Gradislav Borilović
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

Gradislav Borilović ( sr-cyr, Градислав Бориловић, ; 1325–1352) was a
Serbian Serbian may refer to: * Pertaining to Serbia in Southeast Europe; in particular **Serbs, a South Slavic ethnic group native to the Balkans ** Serbian language ** Serbian culture **Demographics of Serbia, includes other ethnic groups within the co ...
magnate in the service of Stefan Uroš III Dečanski (r. 1321-1331) and
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), having the titles of '' vojvoda'' (general), ''
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 ...
'' (the latter two were financial offices). Gradislav led the Serbian army that fought the Ottoman emirate at the Battle of Demotika in October 1352. The battle was fought between the allies of the two rival Byzantine Emperors,
John V Palaiologos John V Palaiologos or Palaeologus (; 18 June 1332 – 16 February 1391) was Byzantine emperor from 1341 to 1391, with interruptions. His long reign was marked by constant civil war, the spread of the Black Death and several military defea ...
and
John VI Kantakouzenos John VI Kantakouzenos or Cantacuzene (; ;  – 15 June 1383) was a Byzantine Greek nobleman, statesman, and general. He served as grand domestic under Andronikos III Palaiologos and regent for John V Palaiologos before reigning as Byza ...
, and it was the first major battle of the Ottomans on European soil, which ended in a Serbian defeat. Greek sources spoke of Gradislav as "truly one of the most respectable among the Serbs".


Service under Stefan Uroš III

Metropolitan Arsenije of Prizren, ''kaznac''
Baldovin Baldovin ( sr-cyr, Балдовин; ) was a Serbian ''knez'' (duke) and ''kaznac'' (financial chancellor) that served King Stefan Uroš III (). He held the province around Vranje. Life According to Konstantin Jireček, he was most likely born ...
, ''vojvoda'' Gradislav, ''župan'' Vratko, ''knez'' Grgur Kurjaković, ''stavilac'' Miloš, ''vojvoda'' Dejan Manjak, Gradislav Sušenica, Nikola Buća, and archdeacon Marin Baranić, all signed the document issued by Stefan Uroš III, dated 22 January 1325, for the sale of
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 ...
and
Pelješac Pelješac (; Chakavian: ; ) 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 of Cape Loviš ...
to the
Republic of Ragusa The Republic of Ragusa, or the Republic of Dubrovnik, was an maritime republics, aristocratic maritime republic centered on the city of Dubrovnik (''Ragusa'' in Italian and Latin; ''Raguxa'' in Venetian) in South Dalmatia (today in southernmost ...
; the two possessions were officially handed over in 1333. The title of ''vojvoda'' was the supreme court title at the time (the hierarchy being ''
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 ...
'', ''
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 ...
'', ''
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 ...
'', ''
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 ...
'' and ''vojvoda''). 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. Uroš III now had the chance to attack the Byzantines, but chose not to, resulting in the alienation of much of the nobility that sought expansion to the south. This resulted in a conflict between Uroš III and his son, which ended with Dušan being crowned King in September 1331. Gradislav, as some other magnates which had served Uroš III (e.g.
Vojvoda Vojin Vojin of Gacko or Vojvoda Vojin (; fl. 1322–1347) was a Serbian magnate (''velikaš'') and ''voivode'' (military commander equivalent to duke), who was holding the area around Gacko, which was part of '' Hum'', ca.1322-1347. He was in serv ...
,
Đuraš Ilijić Đuraš Ilijić ( sr-Cyrl, Ђураш Илијић, 1326–62) was a Serbian commander and nobleman who served the Serbian monarchs Stefan Dečanski (r. 1321–1331), Stefan Dušan (r. 1331–1355) and Uroš V (r. 1355–1371), from 1326 until h ...
), supported Dušan in this conflict.


