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Lt. General
Oct 1, 2004
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Serbian Before and During Action Report (BDAR)

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patch 1.08 - very hard - furious


THE LAST GREAT EMPEROR: The death of the Emperor Manoilos I Comnenus in 1180 announced the end of the fight between Kingdom of Hunary and Byzantine Empire for the dominance in central Balkan. Hungary and Byzantium had long been enemies, clashing over the Serbian border territories. The time came for the new Serbian state to rise. After two hundred years of struggle, Serbia was gaining the independence from the Byzantyne.

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Manuel I Comnenus Megas (November 28, 1118 - September 24, 1180). The Byzantine Emperor from 1143 to 1180.
 
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Serbian Before Action Report (BAR)

THE RISE OF SERBIA: Under the House of Nemanjich, Serbia was going to reach its first golden age. Stefan Nemanja (1132-1200) , the Grand Zupan (Prince) of Rascia (located in the central west region of the Balkans) was the first independent ruler and founder of the Serbian state.

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Gran Zupan Stefan Nemanja (1132-1200, reign 1166-1196).

During his reign (1166 to 1196) he established control over the territories of neighbouring Serb tribes (except those in Bosnia) and unified them. He maintained good relations with the Byzantine Empire and signed first Serbian trade agreement with city of Ragusa (Dubrovnik).

In 1176, Stefan Nemanja built Djurdjevi Stubovi, Church of St. George with two bell-towers (Serbian: stubovi) which once stood in front of it, emanating a spirit of western Romanesque building.

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The Pillars of St. George Monastery (founded by Stefan Nemanja, 1176)

One of the largest and richest Serbian Orthodox monastery, Studenica, was founded by Nemanja in 1190. Strong walls protect the Church of the Virgin and the Church of the King, both built of white marble with impressive collection of Byzantine-style fresco paintings.

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The Studenica Monastery (founded by Stefan Nemanja, 1190)

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St John the Baptist (Forerunner), fresco icon on the north pilaster, Studenica Monastery
(1208/09).

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Crucifixion, Studenica Monastery


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Maria, Studenica Monastery

At the outset of the spring of 1196 Nemanja resigned as Grand Prince, took the monastic name Simeon, retiring to a life of spirituality and reflection on the Mount Athos, together with his youngest son Rastko (monastic name Sava). They rebuilt an old greek monastery and founded the Serbian orthodox monastery Hilandar. To his eldest son Vukan, Nemanja gave the old Croatian kingdom of Duklja (close to Dubrovnik) and installed his middle son Stefan II Nemanja as Grand Prince of Serbia.

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Hilandar monastery, built by Stevan Nemanja (St. Simeon)
and Rastko Nemanjich (St. Sava) in 1198.

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The famous icon Trojerucica (Mother of God with three hands), placed at the Prior´s throne in the Hilandar Cathedral is considered the protectress of the entire Mount Athos.
 
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Serbian BAR

SAINT SAVA: In his youth (around 1192) Prince Rastko (1176-1236) escaped from home to join the orthodox monastic colony on the Holy Mount Athos and was given the name Sava. But, instead to have a typical isolated life of a monk, he was diplomatically very active. He is also celebrated as the patron of education and medicine among Serbs. Sava died in 1236 and his sacred bones were later held in the monastery Mileseva in southern Serbia.

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Saint Sava

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The Mileševa monastery - foundation of king Vladislav (reign 1234-1243).

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White Angel: The angel at Christ’s sepulchral from the composition Holy Women at the Sepulchral, church of the Ascension, Mileševa.
 
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Serbian BAR

THE KINGDOME:

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Map of Europe 1200, with two Serbian provinces, Rascia and Zeta (Duklja).

Nemanja’s decision to give the throne to the second son Stepan had serious consequences. His eldest son Vukan, ruling in still entirely Catholic mediteranean country Duklja, recognized soon the primacy of the papacy and proclaimed himself the king. He even ousted younger brother Stefan from the throne of Rasa in 1202 – 1203 and ruled in his stead, but their brother St. Sava reconciled them.

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St.Sava reconciling his brothers.

