Maps of Power

Daničić 1866

Properties

ID 7442
System Class Edition
Case Study Historical Region of Macedonia TIB 16 , Byzantino-Serbian Border Zones in Transition (1282–1355)
Edition Vita/Passio

Description

Životi Kraljeva i Arhiepiskopa Srpskih napisao Arhiepiskop Danilo i drugi (ed. Djuro Daničić, Zagreb 1866).

Relations

Actors (1)
Name Class Begin End Relation Type Description
Grěbostrěkь Novakь Person Mentioned in the Life of the Serbian King Stefan Uroš II Milutin and in the forged chrysobull charter of the Serbian King Stefan Uroš II Milutin concerning the settlement site Ulijara. He was a supreme commander (Veliki vojvoda). The Serbian King Stefan Uroš II Milutin entrusted in 1312/1313 the command over an elite cavalry contingent to him (i davь vь město sebe velikaago vojevodu imь Novaka rekomaago Grěbostrěka). The army supported the Byzantine Emperor Andronikos II Palaiologos against the Turks of Halil, who were encamped near Kallipolis. Novak and his troops fought also with them in the area of Anatolia.
Places (13)
Name Class Begin End Description
Kraište Place Based on the medieval written sources and the toponymy, we are able to identify the border zone between the Serbian and Bulgarian realms in the first half of the 14th century. According to the Serbian Archbishop Danilo II (ca. 1270-1337) the Bulgarian Tsar Michael III Šišman (reigned 1323-1330) invaded Serbian territory before the Battle of Velbužd on 28 July 1330, i.e. the area of the Upper Valley of the River Struma and the town of Zemen, which both belonged to the Serbian realm. In the Defter for the Sanjak Köstendil from the years 1570 to 1572 the region of Kraište is named "Gorno Kraište". Based on the toponymy, we are able to discern the respective area as a border zone between the two aforesaid realms. The renowned historian Konstantin Jireček (1854-1918) maps a toponym called "Kraište" to the North-West of Velbužd (today Kjustendil in Bulgaria), which as a term in itself denotes a border zone.
Mraka Place After the battle of Velbužd on 28 July 1330 the Serbian King Stefan Uroš III Dečanski (reigned 1321-1331) advanced towards the region of Mraka (na město glagolěmo Mraku). Mraka was a border zone between the Serbian and the Bulgarian realms. It is mentioned in the charter of King Stefan Dečanski for the Monastery of Saint Nikola Mrački (Pešterski manastir), which was issued in the year 1330 (otь Mraku). The Serbian Emperor Stefan Uroš IV Dušan (reigned 1331-1355) confirmed the possessions of the Monastery of Hilandar in April 1348, among them also the Monastery of Saint Nikola in Mraka (crьkovь na Mracě svety Nikolae).
Nagoričino, Church of Saint George Place According to the Life of Saint Prohor Pčinjski (11th c.) Prohor settled in a small cave in the deserted area of Nagoričino in Žegligovo as a hermit (vь glubokuju pustynnju Nagoričeskuju). In Nagoričino also his hermitage (cave) is to be found. The original construction of the Church of Saint George in Nagoričino is dated to the 11th century and associated with Saint Prohor Pčinjski or the Byzantine Emperor Romanos IV Diogenes (reigned 1068-1071). The Life of Saint Joakim Osogovski from the 12th century gives an account on the building activity of an anonymous Emperor (hram prpodbnomu vъ ime svjatogo velikomčenika Hristvo Gjeōrgia). The church fell without doubt into disrepair in the last quarter of the 13th century. According to the Slavonic inscription at the Western entrance to the narthex, the church was renewed by the Serbian King Stefan Uroš II Milutin (reigned 1282-1321) in the year 1313. In this inscription a certain abbot called Andonij is also mentioned. This hint suggests that a monastery existed at that time near the church itself (Izvoleniemь božiemь sьzda sja domь svetago i velikoslavnago mjačenika Hristova Geōrgijě vь dny svjatorodnago i prěvysokago kralě Uroša Milutina, bogomь samodrьžьcu vsei srbьskoi zemli i primorьskoi, pri bogočьstivěi kralici Simonidě, i pri igumeně Andony, v lěto 6821 [1313]). According to the Slavonic inscription from 1318 in the interior, the church was decorated with frescoes by order of the Serbian King Milutin under the abbot Benjamin (Božiemь izvoljenijemь sьzʼda se ōt osnovanie, i popisa se, čьstnii hramь podaijemь vsakiim prevysokago krala Stefana Uroša, vь lěto 6826, pri igumeně Beniamine). Another inscription in the interior above the Western entrance has not been preserved. Between 1300 and 1318/21 a certain anagnost Radin from Nagoričino in Žegligovo (anagnosta Radina Nagoričanina izь Žegligova) wrote a gospel for the priest Zagoranin in Sušica. The old Serbian Genealogies (rodoslovi) and Annals (letopisi) report that the Serbian King Milutin had founded or endowed numerous monasteries, amongst others also the Monastery of Saint George in Nagoričino (Nagoričino svetomu Geōrgiju; i vь Nagoričine svetago Gjeōrgija; i druguju vь Nagoričinu; i vь Nagoričine Georgia). In the same sources Žegligovo and Nagoričino are subsumed in one geographical unit (i u Nagoričinu na Žegligovo crьkov svetago velikomučenika Georgia; i u Nagoričinu na Žegligovu crkovь svetago velikomučenika Georgia; i u Nagoričinu na Žegligovu crkovь svetago mučenika Georgia; i u Nagoričinu na Žegligovo crkovь svetago velikomučenika Georgia; i u Nagoričinu na Žegligovu crkovь svetago velikomučenika Georgija). The Lives of the Serbian Kings and Archbishops by Archbishop Danilo II and his successors confirm the renewal of the church under the Serbian King Milutin (i crkovь svetaago Georgьgija nagoričьskaago). The abbot Benjamin from Nagoričino is named in the list of abbots in two Serbian charters (1317 and one forgery from the 15th century, where he is referrred to as nagoričkii Beniaminь, respectively nagorički Beniaminь). According to the aforesaid Lives of the Serbian Kings and Archbishops, the Serbian King Stefan Uroš III Dečanski (reigned 1321-1331) gathered his army in the forefront of the Battle of Velbužd in the first half of 1330 on a field called Dobrič, located in today's South-Eastern Serbia at the confluence of the rivers Južna Morava and Toplica. He intended to confront the Bulgarian Tsar Michael III Šišman (reigned 1323-1330) at this place. When messengers informed him that the Bulgarian Tsar had intruded Serbian territory near the castle of Zemen on the upper reaches of the river Struma, where the then border of the Serbian Kingdom lay, he set his army in march and first moved to Nagoričino, where he prayed in the Church of Saint George (priide vь monastirь svoi kь svetomu mučeniku Hristovu Georьgiju Nagoričьskomu). The victory of King Stefan Dečanski at the Battle of Velbužd on 28 July 1330 is described by the Serbian annals and the aforesaid Lives of the Serbian Kings and Archbishops. According to the Serbian annals, King Stefan Dečanski captured Michael Šišman and brought him to Žegligovo (aduxere eum in Segligovo), where the Bulgarian Tsar died and was buried in the Church of Saint George in the village of Nagoričino (et sepulchro datus est in Ecclesia sancti Georgii in pago Gorichina). On the contrary, the Lives of the Serbian Kings and Archbishops describe that the Bulgarian ruler had already died in the battle. His corpse was brought to the Church of Saint George in the place called Nagoričino (prěnesenu Georьgija vь městě rekoměmь Nagoričьskaago) and entombed there. In a ledger containing a list of debtors and guarantors of the Ragusan merchant Mihailo Lukarević from Novo Brdo, dated to the period from 1432 to 1438, a certain Radiuoj Tatich from Nagoričino, who was born in Kokÿno (de Chochina in Nagorizno/Nagorzno) is mentioned. On his campaign against the town of Skutari (now Shkodra in Albania) in May 1474 the Ottoman Pasha of Rumeli stayed with his army in Nagoričino, which was three days of journey away from Kosovo Polje (Bassa Romanie cum numeroso et valido exercitu dimissus est in loco dicto Nagoricino, distanti a Cossovo itinere dierum trium). In the Pšinski pomenik (15th c.) Nagoričino is attested as Staro Nagoričino ("Old Nagoričino"), while the toponym of Nagoričino is obviously used for Mlado Nagoričino. Nagoričino is registered in the Defter for the Sanjak Köstendil from 1519 with the attribute "Staro" and from the years 1570 to 1572 as Gühne Nogoriç, Köhne-i Nagoriç and Köhne-yi Nogoriç (with the meaning of "Staro Nogorič"). The assumption that Edward Brown (1668-1669, published in 1673) saw the Church of Saint George in Nagoričino, while passing through Kumanovo, is probably incorrect ("near which [scil. Kumanovo] there is still a Greek Monastery, upon the side of the hills"). Rather he wrote about Sveta Bogorodica Črьnogorska in the Skopska Crna Gora, to the West of Kumanovo. In 1704 the Serbian scribe Jerotej Račanin refers to Nagoričino as 40 churches ("40 crkvy" or Turkish "krka klisa"). From the viewpoint of Art History, it should be emphasised that the Serbian King Milutin had the upper part of the Church of Saint George built on the destroyed walls of an older edifice in 1312/13 as evidenced by the aforesaid inscription above the Western entrance. The frescoes in the church were completed in 1317/18 according to the aforesaid inscription from 1318 in the interior and were executed by the painters Michael and Eutychius. The Church of Saint George is in the form of an inscribed cross with five domes, with barrel and groin vaults and a semicircular apse on the East (the altar space is relatively large and is continuing to the space of the nave), while the older edifice is clearly visible (especially on the Northern side of the church).
