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Bulkos
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He was born around 1345. He died on the 6th October 1397 in the Ottoman prison. His body was transferred by his brother Nikolaos Radochnas (Monk Gerasim) to the Mount Athos. He appears as a gospodinь in the slavic sources and as a dominus in the latin sources. He administered the region of Kastoria and Ōhrid according the Byzantine historians Ducas and Laonikos Chalkokondyles (ἐπὶ δὲ τῇ ἑτέρᾳ Βοῦλκον τὸν τοῦ Πράγκου τοῦ Μλαδένεω υἱόν, Καστορίας τε καὶ Ὀχρίδος τῆς ἐν Μακεδονίᾳ ἡγεμόνος; καὶ τὴν ἄλλην τὴν εἶχε δοσμένη τοῦ ἀφεντὸς τοῦ Μπούλκου ὁποὺ ὥριζε τὴν Καστορία καὶ τὴν Ὄχριδα). Laonikos Chalkokondyles calls him wrongly Ἐλεάζαρος and relates about the lands by the Danube as his dwelling place (τὰ μέντοι περὶ τὸν Ἴστρον Βούλκῳ τῷ Ἐλεαζάρῳ τοῦ Πράγκου ἐπέτρεψε). He controlled the larger part of today’s Kosovo. His dominion reached the eastern parts of Raška, the Polimlje in Montenegro and since 1376/1377 Skopje in the east. After the death of Đurađ I Balšić (13th January 1378) he seized the town of Prizren, Peć and the area of Metohija. He minted his own coins and issued charters. He was the son of Prankos Mladenes (ja Grьgurь i bratь mi Vlьkь, synove velikago sevastokratora Bran’ka gospodina že gradu Ohridu). He had two brothers (Nikolaos Radochnas, Grьgurь) and a sister (Theodora). He was married Mara, the daughter of the Serbian Prince Lazar Hrebeljanović, since 1371. They had together three sons (Georgios Bulkos [Đurađ Branković] - ἦν γὰρ Γεώργιος, υἱὸς Βούλκου καὶ γαμβρὸς Λαζάρου, Prankos Bunko [Lazar Branković], Grьgurь [† 1408]). He and his brother Grьgurь gave Nikolaos Radochnas in 1365 the permission to donate the patrimonial church of Saint Archangel with three villages Trstenik, Bežanići, Tušilo and the selište Hudine to the Hilandar Monastery. He added between 1372 and 1396 the villages Banica, Vrьbovьcь, Štučince, Mučivarě near Trьstenik to the endowment of his brother for the Hilandar Monastery (Po sem’ že jaa blagočьsitivi Vlьkь, synь velikago sevastokratora Branьka raspaljaemь božьstvnyim želanïem velikuju věru i ljubovь iměje kь svetěi matery Hrista moego, priložihь domu ei čьstiomu monastiru bišerečen’nye lavry Hilandaru sela priležeštaa Trьsteniku: Banicu, Vrьbovьcь, Štučince, Mučivarě, sь vsěmi megjami i pravinami i sь ōttěsy selь těhь). He was a benefactor of the Kutlumus Monastery on the Mount Athos since 1370. He granted between 1376 and 1377 at the request of the Monk Gerasim, his brother, the Monastery of Saint George-Gorg near Skopje with all possessions to the Hilandar Monastery (Azь, rabь Hristu Vlьkь, vьspominaju vь sьvědenije vsemь, kako pride brat mi Gerasimь poslanijemь monastirьskimь Svetije Gori Athōna, Svetije Bogorodice Hilandarьskije igumnōmь i vsega sьbora hilandarьskoga, i prosiše mi keliju u Skopju, ponježe ne imahu priběžišta ni kelije u Skopiju. I videvь nihь usrьdije i prošenije, i dah monastirь Svetago Geōrьgija s metohōmь i sь seli i sь vsemi pravinami gde se nahodi metohь Svetago Geōrgija ili u gradu ili na dvoru što jestь Svetago Geōrgija, vse priložihь Hilandaru). He is mentioned as a addressee of the embassy sent by the Ragusan republic in 1380 regarding the release of two citizens of Dubrovnik. He confirmed on the 20th January 1387 the privileges and rights of the Ragusan republic concerning the representation of the citizens of town Dubrovnik in the court assembly. He asked in August 1388 the representatives of the Ragusan republic to clear the old debt and to pay the new Tribute of Ston to the Monks in Jerusalem. He participated in the battle of Kosovo along with his father-in-law Lazar and the Bosnian King Tvrtko I. in 1389. The folk epic poetry portrays him in a bad light as a traitor. The fact is that he withdrew his troops from the battlefield. Between 1389 and 1396 he confirmed the privileges of the Ragusan republic. The Ottomans captured in 1391/1392 Skopje. Bulkos was forced by them to become their vassal. He exempted the Hilandar Monastery from paying the tax to the Ottomans on 21th November 1392. The Venetian republic granted him on 9th April 1394 the citizenship. His Čelnik Smilь deposited gold and silver for Bulkos at Dubrovnik in January 1395. He was captured and imprisoned by the Ottomans not long after the battle of Nicopolis. He is portrayed on the western facade of the chapel of Saint George in the Church of the Holy Mother of God Peribleptos at Ōhrid. There is an inscription next to his image (VELIK...GNБ VLБKБ SNБ SEVASTOKRATORA BRANKA). He commisioned a slavic translation of the chronicle of Georgios Monachos (Hamartolos) in 1387 (Pisa se povelěnyjemь gospodina Vlьka).
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Markos
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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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