Mrkša Žarković ( sr-cyr, Мркша Жарковић) was a Serbian nobleman who ruled the parts of today's southern

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 ...

from 1396 to 1414.

Life

His father was Žarko, a leading nobleman 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 ...

after 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 ...

's death, mentioned in June 1357 as Emperor Uroš's nobleman. Mrkša's mother was

Teodora Dejanović Dejan ( sr-Cyrl, Дејан; fl. 1346–ca. 1366) was a magnate who served Serbian Emperor Stefan Dušan (r. 1331–55) as '' sevastokrator'', and Emperor Uroš V (r. 1355–71) as '' despot''. He was married to Emperor Dušan's sister Teodora, ...

, the daughter of

Dejan Dejan (Cyrillic: Дејан) is a Serbian masculine given name, derived from the Slavic verb ''dejati'', meaning "to act, to do". The name and the derived surname Dejanović are common among South Slavs. The name is first recorded in 1325 (1333) ...

, one of Stefan Dušan's magnates. In 1391, Mrkša married

Ruđina Balšić }, ; 1396–1420) was a Zetan noblewoman and ruled upon today Montenegro and Albanian territory from the Balšić family. She married Mrkša Žarković and inherited his realm, the Principality of Valona, when he died in 1414. After unsuccessf ...

, the daughter of

Balša II Balša Balšić ( sr-cyr, Балша Балшић); or Balsha II ( sq, Balsha II) died September 18, 1385), known in historiography as Balša II, was the Lord of Lower Zeta from 1378 to 1385. He managed to expand his borders towards the south; def ...

, a lord in Zeta, and Komnina Asen, daughter of

Jovan Asen John Komnenos Asen ( bg, Йоан Комнин Асен, Yoan Komnin Asen; gr, Ίωάννης Κομνηνός Ἀσάνης, Iōannēs Komnēnos Asanēs; sr, Јован Комнин Асен, Jovan Komnin Asen) was the ruler of the Principali ...

. As a dowry Balša II received Valona,

Berat Berat (; sq-definite, Berati) is the ninth most populous city of Albania and the seat of Berat County and Berat Municipality. By air, it is north of Gjirokastër, west of Korçë, south of Tirana, and east of Fier. Berat is located in ...

, Kanina, and

Himarë Himarë ( sq-definite, Himara; el, Χειμάρρα, ''Cheimarra'' or Χιμάρα, ''Chimara'') is a municipality and region in Vlorë County, southern Albania. The municipality has a total area of and consists of the administrative units of ...

in the south of Albania. After Balša II's death in the

Battle of Savra The Battle of Savra ( sq, Beteja e Savrës, sr, Bitka na Saurskom polju, tr, Savra Muharebesi; "Battle on the Saurian field") or the Battle of the Vjosë was fought on 18 September 1385 between Ottoman and much smaller Zetan forces, at the Sa ...

, his wife Komnina ruled over his territory until 1396, when she became a

nun A nun is a woman who vows to dedicate her life to religious service, typically living under vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience in the enclosure of a monastery or convent.''The Oxford English Dictionary'', vol. X, page 599. The term is o ...

and gave her territories to son-in-law Mrkša. Mrkša became a ''Lord of Berat, Valona and Kanina''. Mrkša was able to hold his territories until his death in October 1414. After his death his wife Ruđina tried to transfer Mrkša's possessions to the

Republic of Venice The Republic of Venice ( vec, Repùblega de Venèsia) or Venetian Republic ( vec, Repùblega Vèneta, links=no), traditionally known as La Serenissima ( en, Most Serene Republic of Venice, italics=yes; vec, Serenìsima Repùblega de Venèsia, ...

in 1415 and 1416, but an agreement was never reached. So in 1417, the whole area was conquered by the

Ottoman Empire The Ottoman Empire, * ; is an archaic version. The definite article forms and were synonymous * and el, Оθωμανική Αυτοκρατορία, Othōmanikē Avtokratoria, label=none * info page on book at Martin Luther University) ...

References

Sources

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Mrksa Zarkovic 14th-century Serbian nobility 15th-century Serbian nobility Lords of Zeta People of the Serbian Empire Medieval Serbian military leaders Serbs of Montenegro Serbs in Albania 1363 births 1414 deaths