The Lordship of Prilep ( sr, Господство Прилепа, translit=Gospodstvo Prilepa), also known as the Realm of King Marko ( sr, Област краља Марка, translit=Oblast kralja Marka) or the Kingdom of Prilep (
Macedonian
Macedonian most often refers to someone or something from or related to Macedonia.
Macedonian(s) may specifically refer to:
People Modern
* Macedonians (ethnic group), a nation and a South Slavic ethnic group primarily associated with North Ma ...
and bg, Прилепско кралство), was one of the successor-states of the
Serbian Empire
The Serbian Empire ( sr, / , ) was a medieval Serbian state that emerged from the Kingdom of Serbia. It was established in 1346 by Dušan the Mighty, who significantly expanded the state.
Under Dušan's rule, Serbia was the major power in the ...
, covering mainly the southern regions of the former empire, corresponding to western parts of present-day
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 ...
. Its central region of
Pelagonia
Pelagonia ( mk, Пелагонија, Pelagonija; el, Πελαγονíα, Pelagonía) is a geographical region of Macedonia named after the ancient kingdom. Ancient Pelagonia roughly corresponded to the present-day municipalities of Bitola, Pri ...
, with the city of
Prilep
Prilep ( mk, Прилеп ) is the fourth-largest city in North Macedonia. It has a population of 66,246 and is known as "the city under Marko's Towers" because of its proximity to the towers of Prince Marko.
Name
The name of Prilep appea ...
, was held by lord
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.
...
, who in 1365 became Serbian king and co-ruler of Serbian emperor
Stefan Uroš V
Saint Stefan Uroš V ( sr-cyrl, Свети Стефан Урош V, ; 13362/4 December 1371), known in historiography and folk tradition as Uroš the Weak ( sr-cyr, Урош Нејаки, Uroš Nejaki), was the second Emperor (Tsar) of the Ser ...
(1355–1371). After king Vukašin died at the
Battle of Maritsa in 1371, the realm was obtained by his son and designated successor (
''rex iunior'')
Marko Mrnjavčević
Marko Mrnjavčević ( sr-cyr, Марко Мрњавчевић, ; – 17 May 1395) was the ''de jure'' Serbian king from 1371 to 1395, while he was the ''de facto'' ruler of territory in western Macedonia centered on the town of Prilep. He ...
, who took the title of Serbian king. At that time, capital cities of the Serbian realm were
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 ...
and
Prizren
)
, settlement_type = Municipality and city
, image_skyline = Prizren Collage.jpg
, imagesize = 290px
, image_caption = View of Prizren
, image_alt = View of Prizren
, image_flag ...
, but during the following years king Marko lost effective control over those regions, and moved his residence to
Prilep
Prilep ( mk, Прилеп ) is the fourth-largest city in North Macedonia. It has a population of 66,246 and is known as "the city under Marko's Towers" because of its proximity to the towers of Prince Marko.
Name
The name of Prilep appea ...
. He ruled there until his death in 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 ...
in 1395. By the end of the same year, the Realm of late King Marko was
conquered by 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 ...
.
History
Since 1334, the city of Prilep was under Serbian rule and the surrounding region was held by
Serbian
Serbian may refer to:
* someone or something related to Serbia, a country in Southeastern Europe
* someone or something related to the Serbs, a South Slavic people
* Serbian language
* Serbian names
See also
*
*
* Old Serbian (disambiguation ...
feudal lord
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.
...
, who was crowned the king of the Serbs and Greeks in 1365 as the co-ruler of last Serbian emperor
Stefan Uroš V
Saint Stefan Uroš V ( sr-cyrl, Свети Стефан Урош V, ; 13362/4 December 1371), known in historiography and folk tradition as Uroš the Weak ( sr-cyr, Урош Нејаки, Uroš Nejaki), was the second Emperor (Tsar) of the Ser ...
. After the death of both Vukašin and Uroš in 1371, Vukašin's son
Marko Mrnjavčević
Marko Mrnjavčević ( sr-cyr, Марко Мрњавчевић, ; – 17 May 1395) was the ''de jure'' Serbian king from 1371 to 1395, while he was the ''de facto'' ruler of territory in western Macedonia centered on the town of Prilep. He ...
, who held the title of "Junior King" (''rex iunior''), became the sole legal ruler of the Serbian Realm and took the title of Serbian king, but his power was contested by other Serbian feudal lords who gained control over other regions leaving Marko only with the areas in western half of
Vardarian Macedonia, centered in Prilep.
King Marko remained effective ruler only in the region of Prilep, and was also nominally recognized by some other feudal lords in surrounding areas. All of them, including Marko, were forced to pay tribute to invading Ottoman Turks. The region and the city of
Ohrid
Ohrid ( mk, Охрид ) is a city in North Macedonia and is the seat of the Ohrid Municipality. It is the largest city on Lake Ohrid and the List of cities in North Macedonia, eighth-largest city in the country, with the municipality recording ...
was ruled by the Albanian nobleman
Andrea Gropa
Andrea Gropa was a 14th-century Albanian nobleman who ruled the region and the city of Ohrid, first as a minor vassal for a very short time (župan) to Serbian King Vukašin Mrnjavčević (r. 1365–1371), then as independent after 1370. He was a ...
as an ally of Vukašin until the latter's death in 1371, and became de jure independent from the Lordship that year. Also in 1371, the Lordship lost the territories of
Kostur,
Prilep
Prilep ( mk, Прилеп ) is the fourth-largest city in North Macedonia. It has a population of 66,246 and is known as "the city under Marko's Towers" because of its proximity to the towers of Prince Marko.
Name
The name of Prilep appea ...
, and
Dibër to Andrea Gropa and
Andrea II Muzaka
Andrea II Muzaka, was an Albanian noble of the Muzaka family and the ruler of the Principality of Muzaka. His grandfather is known as one of the first notable rulers of the principality and also the titular "Marshal of Albania". His father was ...
.
Since he became a
vassal
A vassal or liege subject is a person regarded as having a mutual obligation to a lord or monarch, in the context of the feudal system in medieval Europe. While the subordinate party is called a vassal, the dominant party is called a suzerai ...
of the Turkish Sultan, Marko Mrnjavčević was obligated to answer to the sultan's call in 1395 and take part in 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 ...
where he was killed. The Turks took the opportunity to conquer the region of Prilep, adding its territory to the
Sanjak of Ohrid.
Since Marko, who styled himself as Serbian King, did not reduce his title to Prilep or any other local town or region, historians have used various terms for his domain. In Serbian
historiography
Historiography is the study of the methods of historians in developing history as an academic discipline, and by extension is any body of historical work on a particular subject. The historiography of a specific topic covers how historians h ...
, it is called simply: the ''Lordship of King Marko'' ( sr, Област краља Марка) or the ''Domain of King Marko'' ( sr, Држава краља Марка).
Gallery
Image:Central balkans 1373 1395.png, Dissolution of Serbian Empire in the late 14th century
Image:Marko Mrnjavcevic.JPG, Serbian King Marko, Lord of Prilep (1371-1395)
Image:Markovi---Kuli.JPG, The Fortress of King Marko in Prilep
References
Sources
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Subdivisions of the Serbian Empire
14th century in Europe
14th century in Serbia
Medieval Macedonia
Lordship of Prilep
1395 disestablishments
Vassal states of the Ottoman Empire
Former kingdoms
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