Stefan Uroš I ( sr-Cyrl, Стефан Урош I; 1223 – 1 May 1277), known as Uroš the Great () was the
King of Serbia from 1243 to 1276, succeeding his brother
Stefan Vladislav. He was one of the most important rulers in Serbian history. During his reign the foundations were laid for the expansion of the Serbian medieval state, which would become an
empire
An empire is a political unit made up of several territories, military outpost (military), outposts, and peoples, "usually created by conquest, and divided between a hegemony, dominant center and subordinate peripheries". The center of the ...
in the middle of the 14th century.
Early life
Stefan Uroš was the youngest son of
Stefan the First-Crowned and
Anna, the granddaughter of
Enrico Dandolo,
Doge of Venice. He had two older half-brothers, on his father's side, kings
Stefan Radoslav and
Stefan Vladislav.
Scholars have argued that Bulgarian influence had been strong and unpopular, causing opposition that led to Vladislav's deposition after the death of Asen. The revolting nobility had chosen Uroš as their candidate for king; from 1242 to spring 1243, a war for the throne was fought, which ended with Vladislav being forced to give up the crown in favour of Uroš. It seems that Uroš captured Vladislav. The main resistance against Uroš was led by Vladislav's wife, Beloslava. The hostilities did not last long. Uroš was courteous towards Vladislav, gave him the administration of
Zeta.
Administration
At 25 years of age, he took the throne from his brother Vladislav, and despite not having support from in-laws as was the case with his brothers, he immediately ruled energetic and determined. Prior to his accession, the land had been looted by the Tatars and there were widespread internal conflicts; Uroš managed in a short time to resolve all important issues in the state and in its foreign policy.
The situation in Europe and in the Balkans were quite favourable for Serbia, which he very cleverly used for his benefit. During his reign Serbia significantly strengthened itself and progressed in every way. Uroš correctly determined the direction in political pretensions through penetrating the south in Macedonia and conflict with Hungary in
Podunavlje. The land was politically and militarily prepared for serious politics and definitive fortification of Serbia and the Serb people in the Vardar valley and the middle Podunavlje. Apart from this, Uroš also correctly determined the direction of Serbian trade politics, as he on several occasions in his fight against the
Republic of Ragusa
The Republic of Ragusa, or the Republic of Dubrovnik, was an maritime republics, aristocratic maritime republic centered on the city of Dubrovnik (''Ragusa'' in Italian and Latin; ''Raguxa'' in Venetian) in South Dalmatia (today in southernmost ...
wanted to eliminate Ragusan brokerage and exploitation in his state.
Particular significance in his domestic politics is that he strongly stressed the state principle above all else, and subordinated the churches (both Orthodox and Catholic) to state interests. He was instrumental in the definite solution to the conflict between the archbishoprics of Bar and Dubrovnik regarding power in Serbia, resolved in favour of Bar.
Uroš was the first to begin exploiting the mines, which would later become one of the main sources of material wealth and power of the Serbian state in the Middle Ages. As a first result of the opening of mines came the forging of Serbian coins, which he first minted on the Venetian model. He protected and assisted literature and writers; i.e. gave impetus to the preparation of a new, more comprehensive and ornate biography of his grandfather Nemanja, whom he fully modeled himself after.
King Uroš lived a modest patriarchal life, happy and content within his family, and he in contrast to the splendor of the Byzantine court, proudly emphasized modesty to the Byzantine deputies, which dominated at his court, where everyone had to work.
In foreign policy Uroš skillfully used to his advantage the conflict between the
Despotate of Epirus and the
Empire of Nicaea, two Greek states, both of which sought to inherit the Byzantine Empire and take Constantinople from the
Latin Empire. But when the Latin Empire fell, and Emperor
Michael Palaiologos of Nicaea took Constantinople, Uroš began to coalite with his wife's cousin,
Charles of Anjou, who wanted to recapture Constantinople, and through that alliance take as much Byzantine land as possible. Via Charles, who had family ties with the Hungarian kings, Uroš at the end of his reign also approached Hungary, with whom he long had been in a bad relation, and married his eldest son and heir,
Stefan Dragutin
Stefan Dragutin ( sr-Cyrl, Стефан Драгутин, ; died 12 March 1316), was List of Serbian monarchs, King of Serbia from 1276 to 1282. From 1282, he ruled a Realm of Stefan Dragutin, separate kingdom which included northern Serbia, and ...
, to Catherine, the daughter of Hungarian king
Stephen V Stephen V may refer to:
*Pope Stephen IV, aka Stephen V, Pope from 816 to 817
*Pope Stephen V (885–891)
*Stephen V of Hungary (born before 1239 – 1272), King of Hungary and Croatia, Duke of Styria
*Stephen V Báthory (1430–1493), Hungarian co ...
.
Pushed by his in-laws, with the help of the army he received from Hungary, Dragutin, unhappy with not getting more participation in the government, revolted and defeated his father and took over the throne. Uroš retired with his loyals to
Hum, where, disappointed, dissatisfied and angry, he died soon thereafter.