Ovče Pole Place The Bulgarian Khan Boris built in the 9th century churches in Ovče Pole according to a Bulgarian chronicle (i na rěcě Brěgalnici, i tu prïemь carьstvo; na Ovči poli sьzda běli crьkvi). The Vita of Saint Prohor Pčinjski (11th century) gives account about Prohor, who came from a village in Ovče Pole (ōt vesї ovčopolskija). The disarmed Pechenegs were, according to Ioannes Skylitzes, settled on the plains of Ovče Pole in the first half of the 11th century (ἀνά τε τὰς πεδιάδας τῆς Σαρδικῆς, τῆς Ναϊσσοῦ καὶ τῆς Εὐτζαπόλεως διασπείρας πάντας καὶ πᾶν ὅπλον ἀφελόμενος διὰ τὸ ἀνεπιβούλευτον). The Nicene Empire conquered in 1246 parts of Macedonia, including Ovče Pole (Νευστάπολίς). Nine years later, in 1255, the Byzantine Emperor Theodoros II. Laskaris led his army through the Ovče Pole (διὰ τῆς Νευσταπόλεως), which was a waterless and houseless area (ἄνυδρος δέ ἐστιν ὁ τόπος καὶ ἄοικος καὶ πλήθει στρατευμάτων δυσβάδιστος). Ephraim (ἅμ’ Εὐτζαπόλει, resp. διὰ Ναυτζαπόλεως ἀνύδρου τόπου) and also Theodoros Skutariotes (Νευστάπολίς, resp. διὰ τῆς Νευσταπόλεως) describe both conquests. Ovče Pole (Ovьče Polje) was incorporated in the Serbian dominion under the Serbian King Stefan Uroš II Milutin in 1282/83. A poem in honor of the Byzantine general Michael Dukas Glabas Tarchaneiotes, which is the work of the Byzantine writer Manuel Philes (13th/14th c.), mentions amongst others the Byzantine conquest of Ovče Pole (Εὐτζάπολιν δὲ συλλαβὼν Μοροβίσδου, Σκόπιά τε Σθλάβιτζαν ἐξ εὐανδρίας, Καὶ τὸν Πίαντζον καὶ τὸ περὶ τὸν Στρόμον, Καὶ τὸν περὶ Στρούμμιτζαν ἄφθονον τόπον). The region (strana) of Ovče Pole (i Ōvčepolsku) is attested in the interpolated charter of the Serbian King Stefan Uroš II Milutin for the Hilandar Monastery from the year 1303/1304 (or after 1331?). The byzantine-serbian border in Macedonia became the central subject of negotiations in 1308 between the Serbian King Stefan Uroš II Milutin and Charles de Valois, when the latter sought to conquer the Byzantine Empire. The area of Ovče Pole (et contrata Ouciepoullie) should remain according to the treaty in the Serbian kingdom. The Serbian annals give account about the miraculous epiphany of the Saint Nicholas to the Serbian King Stefan Uroš III Dečanski in the Church of Saint Nicholas in Ovče Pole, where the saint healed the blindness of the king (et cum fuisset in Ovczepolye, in templo S. Nicolai). The same miracle is attested in the Vita of Stefan Dečanski, which was written by Grigorij Camblak (15th century; polje ovčee imenuemo). In 1330 the scribe Stanislav finished a Slavonic manuscript in the domain of Ovče Pole in the region of Zletovo on the mountains of Lěsnovo in the Monastery of Saint Archangel Michael (vь ōblasti ōvčepolьskoi vь horě zletovstěi, vь gorě lěsnovьstěi, vь monastiri stgo arhistratiga Mihaila). The same notice in the manuscript mentions that the Serbian King Stefan Uroš III Dečanski took control over Ovče Pole (i ōvčepolьsko). In the charter of Stefan Dečanski for the Monastery of Saint Nikola Mrački (Pešterski manastir) from the year 1330 appears the term zemli Ovčepolьskoi. From the slavic colophon of the scribe Stanislav in the Menaion of the Serbian Despot Jovan Oliver for the Monastery of the Saint Archangel Michael in Lesnovo from the 1342 results, that Jovan Oliver ruled at that time over the entire area of Ovče Pole (ōblastiju vseju ōvčepolьskoju). The Serbian Emperor mentions Ovče Pole (na Ovči Poli) in his charter for the Monastery of the Saint Archangels Michael and Gabriel near Prizren. The monks of the Hilandar Monastery complained in 1355 to the Serbian Emperor Stefan Uroš IV Dušan about the border violations by the people, who lived in the villages, which belonged to Karьba (selě zem'li Kar'bin'čkoi), whereupon the governor (kefalija) of Štip named David Mihojević (poslach kjefaliju Štip'skoga Davida Michojevikja) was sent out to determine the boundaries of the monastery in this area. In the boundary description of the Hilandar Monastery near the land of Karьba also Ovče Pole is mentioned (po ōnoi straně odь Ovča Polja). The Serbian Emperor Stefan Uroš IV Dušan issued on the 2th Mai 1355 the charter for the Hilandar Monastery in Ovče Pole (na Ovči Poli). The Serbian Emperor Stefan Uroš IV Dušan confirmed on the 17th Mai 1355 at the state council (sabor) in Krupište the tenure of the Monastery of Saint Petar Koriški as metochion for the Hilandar Monastery. The charters in question were written by the Serbian Logothet Gjurg in Ovče Pole (na Ovči Poli, resp. na Ovči Polii). The Serbian Emperor Stefan Uroš IV Dušan issued on the 2th July at the state council in Krupište the third charter for the Hilandar Monastery, which was again written by the same Serbian Logothet in Ovče Pole (na Ovči Poli). In the forged charter from the 15th century, previously referred as a document issued by the Serbian King Stefan Uroš II Milutin for the settlement Ulijare around 1318, amongst other places also Ovče Pole is mentioned (Ōvče polje). The Serbian Despot Stefan Lazarević granted in 1408/1409 a safe conduct to the ottoman troops from the area of Toplica via Kosovo to Ovče Pole (prohode kь Ovčju polju). In spring and summer of 1413 the two Ottoman pretenders to the throne Mehmed and Musa fought for supremacy on the Balkan Peninsula. Mehmed was supported by the Serbian Despot Stefan Lazarević. In the course of the military operations, Musa initially stayed in the Ovče Pole (in the Ragusan sources called Ovcepogle). Then Mehmed and Stefan Lazarević together with their troops crossed the Črьna Gora (Prěšьdьše že Črьmnu Goru) and reached the Ovče Pole (kь Ovьčju polju), where Djuradj Branković, Stefan's nephew, took command over the Serbian contingents. The Ottoman troops plundered the region of Žegligovo and Ovče Pole in 1512 (to lěto plěniše Turci Žegligovo, Ovče Polě). Ovče Pole is registered in the Defters for the Sanjak Köstendil between the years 1570 and 1572 as a summer pasture. Ovče Pole (Ovče polje is mentioned in the Pomenik from 15th–18th century. The Serbian scribe and copyist Jerotej Račanin travelled through the Ovče Pole on his pilgrimage to the Holy Land in 1704. He describes the area of Ovče Pole as beautiful, rich in fields, grain, vineyards and all kinds of fruit, with beautiful rivers and cold, pure sources, with cities and villages.
Pijanьcь Place Pijanьcь was a part of Sclavinias in Macedonia, which formed a borderzone contested between the Byzantines and the Bulgarians. At the latest in 855 (perhaps already in 852?), Pijanьcь and the area around the Brěgalnica river must have fallen under the rule of the Bulgarian Khan Boris. A Bulgarian chronicle reports indirectly about this event (i na rěce Brěgalnici, i tu prïemь carьstvo. Pijanьcь is mentioned in the charter of the Byzantine Emperor Basileios II for the archiepiscopal see of Ōhrid from the year 1019 (καὶ τὴν Πιάνιτζαν). Pijanьcь was withdrawn from the sovereign authority of the Byzantine Empire in 1282/1283 during the reign of the Serbian King Stefan Uroš II Milutin (и Пиꙗньць). At that time it was subordinate to the Bishopric of Morozvizd (Morobisdos). A poem by the Byzantine poet Manuel Philes (13th/14th century) in honor of the Byzantine commander Michael Dukas Glabas Tarchaneiotess relates, among other things, about the conquest of Pijanьcь (Εὐτζάπολιν δὲ συλλαβὼν Μοροβίσδου, Σκόπιά τε Σθλάβιτζαν ἐξ εὐανδρίας, Καὶ τὸν Πίαντζον καὶ τὸ περὶ τὸν Στρόμον, Καὶ τὸν περὶ Στρούμμιτζαν ἄφθονον τόπον). Pijanьcь appears in the founding charter of the Serbian Emperor Stefan Uroš IV. Dušan for the Eparchy of Zletovo with its seat in the Monastery Lěsnovo from the year 1346/47 (u Pijanci; u Pijanci na Brěgalnici). The Serbian local ruler Konstantin Dragaš donated on the 15th August 1381 the Monastery Lěsnovo with all its possessions including also Pijanьcь to the Hilandar Monastery (u Pijancu; u Pijanci na Brěgalnici). A forged charter from the 15th century, also known as the charter of the Serbian King Stefan Uroš II Milutin concerning the settlement site Ulijare settlement from 1318, relates, among other things, about the conquest of Pijanьcь by the Serbian King Stefan Uroš II Milutin between the years 1282 and 1284 (Pïanьcь).
