Đuraš Ilijić
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Đuraš Ilijić ( sr-Cyrl, Ђураш Илијић, 1326–62) was a Serbian commander and nobleman who served the Serbian monarchs
Stefan Dečanski Stefan Uroš III, , known as Stefan of Dečani ( sr-Cyrl, Стефан Дечански, Stefan Dečanski, ( – 11 November 1331), was King of Serbia from 6 January 1322 to 8 September 1331. Dečanski was the son of King Stefan Milutin (). He ...
(r. 1321–1331),
Stefan Dušan Stephen (honorific), Stefan Uroš IV Dušan ( sr-Cyrl, Стефан Урош IV Душан), also known as Dušan the Mighty ( sr-Cyrl, Душан Силни; – 20 December 1355), was the King of Serbia from 8 September 1331 and Emperor of th ...
(r. 1331–1355) and
Uroš V __NOTOC__ Uroš ( sr-Cyrl, Урош) is a South Slavic masculine given name used primarily by Slovenes and Serbs. This noun has been interpreted as "lords", because it usually appears in conjunction with ''velmõžie'' () "magnates", as in the phra ...
(r. 1355–1371), from 1326 until his death in 1362. He had the title of ''
čelnik ''Čelnik'' ( sr-Cyrl, челник) was a high court title in the Kingdom of Serbia, Serbian Empire and Serbian Despotate. In its early form, the holder was entrusted with the security of property belonging to the Orthodox Church from the aristo ...
'' ("head"), and governed
Upper Zeta Upper Zeta ( sr-Cyrl-Latn, Горња Зета, Gornja Zeta, separator=" / ") is a historical region in modern Montenegro, situated roughly between the Morača and Zeta rivers in east-west direction, and between massif of Lovćen and Skadar ...
. He is an ancestor of the
Crnojević noble family The House of Crnojević (Serbian Cyrillic: Црнојевић, Crnojevići / Црнојевићи) was a medieval Serbian noble familySlijepčević 1974, p. 43: "Према Карлу Хопфу и Балшићи и Црнојевићи »пр ...
(a branch of the Đurašević).


Origin and early life

Đuraš was born in
Zeta Zeta (, ; uppercase Ζ, lowercase ζ; , , 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 from the Phoenician alphabet, Phoenician letter zay ...
, the son of Ilija, and grandson of
Đuraš Vrančić Đuraš Vrančić ( sr-cyr, Ђураш Вранчић) was a Serbian nobleman who served King Stefan Milutin (r. 1282–1321) with the court title of ''stavilac''. He is the oldest known ''stavilac''. The title of ''stavilac'' ranked as the last ...
. His grandfather served King
Stefan Milutin Stefan Uroš II Milutin ( sr-Cyrl, Стефан Урош II Милутин, Stefan Uroš II Milutin; 1253 – 29 October 1321), known as Saint King, was the King of Serbia between 1282–1321, a member of the Nemanjić dynasty. He was one ...
(r. 1282–1321) with the court title of ''
stavilac Stavilac ( sr-Cyrl, ставилац, literally meaning "placer") was a court title in Medieval Bosnia and Medieval Serbia in the Middle Ages. It was similar to the Byzantine court offices of ''domestikos'' and cup-bearer (''pinkernes'', known in Se ...
'', while his father had the title of ''
kefalija In the late Byzantine Empire, the term ''kephale'' () was used to denote local and provincial governors. It entered use in the second half of the 13th century, and was derived from the colloquial language. Consequently, it never became an establish ...
'', and governed Zeta. It has been claimed that Đuraš had two brothers, Nikola and Vladin, or one brother, Nikola Vladin. King
Stefan Dečanski Stefan Uroš III, , known as Stefan of Dečani ( sr-Cyrl, Стефан Дечански, Stefan Dečanski, ( – 11 November 1331), was King of Serbia from 6 January 1322 to 8 September 1331. Dečanski was the son of King Stefan Milutin (). He ...
's confirmation on the rights of Ragusan merchants dating to March 25, 1326, was attended by ''vojvoda'' Mladen, ''
tepčija Tepčija ( sr-Cyrl, тепчија) was a court title of Medieval Croatia, Croatia, Medieval Serbia, Serbia and Medieval Bosnia, Bosnia in the Middle Ages. The functions and position in the court is unclear. It was first mentioned in Croatia in the ...
'' Vladoje, and ''
čelnik ''Čelnik'' ( sr-Cyrl, челник) was a high court title in the Kingdom of Serbia, Serbian Empire and Serbian Despotate. In its early form, the holder was entrusted with the security of property belonging to the Orthodox Church from the aristo ...
'' Đuraš Ilijić. At that time the title of ''čelnik'' was of a higher rank than ''
stavilac Stavilac ( sr-Cyrl, ставилац, literally meaning "placer") was a court title in Medieval Bosnia and Medieval Serbia in the Middle Ages. It was similar to the Byzantine court offices of ''domestikos'' and cup-bearer (''pinkernes'', known in Se ...
'', but lower than ''
kaznac Kaznac ( sr-cyr, казнац) was a court title of the state employee in medieval Bosnia and Serbia who was in charge for the treasury in the territory under his jurisdiction — ''kaznačina'' (казначина). The name of the title is derive ...
'' and ''
tepčija Tepčija ( sr-Cyrl, тепчија) was a court title of Medieval Croatia, Croatia, Medieval Serbia, Serbia and Medieval Bosnia, Bosnia in the Middle Ages. The functions and position in the court is unclear. It was first mentioned in Croatia in the ...
'', with '' vojvoda'' being the supreme title. It is unclear if there was one or several with that title at the court; the next year,
Gradislav Vojšić Gradislav Vojšić (; 1284–1327) was a Serbian nobility in the Middle Ages, Serbian nobleman who served the Serbian Kings Stefan Uroš II Milutin (r. 1282–1321) and Stefan Uroš III (r. 1322–1331). He was the first known ''čelnik'' of th ...
is mentioned as serving the King as ''čelnik''. In the conflict between Stefan Dečanski and his son Dušan in 1331, Đuraš sided with Dušan. According to
Mavro Orbini Mavro Orbini (1563–1614) was a Ragusan chronicler, notable for his work '' The Realm of the Slavs'' (1601) which influenced Slavic ideology and historiography in the later centuries. Life Orbini was born in Ragusa (now Dubrovnik), the capital ...
(1601), when Dušan took his army from Zeta against his father in Raška, he had with him two advisors, Karavida and Đuraš. Dečanski surrendered in August, and Dušan was crowned King in September.