During his early rule, Stefan had priority to improve reations with the main threat - the Byzantine state. He got married with the dauther Eudoxia of the Emperor Alexios III and was even granted the high Byzantine title of sebastocrator. On April 13th 1204, the Crusaders took Constantinople it by assault. The house of Comnenus was gone. The house of Angelus had collapsed in ruins. The hated Latins ruled Constantinople, but there was no shortage of Greek claimants to the Byzantine throne. The history of Byzantium now bifurcates for about fifty years, with the Latins ruling the city and much of Greece, while the Greeks build a sort of counter-empire in northern Asia Minor.

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Constantinple taken by Crusaders, 1204.

That was the great opportunity for Serbia to gain the full independence. When the Byzantine Empire fell in 1204, Grand Prince Stefan II Nemanja (ruling from 1196 to 1223) undertook a rapprochement with the West. He remarried, this time to the granddaughter Anna of the old Venetian doge Enrico Dandolo. He recognized the supremacy of Pope Honorius III and asked him to send the royal crown. As a result of very delicate diplomacy, the pope complied with this request and crowned Stefan II the King of Serbia in 1217. Stefan was named Prvovencani (lit. meaning: Stephen the first-crowned) and established a long lasting ruling dynasty of Nemanjich. With this act Serbia became a totally independent state according to the international standards of the day.

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The Coronation of Stefan the first-crowned (1217).
 
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OtherSerbian BAR

SERBIAN ORTHODOX CHURCH: In order to make the Serbian church independent, Stefan the first-crowned sent his brother Sava to Nicea in 1219. Saint Sava managed to persuade the patriarch of the Greek Orthodox Church to give him the position of the first Serbian Archbishop, thereby establishing the Serbian Orthodox Church. Its first seat was at the famous Zica Monastery, erected by Stefan.

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St. Sava as the first Serbian Archbishop.

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The Zica Monastery, founded by Stefan the first-crowned and finalized in 1230.
Though hard to summarize, St. Sava's far-reaching legacy nevertheless stems from his ability to lay the ground for transformation of Serbian medieval ethnicity into a civilized and self-aware nation, adherent to true, universal Christian morality and norms. His reputation, message, and achievements were to transcend the boundaries of his homeland far and wide.
 
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Serbian BAR

THREE BROTHERS: King Stefan was succeeded by his eldest son Radoslav (reign 1228 – 1234), the son of the imperial princes Eudoxia . As he was feeling himself to be more Greek than Serb, the nobility ousted him from the throne in 1234 and crowned his brother Vladislav (reign 1234 – 1243). Vladislav was the son-in-law of Bulgarian tsar Ivan Asen II. Unfortunately, his father-in-law died during Tatar invasion in Middle Europe, that was very devastating in south-eastern Europe, but was more pronounced in Hungary and (in particular) Bulgaria. Vladislav was dethroned in turn and followed by Uros I (reign 1243 – 1276), the third son of Stefan Prvovencani. Vladislav thereupon acceded to the throne of southern mediteranean state Duklja after wrestling it from cousin Djuro, son of his uncle Vukan.

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Uros I (reign 1243 – 1276).
 
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Serbian BAR

ECONOMIC GROWTH: Uros I was the ablest and the most enterprising of all his brothers. He strengthened the Serbian economy by developing its agriculture, commerce and particularly its mining industry. Economic growth was obvious, and a direct result of the renewed exploitation of rich mines (silver and gold, but also iron, copper and lead), and the trade activity and monetary economy with the first standard minting of silver coinage. The mining settlements and marketplaces became veritable townships, changing the rural landscape of some Serbian areas. Saxon miners, Ragusan traders and other distinct ethno-economic groups with specific roles in this process were stimulated by appropriate privileges.
From 1268 the people of Dubrovnik (Ragusa) paid him an annual tribute of 2,000 perpers for the license to trade and to exploit the mines in his territory (referred to as the tribute of Mitrovdan). With the considerable financial resources at his disposal Uros I could maintain a strong mercenary with which he waged frequent wars. Uros I tried to extend Serbian power to the northern province Macva, but the Hungarian-Croatian king Bela III prevented him. In 1258 he occupied Skoplje, Prilip and Kicevo in Macedonia, but had to evacuate them the following year after his defeat at Kostur. Uros I waged war on Dubrovnik from 1252 to 1254 and again in 1275, wishing to add the city to Serbian state. Howeer, mighty fortifications of Dubrovnik and the help of its allies the Bulgarian king Michael Asen and Radoslav, prince of Hum in Dalmacia, prevented Uros’ attempt.

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Mighty walls of Dubrovnik.

