Đurađ Branković
Đurađ Branković | |
---|---|
Despot of the Kingdom of Rascia | |
Katarina, Countess of Celje Lazar Branković | |
House | Branković |
Father | Vuk Branković |
Mother | Mara |
Đurađ Branković (
Early life
He was the son of lord
Despot Stefan had appropriated for himself properties that were part of the hereditary lands of Vuk, which resulted in Vuk joining the opposition. Vuk entered a pact with the Ottomans when Stefan had left Ottoman service and joined Hungary, fueling the domestic conflict between the two cousins; Vuk befriended Musa, only for revenge. The conflict went on for 10 years. Once reconciled, Stefan tried to make the most benefit of Đurađ, Vuk's son. Being childless, despot Stefan Lazarević made Đurađ his heir. When Đurađ succeeded Stefan, he was mature with rich experience, aged 50 in 1427.[2]
Between Two Worlds
Despot of Serbia
At the time of the despot Stefan's death, Đurađ Brankovic was in Zeta (Montenegro), and Hungarian King Sigismund was in Wallachia. When they heard of the despot's death, they both headed to Belgrade Fortress. Negotiations around Belgrade lasted during September and October 1427. The surrender of the city was a condition that the Hungarian king to recognize Đurađ Brankovic as the new Serbian ruler. The State Assembly headed by Đurađ and Serbian Patriarch Nikanon decided to leave Belgrade to the Hungarians. King Sigismund planned for Belgrade and Golubac to be included in the new Hungarian defense system at the Danube frontier, which was based on border fortresses. Serbian duke Jeremiah of Golubac Fortress who refused to recognize Đurađ as the new ruler, entered into negotiations with the Hungarian King Sigismund. He asked him for 12,000 ducats, which he allegedly gave to the late despot Stefan to own the city and as evidence, Jeremiah submitted a despot's letter, demanding that Sigismund pay him the said sum if he wanted Golubac. King Sigismund challenged the authenticity of the seal and the entire despot's letter, which Jeremiah submitted as evidence, refused to pay the claimed sum, and in late autumn, in December 1427, Jeremiah ceded the city to the Ottomans under the same conditions. The loss of Golubac was a major blow to King Sigismund as the Turks gained an important fortification on the Danube. King Sigismund decided to conquer the Golubac. In the early spring of 1428 he assembled an army and began a siege. Meanwhile, Sultan Murad II arrived with the army, who are in the battle defeating King Sigismund. After the Ottoman victory, Đurađ Brankovic and Duke of Wallachia Dan II recognized the sultan's suzerainty and according to an agreement they start to pay tribute.
Since the Hungarians took over Belgrade and the Turks Golubac, Đurađ decided to build a new fortress and capital on the right bank of the Danube. The new Serbian capital Smederevo is planned to be located at the same distance between Hungarian Belgrade and Turkish Golubac and to separated them. Town was building gradually with great material and human renunciation. In the period from 1428 to 1430 a small town was built and a despot's court was housed there (curia domini despoti). Then the Great Town was built to protect the city settlement that developed along the despot's court. In the Great Town, addition to town houses there were churches, shops, warehouses, a shelter for the surrounding population. The works were led by the Romey Greeks brothers George and Thomas Kantakouzenos who for the project hired many Greek masons. In the summer of 1429, The Romey Emperor John VIII Palaiologos sent to George Philanthropenos with the task of crowning Đurađ Brankovic as the despot of Rascia (Serbia).
