}) was a Serbian magnate, initially serving the
Serbian Despotate
The Serbian Despotate ( sr, / ) was a medieval Serbian state in the first half of the 15th century. Although the Battle of Kosovo in 1389 is generally considered the end of medieval Serbia, the Despotate, a successor of the Serbian Empire ...
with the titles of ''
veliki čelnik'' and ''
veliki vojvoda ''Veliki vojvoda'' ( sr-cyr, велики војвода; from ''veliki'' = great and '' vojvoda'' = duke) was a military and noble title in use during the Middle Ages and the Modern period in the Western Balkans. It is often translated into " grand ...
'', and briefly part of the Serbian three-member regency in 1458. He plotted with the Ottomans but was apprehended and after brief captivity joined his brother, Ottoman official
Mahmud Pasha, as a
Timariot
Timariot (or ''tımar'' holder; ''tımarlı'' in Turkish) was the name given to a Sipahi cavalryman in the Ottoman army. In return for service, each timariot received a parcel of revenue called a timar, a fief, which were usually recently conque ...
.
Origin
After the
Ottoman
Ottoman is the Turkish spelling of the Arabic masculine given name Uthman ( ar, عُثْمان, ‘uthmān). It may refer to:
Governments and dynasties
* Ottoman Caliphate, an Islamic caliphate from 1517 to 1924
* Ottoman Empire, in existence fro ...
conquest of Thessaly in 1394, the ruling
Angeloi
The House of Angelos (; gr, Ἄγγελος), feminine form Angelina (), plural Angeloi (), was a Byzantine Greek noble lineage which rose to prominence through the marriage of its founder, Constantine Angelos, with Theodora Komnene, the youn ...
Philanthropenoi The House of Philanthropenos ( el, Φιλανθρωπηνός), feminine form Philanthropene (Φιλανθρωπηνή), was the name of a noble Byzantine Greek family which appeared in the mid-13th century and produced a number of high-ranking gene ...
family took refuge in Serbia. Michael and his brother (the later Mahmud Pasha) were grandchildren of either
Alexios
Alexius is the Latinized form of the given name Alexios ( el, Αλέξιος, polytonic , "defender", cf. Alexander), especially common in the later Byzantine Empire. The female form is Alexia ( el, Αλεξία) and its variants such as Alessia ...
or
Manuel
Manuel may refer to:
People
* Manuel (name)
* Manuel (Fawlty Towers), a fictional character from the sitcom ''Fawlty Towers''
* Charlie Manuel, manager of the Philadelphia Phillies
* Manuel I Komnenos, emperor of the Byzantine Empire
* Ma ...
. He may have also been related to the noblemen
Alessio
Alessio is a mostly Italian male name, Italian form of Alexius.
Individuals with the given name Alessio
*Alessio Ascalesi (1872–1952), Italian cardinal
* Alessio Boni (born 1966), Italian actor
*Alessio Cerci (born 1987), Italian footballer
* ...
and
Peter Spani through
Alexios III Angelos
Alexios III Angelos ( gkm, Ἀλέξιος Κομνηνός Ἄγγελος, Alexios Komnēnos Angelos; 1211), Latinized as Alexius III Angelus, was Byzantine Emperor from March 1195 to 17/18 July 1203. He reigned under the name Alexios Komnen ...
, who was possibly their ancestor. According to
Laonikos Chalkokondyles
Laonikos Chalkokondyles, Latinized as Laonicus Chalcocondyles ( el, Λαόνικος Χαλκοκονδύλης, from λαός "people", νικᾶν "to be victorious", an anagram of Nikolaos which bears the same meaning; c. 1430 – c. 1470; ...
, his brother was captured by the horsemen of Sultan Murad II, while traveling with his Serbian mother from
Novo Brdo
Novo Brdo ( sr-Cyrl, Ново Брдо), or Novobërda and Artana ( sq-definite, Novobërdë or ''Artanë''), is a municipality located in the Pristina district of Kosovo. According to the 2011 census, it has a population of 6,729 inhabitants. T ...
to
Smederevo
Smederevo ( sr-Cyrl, Смедерево, ) is a city and the administrative center of the Podunavlje District in eastern Serbia. It is situated on the right bank of the Danube, about downstream of the Serbian capital, Belgrade.
According t ...
. His brother was abducted as part of the ''
devşirme
Devshirme ( ota, دوشیرمه, devşirme, collecting, usually translated as "child levy"; hy, Մանկահավաք, Mankahavak′. or "blood tax"; hbs-Latn-Cyrl, Danak u krvi, Данак у крви, mk, Данок во крв, Danok vo krv ...
