The Serbian civil war of 1331 broke out following King Stefan Uroš III's decision not to continue campaigning against the

Byzantine Empire The Byzantine Empire, also referred to as the Eastern Roman Empire or Byzantium, was the continuation of the Roman Empire primarily in its eastern provinces during Late Antiquity and the Middle Ages, when its capital city was Constantinopl ...

when he had the chance following the victory at the

Battle of Velbazhd The Battle of Velbazhd ( bg, битка при Велбъжд, ''bitka pri Velbazhd''; sr, Битка код Велбужда, ''Bitka kod Velbužda'') is a battle which took place between Bulgarian and Serbian armies on 28 July 1330, near the t ...

against Bulgaria, alienating much of the nobility, which became divided supporting either Uroš III or his son,

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 ...

Background

In 1330, an alliance was formed by Bulgaria and the Byzantine Empire, which sought to invade Serbia. In 1330, ''Young King'' Dušan defeated Bulgarian Emperor Michael III Shishman at Velbazhd, after which King Uroš III appointed his nephew Ivan Stefan at the Bulgarian throne in August.

History

Uroš III's decision not to attack the Byzantines after the victory at the

against Bulgaria resulted in the alienation of many nobles, who sought to expand to the south. By January or February 1331, Dušan was quarreling with his father, 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 from his inheritance. Uroš III sent an army 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 ...

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 marched from Skadar to Nerodimlje, where he besieged his father. Uroš III fled, and Dušan captured the treasury and family. He 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 was crowned ''King of All Serbian and Maritime lands'' in the first week of September. The civil war had prevented Serbia from aiding Ivan Stephen and Anna Neda in Bulgaria, who was deposed in March 1331, taking refuge in the mountains.

Ivan Alexander of Bulgaria Ivan Alexander ( bg, Иван Александър, transliterated ''Ivan Aleksandǎr'', ; original spelling: ІѠАНЪ АЛЄѮАНдРЪ), also sometimes Anglicized as John Alexander, ruled as Emperor (''Tsar'') of Bulgaria from 1331 to 1371, ...

feared for the danger of Serbia as the situation there had settled, and immediately sought peace with Dušan. As Dušan wanted to move against richer Byzantium, the two made peace and an alliance in December 1331, accepting Ivan Alexander as ruler. It was sealed with the marriage of Dušan and Helena, the sister of Ivan Alexander.

Aftermath

Dušan later conquered most of the Byzantine Empire, and was crowned Emperor in 1346.

References

Sources

* * {{Wars and battles involving Serbs Civil wars of Serbia in the Middle Ages Kingdom of Serbia (medieval) 14th century in Serbia Stefan Dušan Conflicts in 1331 1331 in Europe Rebellious princes