Stefan Balšić ( sr-cyr, Стефан Балшић; ); fl. 1419-40, known as Stefan Maramonte, was a Zetan nobleman. He was the son of

Konstantin Balšić Konstantin Balšić ( sr-cyr, Константин Балшић; ) ( 1378–died 1402), was a lord of the Balsha family, who ruled over lands in northern Albania. Life Konstantin was the son of Đurađ I Balšić, the Lord of Zeta and his wife ...

and

Helena Thopia Helena Thopia (; 1388–1403) was an Albanians, Albanian princess of the Thopia family who held the Krujë region as sovereign lady for two terms; 1388–1392 and 1394–1403. Life Princess Helena, was the eldest daughter of Karl Thopia and Voisa ...

. Following Konstantin's death in 1402, Helena sought refuge in the Republic of Venice and later lived with her sister

Maria Thopia Maria Thopia () was a 14th-15th century Albanians, Albanian noblewoman and a recognised illegitimate daughter of Karl Thopia, Karl Thopia, Prince of Albania, by an unknown mistress. She married Filippo Maramonte, 1st Botrugno, Baron of Botrugno, ...

who was married to Philip Maramonte. As a result, the Venetians and Ragusans often referred to Stefan as ''Maramonte''. He was initially a close associate and vassal to Zetan lord

Balša III Balša III ( sr-cyr, Балша III; ) or Balsha III (1387 – 28 April 1421, in Belgrade) was the fifth and last ruler of Zeta from the Balšić noble family, from April 1403 to April 1421. He was the son of Đurađ II and Jelena Lazarević. ...

(r. 1403-1421). Balša III and Stefan fought against the

Republic of Venice The Republic of Venice, officially the Most Serene Republic of Venice and traditionally known as La Serenissima, was a sovereign state and Maritime republics, maritime republic with its capital in Venice. Founded, according to tradition, in 697 ...

, and Stefan helped in the administration of the land as co-ruler with Balša III, he did however not succeed Balša III. Balša III, who died on 28 April 1421, had decided to pass the rule of Zeta to his uncle, the Serbian Despot

Stefan Lazarević Stefan Lazarević ( sr-Cyrl, Стефан Лазаревић, 1377 – 19 July 1427), also known as Stefan the Tall (), was a Serbian ruler as prince (1389–1402) and Despot (court title), despot (1402–1427). He was also a diplomat, legislat ...

. When the

Second Scutari War The Second Scutari War (; ) was an armed conflict in 1419–1426 between Zeta under the Balsha, Zeta (1419–1421) and then the Serbian Despotate (1421–1423) on the one side and the Venetian Republic on the other, over Shkodër and other former ...

between Venice and Despot Stefan began, he .. Stefan left

Apulia Apulia ( ), also known by its Italian language, Italian name Puglia (), is a Regions of Italy, region of Italy, located in the Southern Italy, southern peninsular section of the country, bordering the Adriatic Sea to the east, the Strait of Ot ...

in the summer of 1426, seeking to take Zeta. During the 1427–28 conflict, Maramonte went to the Ottoman court where he sought the support of Sultan

Murad II Murad II (, ; June 1404 – 3 February 1451) was twice the sultan of the Ottoman Empire, from 1421 to 1444 and from 1446 to 1451. Early life Murad was born in June 1404 to Mehmed I, while the identity of his mother is disputed according to v ...

for his appointment as the Lord of Zeta. There, he met

Skanderbeg Gjergj Kastrioti (17 January 1468), commonly known as Skanderbeg, was an Albanians, Albanian Albanian nobility, feudal lord and military commander who led Skanderbeg's rebellion, a rebellion against the Ottoman Empire in what is today Albania, ...

, who was a hostage at the Ottoman court. Maramonte married Vlajka Kastrioti, the sister of Skanderbeg. Supported by the Ottomans, Maramonte, accompanied by

Gojčin Crnojević Gojčin Crnojević ( sr-cyr, Гојчин Црнојевић, 1398–d. after 1451) was a Lord of Zeta, initially as a vassal of the Serbian Despotate until he revolted against Despot Stefan Lazarević. He disappeared from sources in 1451. Go ...

and

Little Tanush Tanush Dukagjin ( 1423–33), known as Little Tanush, was an Albanian nobleman, a member of the Dukagjini family, the son of Pal Dukagjini (died 1393). He had four brothers: Progon (d. 1394), Pal II (d. 1402), Andrea (d. 1416), and Gjon Dukagji ...

, plundered the region around Scutari and

Ulcinj Ulcinj () is a town in the Coastal Montenegro, Coastal region of Montenegro and the capital of Ulcinj Municipality. It has an urban population of 11,488. As one of the oldest settlements in the Adriatic Sea, Adriatic coast, it was founded in 5th ...

, and attacked

Drivast Drisht ( sq-definite, Drishti) is a village, former bishopric and Latin titular see ( Roman Catholic Diocese of Drivasto) with an Ancient and notable medieval history (Latin ''Drivastum,'' Italian ''Drivasto'') in Albania, 6 km from Mesi Bri ...

in 1429, but failed to capture it. Since his attempts failed, Maramonte surrendered to the Venetians and served as their military officer in the campaigns in

Flanders Flanders ( or ; ) is the Dutch language, Dutch-speaking northern portion of Belgium and one of the communities, regions and language areas of Belgium. However, there are several overlapping definitions, including ones related to culture, la ...

and

Lombardia The Lombardy Region (; ) is an administrative regions of Italy, region of Italy that covers ; it is located in northern Italy and has a population of about 10 million people, constituting more than one-sixth of Italy's population. Lombardy is ...

Annotations

*His name was ''Stefan Balsha'' (), but he was called ''Stefan Maramonte'' (sr. Stefan Crnogorac, de. Stephan Czernogoraz), meaning "Stefan from the Black Mountain (

Montenegro , image_flag = Flag of Montenegro.svg , image_coat = Coat of arms of Montenegro.svg , coa_size = 80 , national_motto = , national_anthem = () , image_map = Europe-Mont ...

)" ().

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Stefan Maramonte 14th-century births 15th-century deaths People from the Serbian Despotate Balšić noble family Stefan Princes of Zeta 15th-century Venetian people

See also

Annotations

References