Stevo Vasojević or Vasojević Stevo ( sr-cyr, Васојевић Стево), is a character in the Kosovo Cycle of

Serbian epic poetry Serbian epic poetry () is a form of epic poetry created by Serbs originating in today's Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Montenegro and North Macedonia. The main cycles were composed by unknown Serb authors between the 14th and 19th centu ...

and a legendary ancestor of the

Vasojevići The Vasojevići (Montenegrin language, Montenegrin and sr-Cyrl, Васојевићи, ) is a historical Tribes of Montenegro#Brda, highland tribe (''pleme'') and region of Montenegro, in the area of the Brda (Montenegro), Brda. It is the largest ...

tribe, the largest tribe in the Montenegrin Highlands. According to the epics (such as ''Pogibija Pavla Orlovića i Steva Vasojevića na Kosovu''), he was a nobleman who fought and died at the

Battle of Kosovo The Battle of Kosovo took place on 15 June 1389 between an army led by the Serbian Prince Lazar Hrebeljanović and an invading army of the Ottoman Empire under the command of Sultan Murad I. It was one of the largest battles of the Late Middl ...

(1389). It is known that

Stefan Konstantin Stefan Konstantin ( sr-Cyrl, Стефан Константин; c. 1283–1322) was the King of Serbia from 29 October 1321 to the spring of 1322. The younger son of King Stefan Milutin (1253–1321), he initially held the appanage of Zeta (wit ...

had a son, Stefan Vasoje (or Vaso), and it is claimed that he was the father of Stevo Vasojević. According to the story the Vasojevići are descendants of a Vaso (the eponymous founder), who was born in

Prizren Prizren ( sq-definite, Prizreni, ; sr-cyr, Призрен) is the second List of cities and towns in Kosovo, most populous city and Municipalities of Kosovo, municipality of Kosovo and seat of the eponymous municipality and District of Prizren, ...

and served as a ''vojvoda'' (general) during the reign of Emperor

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). His son, Vasojević Stevo, was a Vojvoda in

Sjenica Sjenica ( sr-cyr, Сјеница, ) is a town and municipality located in the Zlatibor District of southwestern Serbia, on the vast Sjenica- Pešter plateau and geographically located in the central part of Sandžak. The population of the municip ...

, with his court in the Dubnica village. Legends from the Montenegrin Highlands have it that Stevo was a

Best man A groomsman or usher is one of the male attendants to the groom in a wedding ceremony. Usually, the groom selects close friends and relatives to serve as groomsmen, and it is considered an honor to be selected. From his groomsmen, the groom usuall ...

on the wedding of

Miloš Obilić Miloš Obilić ( sr-Cyrl, Милош Обилић, ) is a Legend, legendary Serbian knight traditionally said to have served Prince Lazar during the Ottoman Serbia, Ottoman invasion of Serbia in the late 14th century. Although absent from conte ...

, a famed Serbian knight who slaughtered Sultan Murad in the Kosovo Battle, while the legends of West Serbia attribute him with bearing that honour on the wedding of

Milan Toplica Toplica Milan ( sr-Cyrl, Топлица Милан) or Milan Toplica ( sr-Cyrl, link=no, Милан Топлица), also known as Milan from Toplica (), was a legendary Serbian knight who was allied to Prince Lazar and died during the historical ...

, another famed knight. He is mentioned in epic poems about the Battle of Kosovo from the Polimlje region and is usually depicted in the role of "Late knight" stock character who didn't participate in the battle itself, but rather under the heavy moral burden of the ''

Kosovo curse The Kosovo curse ( / ''Kosovska kletva'') or Prince's curse ( / ''Kneževa kletva''), is according to legend, a curse said by Serbian Lazar Hrebeljanović, Saint Lazar Hrebeljanović before the Battle of Kosovo. Lazar curses those Serbs who ignored ...

'', engaged the Ottoman occyping forces in Kosovo after the battle and died a heroic death. This particular plot is often used as a theme in Serbian epic poetry, only differing in the name of the characters, thus leading to the confusion of Stevo Vasojević with the historical Stefan Musić, a nephew 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 ...

, who is also a "Late knight" protagonist as Musić Stevan in the poetical interpretations of this theme in the region of

North Kosovo North Kosovo (, ); also known as the Ibar Kolašin (, or ''Kollashini i Ibrit''); earlier Old Kolašin, (, or ''Kollashini i Vjetër'') and colloquially known as the North (, ) is a region in the northern part of Kosovo, generally understood ...

, where historical Musić had his feudal estates. Although the song version about Musić Stefan is today generally better known and more popular, the song and legends about Vasojević Stevo are historically older. After the battle and Stevo's death, his descendants, the Vasojevići, as ''uskoks'' turned for Herzegovina and came to Foča, and from there turned to the south, southeast and east, and across Montenegro arrived at Nožice in Lijeva Rijeka, where they settled.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Vasojevic, Stevo 14th-century Serbian nobility Year of birth missing 1389 deaths Characters in Serbian epic poetry Serbian knights Serbian folklore Nemanjić dynasty People from the Serbian Empire