Palman
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Palman (
Serbian Cyrillic The Serbian Cyrillic alphabet ( sr, / , ) is a variation of the Cyrillic script used to write the Serbian language, updated in 1818 by Serbian linguist Vuk Karadžić. It is one of the two alphabets used to write standard modern Serbian, t ...
: , la, Palmanus; fl. 1310-1363) was a German noble (dominus),
knight A knight is a person granted an honorary title of knighthood by a head of state (including the Pope) or representative for service to the monarch, the church or the country, especially in a military capacity. Knighthood finds origins in the Gr ...
, and mercenary commander of the Alemannic Guard in the Serbian Imperial army of one of the most prolific European rulers of its time, Dušan the Mighty (r.1331–1355).


Life


Origin and early life

Palman was born in ca. 1290, in Styria (present
Austria Austria, , bar, Östareich officially the Republic of Austria, is a country in the southern part of Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine states, one of which is the capital, Vienna, the most populous ...
), into a noble, Roman Catholic family. He had the facial condition of
cleft lip and palate A cleft lip contains an opening in the upper lip that may extend into the nose. The opening may be on one side, both sides, or in the middle. A cleft palate occurs when the palate (the roof of the mouth) contains an opening into the nose. The ...
. Palman was brought up at the court of his father, and at 13 years he became a courts man. At 16 he became a
squire In the Middle Ages, a squire was the shield- or armour-bearer of a knight. Use of the term evolved over time. Initially, a squire served as a knight's apprentice. Later, a village leader or a lord of the manor might come to be known as a ...
(''armiger'') at the service of Henry III of Gorizia until 1310 when his father died and he returned to Styria and inherited all of the family holdings. He then served the
House of Habsburg The House of Habsburg (), alternatively spelled Hapsburg in Englishgerman: Haus Habsburg, ; es, Casa de Habsburgo; hu, Habsburg család, it, Casa di Asburgo, nl, Huis van Habsburg, pl, dom Habsburgów, pt, Casa de Habsburgo, la, Domus Hab ...
; one of the Dukes made Palman a
knight A knight is a person granted an honorary title of knighthood by a head of state (including the Pope) or representative for service to the monarch, the church or the country, especially in a military capacity. Knighthood finds origins in the Gr ...
during the marriage of his daughter. At 27 years, he operated his harelip in
Venice Venice ( ; it, Venezia ; vec, Venesia or ) is a city in northeastern Italy and the capital of the Veneto region. It is built on a group of 118 small islands that are separated by canals and linked by over 400 bridges. The isla ...
, as he thought it would help him in getting his love, a countess back home who did not feel the same, however, it did not help.
Broken heart Broken heart (also known as a heartbreak or heartache) is a metaphor for the intense emotional stress or pain one feels at experiencing great and deep longing. The concept is cross-cultural, often cited with reference to unreciprocated or lost ...
ed, he joined knight
tournament A tournament is a competition involving at least three competitors, all participating in a sport or game. More specifically, the term may be used in either of two overlapping senses: # One or more competitions held at a single venue and concentr ...
s all over the
Holy Roman Empire The Holy Roman Empire was a political entity in Western, Central, and Southern Europe that developed during the Early Middle Ages and continued until its dissolution in 1806 during the Napoleonic Wars. From the accession of Otto I in 962 ...
where he fought for several years, losing a finger. After returning, and still not having his love answered, he decided to leave for the Holy land. Palman and his entourage crossed into
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 ...
, a maritime province of the Serbian Kingdom, in hands of ''Young King'' (heir) Stephen Uroš IV Dušan, and decided to join his service as mercenaries.