Polog Place The Byzantine historian Anna Komnene relates that the Norman general Raoul of Pontoise conquered Skopje and Peter of Aulps took probably Lower und Upper Polog in 1082 (ἔνθέν τοι καὶ τοὺς μὲν δύο Πολόβους εὐθὺς ὁ Πέτρος τοῦ Ἀλίφα κατέσχε, τὰ δὲ Σκόπια ὁ προρρηθεὶς Πουντέσης). She reports also that Peter von Aulps was able to defend both Polog territories, despite the fact that the Bohemond's payment of soldier’s pay was delayed and the commanders received offers from the Byzantine Emperor Alexios I Komnenos (καὶ τὸν τοὺς Πολόβους φυλάσσοντα Πέτρον τοῦ Ἀλίφα). As a result of Kastoria's capitulation, even Peter of Aulps, was left alone and could not hold the two Polog areas for long. He offered his services to the Byzantine Emperor Alexios I Komnenos and the Byzantines became rulers of the two Polog areas again. The whole region of Polog is mentioned in a letter of Archbishop Theophylaktos of Ohrid to the governor of Dyrrhachion Ioannes Komnenos, probably written in 1090. The archbishop complains to the governor about the situation of the clergy in Polog. The Byzantine Emperor previously issued a document granting the clerics of the city of Ōhrid and its surroundings freedom from all tax burdens except the ζευγολόγιον (tax imposed on the draught cattle). According to Theophylaktos the imperial officials ignored the decree. He therefore asked the governor to write a pittakion to confirm the tax exemption. He also asked him to renew the required payments of the ἀερικόν and the ὀτρωτζίνα. The second epistle, probably written by the Archbishop between the years 1092-1097, shows that even after the governor issued his pittakion, the clerics of Polog were still forced to perform various duties and taxes. The Serbian Grand Prince (Veliki Župan) Vukan devastated in 1092 the area in the vicinity of Skopje and even conquered Polog (κᾷθ’ οὕτως τεθαρρηκὼς ὁ Βολκάνος ὡς μή τινος τοῦ ἀντικαθισταμένου περιλειφθέντος ἐληίζετο τὰς παρακειμένας πόλεις καὶ χώρας, καὶ τῶν Σκοπίων τὴν ἔξω χώραν τελείως ἠρίπωσε, τὸ δέ τι καὶ κατέκαυσεν. οὐ μέχρι δὲ τούτου, ἀλλὰ καὶ τὸν Πόλοβον καταλαβὼν καὶ ἄχρι Βρανέας φθάσας καὶ δῃώσας ἅπαντα πολλὴν τὲ λείαν ἐκεῖθεν ἀφελόμενος εἰς τὴν οἰκείαν ὑπέστρεψε χώραν). The Arab geographer al-Idrisi mentions in 1153/1154 a city bearing the name of Būluġū in a description of the route from Dyrrhachion to the city of Chrysopolis in his work ῾Kitab al-Rujar. According to al-Idrisi, it was two days' journey from Ōhrid. It was on a large mountain and was said to have been beautiful. According to al-Idrisi, between Būluġū and the city of Skopje, which was located north-east of Būluġū, the traveller had to reckon with a distance of a day's journey. Although Būluġū has often been identified with some towns in Polog, the sparse data for exact localization do not suffice and it seems that al-Idrisi describes rather an administrative unit. The Serbian Grand Prince Stefan Nemanja, actually a loyal vassal of the Byzantine Empire since his deditio in 1172, risked an uprising in 1183 and was able to invade the city of Sofia/Serdica and devastate the surrounding territory with the help of the Hungarian King Béla III. Then he went alone, only with his forces and destroyed the strongholds in Velbužd, Žitomisk, Skopje, Lěšok in the lower Polog and the town of Gradac (Prišьdь bo prěpodobʼni sevty Symeōn sь ugьrьskymь kralemь i donde grada do Srědʼca rekomago i vь sʼkrušenije postavi jego i vь ōpustěnije konьčʼnoje. Vьzvraštьšou že se rizě ugьrьskomu vь svoje njemu vladičьstvo, ōn že svety ōtvraštь se ōt nego ide sь siloju svojeju na gradь Pernikь i tьь skrušivь svojeju i vь ōpustěnije i i gradь Stobь i gradь Zemlьnь i gradь Velьbluždь i gradь Žitomitьskь i gradь Skьplь i gradь Lěšьskь u Dolnemь Polozě i gradь Gradьcь). According to the Vita of him, which was written by his son Stefan the First-Crowned, Stefan Nemanja fully included not only the Lower Polog with Lěšok and Gradac, but also the Upper Polog with border areas in his dominion (Priloži že kь zemli ōtčьstvija svoigo ōblastь nyševьskuju do konca, Lypljanь že i Moravu i glagoljemy Vrani, prizrěnsku že ōblastь i Pologa ōba do konca sь megami svoimi). The area of Polog appears again several times in the document corpus of Demetrios Chomatenos. These charters give account about the situation in this administrative entity shortly after the successful conquest of Macedonia up to the city of Skopje in 1217–1219 by the Epirote ruler Theodoros I Komnenos Dukas. The widow Maria from Polog addressed the archbishop's synod due to an inheritance matter (Παρέστη ἡ ἀπὸ τοῦ Πολόγου ὁρμωμένη χήρα γυνή, ἧς τοὔνομα Μαρία). The monk Gerasimos from the Monastery of the Holy Theotokos in Htětovo and the priest Dobros, both from the village of Banista in the Upper Polog, argued over a property that was illegally confiscated in the past (Ὁ γὰρ ἀπὸ τοῦ Ἄνω Πολόγου ὁρμώμενος καὶ ἐν τῇ σεβασμίᾳ μονῇ τῆς ὑπεραγίας δεσποίνης ἡμῶν Θεοτόκου τῇ ἐν Κτεατόβῃ ἀσκούμενος μοναχὸς Γεράσιμος μετὰ τοῦ παρ’ αὐτοῦ ἐναγομένου καὶ ἐκεῖθεν ὁρμωμένου καὶ ἐν τῷ χωρίῳ Βανίστῃ οἰκοῦντος Δόβρου ἱερέως τῷ παναγιωτάτῳ ἡμῶν δεσπότῃ, τῷ ἀρχιεπισκόπῳ πάσης Βουλγαρίας, παραστάς, κατὰ τοῦ τοιούτου ἱερέως ἐνῆγε λέγων). In this context, Polog is described as χώρα. The term was used to denote the administrative unit or even a province at the time. In a bizarre divorce trial, Georgios' former wife is briefly mentioned. Georgios wanted to live with her again. Her name was Omprada and she was the daughter of a certain Radoslav from Lower Polog (Λαβὼν γυναῖκα νομίμως ἐκ πρώτου συνοικεσίου τὴν θυγατέρα τοῦ Ῥαδοσλάβου τοῦ οἰκοῦντος ἐν τῷ Κάτω Πολόγῳ, τὴν καλουμένην Ὀμπράδα). The Bulgarian Tsar Konstantin I Asen, who reigned between the years 1257-1277, confirmed in the fragmentary preserved chrysobull charter the previous possessions of the Monastery of Saint George-Gorg near Skopje, which was erected by the Byzantine emperor Romanos III. Argyros. Beside the area around Skopje and Prilep, the document also explicitly mentions the dominion (oblast) of Polog. A list of donated villages in this territory follows, which included the village of Rěčice, the so-called Krajište of Lisec, the village of Lěskovljani and also the furrow near Htětovo. Then the possessions of the monastery in Upper Polog are mentioned. Unfortunately, the name of the first village has not survived, but it possessed vineyards and mills. Two other villages, Tōčilь and the village of Banica with vineyards and mills, are easily readable (Vь Položkoi ōblasti selo Rěčici, i to darovan’noje svetoïmь Romanomъ carjemь Svetōmu Geōrgiju sъ vinogradi, sь nivijemъ, i sъ žrъnъkami, sъ perivolmi, sь sěnokosi, sь zaběloï, sь planinami, sь lovištemъ zvěrnoïmъ, i sь vsěmi dohodkoï i sь vsěmi pravinami, i da ne meteha nikoi kefalija, nikōtori vladalecь carьstva mi ni vladalʼci gospodstvujaštih po carьstvu mi, da ne ima vьlěsti vь seko Rěčici, ni sjaditi, ni svjazati, ni globja vьzjati, nikōi dohodokь vьzjati, vsakoi dohōdokь i birokь zakōnʼnoii da si vʼzima crьkva· A sinor selu tōmu: ōt izvora Rěčickjaja rěkja na desnō vьzdolь..nizь brьdo na Ōslьnikь, ta na Ivanovь dolь, ta pō rovčišta, ta meždu Prěslopь a meždu Ōgraždenikь prěz brьdo na na izvorь Palʼčiškja rěkja, i nizь rěkja do Katafigь, ta vъzь brьdo na kraište kako slazi Lisecь vьs kraište Lisečkō, niz gvozdъ na studenʼčec, ta na Glьbokoi dolь, i ōt Glьboka dola.....a ōt sěverьnja...strana prězь ljagь prěko Velikja rěkja, ta nizь Velikja do Htětovьskja brazdja..... .......o na Točilь koi laz....ad...Lěskovijane......vьz brьdō do gor.... desno ..... pjatemь.. Suhja.. planinja..