Mladen ( sr-cyr, Младен; 1323–26) was a Serbian magnate that served King Stefan Dečanski ( 1322–1331), holding the titles of '' župan'' (count), and later '' vojvoda'' (general). He was the father of

Branko Mladenović Branko ( sr-cyr, Бранко; 1331–65) was a Serbian magnate who served to king and Serbian Empire, emperor Stefan Dušan (r. 1331–55), and emperor Stefan Uroš V (r. 1355–71), with the titles of ''sluga'' and later ''sevastokrator''. A me ...

, a later magnate. Mladen and his brother Nikola hailed from a family that held estates in Drenica, in Kosovo, during the reign of

Stefan Milutin Stefan Uroš II Milutin ( sr-cyr, Стефан Урош II Милутин, Stefan Uroš II Milutin; 1253 – 29 October 1321), known as Stefan Milutin ( sr-cyr, Стефан Милутин, Stefan Milutin), was the King of Serbia between 1282&nd ...

(r. 1282–1321). The family was elevated during the rule of King Stefan Dečanski (r. 1322–1331); Mladen is mentioned in 1323 as governing Trebinje and Dračevica, while his brother Nikola is mentioned as serving as governor in northern Albania in 1329. King Stefan Dečanski's confirmation on the rights of Ragusan merchants dating to March 25, 1326, was attended by ''vojvoda'' Mladen, '' tepčija''

Vladoje Vladoje ( sr-cyr, Владоје) is a Serbo-Croatian masculine given name, derived from the Slavic element ''vlad'' meaning "to rule, ruler" and the suffix ''-oje''. It is attested in Serbian society since the Middle Ages. The patronymic surname V ...

, and ''

čelnik ''Čelnik'' ( sr-cyr, челник) was a high court title in the Kingdom of Serbia, Serbian Empire and Serbian Despotate. In its early form, the holder was entrusted with the security of property belonging to the Orthodox Church from the aristocr ...

'' Đuraš Ilijić. The Serbian court hierarchy was as follows: ''

stavilac Stavilac ( sr-cyr, ставилац, literally meaning "placer") was a court title in Medieval Bosnia and Medieval Serbia in the Middle Ages. It was similar to the Byzantine court offices of ''domestikos'' and cup-bearer (''pinkernes'', known in Ser ...

'', ''

'', '' kaznac'', '' tepčija'' and '' vojvoda'', the supreme title. Although the family was influential, it was not among the most powerful families at the Serbian court. It is unknown whether Mladen lived to serve King Stefan Dušan, as is the case with many other magnates such as ''vojvoda''

Vojin Vojin ( sr, Војин) is a masculine given name or surname of Slavic origin. It may refer to: *Vojin Bakić (1915–1992), prominent Croatian sculptor of Serbian descent *Vojin Božović (1913–1983), Montenegrin, Yugoslav international, footbal ...

and ''čelnik'' Gradislav Vojšić. The last mention of him in documents dates to 1326. He had a son,

Branko Branko (Cyrillic script: Бранко; ) is a South Slavic male given name found in all of the former Yugoslavia. It is related to the names Branimir and Branislav, and the female equivalent is Branka. People named Branko include: * Branko Babić ...

, and a daughter, Ratoslava. Ratoslava married ''župan'' Altoman, the son of ''vojvoda''

. Branko was among the magnates that were given Byzantine court titles upon the crowning of Stefan Dušan as Emperor (1346), receiving the title of '' sevastokrator''.;

References

Sources

* * * *{{citation , last=Fajfrić , first=Željko , author-link= Željko Fajfrić , url= http://www.rastko.rs/kosovo/istorija/zfajfric-brankovici.html , title=Sveta loza Brankovića , publisher=Janus; Rastko, edition=Internet , orig-year=1999 , year=2000b , location=Belgrade 14th-century deaths 13th-century births 14th-century Serbian nobility Medieval Serbian magnates Medieval Serbian military leaders History of the Serbs of Bosnia and Herzegovina People of the Kingdom of Serbia (medieval) Kosovo Serbs