Service in the Serbian Empire

Palman became the "captain of the Alemannic Guard", a mercenary unit under the direct hand of Dušan, consisting of him and his entourage (300 Germans). By January or February 1331, Dušan was quarreling with his father, King Stephen Uroš III, perhaps pressured by the nobility. According to contemporary pro-Dušan sources, evil advisors turned Uroš III against his son; he decided to seize and exclude Dušan of his inheritance. Uroš III sent an army into Zeta against his son, the army ravaged Skadar, but Dušan had crossed the Bojana. A brief period of anarchy in parts of Serbia took place before the father and son concluded peace in April 1331. Three months later, Uroš III ordered Dušan to meet him. Dušan feared for his life and his advisors persuaded him to resist, so Dušan, including Palman's army, marched from Skadar to Nerodimlje, where they besieged his father. Uroš III fled, and Dušan captured the treasury and family. Dušan then pursued his father, catching up with him at
Petrić Petrić is a South Slavic surname, a patronymic of Petar. Notable people with the name include: * Bojan Petrić, Bosnian football player * Branka Petrić, Serbian actress * Denis Petrić, Serbian football player * Frane Petrić, Croatian philos ...
. On 21 August 1331, Uroš III surrendered, and on the advice or insistence of Dušan's advisors, he was imprisoned. Dušan is crowned ''King of All Serbian and Maritime lands'' in the first week of September. Palman too, had his title elevated. Next he suppressed revolts in
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 ...
, by Bogoje, and in Serbian holdings of northern
Albania Albania ( ; sq, Shqipëri or ), or , also or . officially the Republic of Albania ( sq, Republika e Shqipërisë), is a country in Southeastern Europe. It is located on the Adriatic and Ionian Seas within the Mediterranean Sea and shares ...
, where he sent his nephew through his sister, Đorđe (Georg) with a band of the mercenaries. In ca. 1336, it was decided that Dušan would divorce Jelena, his wife, as she had not yet given birth to an heir. At the same time, talks began with Austrian Duke Otto V, that his niece, German King
Frederick the Fair Frederick the Fair (german: Friedrich der Schöne) or the Handsome (c. 1289 – 13 January 1330), from the House of Habsburg, was the duke of Austria and Styria from 1308 as well as the anti-king of Germany from 1314 until 1325 and then co-king ...
's daughter Elizabeth be married to Dušan. Austrian delegates arrived at
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 ...
, in maritime Serbia, in the spring. The mediator of the matter was Palman. Elizabeth, whom they did not ask for consent, was appalled by the thought that she was pushed into the unknown world, in a barbarous land in the East, to marry a King of a different faith, who already was married. She became acute anxious and died. When Queen Jelena heard of the potential divorce, she hurried to conceive, and promised a son, as to calm Dušan. Indeed, in the winter, Jelena became pregnant with a son. When Dušan forged an alliance with the Byzantine fugitive John Cantacuzene and when it was agreed that both of them conquer Byzantine territory, Dušan took
Veria Veria ( el, Βέροια or Βέρροια), officially transliterated Veroia, historically also spelled Berea or Berœa, is a city in Central Macedonia, in the geographic region of Macedonia, northern Greece, capital of the regional unit of ...
, an important city in
Thrace Thrace (; el, Θράκη, Thráki; bg, Тракия, Trakiya; tr, Trakya) or Thrake is a geographical and historical region in Southeast Europe, now split among Bulgaria, Greece, and Turkey, which is bounded by the Balkan Mountains to ...
. As a security measure, Palman's army was sent to hold the town. However, Cantacuzene later that year deceived Dušan and recovered Veria, he allowed Palman's troops to leave the city safe while he kept the city's Serbs as hostages. In March 1355, a papal delegate led by bishop Peter Thomas arrived in Serbia in a mission to convert Serbs into Catholicism (the Serbs hoped to get help from the Papal state to organize a Crusade against Ottoman Turks), and Dušan, who was angry with Louis I of Hungary, prohibited the Catholics in his army to join the sermon of the papal bishop. Upon hearing that German mercenaries joined a sermon, Dušan became enraged, but regained his composure soon thereafter, when their commander, Palman, said that they would defend their faith, not only by accepting punishment but even by clashing against Dušan's Imperial Army, if need be. The papal bishop, irritated with the failure of his mission, turned home and on the way visited Louis I, asking him to furiously continue the war on Serbia.Corovic, "Istorija srpskog naroda", Third period, ch. "VIII. Delo cara Dušana" In 1355 his unit was sent by Dušan to garrison the town of
Klis Klis ( hr, Klis, it, Clissa, tr, Kilis) is a Croatian municipality located around a mountain fortress bearing the same name. It is located in the region of Dalmatia, located just northeast of Solin and Split near the eponymous mountain pass. I ...
(in the realm of Jelena, his sister) due to Croatian vassals to Hungary were advancing to Klis and
Skradin Skradin ( it, Scardona; grc, Σκάρδων) is a small town in the Šibenik-Knin County of Croatia, with a population of 3,825 (2011 census). It is located near the Krka river and at the entrance to the Krka National Park, from Šibenik and ...
. After the death of Dušan in 1355, he worked for
Teodora Teodora ( sr, Теодора) is a feminine given name, a variation of the name Theodora. Notable people with the name include: * Teodora Sava (born 2001), Romanian singer * Teodora Albon (born 1977), Romanian football referee * Teodora Ginés, ( ...
. In 1363 he was a beneficiary of a will in
Dubrovnik Dubrovnik (), historically known as Ragusa (; see notes on naming), is a city on the Adriatic Sea in the region of Dalmatia, in the southeastern semi-exclave of Croatia. It is one of the most prominent tourist destinations in the Mediterran ...
.


Legacy

He is enumerated 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 ...
, alongside his brother Kijaran (Chiarane), and nephew Đorđe (Georg).Istorija Srba
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Annotations


Notes


References


Secondary 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. *https://archive.today/20130416225525/http://www.politikin-zabavnik.rs/2008/2951/04.php *http://www.novosti.rs/dodatni_sadrzaj/clanci.119.html:277309-Verni-vitez-Palman {{Authority control 14th-century Serbian nobility 14th-century German nobility Generals of Stefan Dušan Serbian knights People of the Serbian Empire Medieval Serbian military leaders Serbian people of German descent 1363 deaths Serbian mercenaries Year of birth unknown Medieval mercenaries 14th-century soldiers Medieval bodyguards