On May 31, 1433, King Sigismund was crowned at
On August 14, 1435, a formal contract of "brotherhood and friendship" between Serbia and the Republic of Venice was signed in Smederevo's audience hall
Sultan Murad II heard that the Great Christian Coalition in Europa was preparing against the Turks. He was informed that a Serbian despot would join this coalition. In fact, there was
Meanwhile, Đurađ went to exile on the camp of the Hungarian king
The Ottoman sultan reacted to the throne change, and the Hungarian influence which was felt more than he could afford, with sending an army into Serbia, which conquered Niš, Kruševac and besieged Novo Brdo. As to secure his prestige in Serbia, which had been weakened due to him, King Sigismund sent Đurađ his own army. The combined army destroyed a large Ottoman detachment near Ravanica, for which effort the king on 19 November 1427 thanked especially Nicholas Bocskay. Another Ottoman detachment attacked neighbouring Serbian and Hungarian places from Golubac, especially the Braničevo region. Đurađ himself went below Golubac and promised Jeremija forgiveness, and tried in every way to win back the city; not only did Jeremija decline, but he also attacked the despot's entourage which had tried to enter the city gates. In the spring of 1428 a new Hungarian army arrived at Golubac and besieged it from the land and from the Danube. The importance of the city is further evident from the fact that Sigismund himself led the army. But also Sultan Murat laid personal effort to encourage and support his acquired positions; in late May, after Sigismund, he arrived in the Braničevo area. Not wanting to enter combat with the superior Ottomans, Sigismund hastened to make peace. When the Hungarians in the first days of June began withdrawing, the Ottoman commander Sinan-beg attacked their back, where Sigismund was, however, with the self-sacrifice of Marko de Sentlaszlo, they were saved from disaster. During these conflicts, south and eastern Serbia were very devastated, including the developed Daljš Monastery near Golubac. From a monastery document, Sigismund is for the first time called "Our Emperor" (naš car), unlike the Ottoman sultan, who was called a pagan or non-Christian Emperor (car jezičeski).[3]
When the Ottomans
Đurađ traveled from Hungary to
Crusade of Varna
Following the conflicts that concluded 1443, Đurađ Branković had a significant role in the
Battle of Kosovo
The peace was broken in the same year by Hunyadi and king Władysław III of Poland during the Crusade of Varna, which culminated in the Battle of Varna. A crusading army led by Regent John Hunyadi of Hungary was defeated by Sultan Murad II's forces at Kosovo Polje in 1448. This was the last concerted attempt in the Middle Ages to expel the Ottomans from southeastern Europe. Although Hungary was able to successfully defy the Ottomans despite the defeat at Kosovo Polje during Hunyadi's lifetime, the kingdom fell to the Ottomans in the 16th century. Branković also captured Hunyadi at Smederevo for a short time when he was retreating home from Kosovo in 1448, due to their personal feud.
Return and death
Following Hunyadi's victory over Mehmet II at the siege of Belgrade on 14 July 1456, a period of relative peace began in the region. The sultan retreated to Adrianople, and Branković regained possession of Serbia. Before the end of the year, however, the 79-year-old Branković died. Serbian independence survived him for only another three years, when the Ottoman Empire formally annexed his lands following dissension among his widow and three remaining sons. Lazar, the youngest, poisoned his mother and exiled his brothers, and the land returned to the sultan's subjugation.[15]
Person
His portrait in the illuminated manuscript of Esphigmenou (1429) depicts him with a mild beard, while the French nobleman Bertrandon de la Broquière who guested Đurađ in 1433 said of him "nice lord and large [in person]". He was deemed by contemporaries as the richest monarch in all of Europe; Broquière stated that his annual income from the gold and silver mines of Novo Brdo amassed to about 200,000 Venetian ducats. Among other sources of income, there were possessions in the Kingdom of Hungary, for which expenses were covered by the Hungarian crown. The annual income from them alone was estimated to 50,000 ducats.
