Dmitar Mrnjavčević ( sr-cyr, Дмитар Мрњавчевић; 1376–1407), known in epic poetry as Dmitar Kraljević (), was a Serbian nobleman, a member of the

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 Macedo ...

, who served the

Kingdom of Hungary The Kingdom of Hungary was a monarchy in Central Europe that existed for nearly a millennium, from the Middle Ages into the 20th century. The Principality of Hungary emerged as a Christian kingdom upon the coronation of the first king Stephen ...

. He was the son of

Vukašin Mrnjavčević Vukašin (Cyrillic script: Вукашин) 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. ...

and brother of Marko and Andrijaš. He is a character in

Serbian epic poetry Serbian epic poetry ( sr, Српске епске народне песме, Srpske epske narodne pesme) is a form of epic poetry created by Serbs originating in today's Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Montenegro and North Macedonia. The ...

. Dmitar is mentioned in a 1376/77 document of the Church of St. Demetrius near

Skopje Skopje ( , , ; mk, Скопје ; sq, Shkup) is the capital and largest city of North Macedonia. It is the country's political, cultural, economic, and academic centre. The territory of Skopje has been inhabited since at least 4000 BC; r ...

(modern

North Macedonia North Macedonia, ; sq, Maqedonia e Veriut, (Macedonia before February 2019), officially the Republic of North Macedonia,, is a country in Southeast Europe. It gained independence in 1991 as one of the successor states of Socialist Feder ...

). The Mrnjavčević brothers had good relations until conflict arose when Marko met with Sultan

Bayezid I Bayezid I ( ota, بايزيد اول, tr, I. Bayezid), also known as Bayezid the Thunderbolt ( ota, link=no, یلدیرم بايزيد, tr, Yıldırım Bayezid, link=no; – 8 March 1403) was the Ottoman Sultan from 1389 to 1402. He adopted ...

in the winter of 1393/94 and remained loyal to him, while Andrijaš and Dmitar refused to serve the sultan. The brothers were in Dubrovnik by the end of July, 1394, receiving the treasure of their late father Vukašin. After the

Battle of Rovine The Battle of Rovine took place on 17 May 1395. The Wallachian army led by Voivod Mircea the Elder opposed the Ottoman invasion personally led by Sultan Bayezid I the Thunderbolt. The Turkish force heavily outnumbered the Wallachian troops ...

, the two brothers split on their father's deposit.Istorija srpskog naroda In 1399 and 1400 Dmitar was in Dubrovnik, as a diplomat of the Hungarian King. He appeared again in December 1402 and March 1403 as ''

dominus Dominus or domini may refer to: * Dominus (title), a title of sovereignty, clergy and other uses Art, entertainment, and media * Dominus (band), a Danish death metal band * Dominus (DC Comics), an alien character in DC Comics * Dominus (Mar ...

Dmitrius'' when receiving a tribute (pay) in Ragusa by King Sigismund, with Rafael Gučetić (son of Marin Gučetić) collecting on behalf of Dmitar. Dmitar then went to live in Hungary, where he settled among the Serbian refugees. He served in the Hungarian army and had the title of ''veliki župan'' of Zărand, and was royally appointed commander

castellan A castellan is the title used in Medieval Europe for an appointed official, a governor of a castle and its surrounding territory referred to as the castellany. The title of ''governor'' is retained in the English prison system, as a remnant o ...

of the city of Vilagoš (

Șiria Șiria (german: Hellburg; hu, Világos) is a commune in Arad County, Romania. According to the 2002 census it had 8,140 inhabitants. The commune is situated at from Arad, its administrative territory covers , and it lies in the contact zone o ...

) by

Sigismund Sigismund (variants: Sigmund, Siegmund) is a German proper name, meaning "protection through victory", from Old High German ''sigu'' "victory" + ''munt'' "hand, protection". Tacitus latinises it '' Segimundus''. There appears to be an older form of ...

as early as 1402 until his death. He died after June 30, 1407 and before 1410, most probably during the struggles of 1409, at the side of Despot

Stefan Lazarević Stefan Lazarević ( sr-Cyrl, Стефан Лазаревић, 1377 – 19 July 1427), also known as Stefan the Tall ( sr, Стефан Високи / ''Stefan Visoki''), was the ruler of Serbia as prince (1389–1402) and despot (1402–1427), ...

, against the despot's brother Vuk and the

Ottoman Empire The Ottoman Empire, * ; is an archaic version. The definite article forms and were synonymous * and el, Оθωμανική Αυτοκρατορία, Othōmanikē Avtokratoria, label=none * info page on book at Martin Luther University) ...

. He maintained good relations with Hungary and Ragusans, especially with the Gučetić family.

References

Sources

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Mrnjavcevic, Dmitar 14th-century Serbian nobility 15th-century Hungarian nobility Dmitar 1407 deaths Year of birth unknown Characters in Serbian epic poetry