'' practice, and became
Mahmud
Mahmud is a transliteration of the male Arabic given name (), common in most parts of the Islamic world. It comes from the Arabic triconsonantal root Ḥ-M-D, meaning ''praise'', along with ''Muhammad''.
Siam Mahmud
*Mahmood (singer) (born 19 ...
, later rising to the highest ranks of the Ottoman Empire, becoming
beylerbey
''Beylerbey'' ( ota, بكلربكی, beylerbeyi, lit= bey of beys, meaning the 'commander of commanders' or 'lord of lords') was a high rank in the western Islamic world in the late Middle Ages and early modern period, from the Anatolian Selj ...
(governor-general) of
Rumelia
Rumelia ( ota, روم ايلى, Rum İli; tr, Rumeli; el, Ρωμυλία), etymologically "Land of the Romans", at the time meaning Eastern Orthodox Christians and more specifically Christians from the Byzantine rite, was the name of a hi ...
in 1451 and
Grand Vizier in 1455.
Career

Michael served as an official at the court of
Serbian despots
This is an archontological list of Serbian monarchs, containing monarchs of the medieval principalities, to heads of state of modern Serbia.
The Serbian monarchy dates back to the Early Middle Ages. The Serbian royal titles used include Knyaz ...
Đurađ
Đurađ ( sr-Cyrl, Ђурађ, ; ) is a Serbian masculine given name, derived from the Greek ''Georgios''. It is also transliterated as Djuradj.
It is, along with the variant '' Đorđe'', the equivalent of the English '' George''. It was wides ...
(r. 1427–56) and
Lazar Branković
Lazar Branković ( sr-cyr, Лазар Бранковић; c. 1421 – 20 February 1458) was a Serbian despot, prince of Rascia from 1456 to 1458. He was the third son of Đurađ Branković and his wife Eirene Kantakouzene. He was succeeded by hi ...
(r. 1456–58). In the negotiations between Despot Lazar and
Mehmed II
Mehmed II ( ota, محمد ثانى, translit=Meḥmed-i s̱ānī; tr, II. Mehmed, ; 30 March 14323 May 1481), commonly known as Mehmed the Conqueror ( ota, ابو الفتح, Ebū'l-fetḥ, lit=the Father of Conquest, links=no; tr, Fâtih Su ...
in January 1457, the two sides were represented by the brothers Michael and Mahmud. Owing to his personal talents, as well as his unique ability to positively steer negotiations with the Ottomans due to his brother's position, Michael rose in rank in the Serbian Despotate, from ''
veliki čelnik'' in the 1440s to ''
veliki vojvoda ''Veliki vojvoda'' ( sr-cyr, велики војвода; from ''veliki'' = great and '' vojvoda'' = duke) was a military and noble title in use during the Middle Ages and the Modern period in the Western Balkans. It is often translated into " grand ...
'' in 1456/7. Mentioned with the latter title in the beginning of 1457, he may have received it earlier. In 1453,
Đurađ Golemović
Đurađ ( sr-Cyrl, Ђурађ, ; ) is a Serbian masculine given name, derived from the Greek ''Georgios''. It is also transliterated as Djuradj.
It is, along with the variant ''Đorđe'', the equivalent of the English '' George''. It was widesp ...
is mentioned with the title of ''
čelnik ''Čelnik'' ( sr-cyr, 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 aristocr ...
'', pointing to this conclusion. The advancement is reminiscent of that of
Jovan Oliver
Jovan Oliver Grčinić ( sr, Јован Оливер Грчинић; ca. 1310-1356) was a magnate of the Serbian Emperor Dušan the Mighty (r. 1331-1355), holding the titles of ''sebastokrator'' and ''despotes'', and the rank of "great voivode", sh ...
, a magnate in the
Serbian Empire
The Serbian Empire ( sr, / , ) was a medieval Serbian state that emerged from the Kingdom of Serbia. It was established in 1346 by Dušan the Mighty, who significantly expanded the state.
Under Dušan's rule, Serbia was the major power in the ...
.
Because Despot Lazar had no sons, after his death a three-member regency was formed, on February 3, 1458, of Michael, Lazar's widow
Helena Palaiologina
Helena Palaiologina ( el, ; 3 February 1428 – 11 April 1458) was a Byzantine princess of the Palaiologos family, who became Queen of Cyprus and Armenia, titular Queen consort of Jerusalem, and Princess of Antioch through her marriage to King ...