št.nizь gvozdь na Rěčičkja rěkja do izvora jeja, i tō vse paričkō městō. I vь Gornemь Polozě selo...nivijemь sь vinogradi, sь žrъnьkami, sь vsěmi pravinami ih. Selo Tōčilъ i planina rekōma sъ vseja pravinoja. Selo Banici sъ nivijemъ sъ vinōgradi , s žrъnkami, i sъ vsěmi pravinami). Immediately after the ruler of Nicaea, Michael Palaiologos, was elevated to the rank of Despot, he sent his brother Ioannes with a small army, which was reinforced after the Battle of Pelagonia in 1259, to reconquer the territories of Macedonia. The Byzantine historian Georgios Pachymeres describes that Ioannes also captured fortresses in Polog. Ioannes achieved this success more with his diplomatic skills than militarily, because he fought only occasionally (Τοῖς δὲ δυτικοῖς καὶ προσετετήκει· ὅθεν καὶ τὸν οἰκεῖον ἀδελφὸν Ἰωάννην, μέγαν ἔτι δομέστικον ὄντα, συνάμα πλείσταις δυνάμεσι πέμπει, ὅς, τοῖς δυτικοῖς ἐπιστάς, φοβερὸν ἔδοξε πνέειν ἐκείνοις, ἅμα μὲν τῷ θερμῷ τῆς νεότητος, ἅμα δὲ καὶ τῷ περὶ ἐκεῖνον στρατεύματι κουφιζόμενος. Καὶ ἀπτέρῳ τάχει αἱρεῖ μὲν τὸ περὶ τὰ Κάνινα φρούριον, αἱρεῖ δὲ καὶ τὸ περὶ τὰ Βελλάγραδα καὶ Πόλογον καὶ Κολώνειαν, χειροῦται δὲ καὶ Καστορίαν καὶ Πελαγονίαν καὶ Δεύρας, Τζέρνικόν τε καὶ Διάβολιν καὶ τὴν Πρίλαπον, Βοδεεινά τε καὶ Βόστρον, ἔλλιμνον νῆσον, Πέτραν, Πρέσπαν τε καὶ Στερίδολα καὶ Ἀχρίδαν καὶ τὰ Ἰλλυριῶν ὀχυρώματα, καὶ ἕως Δυρραχίου φθάνει τὸ δόρυ κινῶν· προσβάλλει δὲ καὶ Πάτρᾳ καὶ Τρίκκῃ. Καὶ τὰ κύκλῳ κατὰ συνθήκας κρατήσας, καὶ ἀμαχεὶ τὰ πλεῖστα, εἰς φόβον μέγαν καθίστησι τὸν δεσπότην καὶ ἐν στενῷ κομιδῇ. Τότε καὶ ἐγγίονος ἀξιῶν τύχης αὐτὸν πρὸς αὐτὸν καὶ ὁ κρατῶν, πέμψας τὰ σύμβολα, σεβαστοκράτορα καθιστᾷ). The sources give almost no information about the Byzantine administration of Polog, except for the later Byzantine Emperor and historian Ioannes Kantakuzenos. He gives a longer account on Theodoros Synadenos, who was born around 1280. He mentions also his father, the Megas Stratopedarches Ioannes Synadenos, who administered Polog as Toparch. However, Ioannes Kantakuzenos localized Polog in the macro-region of Dalmatia, because he probably confused the broader regional designation Illyrikon with Dalmatia (ὁ δέ γε πατὴρ τοῦ πρὸς ἑσπέραν κατὰ τὴν Δαλματίαν λεγομένου Πολόγου τοπάρχης ἦν. ὁ δέ γε πατὴρ τοῦ πρὸς ἑσπέραν κατὰ τὴν Δαλματίαν λεγομένου Πολόγου τοπάρχης ἦν· ἣν δὴ τοπαρχίαν σὺν ἑαυτῷ τῷ πρώτῳ τῶν βασιλέων προσαγαγὼν Παλαιολόγῳ τῷ Μιχαὴλ καὶ ὑποχείριον ἀποδείξας αὐτῷ, τιμῶν τε ἠξιώθη μεγάλων παρὰ Ῥωμαίοις καὶ γάμου κοινωνίας ἐπιφανοῦς, τῇ βασιλέως ἀνεψιᾷ συναφθείς). Probably in 1268 or 1269 an embassy to the Serbs, consisting of the Metropolitan of Traianupolis Ioannes Kondumnes, the Patriarch of Constantinople Joseph I and the Chartophylax of Hagia Sophia Ioannes Bekkos, failed to arrange a marriage between Anna, the daughter of the Byzantine Emperor Michael VIII. Palaiologos and Milutin, the second son of the Serbian King. Georgios Pachymeres relates that the embassy also passed through Polog and gives his explanation of the Slavic name to his audience (Τῇ Πολόγῳ δὲ παραγγειλάντων, ἣν δὴ ἄλσος Θεοῦ ἐκεῖνοι κατὰ γλῶσσαν εἴπειαν). Polog was withdrawn from the sovereign authority of the Byzantine Empire in 1282/1283 during the reign of the Serbian King Stefan Uroš II Milutin (Prьvěje prijetь oba Pologa sь gradovy ihь i sь oblastiju, i gradь slavьnyi Skopije, po sihь že Ovьče Polje i Zletovu i Pijanьc. Takovyje vьse zemlje prijetь vь prьvoje prišьstvije jego, i priloži ihь kь drьžavě otьčьstvija svojego). In 1300, Polog is mentioned for the first time as Župa in the charter of the Serbian King Stefan Uroš II Milutin for the Monastery of Saint George Gorg near Skopje. The word župa is attested in connection with the village of Rěčice. Firstly, the Serbian King Stefan Uroš II. Milutin, as the issuer, refers to the older privileges for the monastery, including the charter of the Bulgarian Tsar Konstantin I Asen, which he confirms and therefore repeats the phrase vь ōblasti položьkoi. Only later, when he comes to the privileges of the village of Rěčice, the Serbian King mentions Župa. He freed the village of Rěčice from all works, taxes and duties, which the villagers were obliged to pay to the Governor of the Polog Župa (Selo vь ōblasti položьkoi Rěčice s popovlïani, iže jestь priložilь svety Romanь carь, prьvi ktitorь. I vidě kraljevstvo mi jako podano jestь svetymь Romanomь caremь, i svetimь kyrь-Aleksiemь caremь, i zapisano i utvrьždeno kyrь-Manoilemь caremь, kyrь-Asanōmь caremь i svetimi pravověrnimi cari i krali višepisanimi, i osvoboždeno ōtь vsěhь rabotь carьskihь i ōtь vsěhь podanьkь malihь i velikihь. Po tomužde ōbrazu i kraljevstvo mi ōsvobodi selo Rěčice ōt vsěhь rabotь carьskihь i ōt vsěhь podanьkь malihь i velikyhь. I komu se dastь župa Položʼka na državu milostiju kralievstva mi, Rěčicamь da ne ima zapovědati ni na iednu rabotu, ni na voinsku poiti, grada ne zidati ni bljusti, vinograda ne kopati, ni glasa nositi, ni provoda, ni ponosa. I do nema ulěsti u selo to Rěčice nikoi vladalcь kralievьstva mi, ni vladacь drьžeščago župu tu, ni uzeti kojega dohodka ni mala ni velika: ni sevastь, ni prahtorь, ni knezь, ni vinarь, ni pozobь, ni konjuhь, ni piscь, ni gerakarь, ni pьsь hraniti, ni desetka pčelna, ni ōvčega, ni žitnoga, ni vinnoga, ni travnine, ni torovnine, ni komota, ni mitate, ni košarьštine, ni pisa, ni dimnine, ni voloberʼštine platiti, ni priselice, ni nametkь žitni ni vinni, ni člověka garepsati, ni konja, ni vola, ni ōsla, ni carinu da dajutь, ni suditi člověku Svetago Geōrgija posilijemь, ni potku da uzima na njemь, ni ruku ni ōdboi, ni koju globu, ili potku, ili ruku, i vsaky birьkь zakonny da uzima crьkьvь. Sije zapisanije i utvrьždenije ōbrěte kraljevstvo mi vь hrisovulehь svetihь pravověrnih carьь i kralʼь, takožde i kraljevstvo mi po tomužde ōbrazu potvrьdihь zapisanija i hrisovule, da si drьži selo Rěčice s vinogradi, s perivoli, s nivijemь, s mlini, sь sěnokosi, sь zaběli, i sь planinomь, i sь vsěmi pravinami sela togo). The Byzantine Emperor Michael IX Palaiologos confirmed at the request of the Serbian King Stefan Uroš II Milutin the possessions of the monastery of Saint Nicetas near Skopje in a chrysobull charter. The document must have been created after 1299, because the emperor addressed Stefan Uroš II Milutin as his brother and brother-in-law. The monastery owned in the region of Polog the village of Nerašta with all rights and a place called Radějevo with vineyards, mills and the courtyard, which at that time was in the hands of a certain Vratislav (ὡσαύτως δέδωκε καὶ χωρίον διακείμενον περὶ τὸν Πόλογον καὶ ἐπιλεγόμενον Νεράσταν μετὰ πάντων τῶν δικαίων αὐτοῦ, ἔτι δὲ καὶ τόπον καλούμενον τοῦ Ῥαδέα μετὰ τῶν ἐν αὐτῶ ἀμπελίων καὶ μυλοστασίων καὶ αὐλῆς, ἅπερ κατεῖχε τίς ὁ Βρατίσθλαβος). The Byzantine emperor Andronikos II Palaiologos issued in 1308 at the request of the Serbian king Stefan Uroš II Milutin a charter, in which he approved the endowment of the monastery of Saint Nicetas near Skopje to the Hrusija tower at the Hilandar monastery. The Greek original has not been preserved, only a Church Slavonic translation of the authentic document is known. The village of Nerašta and a place called Radějevo in the region Polog are attested there again (I u Polozě selo Nerašta s pravinami jegō. I drugo město narečeno Radějevo s vinogradi i s voděničijemь i s dvoromь, ježe jestь drьžalь někto Bratislavь). The Serbian King Stefan Uroš II Milutin confirmed probably in 1303 or 1304 the possessions of the Hrusija tower at the Hilandar monastery. The authentic document is lost, the text has been preserved in four transcripts. One of the transcripts (AHS 144/146), certainly transcribed in the king’ chancery between 1310 and 1340, describes the southward expansion of the Serbian king. Polog is mentioned there as a strana (area) (I pospěšьstvovanijemь svetyju mi gdnu Simeōna i Savy, prějeh po měju Skopsku stranu i Ōvčepolsku i Položsku i Dьbrьsku i pročeje ine