Service under Stefan Dušan

Gradislav is mentioned in 1333 as a ''vexillifer'' (''stegonoša'', "
standard-bearer A standard-bearer, also known as a colour-bearer or flag-bearer, is a person who bears an emblem known as a standard or military colours, i.e. either a type of flag or an inflexible but mobile image, which is used (and often honoured) as ...
", equivalent of ''veliki vojvoda''). That title had earlier been bestowed upon
Mladen Mladen () is a South Slavic masculine given name, derived from the Slavic root ''mlad'' (, ), meaning "young". It is present in Bosnian, Slovenian, Montenegrin, Macedonian, Bulgarian, Serbian, and Croatian society since the Middle Ages. ...
and Vojin. In 1337, he donated a village to the Treskavec Monastery, which had been renovated by Stefan Dušan. He was mentioned with the court title ''tepčija'' in Dušan's second charter to Treskavec, dated some time between 1336 and 1345. During the
Byzantine civil war of 1341–1347 The Byzantine civil war of 1341–1347, sometimes referred to as the Second Palaiologan Civil War, was a conflict that broke out in the Byzantine Empire after the death of Andronikos III Palaiologos over the guardianship of his nine-year-old son ...
between the regency of John Palaiologos and
John Kantakouzenos John VI Kantakouzenos or Cantacuzene (; ;  – 15 June 1383) was a Byzantine Greek nobleman, statesman, and general. He served as grand domestic under Andronikos III Palaiologos and regent for John V Palaiologos before reigning as Byza ...
, the latter allied himself with the Turkic Aydin and
Ottoman emirate The rise of the Ottoman Empire is a period of history that started with the emergence of the Ottoman principality ( Turkish: ''Osmanlı Beyliği'') in , and ended . This period witnessed the foundation of a political entity ruled by the Ottoma ...
s, and initially also with Stefan Dušan (1342–43). Dušan however switched sides and expanded his domains into Byzantine territory. The Aydin emirate defeated the Serbian army at Stephaniana (1344), but it was not able to thwart Dušan's conquest of Macedonia and Epirus. During these events, ''tepčija'' Gradislav was mentioned alongside Konstantin Sevastokratorović and ''
kastrophylax ''Kastrophylax'' (, "fortress guard" or "fortress warden") was a late Byzantine The Byzantine Empire, also known as the Eastern Roman Empire, was the continuation of the Roman Empire centred on Constantinople during late antiquity and the Midd ...
'' Dragman. On April 16, 1346, Dušan was proclaimed "Emperor and autocrat of Serbs" by Serbian Patriarch Joanikije II. The Byzantine war ended with a political victory for Kantakouzenos, who was recognized as senior emperor for ten years, after which he and Palaiologos would reign as equals. Dušan continued in a war with Kantakouzenos, whose son Matthew, now stripped of his inheritance, set up a semi-autonomous polity in western Thrace, a
march March is the third month of the year in both the Julian and Gregorian calendars. Its length is 31 days. In the Northern Hemisphere, the meteorological beginning of spring occurs on the first day of March. The March equinox on the 20 or 2 ...
against Serbia.; In the Byzantine civil war which began in 1352, John Palaiologos obtained the help of Serbia, while
John Kantakouzenos John VI Kantakouzenos or Cantacuzene (; ;  – 15 June 1383) was a Byzantine Greek nobleman, statesman, and general. He served as grand domestic under Andronikos III Palaiologos and regent for John V Palaiologos before reigning as Byza ...
sought help from
Orhan I Orhan Ghazi (; , also spelled Orkhan; died 1362) was the second sultan of the Ottoman Empire from 1323/4 to 1362. He was born in Söğüt, as the son of Osman I. In the early stages of his reign, Orhan focused his energies on conquering most ...
, the Ottoman bey. Kantakouzenos marched into Thrace to rescue his son, Matthew, who was attacked by Palaiologos shortly after being given this appanage and then refusing to recognize John Palaiologos as heir to the throne. The Ottoman troops retook some cities that had surrendered to John Palaiologos, and Kantakouzenos allowed them to plunder, including
Adrianople Edirne (; ), historically known as Orestias, Adrianople, is a city in Turkey, in the northwestern part of the Edirne Province, province of Edirne in Eastern Thrace. Situated from the Greek and from the Bulgarian borders, Edirne was the second c ...
, thus it seemed that Kantakouzenos was defeating John Palaiologos, who now retreated to Serbia. Emperor Stefan Dušan sent Palaiologos a cavalry force of 4,000 or 6,000 under the command of Gradislav (mentioned as " Borilović the kaznac" (Κασνιτζὸς ό Μποριλοβίκης), Naumov believe that this "kaznac Borilović" was in fact his brother or a close relative) while Orhan I provided Kantakouzenos 10,000 horsemen. The two armies met at an open-field battle near Demotika (modern
Didymoteicho Didymoteicho ( ) is a town located on the eastern edge of the Evros (regional unit), Evros regional unit of Eastern Macedonia and Thrace, in northeastern Greece. It is the seat of the municipality of the same name. The town (pop. 8,681 in 2021 ...
) in October 1352, which would decide the fate of the Byzantine Empire, without the direct involvement of the Byzantines. The more numerous Ottomans defeated the Serbs, and Kantakouzenos retained the power, while Palaiologos fled to Venetian
Tenedos Tenedos (, ''Tenedhos''; ), or Bozcaada in Turkish language, Turkish, is an island of Turkey in the northeastern part of the Aegean Sea. Administratively, the island constitutes the Bozcaada, Çanakkale, Bozcaada district of Çanakkale Provinc ...
. According to Kantakouzenos about 7,000 Serbs fell at the battle (deemed exaggerated), while
Nikephoros Gregoras Nicephorus Gregoras (; Greek: , ''Nikēphoros Grēgoras''; c. 1295 – 1360) was a Byzantine Greek astronomer, historian, and theologian. His 37-volume ''Roman History'', a work of erudition, constitutes a primary documentary source for the 1 ...
(1295–1360) gave the number as 4,000. The battle was the first major battle of the Ottomans on European soil, and it made Stefan Dušan realize the major threat of the Ottomans to Eastern Europe. He was buried in the Treskavec Monastery, which include ''
ktitor ''Ktetor'' () or ''ktitor'' (; ka, ქტიტორი ; ), meaning 'founder', is a title given in the Middle Ages to the provider of funds for construction or reconstruction of an Eastern Orthodox church or monastery, for the addition of icon ...
'' portraits of him and his wife. It is not known when exactly he had acquired the title of ''tepčija'', though it was most likely at the end of his life.


See also

*
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 ...
, ''čelnik''


Annotations


References


Sources

* * *, chapter 40 * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Borilovic, Gradislav 14th-century Serbian nobility Generals of Stefan Dušan People from the Kingdom of Serbia (medieval) People from the Serbian Empire Medieval Serbian military leaders 14th-century deaths Kaznac Tepčija 14th-century soldiers Medieval Serbian magnates Boyars of Stefan Dušan