Uros I was overthrown in 1276 by his elder son Dragutin; he was allowed to retire to a monstery in Zahumlje, where he became monk Simeon, and died a couple of years later. His main endowment - the Sopocani monastery with its original architecture and stunning fresco gallery - remains to this day one of the recognized gems of medieval European art and beyond. His wife, the influential and popular Queen Helen D' Anjou, died at an advanced age in 1314.

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The Sopocani Monastery, dedicated to the Holy Trinity, was founded in 1260 by King Uros I and Queen Helen D' Anjou.

A honest man according to his biographers, Stefan Dragutin was always troubled by the shady circumstances surrounding his assumption of power from his father Uros. Quite soon, his leg was broken in a hunting accident six years later and he understood that as a divine warning and serious bad omen, which coupled with some other factors, led to the council at Dezevo and his effective abdication in favor of younger brother Milutin (1282).
 
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Serbian BAR

LONG REIGN: The long reign of one of the most illustrious and powerful medieval Serbian figures, Stefan Uros II Milutin (reign 1282-1321), marked the elevation of Serbia to a dominant Balkan position, and saw cultural and economic prosperity and advances along many lines. After considerable international activity - through much warfare and some diplomacy - the Serbo-Byzantine peace treaty of 1299 recognized the Serbian expansion into the mostly South Slavic ethnic space in Macedonia. The agreement was sealed by a high-level royal marriage between the King Milutin and minor daughter Simonida (Simonis) of the Emperor Andronikos.

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King Milutin (Monastery Gracanica)

Much of the Byzantine court ceremonial and protocol were accepted, and a continuity of Greek customs and legal and other institutions was emphasized wherever possible. This was particularly true in the newly acquired Greek areas. King Milutin also built and established several courts, among them Skoplje, which became the most important one, and continued as such during the reigns of his successors.
Of course, none of this would have been possible without a sound economic and trade basis. The stability of Milutin's long reign saw a continued expansion of the fruitful economic policies of his father, Uros I. A burgeoning monetary economy is evidenced by copious output of silver coinage, the later series of which produced some novel and artistic designs. Its aggressiveness also provoked trade sanctions from Venice, and among other things, role of "the Raskan king" in Dante's Paradise. Natural resource exploitation and trade patterns were further expanded, and rights and obligations of the various ethno-economic casts (inevitably more socio-economic as time passed: e.g. "Saxs" became a synonym for miners, "Vlachs" for shepherds) were strictly regulated.

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Dante Alighieri (1265-1321)

Milutin's generosity was legendary, as he erected several dozen monasteries, churches and hospitals. In Serbia, the most notable examples include the Gracanica monastery near Pristina and Bogorodica (Virgin) Ljeviska in Prizren, both in Kosovo. However, these efforts did not stop at national borders, and his generous foundations and donations can still be witnessed in a wide area ranging from Italy, via Thessalonika and Mount Athos, to Constantinople and the Holy Land.

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Gracanica monastery, Pristina Kosovo (1321).

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Monastery Gracanica, Mourning of Christ

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Dormition of the Virgin, Gracanica 1321

Uros II Milutin was succeeded by his son Stefan Uros III Decanski (reign 1321 – 1331). He was a tragic but a significant figure of the Nemanjic dynasty. Sent at an early age by his father as a hostage ensuring Tatar neutrality, he managed to escape much later and was granted a traditional appanage in Duklja. After some quite lengthy dynastic fights, he succeeded in consolidating his power in Serbia. With his victory at Velbuzd (Kustendil) over the Bulgarians in 1330 he secured his possessions in Macedonia. The battle ended with defeated Bulgarian armies and nobility in disarray, while Tsar Michael II Sisman was killed. Despite the glory of this victory, Stefan was dethroned soon by his son Dusan, who put him in prison.

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Stefan Uros III Decanski (reign 1321 – 1331)

The main endowment of Stefan Uros III Decanski is the famous monastery of Visoki Decani, in western Kosovo, dedicated to Ascension of our Lord (completed later by his son Dusan), after which he has been referred to as Decanski.

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Monastery Visoki Decani, Kosovo (built 1327-1335)

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Unindetified Flying Objects, from Decani monastery (Kosovo XIV century).
 