strane. I potomь byhь zetь blagověrnomu i samodržavnomu caru grьčьskomu kur Androniku Paleōlogu, i da mi ōnuzi zemlju u prikiju). The Serbian King Stefan Uroš II Milutin donated in 1321 the village of Odri in Polog with the church of Sveti Dmitrij, people, summer pasture, all boundaries and rights, the place of Borko near Podbrezi with a court, people and also everything, which belonged to Borko in Ljašcje to the Monastery of Gračanica. These properties in Polog were given to the monastery within the scope of an exchange of property between Gračanica and the Bishopric of Debar (I Bane u Suhogrьlě koi běhu takožde upisani vь ōtčině mi hrisovulě, i vzehь i dahь Svetomu Nikolě jepiskuplii dьbrьskoi, a za ne dahь zaměnu Svety Bogorodici gradčanьskoi u Polozě Ōdri crьkьovь Svetago Dmitrija sь ljudmi i sь planinomь, i sь vse mi megjami pravi mi koako si je imalo se to ōd iskoni). The Serbian King Stefan Uroš III Dečanski confirmed between May 1324 and August 1331 the donation of his father Stefan Uroš II Milutin. The latter granted the church of Sveti Vrač(i) (the Saint Cosmas and Damian) near Potoča, located in Upper Polog, with vineyards, fields, bought estates, smallholdings given for the sake of salvation and retinue to the Bishopric of Prizren (U Gornemь Polozě crkьvь Svetyju Vračju u Potočahь, što jestь pridalь roditeь kraljevьstva mi, i s vinogradi, i s nivijemь, i s kupljenicami i zadušninami i z dvorani). Milutin granted also the property of a priest near Gjurgjevište with people, which lived there, to the Bishopric of Prizren (I stasь popovska u Gjurjevištih i s ljudmi koi sěde na njei, što jestь pridalь roditelь kraljevьstva mi sь arhiepiskopomь Savomь i sь arhiepiskopomь svetymь Nikodimomь, da su crьkovny). The Serbian King Stefan Uroš III Dečanski donated the Church of the Holy Mother of God located in Lower Polog near Lešok and and three estates of the priest not far away, which were known as bishop’s court since time immemorial, to the bishopric of Prizren (I tako i u Dolnijemь Polozě u Lěšcě crkьvь svetyje bogorodice i pri njei tri stasi popovske što se zove dvorь piskopovь ōtь věka, da jestь svobodno ōt vsěhь rabotь kraljevьstva mi i podanьkь, kako je i ōtь isprьva bylo). The Serbian King Stefan Uroš III Dečanski confirmed the possession of fields near the Church of Holy Mother of God at Trhalě not far from Treboš, which had previously been taken by the people of Polog, to the Bishopric of Prizren. His father, King Milutin, together with the Bishops Damjan and Ilija took the fields from Žegr and they set his houses on fire. But the situation was resolved in its entirety only in the time of King Stefan Uroš III Dečanski. Stefan Uroš III Dečanski engaged the royal court and sent his royal representatives (Despot Dragoslav and Bishop Arsenij) personally to this area. After their inspection the Serbian King Stefan Uroš III Dečanski reinstated the situation „as it was before“ (I u Trěboši pri crьkvi svetyje bogorodice pri Trьhalě nivije crьkovno što bylo ōt věka. I uzeli jesu byli Položani, i iznašьlь je roditelь kraljevьstva mi sь jepiskopomь Damijanomь i sь iepiskopomь Iliōmь, i ōtjelь ōt Žegra, i kušte mu popalilь; i pakь posla kraljevьstvo mi despota Dragoslava sь jepiskopomь Arsenijemь da ihь iznadju, da si je ima sveta crьkvi kako je isprьva bylo). The Serbian King Stefan Uroš IV Dušan issued on 22 January 1333 a charter for Dubrovnik in the region of Polog (A tu imь milostь učini kraljevstvo mi u Polozie vь lětoь 6833 měseca ženvara 22 danь). The Serbian King Stefan Uroš IV Dušan confirmed in 1334/1335 the donation of his grandfather to the Treskavec Monastery regarding the village Krьpenь in the Region of Polog probably with the Metochion of Saint Nicholas, vineyards, field, summer pastures and all rights (U Polozě metohь Krьpenь sь voděničjemь i sь vinogradi i sь nivijemь i sь planinami i sь vsěmi pravinami jego, što priloži svetopočivšii kralь za dušu si). The Serbian King Stefan Uroš IV Dušan together with his son, the Young King Uroš, issued most likely in the summer of 1343 a charter for the Monastery of Holy Mother of God in Htětovo, after he had found it devastated and without possessions. The explicit choice of words in the arenga suggests that the Serbian king was personally present in the region of Polog. The administrative unit Polog is denotated in the charter as zemlja (country) and is perceived as an integral part of the Serbian kingdom (prědaju vь ōblasti kraljevʼstva mi zemlju Položʼkuju). The Emperor Stefan Uroš IV Dušan donated in 1347 the village of Selce in Polog with Veli Vrh, hamlets, vineyards and all rights to the Monastery of the Holy Archangels in Prizren (selo u Polozě Selce, i s Velimь Vrьhomь, i sь zaselki, i s vinogrady, i sь vsěmi pravinami, a megja mu sь Htětovomь na Črьni Dolь i prěko za Veli Vrьhь na Stražišta, i ōtь tudu prěko do Dola Velijega na Bajevь Kamy, i megja s Porojemь po dělu uzь Vlaku tere na Planincu, a s Hraštani ōtь Sopotca uz brьdo na Dupnii Kamy; i megja z Garani po vodovagi na Dobri Studen᾿cь ta na Uši, i na Črьni Vrьhь, i niz brьdo na rěku, i niz řeku gdě se obě rěcě stajeta pod Brodcem, i megja Světcomь uz rěku na Srědnju Planinu, i uz brьdo Planine po dělu na Bělьmužьcь, i planina Ranestьcь). The charter of the Serbian Emperor Stefan Uroš IV Dušan for the Monastery of the Holy Archangels reveals also details about Polog's western border. The border between Krstac and Polog is mentioned in the boundary description of the summer pasture in Sinjavica (I planina Sinjavica i z Bilijanicom, i niže Sinjavice Romanь Dolь, kako pohodi nadь krai, i ōt kraja pravo u vrьhь Ranetьcь: dotezi megja Krьstьcu ōt Pologa). The Serbian Emperor Stefan Uroš IV Dušan confirmed in 1348 the possessions of the Hilandar Monastery. His deed distinguishes between possessions of the monastery in Serbian land and in Romania (also zemlja grečečska). The estates in Polog are the last in the list of the mentioned possessions, which belonged to the Hilandar Monastery in in the Serbian land. Among them are the former properties of the Monastery of the Holy Mother of God Htětovo in Broděc, Drěnovec, Hraštany, Htětovo, Jadovarce, Mlačice, Sedlarevo, Staro Želynje, Štenče, Sedlarevo and a new endowment in Izbice. The Serbian emperor donated the village Štenče with Vlьkovnō in the Upper Polog, that appears in this document for the first time, to the Hilandar Monastery (U Polozě crьkvь Mati Božia Htětovska i sь seli. I vь Jadovarcehь crьkvь Svety Nikolae, što priloži carьstvo mi Bogorodici Htětovskoi popa Draju i sь rodōmь i sь městomь i sь megjami i sь vsěmi pravinami. Mlačice sь zemlomь, što je dalь svety kralь; a mega zemli toi ōdь Nikiforca kako grede putь na ōpogorь prěz livadu u Kraljevu pekь i u Bivolь Brodь. I Staroga Želina polovina sь megjami i sь crьkoviju. Selo Htětovo i Hraštani, Mlačice i sь zemlōmь. Selo Drěnovьcь, Brodьcь, Sedlarevo i sь Izbicami. I u Gornjemь Polozě selo Štenʼče, i sь Vlьkovnōmь). The founder and funerary inscription of Abbot Ioanikij, probably made between the years 1346 and 1355, gives account about the appointment of Ioanikij as Bishop of the Lower Polog after the Skopje assembly in 1346. Although the inscription mentions only one bishop of the Lower Polog , sources from the 16th century suggest that Polog was a singular church district, not divided in two units (i prizva patriarha blьgarskago i arhiepiskupa srьbskago iōanikija i stvori zborь u skopi i blagosloviše ego na carьski sanь i bystь prvonastolny carь srbskoi zemli i grčkoi i pomorskoi arhiepiskupa iōanikija blagosloviše na patriarhiju srbskoi zemli vь to carstvo blagosloviše anьtonija na episkupstvo dolnemu pologu prvonastolna po izvoleniju božiju prětvoriše ime jemu iōanikie poneže něe bilo prěge episkupь polozě).
