Mazarek ( sr, Мазарек; 1414–23) was an Albanian nobleman and general in the service of the

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

, with the title of '' vojvoda''. At the beginning of the 15th century he was the governor of Rudnik and Ostrvica in Serbia. He was one of the commanders of Serbian troops during the

Second Scutari War The Second Scutari War ( sr-cyr, Други скадарски рат) was an armed conflict in 1419–1426 between Zeta (1419–1421) and then the Serbian Despotate (1421–1423) on the one side and the Venetian Republic on the other, over Scuta ...

(1419–23) between Serbia and

Venice Venice ( ; it, Venezia ; vec, Venesia or ) is a city in northeastern Italy and the capital of the Veneto Regions of Italy, region. It is built on a group of 118 small islands that are separated by canals and linked by over 400 ...

. After death of

Balša III Balša III ( sr-cyr, Балша III) or Balsha III ( sq, 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 L ...

in 1421 Mazarek was appointed the governor of

Zeta Zeta (, ; uppercase Ζ, lowercase ζ; grc, ζῆτα, el, ζήτα, label= Demotic Greek, classical or ''zē̂ta''; ''zíta'') is the sixth letter of the Greek alphabet. In the system of Greek numerals, it has a value of 7. It was derived f ...

. Mazarek was

Albanian Albanian may refer to: *Pertaining to Albania in Southeast Europe; in particular: **Albanians, an ethnic group native to the Balkans **Albanian language **Albanian culture **Demographics of Albania, includes other ethnic groups within the country ...

('' Arbanas''). In 1414 Mazarek was recorded as governor of Rudnik and Ostrvica in the

. In August 1421

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

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), ...

appointed ''vojvoda'' Mazarek to administer his possessions in Zeta. The nobility of

Bar Bar or BAR may refer to: Food and drink * Bar (establishment), selling alcoholic beverages * Candy bar * Chocolate bar Science and technology * Bar (river morphology), a deposit of sediment * Bar (tropical cyclone), a layer of cloud * Bar (u ...

were then invited to a meeting in the cathedral of St. George where they recognized the suzerainty of the Serbian despot, while Mazarek recognized their right to govern the city according to their own legislations. During the

(1419–23) between Serbia and

, Mazarek was one of the commanders of Serbian troops. At the end of 1421 the truce was signed and lasted until May 1422. Despot Stefan did not continue the war immediately after the truce because he was busy with other activities, while Mazarek undertook actions to prevent Venetian reinforcement of the Scutari garrison. He erected several fortresses on the right bank of river Bojana from where he controlled the river. When Venetian captain Niccolo Capello was sent to transport food supplies and archers to the besieged Scutari using three galleys, Mazarek's forces on the Bojana forced the galleys to retreat to the

Adriatic sea The Adriatic Sea () is a body of water separating the Italian Peninsula from the Balkan Peninsula. The Adriatic is the northernmost arm of the Mediterranean Sea, extending from the Strait of Otranto (where it connects to the Ionian Sea) to t ...

. In July 1422, the Venetian Senate ordered Niccolo Capello to return to Bojana and complete his mission, but he decided to wait for two galleys of ''provveditore'' and ''supracomite'' Marco Bembo and Marco Barbo carrying soldiers and material for destruction of the fortress Mazarek had erected in

Sveti Srđ Sveti Srđ ( lat, St. Sergius, sr-cyr, Свети Срђ) was an important market town on the left bank of the river Bojana away from Skadar in Medieval Serbia and later the Venetian Empire and for short period in the Ottoman Empire. It was a m ...

. In November 1422 the Venetian fleet destroyed Mazarek's fortresses on the Bojana and reached Sveti Srđ. Due to low water level they could not continue their voyage through Bojana. In 1422, another ''vojvoda'' of the despot, Logosit, is mentioned as fighting in

Kotor Kotor (Montenegrin Cyrillic: Котор, ), historically known as Cattaro (from Italian: ), is a coastal town in Montenegro. It is located in a secluded part of the Bay of Kotor. The city has a population of 13,510 and is the administrative c ...

. Mazarek is mentioned in October 1423 in Ragusan documents.

References

Sources

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Mazarek 15th-century Serbian nobility People of the Serbian Despotate Medieval Serbian military leaders Serbian people of Albanian descent 15th-century Albanian people 15th-century deaths 15th-century soldiers