Vuk Branković ( sr-cyr, Вук Бранковић, , 1345 – 6 October 1397) was a Serbian medieval
nobleman
Nobility is a social class found in many societies that have an aristocracy. It is normally ranked immediately below royalty. Nobility has often been an estate of the realm with many exclusive functions and characteristics. The characteris ...
who, 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 pro ...
, inherited a province that extended over present-day southern and southwestern
Serbia
Serbia (, ; Serbian: , , ), officially the Republic of Serbia ( Serbian: , , ), is a landlocked country in Southeastern and Central Europe, situated at the crossroads of the Pannonian Basin and the Balkans. It shares land borders with Hu ...
, entire
Kosovo
Kosovo ( sq, Kosova or ; sr-Cyrl, Косово ), officially the Republic of Kosovo ( sq, Republika e Kosovës, links=no; sr, Република Косово, Republika Kosovo, links=no), is a international recognition of Kosovo, partiall ...
, the northern part of present day
Republic of North Macedonia
North Macedonia, ; sq, Maqedonia e Veriut, (Macedonia before February 2019), officially the Republic of North Macedonia,, is a country in Southeast Europe. It gained independence in 1991 as one of the successor states of Yugoslavia. It ...
, and northern
Montenegro
)
, image_map = Europe-Montenegro.svg
, map_caption =
, image_map2 =
, capital = Podgorica
, coordinates =
, largest_city = capital
, official_languages = ...
. His fief (and later state) was known as ''Oblast Brankovića'' (
District of Branković) or simply as ''Vukova zemlja'' (Vuk's land), which he held with the title of ''gospodin'' (lord, sir), under Prince
Lazar of Serbia. After the
Battle of Kosovo
The Battle of Kosovo ( tr, Kosova Savaşı; sr, Косовска битка) took place on 15 June 1389 between an army led by the Serbian Prince Lazar Hrebeljanović and an invading army of the Ottoman Empire under the command of Sultan ...
(1389), Vuk was briefly the ''de facto'' most powerful Serbian lord.
Origins
Branković was born in 1345, and belonged to a Serb noble family which held a prominent role under the
Nemanjić dynasty
The House of Nemanjić ( sr-Cyrl, Немањић, Немањићи; Nemanjić, Nemanjići, ) was the most prominent dynasty of Serbia in the Middle Ages. This princely, royal, and later imperial house produced twelve Serbian monarchs, who rule ...
in the 13th and 14th century. Vuk was a son of
Branko Mladenović
Branko ( sr-cyr, Бранко; 1331–65) was a Serbian magnate who served to king and emperor Stefan Dušan (r. 1331–55), and emperor Stefan Uroš V (r. 1355–71), with the titles of ''sluga'' and later ''sevastokrator''. A member of an old a ...
(died before 1365), who received the high court title of ''
sevastokrator'' from Emperor
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, Gre ...
(r. 1331–1355) and served as governor of
Ohrid
Ohrid ( mk, Охрид ) is a city in North Macedonia and is the seat of the Ohrid Municipality. It is the largest city on Lake Ohrid and the List of cities in North Macedonia, eighth-largest city in the country, with the municipality recording ...
(present day Macedonia). Vuk's grandfather was Mladen (died after 1326), who was ''
župan'' (count) in
Trebinje under King
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 ...
(1282–1321) and ''vojvoda'' (duke) under King
Stefan Dečanski (1321–1331). Later chronicles alleged that the Branković descended from
Vukan Nemanjić, son of
Stefan Nemanja
Stefan Nemanja (Serbian Cyrillic: , ; – 13 February 1199) was the Grand Prince ( Veliki Župan) of the Serbian Grand Principality (also known as Raška, lat. ) from 1166 to 1196. A member of the Vukanović dynasty, Nemanja founded the Nema ...
.
Expansion
After their father's death, Vuk and his brothers
Grgur and
Nikola Radonja
Nikola Radonja ( sr, Никола Радоња) or Nikola Radonja Branković or Gerasim or Roman, (c. 1330–1399) was a 14th-century Serbian nobleman and chronicler, a member of the Branković dynasty as the eldest son of Branko Mladenović. He ...
were forced by king
Vukašin Mrnjavčević to leave their land in western Macedonia (Ohrid), and they retreated to the valley of
Drenica
Drenica ( al, Drenicë, Drenica, ), also known as the Drenica Valley, is a hilly region in central Kosovo, covering roughly around of Kosovo's total area (6%). It consists of two municipalities, Drenas and Skenderaj, and several villages in Kl ...
(central Kosovo). From there Vuk, who only held the humble title of ''gospodin'' (lord, sir), started to expand his realm and to create his own state. He took advantage of the death of king Vukašin in the
Battle of Maritsa (1371), and occupied his lands in the southern part of Kosovo and northern Macedonia with the city of
Skopje
Skopje ( , , ; mk, Скопје ; sq, Shkup) is the capital and largest city of North Macedonia. It is the country's political, cultural, economic, and academic centre.
The territory of Skopje has been inhabited since at least 4000 BC; r ...
