Fall of the Serbian Empire
Situation in Serbian Empire around 1371.
Date 20 December 1355 – 4 December 1371 Location Serbian Empire Result Feudal fragmentation

Thefall of the Serbian Empire was a decades-long process in the late 14th century. Following the death of the childlessEmperorStefan Uroš V in 1371, theSerbian Empire was left without an heir and the magnates,velikaši, obtained the rule of its provinces and districts (in so-calledfeudal fragmentation), continuing their offices as independent with titles such asgospodin, anddespot, given to them during the Empire. This period is known as the dissolution or the beginning of the fall of the Serbian Empire.

Between 1365 and 1371,King Vukašin was the co-ruler of Emperor Uroš, ruling the southern half, thus the Empire may be viewed as ade factodiarchy. Before 1371, thenobility were either directly subordinate to Emperor Uroš or to Vukašin. Vukašin died in theBattle of Maritsa (1371) against the invadingOttoman Empire, and southern Serbian provinces became nominal Ottomanvassals. Four months later, Uroš died. The lords could not agree on the rightful ruler; they dismissedPrince Marko, the son of Vukašin, and conflicts started between the nobles within a year. An assembly was held in 1374 without any success since the nobles were unable to agree on whether Marko orPrince Lazar would head the Serbian confederation as the Serbian king and the state continued as before, fragmented and without central authority.

The period after the death of Uroš and Vukašin (1371–89) was marked by the rise and fall of Prince Lazar, and the power struggle of the minor provinces. Lazar ruled the most powerful Serbian principality,Moravian Serbia. The rule of Lazar ended with his death in theBattle of Kosovo in 1389, when Serbia stood up against invading Ottomans, an event that is deeply rooted inSerbdom. By 1395, most of the southern provinces had been conquered and annexed by the Ottomans, and the provinces of modernCentral Serbia had accepted nominal Ottoman rule. Lazar was succeeded by his son,Stefan Lazarević, who ruled therumpSerbian Despotate, which finally fell to the Ottomans in 1459, thus marking the end of themedieval Serbian state.

Emperor Dušan's son and heirStefan Uroš V (1356–71), though by this time twenty years old, was weak, and unable to take forceful action against his nobles' separatist tendencies, hence his sobriquet "the Weak", as opposed to his father Dušan's, "the Mighty".

Dušan's half-brotherSimeon Uroš was expelled fromEpirus and sought to obtain Serbia. He marched on Serbia in 1357 after he had himself proclaimed Tsar of the Greeks, Serbs, and Albanians atKastoria in 1356. The forces of Stephen Uroš met the forces of Simeon nearScutari inZeta and forced them to back down. Meanwhile, in the Serbian, Bulgarian and Byzantine borderlands of westernThrace,Matthew Kantakouzenos, the son of the Byzantine emperorJohn VI Kantakouzenos made war on the Serbs in 1356-57 but failed to captureSerres with his five-thousand Turks and was soon defeated in battle byVojvoda Vojin and held for ransom. The ransom was paid by the EmperorJohn V Palaiologos and Matthew was allowed to retire toMorea. Now the lands that remained loyal to Uroš were most ofMacedonia, including the land between theStruma andMesta rivers and theChalcidice peninsula. The lands that remained Serbian could be divided into three main parts: the western territories, including Zeta, the central Serbian lands of Uroš and the southern lands (including the eastern part of Macedonia with Serres as its capital).

The most powerful noble wasVojislav Vojinović who quarrelled with theRepublic of Ragusa in the fall of 1358, when the Serbs and the Hungarians clashed along the Danube. The Hungarians penetrated deep into Serbian territory and the Serbian army retreated to avoid battle with the attackers. Vojislav waited until the Hungarians withdrew in 1359 then he attacked Ragusa. In 1365Vukašin was proclaimed King of Serbia and co-ruler with Uroš, andJovan Uglješa was madeDespot in the SerbianPrincipality of Serres [bg].

There was a far more serious problem for Serbia — and the whole Balkans — than the internal squabbling of the Serbian nobles, and that was the advance of theOttoman Turks in Europe. Followed by their penetration into Thrace, in 1354 they acquiredGallipoli on the European side of theDardanelles. From there, they expanded into Thrace takingDemotika from the Byzantines in 1361 andPhilippopolis from the Bulgarians in 1363 and finally in 1369 the major city ofAdrianople. By 1370 Turks had occupied most of Thrace to theRhodopes and theBalkan Mountains. As they reached the Rhodopes they collided withJovan Uglješa who had extended his realm beyond the Mesta into this territory and the threat from them became increasingly serious.