Sarandaporь Place The Vita of Saint Joakim Osogovski from the 12th century relates that the Saint came to the deserted mountains of Osogovo (vъ strani gōry pustiny Ōsogovskie). At first, he stayed in the vicinity of the village of Grad’cь (въ selě… Grad’cь). Then, he settled in a cave in Babinь Dōlь at the foot of the Osogovo Mountains (pōdkrilïe gory Osogovskïe) near the river Skupica (pri rěcě gljeměi Skupice). Finally, he went to a plot of land called Sarandaporь (vь pōdkrily gory Osogovskye na městě gljemě Sarandaporь). A certain priest called Theodorь came, after the death of Saint Joakim Osogovski (approximately 1105?) and during the reign of the Byzantine Emperor Manuel I Komnenos (reigned 1143-1180), from the village of Osmir Dolě, allegedly in Ovče Pole, to Sarandaporь (Vъ dni tie běše ierei imenemь Theōdorь vь stranah Ovčepolьskyh. Vь vsi zovoměi Osmir dolě). Theōdorь was led by divine inspiration and came with the blessing of the Saint. He became a monk and changed his name to Teofan. He built a church in honor of Saint Joakim Osogovski and kept his relics there. He was also the first abbot of the monastery. A monk called Arsenije from the city of Veles (ōt Velesa grad) experienced his conversion in the monastery's church. The genealogical tables of the Serbain rulers attest that the Serbian King Stefan Uroš II Milutin (reigned 1282-1321) founded several monasteries, including that of Saint Joakim (Sarandaporь svetomu otcu Їōakimu). Actually, King Milutin did not found it, but gave order to renew it. The Serbian King Stefan Uroš III Dečanski (reigned 1321-1331) crossed, in the run-up to the battle of Velbužd on 28 July 1330, the region of Slavište. He followed the upper course of the Kriva reka and reached Kriva Palanka, where he prayed with his noblemen at the Monastery of Sarandaporь in front of the relics of Saint Joakim Osogovski (Takožde i kь svetomu otьcu Ioakimu suštemu vь Saranьdaporě molьbu tvore prišьdь kь grobu těla jego). News reached him in Sarandaporь that the Bulgarian Tsar Michael III Šišman (reigned 1323-1330) had arrived at the castle of Zemen and had begun to pillage the surrounding area. The Byzantine short chronicles relate that the Ottoman Sultan Bāyezīd I (reigned 1389-1402) handed over the relics of the Saint Ilariōn of Moglena to the Serbian nobleman Konstantin Dragaš in 1393. According to this written source, Konstantin Dragaš, who resided in Žegligovo (ὁποῦ ἐκάθετον εἰς τὸν Ὀζίγλοβο), brought them to the Monastery of Saint Archangel Michael (sic!) in Sarandaporь (τοῦ ἤφερεν εἰς τὸ ἅγιον μοναστήριον τοῦ Ταξιάρχου εἰς τὸ Σαραντάπωρον). The Ottoman Sultan Mehmed II (reigned 1451-1481) stayed in the Monastery of Sarandaporь in 1463 on his campaign to Bosnia (i dohodi u manastirь Sarandaporь na Krivoi rěcě). The Republic of Ragusa (Dubrovnik) decided in 1474 to give a donation of 20 perper to the Monastery of Sarandaporь (elemosinam monasterio Sancti Joachim partium Bulgarie). Arsenij, who was the abbot of the Monastery of Sarandaporь, died in 1488 (prěstavi se igumenь Sarandaporskyi, kyr Arsenїe). 41 Monks lived in the monastery according to the Ottoman Defter from 1519. Sarandaporь is registered as Sveti Otec in Egri Dere (Kriva Palanka; Kriva reka) in the Defter for the Sanjak Köstendil from the years 1570 to 1572. The monastery had three churches and twelve chapels. It was destroyed by an earthquake in 1585 and rebuilt afterwards.
Skopje Place The Bulgarian Tsar Constantine I Asen mentioned the town of Skopje in his donation of goods to the Monastery of St. George-Gorg (na brъdě Vir'gině prěmo Skopii grad(a) nadь Serěvǫ, vь grad(ě) Skopьskomъ). The Byzantine Co-Emperor Michael IX Palaiologos mentioned the town of Skopje in his donation to the monastery of Saint Nikita in the years 1299/1300 (πλησίον [τῶν Σκοπίων]). In 1299/1300 or 1308 a Serbian version of a charter by Andronikos II Palaiologos - at the instigation of the Serbian king Stefan Uroš II Milutin - confirmed the donations made by Michael IX (ō priloženi ježe vь Skopi ). In both charters the Upper Town of Skopje is also mentioned (kь gradu Skopьskomu/ἀπὸ τοῦ κάστρου τῶν Σκοπίων). The Serbian King Stefan Uroš II Milutin confirmed the donations by Tsar Constantine I Asen and added new properties to the Monastery of Saint George-Gorg (svetago i velikago mučenika Hristova Gjeōrgiïa prěmo Skopiju gradu na Seravě na brьdě rekoměmь Verьginь). On 1 January 1345 the Serbian King Stefan Uroš IV Dušan issued a charter in Skopje concerning the Tower of Hrusija on the Holy Mount Athos. In the period from April until August 1346 King Stefan Dušan enacted a series of charters in Skopje for several monasteries on the Holy Mount Athos, for Georgios Phokopoulos and for Dubrovnik. In the year 1346/47 the same King mentioned the town of Skopje in the foundation charter of the episcopal see in Zletovo (такодже и подвигосмо всечьстнѹю Скопию), which he most probably issued in Skopje itself. On 21 May 1349 Emperor Stefan Uroš IV Dušan issued a charter for the anagnost Dragoje in Skopje. In the years 1354/55 the same Emperor enacted a charter in Skopje for the Church of the Presentation of the Theotokos in Arhiljevica. Petančić mentioned it in 1522 as Scopia.