Legacy
He is included in The 100 most prominent Serbs by the Serbian Academy of Sciences and Arts. The character of Đurađ Branković is portrayed by Baki Davrak in the Netflix original historical docudrama Rise of Empires: Ottoman (2020).[16]
Titles
- "Despot of the Kingdom of Rascia and Lord of Albania" (Nos Georgius dei gracia Regni Rascie despotus et Albanie dominus and illustres principes, dominus Georgius, regni Rascie despotus et dominus Albanie).[17]
- "Despot of all of the Kingdoms of Rascia and Albania" (illustris princeps, dux et despotus totius regni Rascie et Albanie), by Sigismund in 1427.[18]
- "Despot and Duke of Rascia" (illustris Georgius despotus seu dux Rascie), by Sigismund in 1429.[19]
- "Lord of Rascia [and] Albania" (Georgius Wlk Rascie Albanieque dominus), in 1429.[20]
- "Lord, Despot of the Serbs" (gospodin Srbljem despot), by Constantine of Kostenets in 1431.[21]
- "Lord of the Serbs and Pomorije and Podunavije" (Господин Србљем и Поморију и Подунавију), in several official documents.[22]
- "Despot, Lord of the Serbs and the Zetan Maritime" (господин Србљем и поморју зетскому).[23]
- "Prince, Despot of the Kingdoms of Rascia and Albania" (illustrissimus princeps Georgius despotus regni Rascie et Albanie, Rive et totius Ussore dominus), in 1453.[20]
Marriage and children
Đurađ had at least six children:[citation needed]
- Todor (d. before 1429). Not mentioned in the Masarelli manuscript, probably died early
- Grgur (c. 1415–1459). Mentioned first in the Masarelli manuscript. Father of Vuk Grgurević, also blinded with Stefan in 1441.
- Stefan (c. 1417–1476). Mentioned third in the Masarelli manuscript. Blinded with hot irons in 1441.[13] Claimed the throne of Serbia following the death of his younger brother Lazar.
- Ulrich II of Celje. Mentioned fourth in the Masarelli manuscript.
- Mara (c. 1420–1487). Mentioned second in the Masarelli manuscript. Married Murad II of the Ottoman Empire.
- Lazar (c. 1421–1458). Mentioned fifth and last in the Masarelli manuscript.
Ancestors
Ancestors of Đurađ Branković | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
See also
Notes
- ^ However, according to some historians, Durad's first wife would have been the princess Eleni of Trebizond (1395-1410), daughter of Emperor Alexios IV of Trebizond.
- ^ Ćirković 2004, p. 88-91.
- ^ Ćirković 2004, p. 103-104.
- ^ Radovan Samardžić (1892). Istorija srpskog naroda: Doba borbi za očuvanje i obnovu države 1371–1537. Srpska knjiiževna zadruga. p. 239. Retrieved 11 September 2013.
- ^ Slavisticheskiĭ sbornik. Matica. 1989. p. 100.
... жене Улриха Целског, а потом у Бар (Зету је jош сачувао од Турака).
- ISBN 978-9958-840-00-5.
- ^ a b c Fine 1994, p. 531.
- ^ Stanojević, Stanoje; Stranjaković, Dragoslav; Popović, Petar (1934). Cetinjska škola: 1834–1934. Štamparija Drag. Gregorića. p. 7.
- ^ Божић, Иван (1952). Дубровник и Турска у XIV и XV веку. Научна књига. p. 86.
- ^ Godišnjak – Srpska akademija nauka i umetnosti, Belgrad. Srpska akademija nauk i umetnosti. 1929. p. 286.
На стр. 16 — 17 .г. Д-Ь пише: »(1) У примор(у ^е деспот (ЪураЬ) пмао да доживи ново разочаран>е. Зетом је управл>ао у иье- гово време војвода Комнен. (2) Против њега се побунише браЬа ЪурашевиЬи или Црноје- виЬи.
- ^ Odjeljenje društvenih nauka. Društvo za nauku i umjetnost Crne Gore. 1975.
- ^ Божић, Иван (1952). Дубровник и Турска у XIV и XV веку. Научна књига. p. 88.
- ^ Florescu, Radu R.; Raymond McNally (1989). Dracula, Prince of Many Faces: His Life and His Times. Boston: Little, Brown & Co.
- ISBN 0-7546-0144-7. Retrieved 2007-04-19.
- ISBN 9780836999655. Retrieved 2011-02-08.
- ^ "Rise of Empires: Ottoma". IMDb. Retrieved 6 September 2020.
- ^ József Teleki (gróf) (1853). Hunyadiak kora Magyarországon. Emich és Eisenfels könyvnyomdája. pp. 243–.
- ^ Denkschriften. In Kommission bei A. Hölder. 1920.
König Sigismund nennt ihn 1427 ‚illustris princeps, dux et despotus totius regni Rascie et Albanie'.2 In seinen eigenen ... nach Bestätigung des Despotentitels regelmäßi<r ‚Georgius dei gratia regni Rascie despotus et Albanie dominus etc.