On September 26, 1371, King Vukašin with his brother DespotJovan Uglješa led the Serb Army against the advancing Ottoman Empire led by thebeylerbey ofRumeliLala Şâhin Paşa at theBattle of Maritsa.^[1] The offensive against the Turks was originally scheduled for early 1371 but was delayed perhaps because Uglješa had hoped that Bulgaria might also join the coalition. King Vukašin and his sonMarko were inScutari preparing for action againstNicholas Altomanovich when they were summoned east to join up with Uglješa and his army and then together they easily penetrated what was supposedly Turkish territory and reachedCernomen on theMaritsa River, where the Serbs did not bother to post sentries or have scouts as did the Turks. Furthermore, they did not keep their horses or their weapons in readiness and they allowed themselves to be surprised. The Ottomans won the battle, as they attacked the Serbian army while they rested. The bodies of the commanders were not found.

Prince Marko inherited the royal title of his father and became the co-ruler of Emperor Uroš.

Stefan Uroš V died childless on December 2/4 1371, after much of the Serbian nobility had been destroyed by the Turks in the Battle of Maritsa earlier that year. Vukašin's son Marko inherited his father's royal title and thus became the disputed successor of the Serbian throne, the nobles pursued their interests, quarrelling with each other.

Real power in northern Serbia was held byPrince Lazar. The latter did not assume the imperial or royal titles (associated with theHouse of Nemanjic), and in 1377 accepted kingTvrtko I of Bosnia (a maternal grandson of Serbian kingStefan Dragutin) as titularKing of Serbia. Serbia proper became a vassal of the Ottomans in 1390 but remained effectively ruled by theLazarevićs and then by theirBrankovićs successors until the fall ofSmederevo in 1459.

In 1372 Đurađ succeeded his fatherStracimir as the lord of Upper Zeta. Đurađ, in the standards of collective family reign, issued together with his unclesBalša II and presidingĐurađ I an edict in theRepublic of Ragusa on 30 November 1373. The edict confirmed the laws ofEmperor Stefan Uroš from the SerbianNemanjić and gave privileges to Ragusian traders, including imposed taxes on the Adriatic City. It also included a unique clause, recognizing the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the Serbian Empire even though for years without an Emperor and any form of centralized strong authority, a note that if anyone became the new sovereign Emperor of the Serbs and the Serbian nobility and lands, all the points shall be transferred from the Balšićs to him. Đurađ I'slogotet Vitko was the witness, as well asDragaš Kosačić.^[2] The collectivity of the family of the Balšićs marked this unique feudal system applied to their domain.

When his father died, "young king" Marko legally became a king and the co-ruler of Tsar Uroš. Soon afterwards came the end of the Nemanjić dynasty, when Uroš died on 2 or 4  December 1371, which formally made Marko the sovereign of the Serbian state. Serbian lords, however, did not even consider to recognize him as their supreme ruler,^[3] and the separatism within the state increased even more.^[4] After the demise of the two brothers and the destruction of their armies, the House of Mrnjavčević was left without any real power.^[3] Lords surrounding Marko took the opportunity and seized significant parts of his patrimony. By 1372, Đurađ I Balšić grabbed Prizren and Peć, and PrinceLazar Hrebeljanović took Priština. By 1377Vuk Branković acquired Skopje, and Albanian magnateAndrea Gropa became practically independent in Ohrid. The latter possibly remained a vassal to Marko as he had been to Vukašin.^[4][5] Gropa's son-in-law was Marko's relative Ostoja Rajaković of theclan of Ugarčić from Travunia. He was one of the Serbian nobles from Zachlumia and Travunia (adjacent principalities in present-day Herzegovina) who had received lands in the newly conquered parts of Macedonia during Tsar Dušan's reign.^[6]

After the Battle of Maritsa,Marko, the son ofVukašin Mrnjavčević, was crowned king and gained his father's lands. However, his friendship with the Balšićs soon crumbled. This was a result of Đurađ, in 1371, expelling his first wife Olivera, Marko's sister, and takingPrizren from Marko.Lazar Hrebeljanović, prince ofMoravian Serbia, conqueredPriština in the same year. Đurađ tookPeć a year later, stripping most of Marko's lands north ofŠar mountain.^[7]