. The turning point of Vuk's ascension to power in post-Nemanjić Serbia was his marriage with Mara, daughter of the most powerful Serbian magnate prince
Lazar Hrebeljanović
Lazar Hrebeljanović ( sr-cyr, Лазар Хребељановић; ca. 1329 – 15 June 1389) was a medieval Serbian ruler who created the largest and most powerful state on the territory of the disintegrated Serbian Empire. Lazar's state, ...
, which brought him substantial lands in Kosovo and the city of
Zvečan as dowry. This marriage sealed the alliance between two houses and secured Lazar's assistance for Vuk's future plans, although Vuk in return had to acknowledge Lazar as his feudal senior. Soon after the marriage, Lazar, Vuk and king
Tvrtko I of Bosnia
Stephen Tvrtko I ( sh-Latn-Cyrl, separator=" / ", Stjepan/Stefan Tvrtko, Стјепан/Стефан Твртко; 1338 – 10 March 1391) was the first king of Bosnia. A member of the House of Kotromanić, he succeeded his uncle Stephen I ...
attacked župan
Nikola Altomanović, who ruled in the western part of Serbia, and conquered and divided his lands in 1373. In the partition of Altomanović's land, Vuk got areas of
Raška (including the old Serbian capital
Ras
Ras or RAS may refer to:
Arts and media
* RAS Records Real Authentic Sound, a reggae record label
* Rundfunk Anstalt Südtirol, a south Tyrolese public broadcasting service
* Rás 1, an Icelandic radio station
* Rás 2, an Icelandic radio sta ...
) and lands in
Polimlje
The Lim (Serbian Cyrillic: Лим, ) is a river that flows through Montenegro, Serbia and Bosnia and Herzegovina and is long. (northern Montenegro). After the death of
Đurađ I Balšić
Đurađ I Balšić ( sr-cyr, Ђурађ I Балшић), or Gjergj Balsha I ( sq, Gjergj Balsha I) was the Lord of Zeta between 1362 and 13 January 1378. He was the eldest of the three sons of Balša I, and belonged to the Balšić family.
Life ...
(13 January 1378), Vuk captured his cities of
Prizren
)
, settlement_type = Municipality and city
, image_skyline = Prizren Collage.jpg
, imagesize = 290px
, image_caption = View of Prizren
, image_alt = View of Prizren
, image_flag ...
and
Peć
Peja ( Indefinite Albanian form: ''Pejë'' ) or Peć ( sr-Cyrl, Пећ ) is the fourth largest city of Kosovo and seat of Peja Municipality and Peja District. It is situated in the region of Rugova on the eastern section of the Accursed Moun ...
and the area of
Metohija
Metohija ( sr-Cyrl, Метохија, ) or Dukagjin ( sq, Rrafshi i Dukagjinit, ) is a large basin and the name of the region covering the southwestern part of Kosovo. The region covers 35% (3,891 km2) of Kosovo's total area. According ...
. At its peak, the realm of Branković stretched from
Sjenica in the west to Skopje in the east, with the cities of Priština and
Vučitrn
Vushtrri ( sq-definite, Vushtrria) or Vučitrn ( sr-Cyrl, Вучитрн), is a city and municipality located in the Mitrovica District in northern Kosovo. According to the 2011 census, the town of Vushtrri has 26,964 inhabitants, while the m ...
serving as its capitals. The most important cities in Vuk's province were Priština, Prizren, Peć, Skopje and Ras, as well as the rich mining settlements of Trepča, Janjevo, Gluhavica and others.
Battle of Kosovo
After the Battle of Maritza, Ottomans forced the southern Serbian feudal lords (in present-day Macedonia and Greece),
Konstantin Dragaš,
king Marko,
Toma Preljubović and others, to become their vassals, and started to attack the northern Serbian lands ruled by prince Lazar and Vuk. After initial Serbian successes at the battles of
Dubravnica (1381),
Pločnik (1386) and
Bileća
Bileća ( sr-cyrl, Билећа) is a town and municipality located in Republika Srpska, an entity of Bosnia and Herzegovina. As of 2013, the town has a population of 7,476 inhabitants, while the municipality has 10,807 inhabitants.
History
...
(1388), the Ottomans launched a full-scale attack on Serbia aiming at the very heartland of Vuk's realm in central Kosovo. In the epic
Battle of Kosovo
The Battle of Kosovo ( tr, Kosova Savaşı; sr, Косовска битка) took place on 15 June 1389 between an army led by the Serbian Prince Lazar Hrebeljanović and an invading army of the Ottoman Empire under the command of Sultan ...
(1389) Vuk participated along with his father-in-law Lazar and a contingent of King Tvrtko's army. Unlike Lazar, who died in the battle along with most of his army, Vuk managed to survive and preserve his army, which later gave material for a popular Serbian folk tradition (represented in folk epic poems and tales) that he betrayed Lazar in order to become supreme ruler of Serbia, a theory that is rejected by modern day Serbian historians, but not by the Serb people. Despite the consensus of modern historiography in
Serbia
Serbia (, ; Serbian: , , ), officially the Republic of Serbia ( Serbian: , , ), is a landlocked country in Southeastern and Central Europe, situated at the crossroads of the Pannonian Basin and the Balkans. It shares land borders with Hu ...
that Vuk Branković was not a traitor in the Battle of Kosovo in 1389,
Momčilo Spremić
Momčilo Spremić ( sr, Момчило Спремић; born August 29, 1937) is a Serbian historian and member of the Serbian Academy of Science and Arts. He is professor of General history of the Middle Ages at the University of Belgrade Faculty ...
emphasized that there is a possibility that Vuk really betrayed his Serbian allies.