- ^ Monographs. Naučno delo. 1960. p. 188.
... jyrca 1429 г. издатом у Пожуну, kojhm крал» Жигмунд flaje деспоту (illustris Georgius despotus seu dux Rascie) у посед „Torbaagh vocata in comitatu
- ^ a b Radovi. Vol. 19. 1972. p. 30.
Georgius Wlk Rascie Albanieque dominus [...] illustrissimus princeps Georgius despotus regni Rascie et Albanie, Rive et totius Ussore dominus
- ^ Recueil de travaux de l'Institut des études byzantines. Institut. 2006. p. 38.
- ISBN 978-86-7402-035-7.
Деспот Ђурађ Бранковић се више пута званично обележава као "Господин Србљем и Поморију и Подунавију", па га тако означава историк Чед. Мијатовић у веома лепој студији о њему, означава га тако у самом наслову студије ...
- ISBN 9788683233014.
господин Србљем и поморју зетскому
References
- Andrić, Stanko (2016). "Saint John Capistran and Despot George Branković: An Impossible Compromise". Byzantinoslavica. 74 (1–2): 202–227.
- ISBN 9782825119587.
- ISBN 9781405142915.
- ISBN 0472082604.
- Isailović, Neven (2016). "Living by the Border: South Slavic Marcher Lords in the Late Medieval Balkans (13th–15th Centuries)". Banatica. 26 (2): 105–117.
- Isailović, Neven G.; Krstić, Aleksandar R. (2015). "Serbian Language and Cyrillic Script as a Means of Diplomatic Literacy in South Eastern Europe in 15th and 16th Centuries". Literacy Experiences concerning Medieval and Early Modern Transylvania. Cluj-Napoca: George Bariţiu Institute of History. pp. 185–195.
- Ivanović, Miloš (2016). "Foreigners in the Service of Despot Đurađ Branković on Serbian territory". Banatica. 26 (2): 257–268.
- Ivanović, Miloš; Isailović, Neven (2015). "The Danube in Serbian-Hungarian Relations in the 14th and 15th Centuries". Tibiscvm: Istorie–Arheologie. 5: 377–393.
- ISBN 9781870732314.
- Krstić, Aleksandar R. (2017). "Which Realm will You Opt for? – The Serbian Nobility Between the Ottomans and the Hungarians in the 15th Century". State and Society in the Balkans Before and After Establishment of Ottoman Rule. Belgrade: Institute of History, Yunus Emre Enstitüsü Turkish Cultural Centre. pp. 129–163. ISBN 9788677431259.
- Orbini, Mauro (1601). Il Regno de gli Slavi hoggi corrottamente detti Schiavoni. Pesaro: Apresso Girolamo Concordia.
- Орбин, Мавро (1968). Краљевство Словена. Београд: Српска књижевна задруга.
- Ostrogorsky, George (1956). History of the Byzantine State. Oxford: Basil Blackwell.
- Paizi-Apostolopoulou, Machi (2012). "Appealing to the Authority of a Learned Patriarch: New Evidence on Gennadios Scholarios' Responses to the Questions of George Branković". The Historical Review. 9: 95–116.
- ISBN 9788675830153.
- Sedlar, Jean W. (1994). East Central Europe in the Middle Ages, 1000-1500. Seattle: University of Washington Press. ISBN 9780295800646.
- Stanković, Vlada, ed. (2016). The Balkans and the Byzantine World before and after the Captures of Constantinople, 1204 and 1453. Lanham, Maryland: Lexington Books. ISBN 9781498513265.
External links
- Shedding New Light on the Ties of Mara Branković to the Holy Mountain of Athos and transletion of Relics
- Saint John Capistran and Despot George Branković: An Impossible Compromise
- Order of Despot Đurađ Branković to St. Paul's Monastery, Mount Athos
- Despot Đurađ's Heritage, Smederevo
- The Esphigmen Charter of Despot Đurađ Branković issued to the monastery of Esphigmen on Mount Athos in 1429