Skopje, Lower Town, Church of the Mother of God of "the Three Hands" Place The Church of the Mother of God of "the Three Hands", which is mentioned several times in the charter of the Serbian king Stefan Uroš II Milutin for the Monastery of St. George-Gorg in the year 1300, played an important role in the history of medieval Skopje. Probably the church had already existed in Byzantine times. It could well be that she is identical with a church, which is mentioned in 1204 (et episcopus licet indignus sanctissime ecclesie dei genetricis de Scopia Marinus). The Church of the Mother of God of "the Three Hands" was initially the see of the local bishop and then (after 1346) of the Metropolitan of Skopje, which is, amongst others, attested in a Serbian charter of the emperor Stefan Uroš IV. Dušan from 1347 (… такожде и подвигосмо всечьстноую Скопию, чьстнаго и славнаго града Скопиꙗ Троѥроучицоу, на прьвопрѣстолноую митрополию, поискасмо пискоупиѥ подложити вь область митрополиѥ светые Троѥроучице Скопьскыѥ, …). The Metropolis of Skopje is hereby indicated as "prvoprestolna" (πρωτόθρονος). The beauty of the church is described by the Byzantine diplomat Theodōros Metochitēs in his account of the embassy (Πρεσβευτικός) to the Serbian royal court in 1299 (ἐν δή τινι λοιπὸν τῶν κατὰ χώραν ἱερῷ καλλίστῳ τῆς Θεοτόκου γιγνόμεθα). She was refurbished by king Milutin (и сьзда [...] црьковь глаголѥмоу Троѥроучица вь славьнѣмь градѣ Скопии). Her name derives from the miracle-working icon of the Mother of God of "the Three Hands", which was donated to this church by the Serbian Saint Sava around 1230 and which is today kept in the Serbian monastery of Chilandar on the Holy Mount Athos. Stefan Uroš IV Dušan was crowned emperor in the Church of the Mother of God of "the Three Hands", while his son Stefan Uroš V ordered the church to be enlarged and decorated. It fell into disrepair and vanished most probably after the Ottoman conquest of Skopje at the end of the 14th century, but at the latest in the 17th century. Radoslav Grujić localised the Church of the Mother of God of "the Three Hands" approximately between the lower course of the river Serava and the Upper Town of Skopje, which is confirmed by the context of king Milutin's charter for the Monastery of St. George-Gorg from the year 1300.
Skopje, Upper Town, Church of Saint Constantine Place The Serbian King Stefan Uroš II Milutin erected a Church of Saint Constantine in the Upper (?) Town of Skopje during his reign (и црьковь светааго Коньстаньтина вьноутрь града Скопиꙗ).
Spasovica Place According to the Lives of Serbian Kings and Archbishops by the Serbian Archbishop Danilo II (ca. 1270/75-1337) and his successors, the Serbian King Stefan Uroš III Dečanski (reigned 1321-1331) gathered his army in the forefront of the Battle of Velbužd in the first half of 1330 on a field called Dobrič (Dobričko polje), located in today's South-Eastern Serbia at the confluence of the rivers Južna Morava and Toplica. He intended to await the Bulgarian Tsar Michael III Šišman (reigned 1323-1330) for a battle at this place. As messengers informed him that the Bulgarian Tsar had reached the region near the castle of Zemen at the Upper Strymon (Struma), where the then border of the Serbian Kingdom lay, he also set his army in motion and moved to Nagoričino, where he prayed in the Church of Saint George (priide vь monastirь svoi kь svetomu mučeniku Hristovu Georьgiju Nagoričьskomu). After that he crossed the region of Slavište, followed the upper course of the river Kriva Reka and arrived at Kriva Palanka, where he prayed in the nearby Monastery of Joakim of Osogovo (Sarandaporь). According to the Lives of Serbian Kings and Archbishops the Bulgarian Tsar came probably from his residence in Veliko Tărnovo and went through the town of Vidin to the castle of Zemen. Stefan Dečancski advanced by forced march to the river Sovolštica. According to the Byzantine Emperor and historian John Kantakuzenos (reigned 1347-1354) Michael III moved to a place, which was called Belmasdis (ἐν τόπῳ Βελμάσδιν, today's Kjustendil) by the locals, where he pitched his camp. The Byzantine historian Nikephoros Gregoras relates that Michael III invaded the land of the Serbs (ἐς τὴν τῶν Τριβαλλῶν χώραν) in the place, where the river Strymon has its source (ποταμοῦ τοῦ Στρυμόνος εἰσὶν αἱ πηγαί). Before the decisive battle, the Bulgarian army encamped in the area between the present villages of Šiškovci and Kopilovci. The battle took place on Saturday, 28 July, 1330 and ended with a victory of the Serbian army. Stefan Dečanski killed or captured Michael III Šišman and brought him to Žegligovo (adumere eum in Segligovo), where he was buried in the Church of Saint George in the village of Nagoričino (et sepulchro datus est in Ecclesia sancti Georgii in pago Gorichina). The Serbian King erected the Church of the Ascension of Jesus Christ (i crьkovь svetago vьznesenïa sьzdati tu; also called Sveti Spas, therefore Spasovica) on the hill of Spasovica in memory of the battle. The Church of Sveti Spas does not exist anymore. The entire hill is now abundantly covered with coniferous trees that have been planted systematically. On the highest point of the hill there is a clearing, on which no traces or remains of the church exist. Originally, the entire plain of Kjustendil could be overlooked from this point, which is now impossible due to the vegetation. The Church of Sveti Spas began to decline most likely in the 16th or 17th centuries. Already at the beginning of the 20th century only parts of it were preserved, as can be seen from the documentation of the Bulgarian scholar Jordan Ivanov (1872-1947). In or after the Second World War the church was completely ruined. The published descriptions and the photographic evidence enable an approximate architectural reconstruction of the Church of the Ascension of Jesus Christ. It was a cross-domed church (with four pillars). Above the narthex in the West there were two domes, above the naos one dome (diameter: about 3,7 m). The church had a rectangular ground plan (about 12 m x 8 m). The main entrance was in the West (in the narthex), a second in the South (in the naos). The narthex and the naos were interconnected with a door. The construction of the church was most likely completed after the death of the Serbian King Stefan Uroš III Dečanski (after 1331).
Zletovo Place The first written reference to Zletovo comes from the charter of the Byzantine Emperor Basileios II for the archiepiscopal see of Ōhrid from the year 1019. Zletovo (καὶ τὴν Σθλετοβὰν) is listed as part of the Bishopric of Morozvizd (Morobisdos). The Saint Gavrilo Lesnovski departed for the Lěsnovo Monastery (vь monastirь Lesnovskyj), from which he was released after a probationary period with the blessing of the abbot to enter a hermitage near the monastery and Zletovo (za nekoj skïtь blizь prjamo manastirь, vь dolь prjamo Zletovo). According to the Vita, the Saint Gavrilo Lesnovski also came to the aid of a local Bulgarian prince named Mihail in the fight against the Pechenegs and Cumans. Mihail had to flee from his opponents to Ratkovica (vo stranu Ratkovicu). He was able with the assistance of the saint to sidle up to the opposing general Mavragan near Rataica in Zletovo (u Slětovo) and to kill him (u Rataicě i ubi Mavragana). Zletovo was withdrawn from the sovereign authority of the Byzantine Empire in 1282/1283 during the reign of the Serbian King Stefan Uroš II Milutin (i Zletovu). Zletovo is mentioned in the charter of the Serbian King Stefan Uroš II Milutin for the Gračanica Monastery from 1315 (or 1321?) (i po Zletovoi). The scribe Stanislavь completed in 1330 a Slavic manuscript in the Monastery of Saint Michael the Archangel in the mountains of Lěsnovo, which was in the domain of Ovče Pole and the region of Zletovo (vь ōblasti ōvčepolьskoi vь horě zljętovstěi, v gorě lěsnovьstěi, v monastiri stgo arhistratiga Mihaila). The scribe Stanislavь finished his prologue of the manuscript in the time, when Dragoslavь ruled over the land of Zletovo as Župan (ōbdrьžjaštu horoję Zlętovьskoję županu Dra’goslavu). According to the Slavic founding inscription for the Lěsnovo monastery from 1340/41, the monastery received annualy 100 perpers from the revenue of the market in Zletovo (ōd zletovьskago trьga na godine sto perperь). The same inscription mentions the vineyards of the town of Zletovo (nadь gьrdsko lozie). However, Zletovo with its urban metochion was not included in the endowment for the Lěsnovo Monastery in 1340/41, 1346/47, or 1381. The scribe Stanislavь copied a Menaion at the request of Jovan Oliver destined for the Monastery of the Saint Michael the Archangel in Lěsnovo in 1342 in Zletovo according to the colophon of the manuscript written in Slavic language (vь horě Zletovcěi). In the founding charter of the Serbian Emperor Stefan Uroš IV. Dušan for the Eparchy of Zletovo with its seat in the Monastery Lěsnovo from the year 1346/47 the erection of the