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Serbian BAR

THE FIRST SERBIAN EMPIRE: The Serbian state reached its first climax of power during the reign of Tsar Stefan Dusan Silni (Mighty), reign 1331-1355 (from 1345 the Tsar). The vast expansion at the expense of the Byzantine state was accomplished without major warfare or open-field battles. It appears more as an opportunistic, or wise exploitation of circumstances that were in Dusan’s favour. However, once in charge of these new territories, Dusan acted with a sense of responsibility and organization.

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Tsar Dusan - The Emperor of the Serbs, Romans, Bulgarians and Albanians.

In 1332 he married Jelena, sister of Bulgarian tsar Aleksandar, a woman of strong will, who had a large influence on him and bore him son Uros and one daughter.

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Dusan’s wedding (1332).

Responding to wishes of the restless feudal lords, the young king undertook several successive attacks on Byzantine territories (1334, 1341-1345, 1347-1348). These Serbian victories had influence on a new Byzantine civil war. During the conflict between the minor emperor John V and his regent, John Cantacuzenus, old rivals Venice and Genoa interfered as allies on both sides. Furthermore, supporting Cantacuzenus, the Ottoman Turks saw their first European action and plundered Byzantine dominions. Dusan took the remaining Macedonian towns, with the exception of Thessaloniki, and all of Albania with the exception of Durazzo (Drac). Finally, he entered the important city of Serres, and obtained extensive parts of Greece - Epirus and Thessaly - as far as the Gulf of Corinth. The Serbian state attained its greatest expansion, reaching the Adriatic, Ionian and Aegean seas. King Dusan began thinking along the lines of restoring the glory of The Orthodox Roman Empire under his rule.

As soon as he had taken possession of Serres, the Serbian king styled himself The Master of Romania (Byzantium), and by the end of 1345, had proclaimed himself The Emperor of the Serbs and Romans.

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The Coronation of the Emperor Dusan, Skopje 1346.

With the approval of the Patriarch of Trnovo (Bulgaria) and the (Byzantine) Archbishop of Ohrid, he elevated the Archbishop Joannicius of Pec to the rank of Serbian Patriarch, causing the anathema pronounced by the Byzantine patriarch against the new emperor, patriarch and the new church.

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Serbian Patrijarsija in Pech, Kosovo.

He had himself crowned The Emperor in a solemn ceremony, at a synod in Skoplje on Easter of 1346. Although the imperial title no longer reflected the desire for universal power, it did reveal the plans of the Serbian ruler to impose his mastery on the empire. After fresh victories and territorial expansion, Tsar Dusan appealed to the Venetians for help to conquer Constantinople by sea, but these went unanswered. The Western states were in no mood to sustain his program, and they continued to call him king rather than emperor. Dusan's plan to form a coalition against the Turks and his negotiations with the Pope at Avignon to get himself appointed "captain" of the Crusaders also bore no fruit, although - in a move so typical of medieval East-West political manoeuvre - he did promise a union of Catholic and Serbian Orthodox churches.

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The map of Dusan’s Empire.

Tsar Dusan, for his part, did behave like a Byzantine emperor. State synods, attended by eminent lords, no longer discussed sacred and secular affairs as they had previously, but simply acclaimed the emperor's proposals and laws. At the state synod in Skoplje, in 1349, the Code of Laws was published, and was supplemented later by new provisions in 1354. Dusan's aim was to unify legal practice and introduce system based on greek tradition in the whole country. The code, containing around 200 articles, was based partly on the common law, partly on the old church law, and somewhat on Greek imperial laws, but in its essence it has predominantly autonomous character. It could be viewed as a kind of constitution, as even the Emperor had to obey the supreme authority of The Law.

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The Code of Law of Tsar Dusan (1349):

167. On Justice. Imperial order: If the Tsar write a writ either from anger or from love, or by grace for someone, and that writ transgress the Code, and be not according to justice and the law, as written in the Law, the judges shall not believe that writ, but shall only judge and act according to justice.

168. All judges shall judge according to the law, rightly, as is written in the Code, and shall not judge out of fear of the Tsar.

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Map of Europe, 1360.
 
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Serbian BAR

THE DESINTEGRATION OF THE FIRST SERBIAN EMPIRE: Emperor Dusan had large intentions but they were all cut by premature death in 1355, at the age of 48. It is suspected that he was poisoned. He was burried in his foundation, the monastery of Holy Archangels near Prizren (Kosovo). Dusan's minor son Stefan Uros IV Nejaki (Weak), was ruling from 1355 to 1371. The Empire had no national unity or common political identity. It was a mosaic of peoples and political circumstances, united only by the force of the conqueror. As soon as this power disappeared, the empire disintegrated into several provinces and conflict between the nobility started.