Klis and Skradin

In early 1355, Emperor Dušan sent an army, led by knight Palman and Đuraš Ilijić, to defend
Klis Klis is a Croatian village and a municipality located around a mountain fortress bearing the same name. Population In the 2011 census, the municipality of Klis had a total population of 4,801, consisting of the following settlements: * Bršta ...
and
Skradin Skradin is a small town in the Šibenik-Knin County of Croatia. It is located near the Krka (Croatia), Krka river and at the entrance to the Krka National Park, from Šibenik and from Split, Croatia, Split. The main attraction of the park, Slapo ...
which were in the hands of Dušan's sister,
Jelena Jelena, also written Yelena and Elena, is a Slavic given name. The name is a Slavicized form of the Greek name Helena, and it signifies the word ‘Greek’ (Ελληνικά) meaning bright, light. Helena comes from Helios meaning shining and s ...
, the widow of
Mladen III Šubić Mladen III Šubić () ( 1315 – Trogir, 1 May 1348) was a member of the Croatian Šubić noble family, who ruled from Klis Fortress. He was in possession of Klis, Omiš and Skradin. He is also known as Shield of the Croats (Clipeus Croator ...
, from Hungarian attacks. Jelena was pressured by both Hungary and the
Republic of Venice The Republic of Venice, officially the Most Serene Republic of Venice and traditionally known as La Serenissima, was a sovereign state and Maritime republics, maritime republic with its capital in Venice. Founded, according to tradition, in 697 ...
. Palman held Klis, while Đuraš held Skradin. Among Đuraš's army were his brothers, sons and nephews. The army was not able to hold out the pressure of the Hungarian army. The inhabitants were not ready, while there was some indecisive fighting. Emperor Dušan died on December 20, 1355, in unclear circumstances. This was his last activity. On January 10, 1356, Đuraš ceded Skradin to the
Republic of Venice The Republic of Venice, officially the Most Serene Republic of Venice and traditionally known as La Serenissima, was a sovereign state and Maritime republics, maritime republic with its capital in Venice. Founded, according to tradition, in 697 ...
, as Dušan had ordered him in case it could not be defended from the Hungarians. Dušan had sought a flotilla from Venice for his planned campaign on Constantinople.


Death

According to
Mavro Orbini Mavro Orbini (1563–1614) was a Ragusan chronicler, notable for his work '' The Realm of the Slavs'' (1601) which influenced Slavic ideology and historiography in the later centuries. Life Orbini was born in Ragusa (now Dubrovnik), the capital ...
(1601), the Balšić family started to expand in Lower Zeta after the death of Emperor Dušan, during the weak rule of Emperor Uroš V. In 1360 they held a part of the land between
Lake Skadar Lake Skadar or Lake Scutari (, ; cnr-Cyrl-Latn, Скадарско језеро, Skadarsko jezero, )also called Lake Shkodra (and ''Lake Shkodër'')lies on the border of Albania and Montenegro, and is the largest lake in Southern Europe. It is n ...
and the
Adriatic Sea The Adriatic Sea () is a body of water separating the Italian Peninsula from the Balkans, Balkan Peninsula. The Adriatic is the northernmost arm of the Mediterranean Sea, extending from the Strait of Otranto (where it connects to the Ionian Se ...
. The Balšić brothers continued into Upper Zeta, which was held by Đuraš Ilijić and his relatives, and killed Đuraš and had some of his relatives captured while the rest left the land, "and thus also ruled Upper Zeta". This took place after 1362. In Prevlaka in the Bay of Kotor, a plate was found, which says, among other things, "Servant of Christ, Joakim, called Đuraš, grandson of ''stavilac'' Đuraš" (Раб Христу Јоаким а зовом Ђураш, унук ставиоца Ђураша) and that he was a "fearsome knight of Emperor Stefan ušan (у цара у Стјепана трети витез). It is agreed that this was the tombstone of Đuraš Ilijić. He was the progenitor of the Đurašević, the later
Crnojević noble family The House of Crnojević (Serbian Cyrillic: Црнојевић, Crnojevići / Црнојевићи) was a medieval Serbian noble familySlijepčević 1974, p. 43: "Према Карлу Хопфу и Балшићи и Црнојевићи »пр ...
. It has been claimed that he either had three sons: Crnoje, Stefan and Dobrovoj, or two sons: Crnoje and Stefan Dobrovoj.


Annotations


References


Sources

*, chapters 41 and 44 * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Ilijic, Duras 14th-century Serbian nobility Generals of Stefan Dušan People from the Serbian Empire People from the Kingdom of Serbia (medieval) Princes of Zeta Medieval Serbian military leaders Serbian knights Crnojević noble family Serbs of Montenegro Year of birth unknown 1362 deaths 14th-century Serbian judges 14th-century soldiers Boyars of Stefan Dušan