Kruševac Fortress or City of Prince Lazar (, ''Kruševački grad'') was a
medieval
In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the 5th to the late 15th centuries, similarly to the post-classical period of World history (field), global history. It began with the fall of the West ...
fortified
A fortification (also called a fort, fortress, fastness, or stronghold) is a military construction designed for the defense of territories in warfare, and is used to establish rule in a region during peacetime. The term is derived from Lat ...
town in
Kruševac
Kruševac ( sr-Cyrl, Крушевац, ) is a list of cities in Serbia, city and the administrative center of the Rasina District in central Serbia. It is located in the valley of West Morava, on Rasina (river), Rasina river. According to the 202 ...
,
Serbia
, image_flag = Flag of Serbia.svg
, national_motto =
, image_coat = Coat of arms of Serbia.svg
, national_anthem = ()
, image_map =
, map_caption = Location of Serbia (gree ...
, former
capital
Capital and its variations may refer to:
Common uses
* Capital city, a municipality of primary status
** Capital region, a metropolitan region containing the capital
** List of national capitals
* Capital letter, an upper-case letter
Econom ...
of
Prince Lazar
Lazar Hrebeljanović ( sr-Cyrl, Лазар Хребељановић; – 15 June 1389) was a medieval List of Serbian monarchs, Serbian ruler who created the largest and most powerful state on the territory of the disintegrated Serbian Empir ...
. The city housed the
court
A court is an institution, often a government entity, with the authority to adjudicate legal disputes between Party (law), parties and Administration of justice, administer justice in Civil law (common law), civil, Criminal law, criminal, an ...
church
Church may refer to:
Religion
* Church (building), a place/building for Christian religious activities and praying
* Church (congregation), a local congregation of a Christian denomination
* Church service, a formalized period of Christian comm ...
,
Lazarica. Today, all that remains of the town are ruins.
[Monuments of Culture in Serbia]
History
The Fortress of Kruševac was first mentioned in 1381, so it was most likely built by
Prince Lazar
Lazar Hrebeljanović ( sr-Cyrl, Лазар Хребељановић; – 15 June 1389) was a medieval List of Serbian monarchs, Serbian ruler who created the largest and most powerful state on the territory of the disintegrated Serbian Empir ...
, becoming the seat of his realm –
Moravian Serbia. He ruled his country from Kruševac, as attested by signature and record in a
charter
A charter is the grant of authority or rights, stating that the granter formally recognizes the prerogative of the recipient to exercise the rights specified. It is implicit that the granter retains superiority (or sovereignty), and that the ...
issued in 1387 which includes the phrase ''In the famous city of my dominion Kruševac'' (у славноме граду господства ми Крушевцу).
Lazar's son and successor
Stefan Lazarević
Stefan Lazarević ( sr-Cyrl, Стефан Лазаревић, 1377 – 19 July 1427), also known as Stefan the Tall (), was a Serbian ruler as prince (1389–1402) and Despot (court title), despot (1402–1427). He was also a diplomat, legislat ...
managed
the despotate from
Kruševac
Kruševac ( sr-Cyrl, Крушевац, ) is a list of cities in Serbia, city and the administrative center of the Rasina District in central Serbia. It is located in the valley of West Morava, on Rasina (river), Rasina river. According to the 202 ...
until 1405, when the capital was moved to
Belgrade
Belgrade is the Capital city, capital and List of cities in Serbia, largest city of Serbia. It is located at the confluence of the Sava and Danube rivers and at the crossroads of the Pannonian Basin, Pannonian Plain and the Balkan Peninsula. T ...
, which he began renewing and refortifying in that year. Kruševac never lost its strategic importance, however. It was the meeting place of despot Stefan and Sultan
Mehmed I
Mehmed I (; – 26 May 1421), also known as Mehmed Çelebi (, "the noble-born") or ''Kirişçi'' (, "lord's son"), was the sultan of the Ottoman Empire from 1413 to 1421. Son of Sultan Bayezid I and his concubine Devlet Hatun, he fought with hi ...
in 1413.
Struggles over the control of the city took place throughout the first half of the 15th century. It was occupied by the
Turks briefly in 1413 and in 1427, and by
Hungarians
Hungarians, also known as Magyars, are an Ethnicity, ethnic group native to Hungary (), who share a common Culture of Hungary, culture, Hungarian language, language and History of Hungary, history. They also have a notable presence in former pa ...
in 1437. After signing an agreement on the restoration of the Despotate,
Đurađ Branković
Đurađ Vuković Branković ( sr-Cyrl, Ђурађ Вуковић Бранковић, ; 1377 – 24 December 1456) served as the Serbian Despot from 1427 to 1456, making him one of the final rulers of medieval Serbia.
