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(Vlatković) Ugl(j)eša
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Person
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It is estimated that he was born around 1359. His last appeareance in the source is in 1423. He held the title of kesarь (kesarь Ugleša gospodarь Serblemь i Podunaju i vsěhь zapadnihь stranь). He was the son of Vladko (synь sevastokratōrovь Ugleša) and Vladislava. His son Stěfanь was buried in the Monastery of the Holy Virgin in Ljubostinja. An inscription in the naos of the church, which was made between 1402 and 1405, is commemorating his son Stěfanь (A se leži Stěfanь kesara Ugleše). It is likely that the Serbian Emperor Stefan Uroš V. bestowed upon him the title of kesarь. Ugl(j)e)ša was apperently in a subordinate position to Konstantin Dragaš before 1395. After 1395 he became a vasall of the Ottoman sultan. Miloš Blagojević believes that Ugl(j)eša participated in the battle of Ankara in 1402. His role in the battle of Gračanica is described by Konstantin Kostenečki, who wrote the biography of the Despot Stefan Lazarević. He left the Ottomans in the beginning of the battle and defected to the army of Stefan Lazarević. On the side of despot he reconquested the region of Vranje, Inogošt and Preševo, which he inherited from his father (Běše že togda i kesarь Ugleša sь ismaility i tь mnogo služenije sьtvori sь sьlanijemь kь blagočьstivomu izь sihь sьvěty i kovy vьzvěštaje, taže po malě i samь priběgь podь krilě despotu Stefanu i zemlju svoju otьčьskuju Vranju i Inogoštu i Prěševo prějetь i udrьža). He fought in 1410 together with Stefan Lazarević in the battle of Kosmidion, where the Ottoman Prince Musa was defeated. The Byzantines escorted the army of Stefan Lazarević and Ugl(j)eša on their ships back to their homeland via Wallachia. His domains were attacked by the force of Musa in 1412. Musa plundered Vranje and endangered Novo Brdo. He donated in 1423 the Church of Saint Nicholas in Vranja with the village Vranje, all rights, boundaries, watermills, fields and meadows, the church of Saint Nicholas in Lučani with all rights and boundaries and the village Trnovac with all boundaries and rights to the Hilandar Monastery (blagověrni kjesarь Uglješa, imeja želanije i usrьdije i ljubovь kь prěčistyje vladyčice našei Bogomateri iže vь Svetěi Gorě Athona, carskije ōbiteli, domu prěčistyje vladyčice naše Bogorodice velikyje lavri Hiladara, dahь bo i prьvo crьkvu Svetago Nikolu u Vraniju tako i selomь Vranemь sь vsě pravinami sela togo, sь vsemi megjami i vodenicami, i s’ nivami i s livadami, i iněmь sь vsěmь. I crьkvu u Lučanehь Svetago Nikolu sь vsěmi pravinami i megjami sela togo. I selo Trьnovcь, sь vsěmi sinori i megjami i pravinami sela togo). The painted portrait of Ugl(j)eša as a child is preserved on the southern wall of the narthex in the Church of Saint Nicholas in Psača. He is depicted in the front of his grandparents Paskačь and Ozra.
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Braktos
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Person
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It is not clear, if he is the same person as Vratko, a nobleman of the Serbian King Stefan Uroš IV Dušan, who held the position of župan in 1333 (župan Vratkō/çuppanus Vratcho). Vratko is mentioned in the archives of the city Dubrovnik under the date 7.1. 1333 (Et Vratico, qui fuit et est nobis favorabilispenes dominum regem, D. ducatos de auro; Et Vratico qui fuit et est nobis favorabilis penes dominum regem VIC ducatos de auro), 19. 3. 1336 (fuit sibi ablata una salma per Vraticum nomine domini regiss apud S. Sergium) and 11. 7. 1336 (conqueritur supra Vraticum baronem domini regis Raxie...valoris yp. 190 grossorum de cruçe). He is attested as knez also in two Ragusan charters concerning his belt, which was pawned in Dubrovnik and which he demanded back (pojasь kneza vratka; ōtь kneza Vratka). According to the later sources was knez Vratko the father of Princess Milica of Serbia and the father-in-law of her husband Serbian Despot Lazar Hrebeljanović. Konstantin Kostenečki and then several of the Serbian genealogies (rodoslov) reconstructed his ancestry back to Vukan Nemanjić. Mentioned for the year 1342 by the Byzantine historian Ioannes Kantakuzenos. He was a military commander of the Serbian auxiliary troops, 1342. He was one of the Serbian commanders, who were supporting the Byzantine Emperor Ioannes VI Kantakuzenos during the siege of Serres at the end of the summer 1342. He fell temporarily ill and the army had to remain in the military encampment for eleven days (ἐν ᾧ δὲ ταῦτα ἐτελεῖτο, Βράκτος τῶν ἡγεμόνων τῆς στρατιᾶς ὁ διαφορώτατος ἐνόσησε καὶ διεκαρτέρησεν ἐκεῖ ἡ στρατιὰ ἐστρατοπεδευμένη μίαν ἡμέραν ἐπὶ δέκα).