, and Lazar's blind brother
Stefan
Stefan may refer to:
* Stefan (given name)
* Stefan (surname)
* Ștefan, a Romanian given name and a surname
* Štefan, a Slavic given name and surname
* Stefan (footballer) (born 1988), Brazilian footballer
* Stefan Heym, pseudonym of German writ ...
. Michael was the leader, with the Serbian chronicle claiming that the other two ruled only through him. There was a secret struggle for the throne within the regency. Michael was supported by the Ottomans, and tried to become the new Despot of Serbia with their help. He began plotting behind the regency's back. After having secretly let a company of Ottoman soldiers into
Smederevo
Smederevo ( sr-Cyrl, Смедерево, ) is a city and the administrative center of the Podunavlje District in eastern Serbia. It is situated on the right bank of the Danube, about downstream of the Serbian capital, Belgrade.
According t ...
, the population turned against him. The Ottoman company was captured or killed, and Michael was ousted from rule, captured and imprisoned on 31 March 1458, then transferred to Hungary. Unlike him, ''čelnik'' Đurađ and his brother
Oliver
Oliver may refer to:
Arts, entertainment and literature
Books
* ''Oliver the Western Engine'', volume 24 in ''The Railway Series'' by Rev. W. Awdry
* ''Oliver Twist'', a novel by Charles Dickens
Fictional characters
* Ariadne Oliver, ...
stayed loyal to the Branković. Stefan Branković became Despot of Serbia in his own right and ruled alongside Helena Palaiologina for the next twelve months.
Michael was soon entrusted as a captive to Damjan Đurđević, a
Ragusa Ragusa is the historical name of Dubrovnik. It may also refer to:
Places Croatia
* the Republic of Ragusa (or Republic of Dubrovnik), the maritime city-state of Ragusa
* Cavtat (historically ' in Italian), a town in Dubrovnik-Neretva County, Cro ...
n servant of the Despotate. At some point after November 1458, he managed to free himself from Đurđević. He soon joined up with his brother and was granted a ''
timar
A timar was a land grant by the sultans of the Ottoman Empire between the fourteenth and sixteenth centuries, with an annual tax revenue of less than 20,000 akçes. The revenues produced from the land acted as compensation for military service. ...
'' in the Ottoman Empire. By 1464, he had returned to Serbia, evident in the ''
ktetor
''Ktetor'' ( el, κτήτωρ) or ''ktitor'' (; ka, ქტიტორი ''kt’it’ori''; ro, ctitor), meaning "founder", is a title given in the Middle Ages to the provider of funds for construction or reconstruction of an Eastern Orthodox ...
'' inscription of the monastery of
Nova Pavlica
The Nova Pavlica Monastery ( sr, Манастир Нова Павлица, Manastir Nova Pavlica) is a 14th-century Serbian Orthodox monastery located in Pavlica, Raška, in southwestern Serbia. It belongs to the Eparchy of Žiča. The monastery ...
, the endowment of the 14th-century
Musić noble family
The Musić ( sr-cyr, Мусић, Musići / Мусићи) was a Serbian noble house that served the Serbian Empire (1345–1371), and during its fall (1371–1389) it served Tsar Lazar's Serbia. The eponymous founder was ''čelnik'' Musa, wh ...
. He financed the restoration of the monastery.
[Р. Петровић, Откриће у Новој Павлици, Саопштења XV (1983) p. 245]
Legacy
Later, Michael and Mahmud's Byzantine-Serbian descent and blood relations were important for the future establishment of Islamic rule in the Balkans and Anatolia. The use of ''
kuls
Slavery in the Ottoman Empire was a lawful institution and a significant part of the Ottoman Empire's economy and traditional society. The main sources of slaves were wars and politically organized enslavement expeditions in the Caucasus, Easte ...
'' of Christian origin in high positions of the Ottoman court minimized the risks that they had to face in conquering and assimilating large Christian territories and populations.
Annotations
References
Sources
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Angelovic, Michael
1458 deaths
15th-century Serbian nobility
Medieval Serbian people of Greek descent
Michael
Michael may refer to:
People
* Michael (given name), a given name
* Michael (surname), including a list of people with the surname Michael
Given name "Michael"
* Michael (archangel), ''first'' of God's archangels in the Jewish, Christian and ...
Regents of Serbia
Medieval Serbian military leaders
People from the Ottoman Empire of Greek descent
People from the Ottoman Empire of Serbian descent
Ottoman Serbia
People of the Serbian Despotate
15th-century Serbian judges