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Map of Serbian Empire and surrounding states in 1355.

Regional lords behaved like rulers on a small scale - they minted money and exacted tolls, depriving the emperor and central government of his rights and revenues. Emperor Uros IV was ultimately forced to divide his power with the most powerful among the Serbian noblemen - Vukasin Mrnjavcevich, the master of northern and eastern Macedonia - giving him the title of king and the rights of a co-ruler in 1365. Uros IV died suddenly in December of 1371, two month after the disasterous battle of Marica, which he did not participate in. He was the last legitimate member of the holy Nemanjich dynasty.


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The Holy Dynasty of Nemanjich.

Important Serbian rulers:

Stefan Nemanja, Grand Zupan of Raska, (1168 - 1196)
Stefan Prvovencani (The First-Crowned) (1196 - 1227), King in 1217
Stefan Uros I (1243 - 1276)
Stefan Uros II Milutin (1282 - 1321)
Stefan Uros III Decanski (1321 - 1331)
Stefan Uros IV Dusan Silni (Mighty) (1331 - 1355), Emperor (Czar) in 1346
Stefan Uros V Nejaki (Weak) (1355 - 1371)
 
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Serbian BAR

THE BATTLE OF MARICA: Brothers Mrnjavcevich (King Vukasin and Despot Jovan Ugljesa) were first aware of clear danger coming from the Ottoman Turks. They decided to take a decisive action and confront them. They offensively moved towards the newly established Ottoman European capital at Adrianople (Edirne), meeting a Turkish force near Cernomen on the Marica river. There, on September 26th 1371, under cloudy circumstances but with a clear outcome, the army of two brothers was annihilated and they perished. The battle's location is still called "Srb sindigi" - the Serbian disaster. The agony of the aftermath on the population is vividly expressed by still used proverb: “Taken away by grey river Marica”. The Marica showdown was had serious consequences for the future of Serbia, Orthodox Christendom of south-eastern Europe. The gates of Europe were open to Turkish invaders.

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The battle of Marica, 1371.

Vukasin was succeeded by his son King Marco (reign 1371 – 1395), who had to recognize the suzerainty of the Turks and became their vassal. In these circumstances the only hope remained with Prince Lazar (reign 1371-1389), ruling in the original ethnic Serbia. Early on Lazar realized that the needed central authority can not be re-established without the prior fulfilment of several prerequisites. First, the anathema on Serbia and its patriarchy by the powerful Constantinopolitan church had to be removed. The political climate by then already favoured this, but Lazar's interventions were nonetheless crucial in bringing this delicate matter to the end in 1375. Furthermore, even though he had the relatively modest title of Prince, Lazar understood well the need for dynastic legitimacy and continuity. He married with Princess Milica Nemanjich, providing continuity with the Holy Dynasty of Nemanjich.

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Knez (Prince) Lazar (1371-1389)

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Knjeginja (Princess) Milica.

Economically and administratively, Lazar did the best to prepare the realm for the war against the advancing Ottomans. His early control of the important mines and mints at Rudnik and Novo Brdo enabled prosperity and the influx of refugees (including highly skilled ones) from the Turkish-occupied lands.

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The seal of Knez Lazar.
 
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Serbian BAR

THE BATTLE OF KOSOVO:

Yes, and from Jerusalem, O from that holy place,
A great grey bird, a taloned falcon flew!
And in his beak he held a gentle swallow.
But wait! it's not a falcon, this grey bird,
It is a saint, Holy Saint Eliyah:
And he bears with him no gentle swallow
But a letter from the Blessed Mother.
He brings it to the Tsar at Kosovo
And places it upon his trembling knees.
And thus the letter itself speaks to the Tsar:
'Lazar! Lazar! Tsar of noble family,
Which kingdom is it that you long for most?
Will you choose a heavenly crown today?
Or will you choose an earthly crown?
If you choose the earth then saddle horses,
Tighten girths- have your knights put on
Their swords and make a dawn attack against
The Turks: your enemy will be destroyed.
But if you choose the skies then build a church-
O, not of stone but out of silk and velvet-
Gather up your forces take the bread and wine,
For all shall perish, perish utterly,
And you, O Tsar, shall perish with them."
And when the Tsar has heard those holy words
He meditates, thinks every kind of thought:
"O, Dearest God, what shall I do, and how?
Shall I choose the earth? Shall I choose
The skies? And if I choose the kingdom,
If I choose an earthly kingdom now,
Earthly kingdoms are such passing things-
A heavenly kingdom, raging in the dark, endures eternally."
And Lazarus chose heaven, not the earth,
And tailored there a church at Kosovo-
O not of stone but out of silk and velvet-
And he summoned there the Patriarch of Serbia,
Summoned there the lordly twelve high bishops:
And he gathered up his forces, had them
Take with him the saving bread and wine.
As soon as Lazarus has given out
His orders, then across the level plain
Of Kosovo pour all the Turks.