Last years
After the Battle of Kosovo, Vuk refused to become an Ottoman vassal (unlike prince
Stefan Lazarević
Stefan Lazarević ( sr-Cyrl, Стефан Лазаревић, 1377 – 19 July 1427), also known as Stefan the Tall ( sr, Стефан Високи / ''Stefan Visoki''), was the ruler of Serbia as prince (1389–1402) and despot (1402–1427), ...
, son of prince Lazar, who became an Ottoman vassal in late 1389), and started to plan anti-Ottoman action together with the Hungarian king Sigismund. However, Vuk was unable to resist the Ottomans for long. In 1392, they captured Skopje and forced Vuk to become their vassal and pay tribute. Even after that Vuk showed some resistance to Ottomans, refusing to participate on the Ottoman side in the battles of
Rovine (1395) and
Nicopolis (1396), unlike other Serbian lords such as prince Stefan,
prince Marko and
Konstantin Dejanović. He also maintained contacts with Hungary. Finally the Ottomans ended this situation by attacking Vuk in 1395-96, seizing his land and giving most of it to prince Stefan Lazarević, while Vuk himself was imprisoned and died in an Ottoman prison. A small part of Vuk's land with the towns of Priština and Vučitrn were given to his sons to hold as Ottoman vassals.
Family
He married
Mara (Marija), the daughter of
Lazar of Serbia and
Milica Nemanjić in 1371. She died on April 12, 1426. They had three sons:
*
Grgur Vuković (1377 - 13 March 1408),
*
Đurađ Branković
Đurađ Branković (; sr-cyr, Ђурађ Бранковић; hu, Brankovics György; 1377 – 24 December 1456) was the Serbian Despot from 1427 to 1456. He was one of the last Serbian medieval rulers. He was a participant in the battle of Ank ...
(1377 - 24 December 1456), succeeded his maternal uncle
Stefan Lazarević
Stefan Lazarević ( sr-Cyrl, Стефан Лазаревић, 1377 – 19 July 1427), also known as Stefan the Tall ( sr, Стефан Високи / ''Stefan Visoki''), was the ruler of Serbia as prince (1389–1402) and despot (1402–1427), ...
as ''
Despot'' of Serbia (
Serbian Despotate
The Serbian Despotate ( sr, / ) was a medieval Serbian state in the first half of the 15th century. Although the Battle of Kosovo in 1389 is generally considered the end of medieval Serbia, the Despotate, a successor of the Serbian Empire ...
), ruling 1427–1456
*
Lazar Vuković (died 12 July 1410), knez
Titles
He is most often titled "Lord Vuk" (господин Вук), while he signed himself "Lord of Serbs and Podunavlje" (
). The Serbian Church had in the period between 1374 and 1379 accepted ''knez'' Lazar as "Lord of Serbs and Podunavlje". According to historian
R. Mihaljčić, when Vuk claimed the title, Stefan Lazarević was around 15 years old (ca. 1392).
Vuk was not recognised with that title, as it was preserved for Lazar and Lazar's son Stefan.
People of his court
*Braiko Pekpal (fl. 1374)
*Vlatko Hranotić
*Dragosav
*Jakov
*Nikola ( 1389), ''kefalija''
*Nikolica ( 1389), ''dijak''
*Pribil Kućinić
*Todor Hamirović, ''vojvoda'' Prnjak and ''čelnik'' Smil (fl. 1387)
*Stefan (fl. 1395), chancellor.
*Todor, son of Žegar (fl. 1387)
Legacy
Folk tradition portraits Vuk as a traitor in the
Kosovo Myth: supposedly, Vuk tarnished the family name when he betrayed
Prince Lazar
Lazar Hrebeljanović ( sr-cyr, Лазар Хребељановић; ca. 1329 – 15 June 1389) was a medieval Serbian ruler who created the largest and most powerful state on the territory of the disintegrated Serbian Empire. Lazar's state, ...
at the
Battle of Kosovo
The Battle of Kosovo ( tr, Kosova Savaşı; sr, Косовска битка) took place on 15 June 1389 between an army led by the Serbian Prince Lazar Hrebeljanović and an invading army of the Ottoman Empire under the command of Sultan ...
, which he survived in 1389. This tradition may be apocryphal.
References
Sources
*
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*
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*
Bibliography
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Brankovic, Vuk
1345 births
1398 deaths
14th-century Serbian nobility
Vuk
Characters in Serbian epic poetry
Medieval Serbian military leaders
People of the Serbian Empire
Serbian vassals of the Ottoman Empire
Medieval Serbian magnates
People associated with Agiou Pavlou Monastery