Mrnjava () was a Serbian provincial nobleman, born in

Zahumlje Zachlumia or Zachumlia ( sh-Latn-Cyrl, separator=" / ", Zahumlje, Захумље, ), also Hum, was a medieval principality located in the modern-day regions of Herzegovina and southern Dalmatia (today parts of Bosnia and Herzegovina and Croatia, r ...

, a frontier province in the western Serbian Kingdom. Mrnjava is the eponymous founder of the notable

Mrnjavčević family The House of Mrnjavčević ( sr-Cyrl, Мрњавчевић, Mrnjavčevići / Мрњавчевићи, ) was a medieval Serbian noble house during the Serbian Empire, its fall, and the subsequent years when it held a region of present-day Mac ...

; his son

Vukašin Mrnjavčević Vukašin () is an old Slavic name of Serbian origin. It is composed from two words: Vuk (wolf) and sin ( son), so it means sin vuka (son of wolf). In some places in Croatia and Bosnia it can be found as a surname. The name Vukašin can be foun ...

became the co-ruler of 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 ...

(1365–1371) as king during the

fall of the Serbian Empire The fall of the Serbian Empire was a decades-long process in the late 14th century. Following the death of the childless Emperor of the Serbs, Emperor Stefan Uroš V in 1371, the Serbian Empire was left without an heir and the magnates, ''velika� ...

. Mrnjava's father was "Mrnjan" (; fl. c. 1280-1289), a financial chancellor (, sr. ''

kaznac Kaznac ( sr-cyr, казнац) was a court title of the state employee in medieval Bosnia and Serbia who was in charge for the treasury in the territory under his jurisdiction — ''kaznačina'' (казначина). The name of the title is derive ...

'', lit. chamberlain) who served the king and queen,

Stephen Uroš I Stephen or Steven is an English given name, first name. It is particularly significant to Christianity, Christians, as it belonged to Saint Stephen ( ), an early disciple and deacon who, according to the Book of Acts, was stoned to death; he is w ...

and Helen of Anjou, at the court at

Trebinje Trebinje ( sr-Cyrl, Требиње, ) is a city and municipality in Republika Srpska, Bosnia and Herzegovina. It is the southernmost city in Bosnia and Herzegovina and is situated on the banks of the Trebišnjica river in the region of East Her ...

(in the royal province of

Travunia Travunia ( sh-Latn-Cyrl, separator=" / ", Travunija, Травунија; ; ; ) was a South Slavic medieval principality that was part of Medieval Serbia (850–1371), and later the Medieval Bosnia (1373–1482). The principality became hereditar ...

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 ...

wrote that the family hailed from Hum, and that the poor Mrnjava and his two sons, who later lived in Blagaj, quickly rose to prominence under

Stephen Uroš IV Dušan Stephen or Steven is an English first name. It is particularly significant to Christians, as it belonged to Saint Stephen ( ), an early disciple and deacon who, according to the Book of Acts, was stoned to death; he is widely regarded as the firs ...

who sent for them to come to his court. Possibly, the family had left Hum, which had been part of the Serbian Kingdom, after the Bosnian conquest of Hum (1326), and settled in

Livno Livno ( Serbo-Croatian Cyrillic: ''Ливно'', ) is a town and the administrative center of the Township of Livno and Canton 10 of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, an entity of Bosnia and Herzegovina. It is situated on the river Bis ...

(where Vukašin was allegedly born). The family most likely supported Dušan's Bosnian campaign (1350), in which he saw to reconquer Hum. The name of his wife is unknown. Modern historiography has confirmed that he fathered two sons: *

Uglješa Mrnjavčević Jovan Uglješa Mrnjavčević ( sr-Cyrl, Јован Угљеша Мрњавчевић; floruit, fl. 1346–1371), known as Jovan Uglješa ( sr-Cyrl, Јован Угљеша), was a Medieval Serbian nobility, Serbian medieval nobleman of the Mrn ...

(1320–1371), '' despot'' of

Serres Serres ( ) is a city in Macedonia, Greece, capital of the Serres regional unit and second largest city in the region of Central Macedonia, after Thessaloniki. Serres is one of the administrative and economic centers of Northern Greece. The c ...

1365–1371 *

(1320-1371), ''Lord of the Serbian Land, of the Greeks, and of the Western Provinces''Miklošič 1858
p. 180
№ CLXVII. (King, co-ruler of

Emperor The word ''emperor'' (from , via ) can mean the male ruler of an empire. ''Empress'', the female equivalent, may indicate an emperor's wife (empress consort), mother/grandmother (empress dowager/grand empress dowager), or a woman who rules ...

Stephen Uroš V, 1365–1371)

(mid 16th century -1614) added a third son to his descendants. This hypothesis was supported

Pavel Jozef Šafárik Pavel Jozef Šafárik (; 13 May 1795 – 26 June 1861) was a Slovak philologist, poet, literary historian, historian and ethnographer in the Kingdom of Hungary. He was one of the first scientific Slavists. Family His father Pavol Šafárik (17 ...

, but no third son is acknowledged in modern historiography: *

Gojko Mrnjavčević Gojko ( Serbian script: Гојко) is a Slovenian masculine given name of an old Slavic and North Slavic origin. The name is mainly used in Slovenia and historically comes from the mountains of Slovenia, Dol pod Gojko. The name is also used in Cro ...

(d. 1371), ''logothete'' at the Serbian Imperial court

Notes

References

Sources

* * * *M.A. Vladislav Boskovic (2009)
''King Vukasin and the Disastrous Battle of Maritsa''
, GRIN Verlag, * * 13th-century Serbian nobility 14th-century Serbian nobility Mrnjava People from the Kingdom of Serbia (medieval) Kaznac History of the Serbs of Bosnia and Herzegovina Trebinje 14th-century Bosnian people {{Serbia-noble-stub