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Prince Lazar with Serbian knights.

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Turkish soldiers.

Finally, on June 15th 1389, at the fields of Kosovo, the two opposing armies faced each other. Turks came prepared in full force, led by sultan Murad and his two sons. Lazar was leading a respectable though smaller army, helped by his allies Vuk Brankovich and Lord Ivan Kosanchich (on behalf of the Bosnian King Tvrtko I).

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Sultan Murad I (reign 1359-1389)

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Sultan Beyazit (reign 1389-1402)

The two armies clashed and the Turks immediately gained the advantage because of their numbers. But, as the day progressed, it seemed the Christians were gaining a tactical advantage. The two wings pushed forward and each side made their way into the Turkish camp. But, the central army lead by Tsar Lazar was being stopped. This army was being beaten so badly that Lazar was killed in battle. At the outset of the battle Milos Obilic took sultan Murad by surprise and killed him. Nevertheless the Turks obtained the victory under the leadership of the new sultan Beyazid. Because of the assassination of his father, the new sultan, Beyazid I, had all the Serbian prisoners executed.

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The Battle of Kosovo (St. Vitus’ day, June 15th, 1389)

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Serbian knight Milos Obilic.

Although several months after the Battle of Kosovo, the ringing bells from the Cathedral of Notre Dame in Paris were celebrating the great "victory" of Christian army, the outcome was quite opposite. Both leaders were dead, and their armies suffered heavy casualties. On Serbian side, the most of the nobility, leadership and fighting force had perished along with the monarch Lazar. Fortunately, the large part of the army, including Vuk Brankovich, was able to retreat in an orderly fashion.

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Ringing bells of the Cathedral of Notre Dame in Paris, celebrating the great "victory" of Christian army.

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Young Serbian woman with wounded solders after the Battle of Kosovo.

THE FALL OF BULGARIA: After the Kosovo victory, the gates of Balkan were open for Turks. In 1393, Tarnovo, the capital of Bulgaria fell under Islamic regime. The last medieval Bulgarian king Ivan Shishman, isolated by Christian Europe because of his Jewish mother, was killed in 1395 defending the fortress of Nicopolis.

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The Battle of Nicopol, 1396.

After the tragic fall down of Bulgarian Kingdom, the Christian Europe begin to recognize the danger of the Islam invasion. Pope Boniface IX called for Holly War against Turks. A French-led army of 10,000 joined a Christian army under King Sigismund of Hungary. The crusaders marched to the relief of Bulgarian, Armenian, Georgian, Greek and other Christians, oppressed by Islamic invaders. On 22 September 1396, again at Nicopolis they met the Ottoman army in the dramatic battle of Nicopolis. Ignoring the advice of the Hungarian King, the Crusaders charged the Turks and were in turn smashed by the Ottoman heavy cavalry.
 
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Serbian BAR

THE VASSAL STATE: The battle of Kossovo had fatal consequences for the Serbs and other nations west of them. After a Hungarian raid on Serbia in late 1389, Princess Milica acting as regent on the behalf of her minor son Stefan Lazarevich (reign 1389 – today), accepted a vassal relationship with the Turks. In 1392 the Turks conquered Skoplje in Macedonia making it a base for further conquest of Balkan. As a Turkish vassal, Prince Stefan Lazarevich was obliged to participate the famous Battle of Angora on July 28th 1402, when the Turkish army was slaughtered and Sultan Beyazid captured.

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Tamerlan’s campaign.

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The Battle of Angora (1402).