monastery by the Serbian Espot Jovan Oliver is mentioned. Jovan Oliver built a church in honor of the Holy Archangels Michael and Gabriel in the Zletovo region in Lěsnovo (sьzdati jemu hramь vь ime velikoslavnyhь i besplьtnyihь činonačelnikьь arhistratiga Mihaila i Gabrïila, vь straně že zletovьscěi rekomōje Lěsnovo; crьkvi Arhanggelu u Zletovoi; crьkvi Arhanggelu u Zletovoi). Zletovo appears in the boundary description of the hamlet/village Globica in the founding charter of the Serbian Emperor Stefan Uroš IV. Dušan for the Eparchy of Zletovo with its seat in the Monastery Lěsnovo from the year 1346/47 (i što se kь Zletovoi kami vali tozi Zletovu budi a što se kь Globici vali tozi crьkvьno). In addition, the charter confirms the annual revenue of 100 perpers from the market in Zletovo for the Eparchy of Zletovo with its seat in the Monastery Lěsnovo (ōtь zletovьskago trьga). The Bishopric of Zletovo (episkopi zletovьskoi) owned also possessions in Pianitza according to the same charter. A note in the Slavic manuscript Lesnovski parenesis relates that it was written in Zletovo at the place called Lěsnovo in the Monastery of the Holy Archangel Michael in 1353 (vь zemli zljatovsьskoi, vь městě rekoměmь Lěsnovo, vь ōbiteli svetago arhistratiga Mihaila), as Arsenije was the Bishop of Zletovo. In 1354/55 the Serbian Emperor Stefan Uroš IV Dušan gave permission to his nobleman Vlatko Paskačić to donate the Church of Sveti Nikola in Psača, which Vlatko had erected on the inherited property of his father, together with the appertaining metochion to the Monastery of Hilandar (I vьspomenu carstvu mi prěvьzljubljenʼny i pravověrnii vlastelinь carstva mi Vladko ō crьkvy svetago Nikoly jaže jestь sьzdalь na svoōi baštině Pʼsači a sь blagoslovljenijemь carstva mi...i poljubi prěd carstvomʼ mi i priloži svoju baštinu crьkvь svetago Nikoli na Psači prěsvetěi Bogorodici hilandarьskoi sь vsěmь metehōmь). Stefan Uroš IV Dušan enlarged Vlatko's endowment with land near Krilatica, where a certain Neōr had resided and where the Emperor had moved miners from Zletovo (I na Krilatici zemlja koja jestь ōt Trnov’ca na čimь jestь sědělь Neōrь, posadi rudare koje prěseli ōt Zljetove). The Eparchy of Zletovo was probably abolished around 1370. After 1376/77, the Serbian Despot Jovan Dragaš (Ioannes Dragases) and his brother Konstantin Dragaš (Konstantinos Dragases) confirmed that the Monastery Hagios Panteleemon on the Holy Mount Athos possessed the churches of Saint Dimitrije and Saint Nikola in Zletovo (u Zletove stgo Dimitrïa, i svety Nikola). The Serbian local ruler Konstantin Dragaš confirmed on the 15th August 1381 that the Hilandar Monastery had the right to become the annual revenue of 100 perpers from the market in Zletovo aimed for the Lěsnovo Monastery (I ōd trьga zlětovьskoga da uzima Arhanggelь lěsnovьski na vsako gōdište r. Perьperь, jakože pišetь u hrisovuli carskomь). A forged charter from the 15th century, also known as the charter of the Serbian King Stefan Uroš II Milutin concerning the settlement site Ulijare settlement from 1318, relates, among other things, about the conquest of Zletovo by the Serbian King Stefan Uroš II Milutin between the years 1282 and 1284 (Zletovu). The Lěsnovo Monastery is registered in the Defter for the Sanjak Köstendil from 1570 to 1572 as Arhangel. The Lěsnovo Monastery possessed in Zletovo five watermills. Zletovo appears also in the Defter for the Sanjak Köstendil from 1570 to 1572 as as Izltva.
Žegligovo Place According to the Life of Saint Prohor Pčinjski (11th century) Prohor settled in a small cave in the deserted area of Nagoričino in Žegligovo (vь Žegligovskoj straně). The Saint met the later Byzantine Emperor Romanos IV Diogenes (reigned 1068-1071), who was hunting in Žegligovo. Between 1300 and 1318/21 a certain anagnost Radin from Nagoričino in Žegligovo (anagnosta Radina Nagoričanina izь Žegligova) wrote a gospel for the priest Zagoranin in Sušica. According to the Lives of the Serbian Kings and Archbishops, written by Archbishop Danilo II and his successors, the Serbian King Stefan Uroš III Dečanski (reigned 1321-1331) gathered his army in the forefront of the Battle of Velbužd in the first half of 1330 on a field called Dobrič, located in today's South-Eastern Serbia at the confluence of the rivers Južna Morava and Toplica. He intended to confront the Bulgarian Tsar Michael III Šišman (reigned 1323-1330) at this place. As messengers informed him that the Bulgarian Tsar had reached the castle of Zemen in the upper course of the river Strymon (Struma), at that time the border between the Serbian Kingdom and the Second Bulgarian Empire, he set his army in march and first moved to Nagoričino, where he prayed in the Church of Saint George (priide vь monastirь svoi kь svetomu mučeniku Hristovu Georьgiju Nagoričьskomu). After the Serbian victory at the Battle of Velbužd near today's Kjustendil on 28 July 1330, Stefan Dečanski captured Michael Šišman and brought him to Žegligovo (aduxere eum in Segligovo), where he died and was buried in the Church of Saint George in the village of Nagoričino (et sepulchro datus est in Ecclesia sancti Georgii in pago Gorichina). In the year 1349 (u zemli žegligovьskoi) and 1354/55 respectively (u zemli žegligovьskoi) the Serbian Emperor Stefan Uroš IV Dušan (reigned 1331-1355) mentions Žegligovo in his charters for Church of the Presentation of the Holy Mother of God in the village of Arhiljevica. The localisation of Arhilevjica remains unsolved. It might have lain near Preševo (today in Serbia) or in the Skopska Crna Gora in the triangle of the villages of Belanovce, Domanovci and Izvorь. In the Serbian Annals a church in the Skopska Crna Gora above Žegligovo is mentioned (u Črьmьnyje Gory, vyše Žegligova; eius vero mater aedificavit Ecclesiam in Nigro Monte, supra Segligovo). The same source often conflates Žegligovo and Nagoričino in one unit (I u Nagoričinu na Žegligovo crьkov svetago velikomučenika Georgïa; i u Nagoričinu na Žegligovu crkovь svetago velikomučenika Georgïa; i u Nagoričinu na Žegligovu crkovь svetago mučenika Georgïa; i u Nagoričinu na Žegligovo crьkovь svetago velikomučenika Georgïa; i u Nagoričinu na Žegligovu crkovь svetago velikomučenika Georgïa). Žegligovo is mentioned by the Serbian Janissary Konstantin Mihailović (15th century) in his memoirs ("and as he [scilicet the Serbian Emperor Stefan Uroš V] reached the land of Constantine, he pitched his tent in the field of Žegligovo" and "as the Sultan Mehmed [II] arrived near the field called Žegligovo on the border of Rascia"). The term "Land of Constantine" relates to the Serbian Despot Konstantin Dragaš, who ruled over Žegligovo in the second half of the 14th century and was therefore called "Žegligovac". Žegligovo served probably as a deployment area for the Ottoman Sultan Murad I (reigned 1360-1389) before the Battle of Kosovo in June 1389 against the Serbian Prince Lazar Hrebeljanović (reigned 1373-1389). The Byzantine Short Chronicles report that the Ottoman Sultan Bāyezīd I (reigned 1389-1402) handed over the relics of Saint Hilarion of Moglena (11th/12th centuries) to Konstantin Dragaš in 1394, who resided in Žegligovo (ὁποῦ ἐκάθετον εἰς τὸν Ὀζίγλοβο). Thereupon, Konstantin brought the relics to the Monastery of Sarandaporь. In the year 1395 Konstantin Dragaš fell in the Battle of Rovine against the Wallachian Voivode Mircea the Elder (reigned 1386-1418). In the year 1479 the scribe Vladislav Gramatik compiled a liturgical book (Panegyrikon) in the Monastery of Saint Bogorodica Črьnogorska at the foot of the Črьna Gora (Skopska Crna Gora) in the region of Žegligovo (vь prědělě žegligovscěm). The humanist and diplomat Felix Petančić (ca. 1455-after 1517) refers to Žegligovo as "Gegligove". In 1512 Ottoman troops pillaged Žegligovo and Ovče Pole (To lěto plěniše Turci Žegligovo, Ovče Polě). In the summer of 1550 Klementios was appointed Metropolitan of Skopje, Vranje and Žegligovo (μητρόπολιν Σκοπίου, Βράνιας καὶ Ζεγληγόβου). Žegligovo is mentioned in the Vodičnički pomenik from the 16th century. The župa of Žegligovo roughly included the area to the South of Preševo (today in Serbia), to the West of Slavište, to the North of Ovče Pole and the valley of the river Vardar and to the East of the Skopska Crna Gora.
Sources (1)
Name Class Description
Životi kraljeva i arhiepiskopa srpskih Source The archbishop Danilo II. (ca. 1270/1275 - 19.12. 1337) wrote the hagiographies of the Serbian king Dragutin and Stefan Uroš II Milutin, their mother Jelena and of the first three successors of the St. Sava and created thereby the core of the collection which bears the title “The Lives of the Serbian Kings and Archbishops” (Danilov zbornik). The already existing hagiographies of the founders of the dynasty and the autocephalous church (Nemanja and Sava) were considered as a model. Later, other biographies, including those of Danilo, the king Stefan Uroš III. Dečanski and the king Stefan Uroš IV Dušan, were added by continuators.