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Markos
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Person
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The fragmentary preserved inscription above the entrance on the south wall of the Church of the Holy Mother of God in Drenovo, which is dated to 1356 or later, refers to a painter Dimitr’, who worked on the decoration of the church Drenovo after the death of the Serbian Emperor Stefan (probably Uroš IV Dušan) at the same time as the dominion was controlled by Nikola (Nikola Stanjevikь?) and Marko (Markos, the King?) (sьzda se hram’ si v’ lě.. ѕ i ō.....i azь Dimitr’ zugraf priloh’ vь hramь sei...lě..z i d i pisah’ pri drž’avě Nikole i Markě po smrьti svetorodnago cara Stefana). The hypothesis about the identity of Marko from the inscription and Markos was refuted by Evgenij P. Naumov. He died on 17th May 1395. He appears in the sources as mladi kralj. He was the co–ruler of the Serbian Emperor Stefan Uroš V, 27.9.1371–2. (4.) 12. 1371, since 2. (4). 12. 1371 formal king of the Serbian Empire. He was the son of the Serbian King Demetrios Blukasinos and Lena. His siblings were Andrěašь, Dmitьrь, Ivanišь and Olivera. He was married to Jelena, the daughter of Radoslabos Chlapenos. He divorced her and lived then with Thodora, who was the daughter of a certain Grьgurь, probably Grьgurь Branković. After the romance with Thodora ended, Markos gave Thodora to Radoslabos Chlapenos and remarried Jelena according to dijak Dobre, who wrote about it in a note in the festal Menaion (Pysa se sija knyga u Porěči, u selě zovom Kalugerecь vь dьni blagověrnago kralja Mar’ka, jegda ōdade Thodoru Grьgurovu ženu Hlapenu, a uze ženu svoju prьvověn’čan’nu Jelenu, Hlapenovu dьštere). Markos divorced her again because of her bad behaviour according to Mauro Orbini. The later Greek chronicler Makarios Melissenos relates that Andronikos IV Palaiologos, the son of the Byzantine Emperor Ioannes V Palaiologos, together with his father-in-law Markos, who ruled over the Bulgarian land, sought help at the court of the Ottoman Sultan (καὶ τοῦ πενθεροῦ αὐτοῦ Μάρκου τοῦ τῆς Βουλγαρίας ἔτι μέρος δεσπόζοντος). In July 1361 he was in Dubrovnik as an emissary. The Ragusans gave him back his silver deposit under the condition that he will not trade with it and with the 25 pounds of silver, which belonged to Lena, his mother (Prima pars est de restituendo Marco ambaxiatori argentum suum cum hac conditione, quod non possit emere mercationes cum ipso nisi de libris XXV argenti uxoris Volcassini). Demetrios Blukasinos intended to marry Markos to the daughter of the Croatian nobleman Gregor Pavlović Šubić. Demetrios Blukasinos contacted therefore the Bosnian King Tvrtko at whose court the woman lived as a protégé. The plan of Demetrios Blukasinos failed because of the opposition of Pope Urban V, who did not allow to marry the catholic princess to schismatic Markos. Pope Urban V expressed his point of view to Tvrtko in a letter from April 1370 (quodque tu eandem puellam tradere nuptui filio mangnifici viri Regis Rascie scismatico absque dictorum parentum voluntate procuras, in anime ipsius puelle periculum, eorundem parentum iniuriam et offensam fidei christiane). Markos is attested along with his mother Lena and his brother Andrěašь in the charter of the Serbian King Demetrios Blukasinos for the Ragusan Republic, which was issued on 5th April 1370 (i po vʼse dni veselešti mi se vь zemʼli kraljevstva mi sь prěvьzljubljenʼnomь kraljestva mi kralicomь kyra Lěnom i sь prěvьzʼljubʼljenʼnimi synovi kraljevstva mi Markomь i Anьdrějašemь). The Church of Saint Sunday (Sveta Nedela) in Prizren was renovated under the patronage of Markos in 1370/1371. He is attested as a young king in the ktirorial inscription (izvōljenjemь ōtca i vьplьštenijemь sina i blagodětiju svetago