Stefan Lazarevich rescued himself from the battle and came back to Serbia. Due to the defeat of Turks and thanks to the help of Hungary, the state of Lazarevich somewhat recovered. Stefan Lazarevich received from the Byzantine Emperor John VII the honorary title of Despot from which his country came to be called Despotovina. The following year of 1403 he acknowledged the suzerainty of the Hungarian-Croatian king Sigismund who gave him province of Macva and Belgrade as his fief. Later Sigismund gave him in addition vast domains in southern Hungary and the rich mining town of Srebrenica in Bosnia. Stefan also managed to reconcile his differences with the Brankovic family, and his nephew Djuradj in particular, planning to make him a successor of the despot’s throne. After Turkish dynastical fight between brothers Musa and Mehemmed, when in 1413 in the battle under Mount Vitosa Musa was defeated and killed, Despot Stephan signed a favorable peace treaty with the new sultan Mehemmed. That enabled him to gather most of central Serbian lands under his power.

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Despot Stefan Lazarevich, the son of Knez Lazar and Knjeginja Milica (reign 1389 - today)

Serbia is now enjoying a new period of improvement and economic development. In 1412 the well-known Mining Law was passed, which among the rest guarantes privileges to miners and security in all mining activities.

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A detail from the Mining Law (1412).

According to contemporaries, Despot Stefan is a medieval warrior, a well educated knight, delicate poet and humanistic savant, all at the same time. He also belongs to the highest class of Hungarian aristocracy and invests in huge possessions in Hungary where he settles Serbs.

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The Manasija Monastery (1407-1418) is the foundation of Despot Stefan Lazarevich. In the Holy Trinity Church the frescoes were painted by the best artists of those times, most probably coming from Thessalonica. The frescoes are outstanding for their magnificent harmony of precious sky-blue azzurro and golden foil surfaces that have always been abundantly used in Orthodox art.

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Among the most beautiful ones are portraits of holy warriors in choirs, as if they posed prior to the beginning of some tournament. These are no longer ancient armored soldiers, but nearly modern knights with the most fashionable patterns of valuable textiles. After all, it is known from written records that the Despot himself chose clothes for his courtiers and forbid bad manners and talking loudly.

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Serbian ladies.

Serbia of Despot Stefan Lazarevich is consisted of two provinces, central Serbia (Mp 3, Tx 6, goods: grain) and Kosovo (Mp 3, Tx 4, goods: wool). “The millenia old Byzantine empire now reduced to the two provinces of Thrace (the area around Constatinople) and Morea, faces an uncertain future.” Turkish state is consolidated and in expansion again. Northern neighbour Hungary is cut off from the Adriatic coast by Venetians. They make claims over the Balkan territories, in order to get access to the sea.

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The map of Serbian province Kosovo showing locations of Monasteries of Serbian Orthodox Church.

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The map of Serbia and surrounding states, end 1418.

Can Despot Stefan with his multiple skills, as warrior, tactful diplomat and patron of economic development, be successful in surviving in such dangerous and unpredictable political environment ? Is Serbia going to disappear in front of incoming furious Turkish hordes ? Is the destiny of Serbia determined by tragic battle of Kosovo ? Can otherwise Despot Stefan Lazarevich reaffirm the legacy of The Mighty Tsar Stefan Dusan Nemanjich ? Can he expand the Serbian state in such an extent to make again claims on the Throne of the East Roman Empire, liberate and unite orthodox provinces ?
 
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Serbian During Action Report (DAR)

MY RETURN TO SERBIA:

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Igor Vragovich, the High Adviser of Despot Stefan Lazarevich (portrait was made in 1418, during the stay in Alicante).

After 4 years spent in Chemnitz (Saxony) and one 1 year in Alicante (Valencia), studying mainly Law and Naval Technology, I came back to Serbia to serve my Lord Despot Stefan Lazarevich.
During my stay in Chemnitz, I had a lot of contacts with local nobility. Very often I was their guest in Burg Rabenstein in Chemnitz and Burg Wolkenstein in Zschopau.

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Chemnitz, Saxony.

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Burg Rabenstein (Chemnitz, Saxony).

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Burg Wolkenstein (Zschopau, Saxony).

As Saxony is famous for its intensive mining activities, I decided to make several official trips to mining centres, Annaberg and Freiberg, situated in Ore Mountains (Erzgebirge - Sometimes, in winter is was so cold (minus 20 degrees), that tears in my eyes were frozen after just 5 minutes of walking along the street.)

