The tribute of Ston ( sh, stonski tribut/стонски трибут), also called the income of Ston (''stonski dohodak''/стонски доходак), was a

tribute A tribute (; from Latin ''tributum'', "contribution") is wealth, often in kind, that a party gives to another as a sign of submission, allegiance or respect. Various ancient states exacted tribute from the rulers of land which the state conqu ...

paid by the

Republic of Ragusa hr, Sloboda se ne prodaje za sve zlato svijeta it, La libertà non si vende nemmeno per tutto l'oro del mondo"Liberty is not sold for all the gold in the world" , population_estimate = 90 000 in the XVI Century , currency = ...

to the rulers of Bosnia and

Serbia Serbia (, ; Serbian language, Serbian: , , ), officially the Republic of Serbia (Serbian language, Serbian: , , ), is a landlocked country in Southeast Europe, Southeastern and Central Europe, situated at the crossroads of the Pannonian Bas ...

, and later to Serbian monasteries. In 1333, King

Stefan Dušan Stefan Uroš IV Dušan ( sr-Cyrl, Стефан Урош IV Душан, ), known as Dušan the Mighty ( sr, / ; circa 1308 – 20 December 1355), was the King of Serbia from 8 September 1331 and Tsar (or Emperor) and autocrat of the Serbs, Gr ...

of Serbia and Ban Stephen II of Bosnia, who had waged war for the control of

Zachlumia 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 ...

, each decided to cede

Ston Ston () is a settlement and a municipality in the Dubrovnik-Neretva County of Croatia, located at the south of isthmus of the Pelješac peninsula. History Because of its geopolitical and strategic position, Ston has had a rich history since ant ...

and the peninsula of

Pelješac Pelješac (; Chakavian: ; it, Sabbioncello) is a peninsula in southern Dalmatia in Croatia. The peninsula is part of the Dubrovnik-Neretva County and is the second largest peninsula in Croatia. From the isthmus that begins at Ston, to the top o ...

to Ragusa in return for an annual payment of 500 perpera to both rulers. In 1350, King Dušan ceded the income to the Monastery of the Holy Archangels Michael and Gabriel, run by Serbs in

Jerusalem Jerusalem (; he, יְרוּשָׁלַיִם ; ar, القُدس ) (combining the Biblical and common usage Arabic names); grc, Ἱερουσαλήμ/Ἰεροσόλυμα, Hierousalḗm/Hierosóluma; hy, Երուսաղեմ, Erusałēm. i ...

. It continued to be paid to the bans and kings of Bosnia until the Ottoman conquest of the kingdom in 1463; Queen Catherine claimed it in exile but was refused by the government of Ragusa. The Jerusalemite monastery was closed soon afterwards, and the Serbian princess Mara succeeded in transferring the income to the

Athonite monasteries The monastic community of Mount Athos is an Eastern Orthodox community of monks in Greece, enjoying the status of an autonomous region holding the combined rights of a decentralized administration, a region and a municipality, with its territo ...

of Chilandar and Saint Paul's with the support of her stepson

Mehmed the Conqueror Mehmed II ( ota, محمد ثانى, translit=Meḥmed-i s̱ānī; tr, II. Mehmed, ; 30 March 14323 May 1481), commonly known as Mehmed the Conqueror ( ota, ابو الفتح, Ebū'l-fetḥ, lit=the Father of Conquest, links=no; tr, Fâtih Su ...

. Mara's niece and heir

Maria of Serbia, Queen of Bosnia Maria of Serbia ( sh, Mara Branković, Мара Бранковић; 1447 – 1500), christened Helena ( sh, Jelena, Јелена), was the last queen of Bosnia and despoina of Serbia. As the eldest daughter of the deceased despot of Serbia, La ...

, disputed the entitlement of the monasteries and claimed the income for herself until her death in 1500. After that, and the Bosnian-born

Hersekzade Ahmed Pasha Hersekzade or Hersekli Ahmed Pasha ("Ahmed Pasha, son of the Herzog"; Serbo-Croatian: ''Ahmed-paša Hercegović''; Aхмед-паша Херцеговић; 1459 – 21 July 1517), born as Stjepan Hercegović, he was the youngest son of the Duke ...

's intervention, it was regularly paid to the monasteries until the Republic was annexed by the

First French Empire The First French Empire, officially the French Republic, then the French Empire (; Latin: ) after 1809, also known as Napoleonic France, was the empire ruled by Napoleon Bonaparte, who established French hegemony over much of continental Eu ...

in 1808.

References

{{reflist Republic of Ragusa Kingdom of Bosnia Economy of Serbia in the Middle Ages