In 1429, Branković was form ...
regained Kruševac in 1444. In 1454, the Ottomans launched an offensive with the goal of subduing the entirety of Serbia. At the beginning of the offensive, the Ottomans suffered enormous losses, especially in the
Battle of Kruševac. The massive casualties inflicted on the Ottomans prompted Sultan
Mehmed the Conqueror
Mehmed II (; , ; 30 March 14323 May 1481), commonly known as Mehmed the Conqueror (; ), was twice the sultan of the Ottoman Empire from August 1444 to September 1446 and then later from February 1451 to May 1481.
In Mehmed II's first reign, ...
to personally reinforce his offensive using his entire Rumelian army. The city finally fell under Ottoman rule, along with the rest of the Despotate, later in 1454.
Under Ottoman rule, Kruševac was renamed ''Aladža Hisar'',
Turkish for ''Colorful City'', because of the diversity of materials from which the fortress was built. The
Lazarica, which was built by Prince Lazar, was vandalized by the Ottomans, and was used for gunpowder storage.
Archaeological site
The best-preserved part of
Prince Lazar
Lazar Hrebeljanović ( sr-Cyrl, Лазар Хребељановић; – 15 June 1389) was a medieval List of Serbian monarchs, Serbian ruler who created the largest and most powerful state on the territory of the disintegrated Serbian Empir ...
's former capital is the palace church of
St. Stephen, ''
Lazarica''. Little is left today of the ''Hard town of Kruševac'', as it was called by
Constantine of Kostenets
Constantine of Kostenets (; – after 1431), also known as Constantine the Philosopher ( sr-Cyrl-Latn, Константин Филозоф, Konstantin Filozof, separator=" / "), was a medieval Bulgarian scholar, writer and chronicler, who spent mo ...
. Today, the surviving remains consist of the
Donjon
A keep is a type of fortified tower built within castles during the Middle Ages by European nobility. Scholars have debated the scope of the word ''keep'', but usually consider it to refer to large towers in castles that were fortified residenc ...
Tower, through which one entered the city, and part of the eastern
wall
A wall is a structure and a surface that defines an area; carries a load; provides security, shelter, or soundproofing; or serves a decorative purpose. There are various types of walls, including border barriers between countries, brick wal ...
. Inside the towers today are a
hallway with a
staircase
A stairwell or stair room is a room in a building where a stair is located, and is used to connect walkways between floors so that one can move in height. Collectively, a set of stairs and a stairwell is referred to as a staircase or stairway ...
still remains; this once gave access to higher levels and to an exit onto the city walls. One of the curiosities of this particular tower was that it was plastered with pebbles, a rare style and probably one of the reasons that prompted the Turks to name the fortress "Colorful City". The area of the former fortress has been converted into a park and now holds a museum. The park is almost entirely neglected, except around the church. The walls and buildings remains are very poorly preserved and unmarked, with no protection from vandals. Parts of the walls were torn down during the last century to build houses; stone from the fortress was probably used in constructing nearby homes.
Kruševac Fortress was declared a
Monument of Culture of Exceptional Importance in 1979, and it is now protected by the
Republic of Serbia
, image_flag = Flag of Serbia.svg
, national_motto =
, image_coat = Coat of arms of Serbia.svg
, national_anthem = ()
, image_map =
, map_caption = Location of Serbia (gree ...
.
[
]
See also
* Monuments of Culture of Exceptional Importance
* Tourism in Serbia
Tourism in Serbia is officially recognized as a primary area for economic and social growth. The hotel and catering sector accounted for approximately 2.2% of GDP in 2015. Tourism in Serbia employs some 120 000 people, about 4.5% of the countr ...
* Prince Lazar
Lazar Hrebeljanović ( sr-Cyrl, Лазар Хребељановић; – 15 June 1389) was a medieval List of Serbian monarchs, Serbian ruler who created the largest and most powerful state on the territory of the disintegrated Serbian Empir ...
* Lazarica
References
Sources
*
*
External links
Association of fortresses and remnants of fortified towns in Serbia
Kruševac
Church of St. Stefan Lazarica with Kruševac Fortress
SANU
The Serbian Academy of Sciences and Arts (; , SANU) is a national academy and the most prominent academic institution in Serbia, founded in 1841 as Society of Serbian Letters (, DSS).
The Academy's membership has included Nobel laureates Ivo ...
web-site, at www.spomenicikulture.mi.sanu.ac.rs
{{DEFAULTSORT:Krusevac Fortress
Forts in Serbia
Tourism in Serbia
Medieval sites in Serbia
1381 establishments in Europe
Medieval Serbian architecture
Cultural Monuments of Exceptional Importance (Serbia)
Ruins in Serbia
Former capitals of Serbia