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Freberger Rathaus (city hall)

After long negotiations I convinced a group of 23 miners (together with their families, more than 100 persons) from Freiberg and surrounding villages, to move to live in Novo Brdo. Of course, my Lord Despot Stefan had to send an appropriate compensation to Saxonian Court in Meissen.
Later, I spent one year in Alicante (Valencia), acquiring basic knowledge in Naval Technology. I also had several official trips to Murcia, Valencia and Palma. The weather was much better.

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Castillo de Santa Barbara, Alicante.

Now, I am back to Serbia. As a Despot’s adviser, I was sent to one of the most important mining town, Novo Brdo (New Mount) in central Serbia. My main duties here are to supervise mining activities and, as appointed High Judge, to resolve eventual disputes.

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Novo Brdo today (end 1418)

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Saxonian miners in Serbian hills.

Novo Brdo now has a large community of Saxonian miners. Their wives also brought with them traditional handcraft.

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Saxonian Schwibboegen.

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Traditional Saxonian lace-making.

Mining in the country of my Lord Despot Stefan is developing rapdly. This is particularly evident in Novo Brdo and Srebrenica (Silver-town). We produce today one fifth of the entire European silver; only through Dubrovnik 5 tons of silver are exported annually.

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Mining of silver.

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Mining hammer, run by watermill.

Also, trade and handicraft are flourishing again . Through intensive trade connections, Serbia is tied to two important economic zones - the Adriatic and Danubian ones.

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Production of arms, that we need so strongly in order to defend us from unbelievers Turks.

Development of commerce. Very important are connections with traders from Dubrovnik. Moreover, due to my personal connections with traders and noblemen from Genoa and Constantinople, we are in good position for future negotiations.

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Silber coins from Novo Brdo.

Urban progress, which filled the towns with men of trade and business from abroad (especially from Dubrovnik), managed to partially detach Serbia from its feudal past, in a manner somewhat reminiscent of contemporaneous Italian states of the emerging Renaissance.

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Serbian medieval sculptors, development of art.

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Beograd (Belgrade) today (end 1418).

Towns also gathered relative autonomy, and Belgrade - at this point a thriving city of some 50,000 inhabitants - is the new Serbian capital, where the despot's dignified court is organized as an interesting fusion of older Byzantine and humanistic gallant manners.

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My Lord Despot Stefan Lazarevich, with his nephew Lord Djuradj Brankovich and noblemen, during hunt in Mount Avala near Belgrade.
 
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Great AAR but the problem with Geocities is that it has a bandwith cap and the more pictures you have the faster it kills their bandwith so they shut you off. I suggest Photobucket and/or Photodump
 
Serbian Dar: First Problems

Dear Sirs,

only one week after my return to Serbia and two days upon arrival to Novo Brdo, very important and significant probems appered. I must strongly appologize, but I have no control over them. My comprehensive knowledge of Naval Technolgy seems not to be adequate to solve them.

Today I got the following (for me, as a man of Renaissance, not understandable) letter from the Great Lord Webmaster, ruling faraway Yahoo Empire:

(citation)

"Yahoo! GeoCities - Yahoo!

Sorry, this site is temporarily unavailable!
The web site you are trying to access has exceeded its allocated data transfer. Visit our help area for more information.

Access to this site will be restored within an hour. Please try again later.
http://www.geocities.com/igoreuropa2/"

My Dear Honorable Sirs, it seems that pictures that I was intending to show you are not visible in the moment, and evenmore, it is possible that this tiny little problem can appear in future again.

I appology again for this error,

you modest servant,

High Magistrate and Court Adviser of His Majesty Great Lord Despot Stefan Lazarevich,

Igor Vragovich.
 
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I agree, get photobucket, it's what I use and it works very well. Better than GeoCities anytime:)

Th :rofl:
 
Serbian DAR

Unexpectedly, two noble men, emissaries from a smal country Photobucket visited me in the evening. During a pleasant walk along a mountine stream outside the city walls, they gave me the message of their Lord, while the sound of mining watermill was comming from the wood.

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They told me that their Herr won the decisive battle against the Mighty Yahoo, and now having independency set the goal to help other small nations. Fortunately, tomorrow at 18.00 (Balkan time) several specialists of (for me unknown) Photobucket secreet art are comming to my town Novo Brdo. We agreed that I must definitely meet with them and solve my problem.