Jovan Dejanović ( sr-cyr, Јован Дејановић), known as Jovan Dragaš (Јован Драгаш), was a Serbian nobleman who held the title of despot under the Serbian Emperor

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 ...

, his cousin. He later became an Ottoman vassal after the

Battle of Maritsa The Battle of Maritsa or Battle of Chernomen (; in tr. ''Second Battle of Maritsa'') took place at the Maritsa River near the village of Chernomen (present-day Ormenio, Greece) on 26 September 1371 between Ottoman forces commanded by Lala S ...

in 1371. His father, despot Dejan ruled

Kumanovo Kumanovo ( ; , sq-definite, Kumanova; also known by other #Etymology, alternative names) is the second-largest city in North Macedonia after the capital Skopje and the seat of Kumanovo Municipality, the List of municipalities in the Republic ...

with a district spanning from

Preševo Preševo ( sr-Cyrl, Прешево, ; , ) is a town and municipality located in the Pčinja District of southern Serbia. As of the 2022 census, the municipality has a population of 33,449 inhabitants. It is the southernmost town in Central Serbia a ...

to Velbazhd ( Kyustendil). After his father's death, the young brothers Jovan and Constantine were taken care of by Vlatko Paskačić, at the order of the Mrnjavčevićs, who continued to rule the region until Jovan reached adolescence. He began his office in circa 1365, and ruled alongside his mother and younger brother Constantine for some years. His cousin gave him the title of ''Despot'', as had done his father before him (this is attested in sources dating to 1373). Ottoman sources report that in 1373, the Ottoman army compelled Jovan (who they called ''Saruyar'') in the upper Struma, to recognize Ottoman vassalage. After the

, the two brothers became Ottoman vassals as the Mrnjavčevićs were defeated. They, however, continued to rule their region as a semi-independent state, and managed to further expand their father's district, taking territory from Jovan Oliver. He issued coins that were of same design as those of

Vukašin Mrnjavčević Vukašin () is an old Slavic name of Serbian origin. It is composed from two words: Vuk (wolf) and sin ( son), so it means sin vuka (son of wolf). In some places in Croatia and Bosnia it can be found as a surname. The name Vukašin can be foun ...

. He donated the St. Basil's church in

Štip Štip ( ) is the largest urban agglomeration in the eastern part of North Macedonia, serving as the economic, industrial, entertainment and educational focal point for the surrounding municipalities. As of the 2021 census, the city of Štip had ...

to the Hilandar monastery. He died in 1378 and his brother continued to rule until 1395.

References

Sources

* * * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Dragas, Jovan 14th-century Serbian nobility Year of birth missing 1378 deaths Despots of the Serbian Empire Dejanović noble family

See also

References

Sources