Mrnjava ( sr, Мрњава) was a Serbian provincial nobleman, born in

Zahumlje Zachlumia or Zachumlia ( sh-Latn-Cyrl, separator=" / ", Zahumlje, Захумље, ), also Hum, was a medieval principality located in the modern-day regions of Herzegovina and southern Dalmatia (today parts of Bosnia and Herzegovina and Croatia ...

, a frontier province in the western Serbian Kingdom. Mrnjava is the eponymous founder of the notable

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 ...

; his son

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. ...

became the co-ruler 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 ...

(1365–1371) as king during the

fall of the Serbian Empire The fall of the Serbian Empire was a decades-long process in the late 14th century. Following the death of childless Emperor Stefan Uroš V in 1371, the Empire was left without an heir and the magnates, '' velikaši'', obtained the rule of its pr ...

. Mrnjava's father was "Mrnjan" ( lat, Mergnanus; fl. c. 1280-1289), a financial chancellor ( lat, camerarius, sr. ''

kaznac Kaznac ( sr-cyr, казнац) was a court title of the state employee in medieval Bosnia and Serbia who was in charge for the treasury in the territory under his jurisdiction — ''kaznačina'' (казначина). The name of the title is derived ...

'', lit.

chamberlain Chamberlain may refer to: Profession *Chamberlain (office), the officer in charge of managing the household of a sovereign or other noble figure People *Chamberlain (surname) **Houston Stewart Chamberlain (1855–1927), German-British philosop ...

) who served the king and queen,

Stephen Uroš I Stephen or Steven is a common English first name. It is particularly significant to Christians, as it belonged to Saint Stephen ( grc-gre, Στέφανος ), an early disciple and deacon who, according to the Book of Acts, was stoned to death; h ...

and

Helen of Anjou Helen of Anjou ( sr, Јелена Анжујска / Jelena Anžujska, ; c. 1235 – 8 February 1314) was the queen consort of the Serbian Kingdom, as the spouse of King Stefan Uroš I, who ruled from 1243 to 1276. Their sons were later Serbian ...

, at the court at

Trebinje Trebinje ( sr-Cyrl, Требиње, ) is a city and municipality located in the Republika Srpska entity of Bosnia and Herzegovina. It is the southernmost city in Bosnia and Herzegovina and is situated on the banks of Trebišnjica river in the re ...

(in the royal province of

Travunia Travunia ( sh-Latn-Cyrl, separator=" / ", Travunija, Травунија; el, Τερβουνία, Tervounía; grc, Τερβουνία, Terbounía; la, Tribunia) was a South Slavic medieval principality that was part of Medieval Serbia (850–13 ...

Mavro Orbini Mavro Orbini (1563–1614) was a Ragusan chronicler, notable for his work '' The Realm of the Slavs'' (1601) which influenced Slavic ideology and historiography in the later centuries. Life Orbini was born in Ragusa (now Dubrovnik), the capital ...

wrote that the family hailed from ''Hum'', and that the poor Mrnjava and his two sons, who later lived in

Blagaj Blagaj is a village in the south-eastern region of the Mostar basin, in the Herzegovina-Neretva Canton of Bosnia and Herzegovina. It stands at the edge of Bišće plain and is one of the most valuable mixed urban and rural built environments in ...

, quickly rose to prominence under

Stephen Uroš IV Dušan Stephen or Steven is a common English first name. It is particularly significant to Christians, as it belonged to Saint Stephen ( grc-gre, Στέφανος ), an early disciple and deacon who, according to the Book of Acts, was stoned to death; h ...

who sent for them to come to his court. Possibly, the family had left Hum, which had been part of the Serbian Kingdom, after the Bosnian conquest of Hum (1326), and settled in

Livno Livno ( sr-cyrl, Ливно, ) is a city and the administrative center of Canton 10 of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, an entity of Bosnia and Herzegovina. It is situated on the river Bistrica in the southeastern edge of the Livno Field ...

(where Vukašin was allegedly born). The family most likely supported Dušan's Bosnian campaign (1350), in which he saw to reconquer Hum. The name of his wife is unknown. Modern historiography has confirmed that he fathered two sons: Vukašin Mrnjavčević, Psača, small

Uglješa Mrnjavčević Jovan Uglješa Mrnjavčević ( sr-Cyrl, Јован Угљеша Мрњавчевић; fl. 1346–1371), known as Jovan Uglješa ( sr-Cyrl, Јован Угљеша), was a Serbian medieval nobleman of the Mrnjavčević family and one of the mo ...

(1320–1371), '' despot'' of

Serres Sérres ( el, Σέρρες ) is a city in Macedonia, Greece, capital of the Serres regional unit and second largest city in the region of Central Macedonia, after Thessaloniki. Serres is one of the administrative and economic centers of Northe ...

1365–1371 *

(1320-1371), ''Lord of the Serbian Land, of the Greeks, and of the Western Provinces''Miklošič 1858
p. 180
№ CLXVII. (King, co-ruler of

Emperor An emperor (from la, imperator, via fro, empereor) is a monarch, and usually the sovereignty, sovereign ruler of an empire or another type of imperial realm. Empress, the female equivalent, may indicate an emperor's wife (empress consort), ...

Stephen Uroš V Stephen or Steven is a common English given name, first name. It is particularly significant to Christianity, Christians, as it belonged to Saint Stephen ( grc-gre, Στέφανος ), an early disciple and deacon who, according to the Book of Ac ...

, 1365–1371)

(mid 16th century -1614) added a third son to his descendants. This hypothesis was supported

Pavel Jozef Šafárik Pavel Jozef Šafárik ( sk, Pavol Jozef Šafárik; 13 May 1795 – 26 June 1861) was an ethnic Slovak philologist, poet, literary historian, historian and ethnographer in the Kingdom of Hungary. He was one of the first scientific Slavists. Famil ...

, but no third son is acknowledged in modern historiography: *

Gojko Mrnjavčević Gojko ( Serbian script: Гојко) is a masculine given name of an old South Slavic origin. Meaning is little hidden but is connected with peace, as Pacific. It may refer to: *Gojko Balšić, 15th-century nobleman *Gojko Berkuljan (1923–1989), p ...

(d. 1371), ''logothete'' at the Serbian Imperial court

Notes

References

Sources

* * * John V.A. Fine. (1994). ''The Late Medieval Balkans: A Critical Survey from the Late Twelfth Century to the Ottoman Conquest''. The University of Michigan Press. *M.A. Vladislav Boskovic (2009)
''King Vukasin and the Disastrous Battle of Maritsa''
, GRIN Verlag, *Gerald Stanley Lee (1906), "The voice of the machines: an introduction to the twentieth century", The Mount Tom press *George Christos Soulis (1984), "The Serbs and Byzantium during the reign of Tsar Stephen Dušan (1331-1355) and his successors", Dumbarton Oaks Library and Collection 13th-century Serbian nobility 14th-century Serbian nobility

Mrnjava Mrnjava ( sr, Мрњава) was a Serbian provincial nobleman, born in Zahumlje, a frontier province in the western Kingdom of Serbia (medieval), Serbian Kingdom. Mrnjava is the eponymous founder of the notable Mrnjavčević family; his son Vukaš ...

People of the Kingdom of Serbia (medieval) Kaznac History of the Serbs of Bosnia and Herzegovina Trebinje 14th century in Bosnia {{Serbia-noble-stub