik'' Musa ...

. He financed the restoration of the monastery.

Legacy

Later, Michael and Mahmud's Byzantine-Serbian descent and blood relations were important for the future establishment of Islamic rule in the Balkans and Anatolia. The use of '' kuls'' of Christian origin in high positions of the Ottoman court minimized the risks that they had to face in conquering and assimilating large Christian territories and populations.

Annotations

{{Cnote2 Begin, liststyle=upper-alpha {{Cnote2, a, In Serbian, his name is written Mihailo Anđelović ({{lang, sr, Михаило Анђеловић). In English-language scholarship, his name is written as ''Michael Angelović''.{{harvnb, Stavrides, 2001, {{harvnb, Babinger, 1992, p=115 {{Cnote2 End

References

{{reflist

Sources

{{refbegin * {{Mehmed the Conqueror and His Time, edition=1992 * {{cite book, last=Blagojević, first=Miloš, title=Državna uprava u srpskim srednjovekovnim zemljama, url=https://books.google.com/books?id=srAVAQAAIAAJ, year=2001, publisher=Službeni list SRJ, isbn=9788635504971 * {{cite book, author=Grupa autora, title=Istorija srpskog naroda: Doba borbi za očuvanje i obnovu države 1371-1537, year=1982, publisher=Srpska knjiiževna zadruga, pages=229, 304, 306–8 * {{cite journal, last=Krstić, first=Aleksandar, title=Прилог биографији великог војводе Михаила Анђеловића, trans-title=A contribution to the biography of Great Voivode Mihailo Angelović, journal=Zbornik radova Vizantološkog instituta, year=2015, volume=52, issue=52, pages=359–379, doi=10.2298/ZRVI1552359K, doi-access=free * {{cite book, last=Pajović, first=Milivoje, title=Vladari srpskih zemalja, url=https://books.google.com/books?id=6aYtAQAAIAAJ, year=2001, publisher=Gramatik * {{cite journal, last=Petrović, first=Radomir, title=Откриће у Новој Павлици, journal=Saopštenje, volume=XV, year=1983, url=http://www.heritage.gov.rs/cirilica/Download/Saopstenja/Saopstenje-XV-1983/Saopstenje_XV_1983_Otkrice_u_Novoj_Pavlici.pdf * {{cite journal, last=Spremić, first=Momčilo, title=Деспот Лазар Бранковић, trans-title=Despot Lazar Branković, journal=Zbornik radova Vizantološkog instituta, year=2013, volume=50, issue=2, pages=899–912, doi=10.2298/ZRVI1350899S, doi-access=free * {{cite book , last=Stavrides , first=Théoharis , title=The Sultan of vezirs: the life and times of the Ottoman Grand Vezir Mahmud Pasha Angelovic (1453–1474) , publisher=Brill , year=2001 , isbn=978-90-04-12106-5 * {{cite book, last=Veselinović, first=Andrija, title=Држава српских деспота, url=https://books.google.com/books?id=hMxyPgAACAAJ, year=2006, publisher=Завод за уџбенике и наставна средства, isbn=978-86-17-12911-6 {{refend {{authority control {{DEFAULTSORT:Angelovic, Michael Year of death unknown 15th-century Serbian nobility Medieval Serbian people

Michael Michael may refer to: People * Michael (given name), a given name * he He ..., a given name * Michael (surname), including a list of people with the surname Michael Given name * Michael (bishop elect)">Michael (surname)">he He ..., a given nam ...

Regents of Serbia Medieval Serbian military leaders People from the Ottoman Empire of Greek descent People from the Ottoman Empire of Serbian descent Ottoman Serbia People from the Serbian Despotate 15th-century Serbian judges 15th-century regents