duha. sii svety i božьstvny hramь prěčьstïe vladičice naše bogordice. vьhoda ne sьzda se ï popisa. Pōvělěnïemь ï sь ōtkupōmь gospodina mladago krala marka lěto ·ѕ·ō·o·th· indiktiōn th). Ioannes Unklesis mentioned Markos in the charter for the Monastery Lavra on the Holy Mount Athos from April 1371 as his anepsei. Markos and Demetrios Blukasinos planned a campaign against Nikola Altomanović in the spring 1371. They camped near Skutari, on the territory of their ally Đurađ I Balšić, in July 1371 and were ready to attack Onogošt in the land of Altomanović (Li çintili homini et lo comun di Ragusa reçevi una littera, la qual lor mandasti tu Andrea Pastrovich, dando lor a savere, ca Jura cum misser lo re Volchassin et cum Marco suo fio, cum lor hoste son suta Scutari, et va sovra çuppan Nicola o in Anagast). The attack never took place, because the Ottomans threatened Ioannes Unklesis. Demetrios Blukasinos rushed to help his brother. After Ioannes Unklesis and Demetrios Blukasinos were killed at the battle of Marica on 26th September 1371, Markos became the co–ruler of the Serbian Emperor Stefan Uroš V. When the Serbian Emperor Stefan Uroš V. died on 2th (or 4th) December 1371, Markos became the formal king of the Serbian Empire, but his rule was never accepted by the local Serbian aristocrats. Subsequently, the Serbian local aristocrats took advantage of the militarily weakened position of Markos and gradually seized large parts of his lands. Lazar took very early Priština and Novo Brdo, in 1372 Đurađ I Balšić occupied Prizren, later Kastoria, Bulkos (Vlkь Brankovikь) controlled since 1376/1377 the Skopje area and Konstantinos Dragases with his brother Ioannes expanded also their territory at the expense of Markos. Markos ruled since then over the area of Pelagonia and had his stronghold in Prilep. Markos minted his own coins. Markos renovated also the Church of the Saint Archangels in Prilep around 1372. The main entrance to the church is flanked by the painted portrait of Demetrios Blukasinos and Markos, who is depicted in the white sakkos. The portrait of Markos bears an inscription (Vь hrista boga věrenь kralь Marko). Markos became the vassal of the Ottoman sultan following the meeting at Serres in winter 1393/1394. Markos rebuilt the Saint Demetrius Monastery near the village Sušica (the so-called Marko’s Monastery) between 1376/1377 and 1381 (Izvōlenïemь ōtca i voplьšenïem sina i sьšestviemь svetago duha ōbnovi se i popisa si svety i božestavni hramь svetago velikōmučenika Hristova pobědōnosca i myrotočьca Dimitrija sь usrьdïemь i potštanïemь blagověrnago kralja Vlkašina sь blagověrniei kralice Eleny i sь prěvazljublenym eju i prьvorodnimь sinomь blagověrnimь kraljemь Markomь i Andreašemь i Ivanïšemь i Dimïtrom vь lěto ·ѕ·ō·p·e· si že monastirь nače se zdati lěto ·ѕ·ō·n·g· vь dni blagověrnago cara Stefana i hristoljubivago kralja Vlьkašina a sьvrši se vь dьni blagověrnago i hristoljubivago kralja Marka). The lunette of the south door of the monastery church is decorated with his portrait. Markos is shown holding a horn in his right hand and a scroll with the inscription Azь vь Hrista Boga blagověrьni kralь Markos sьzdahь i popisahь sy božestvni hramь. He together with his brother Markos marched in 1389 with the troops of the Ottoman Sultan Murad I against the army of the Serbian Prince Lazaros (Lazar Hrebeljanović) and Bulkos (Vuk Branković) according to the Tronoški rodoslov from the 18th century (Amuratь že ōbrativь voinstvō skoe na deržavu lazarevu, predvodimь markomь i andreemь). He together with Konstantinos Dragases as Ottoman vassals marched on the side of the Sultan Bayazid I. against the Wallachian army led by Mircea the Elder. He perished in the battle of Rovine on 17th May 1395. Markos is the hero of the Serbian epic poetry.
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