Economic development
Mining
Under Stefan Uroš I, Serbia became a significant power in the Balkans, partly due to economic development through opening of mines. The mines were developed by the "
Sasi" (Saxons), who were experienced in the extracting of ore. Their settlements, located by the mines, had privileged status—they lived under their own laws and were allowed to adhere to Catholicism and build their churches. Important mines were located at
Novo Brdo,
Brskovo and
Rudnik.
Trade
Economic prosperity was also fostered by the related intensification of trade with the
Dalmatian cities of
Dubrovnik
Dubrovnik, historically known as Ragusa, is a city in southern Dalmatia, Croatia, by the Adriatic Sea. It is one of the most prominent tourist destinations in the Mediterranean Sea, Mediterranean, a Port, seaport and the centre of the Dubrovni ...
and
Kotor. The increase in the mining of silver and in trade naturally led to the introduction of larger quantities of royal coinage, modeled after the
Venetian standard.
Military operations
War with Ragusa
In 1252–1253, Uroš I was at war with the
Republic of Ragusa
The Republic of Ragusa, or the Republic of Dubrovnik, was an maritime republics, aristocratic maritime republic centered on the city of Dubrovnik (''Ragusa'' in Italian and Latin; ''Raguxa'' in Venetian) in South Dalmatia (today in southernmost ...
, which bordered the
Hum, which was held by his kinsman
Radoslav Andrijić. Radoslav swore to fight Ragusa as long as it was in conflict with Serbia, at the same time boasting relations with
Béla IV of Hungary
Béla IV (1206 – 3 May 1270) was King of Hungary and King of Croatia, Croatia between 1235 and 1270, and Duke of Styria from 1254 to 1258. As the oldest son of Andrew II of Hungary, King Andrew II, he was crowned upon the initiative of a group ...
. Ragusa took up an alliance with Bulgaria. Peace was ensured in a charter dated May 22, 1254, and the crisis ended.
During the second half of the 1260s a new war broke out with Ragusa, which was secretly favoured by the Serbian queen. A treaty was signed in 1268, specifying the amount of tribute that Dubrovnik was expected to contribute annually to the Serbian crown. The arrangement remained largely unbroken for the next century.
War with Hungary
In 1268 the Serbian king
invaded the Hungarian possessions south of the
Danube
The Danube ( ; see also #Names and etymology, other names) is the List of rivers of Europe#Longest rivers, second-longest river in Europe, after the Volga in Russia. It flows through Central and Southeastern Europe, from the Black Forest sou ...
in
Mačva, what is now western central Serbia. In spite of some initial success, Stefan Uroš was captured by the Hungarians and forced to purchase his release. A peace treaty was signed between the two kingdoms, and Stefan Uroš's son
Stefan Dragutin of Serbia
Stefan Dragutin ( sr-Cyrl, Стефан Драгутин, ; died 12 March 1316), was King of Serbia from 1276 to 1282. From 1282, he ruled a separate kingdom which included northern Serbia, and (from 1284) the neighboring Hungarian banates (o ...
was married to
Catherine, the daughter of the future king
Stephen V of Hungary.
Conflict with Dragutin
By the end of his reign, Stefan Uroš apparently succeeded in suppressing the autonomy of Hum, where the local princes became virtually indistinguishable from the rest of the nobility. In his effort to achieve centralization, the king appears to have alienated his eldest son by refusing to grant him an
appanage. The conflict between father and son exacerbated, and the king apparently considered making his younger son, the future
Stefan Milutin, his heir.
Worried about the inheritance and his very life, Stefan Dragutin finally demanded the throne in 1276. When Stefan Uroš refused, Dragutin rebelled and received help from his Hungarian relatives. The allies defeated the Serbian king and Stefan Uroš was forced to abdicate and retire to an unidentified monastery in Hum where he died a year or two later. His remains were later moved to his monastic foundation of
Sopoćani.
Endowments
Sopoćani Monastery, side view, Serbia.jpg, Sopoćani Monastery
Манастир Сасе.jpg, Sase Monastery
Maglic pogled2.JPG, Maglič
Family
King Uroš was married to
Helen (d. 1314), a distant cousin of king
Charles I of Naples. Various earlier researchers thus believed that Helen herself was a scion of the
Capetian House of Anjou. On that assumption, they coined and often used the term: ''Helen of Anjou'' ( sr-Cyrl, Јелена Анжујска / ''Jelena Anžujska''). Contrary to that, newer scholarly analyses have shown that Helen was not an Angevin princess, but various genealogical questions related to her real ancestry and family ties are still considered as unresolved.
King Uroš I and queen Helen had at least three children:
*
Stefan Dragutin
Stefan Dragutin ( sr-Cyrl, Стефан Драгутин, ; died 12 March 1316), was List of Serbian monarchs, King of Serbia from 1276 to 1282. From 1282, he ruled a Realm of Stefan Dragutin, separate kingdom which included northern Serbia, and ...
, who succeeded as king
*
Stefan Milutin, who succeeded as king in 1282
*
Brnjača, a daughter
Ancestry
Annotations
References
Sources
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Stefan Uros 01
13th-century Serbian monarchs
1220s births
1277 deaths
Year of birth uncertain
Economy of Serbia in the Middle Ages
Mining in Serbia
Eastern Orthodox royal saints from Serbia
Nemanjić dynasty
People from the Kingdom of Serbia (medieval)
Monarchs who abdicated
Burials at Sopoćani