In the spring of 1371, Marko participated in the preparations for a campaign againstNikola Altomanović, the major lord in the west of the Empire. The campaign was planned jointly by King Vukašin andĐurađ I Balšić, the lord ofZeta, who was married to Olivera, the king's daughter. In July of that year, Vukašin and Marko camped with their army outsideScutari, on Balšić's territory, ready to make an incursion towardsOnogošt in Altomanović's land. The attack never happened, as theOttomans threatened the land ofDespotJovan Uglješa, the lord ofSerres, Vukašin's younger brother who ruled in eastern Macedonia. The forces of the Mrnjavčevićs were quickly directed eastward.^[8][9] Having in vain looked for allies, the two brothers finally entered with their troops into the territory controlled by the Ottomans. At the Battle of Maritsa on 26 September 1371, the Turks annihilated the Serbian army; not even the bodies of Vukašin and Jovan Uglješa were ever found. The place where it was fought, near the village ofOrmenio in the east of present-day Greece, has ever since been calledSırp Sındığı "Serbian Rout" in Turkish. The outcome of this battle had serious consequences—it opened up theBalkans to the Turks.^[10][11]

In 1371, Đurađ announced toRagusan Republic thatVukašin Mrnjavčević and his son,Marko, along with their armies, were inScutari with Đurađ, preparing an attack on Altomanović. Dubrovnik assisted their campaign by providing ships to transport men and supplies since their campaign was in Dubrovnik's interests. However, the campaign never took place as Vukašin and Marko went to aid Vukašin's brother,Jovan Uglješa, in a campaign against the Turks, which ended up in total disaster that was the Battle of Maritsa.Altomanović though was now in even more trouble. PrinceLazar Hrebeljanović of Serbia and BanTvrtko I ofBosnia allied themselves to defeat Nikola Altomanović. Desperate for a strong ally, Altomanović began negotiations with Đurađ. Most historians agree that in concluding negotiations, Đurađ gained the towns ofTrebinje,Konavle andDračevica from Altomanović, possibly a bribe to remain neutral within the war. Other historians, however, followMauro Orbini's account and argue that Đurađ never concluded such an agreement, rather conquered the towns he gained from the agreement himself after Altomanović was defeated in 1373.^[9]

The Assembly (Sabor) took place on September 26, 1374, symbolically three years since the Battle at Maritsa. The Assembly was held to stop the discord between Serbian nobles. Marko and Lazar both claimed the title of King, with Vuk Branković supporting Lazar.^[12]

On 26 October 1377, Tvrtko had himself crowned as Stephen Tvrtko I,by the Grace of God, King of the Serbs, Bosnia and the Seaside and the Western Lands. Today, some historians consider that he was crowned in theMonastery of Mileševa, even though there is no evidence of that.^[13] Another possibility, supported by archaeological evidence, is that he was crowned in Mile nearVisoko in the church which was built in the time ofStephen II Kotromanić's reign, where he was also buried alongside his uncle Stjepan II.^[14][15] Stephen (Stefan) was the standard title of the rulers of theNemanjić dynasty. In 1375–1377 Tvrtko created a unique genealogy that explicitly stated his descent from the Nemanjići.

Đurađ I died on 13 January 1378 inScutari. However, recent studies now conclude that Đurađ died in 1379 rather than in 1378. The rule of Zeta was passed down to his younger brother,Balša II. Đurađ's death caused quite a stir between Zeta's neighbours. Bosnian Ban Tvrtko I annexed Đurađ's territories borderingDubrovnik in 1377, along with the remainder of Đurađ's coastal lands between theBay of Kotor and the land previously annexed in 1377 at the time of his death. Tvrtko secured these possessions through Đurađ's death, free of the worry of any counter-attack.

Vuk Branković also took this opportunity to gain Đurađ's land. Branković sent his forces intoMetohija and seized Prizren, along with the rest of Đurađ's holdings in the region.^[16]

By 1379, Prince Lazar Hrebeljanović, the governor ofPomoravlje, emerged as the most powerful among the Serbian nobles. In his signatures, he titled himself as the "Autocrat of all theSerbs" (самодрьжць вьсѣмь Србьлѥмь); nevertheless, he was not powerful enough to unite all Serbian lands under his authority. The families ofBalšić andMrnjavčević,Konstantin Dragaš (maternally a Nemanjić), Vuk Branković, Tvrtko and Radoslav Hlapen, ruled in their respective domains without consulting with Lazar.^[18] Another king besides Marko advanced on the political scene: in 1377, theMetropolitan ofMileševa crowned Tvrtko I, maternally related to the Nemanjići, "King of the Serbs, Bosnia and the Seaside and the Western Lands". He had previously taken some western parts of the former Serbian Empire.^[19] After taking Nikola Altomanovic's lands in 1379, he subordinatedRadič Branković.^[20]

On 28 June 1389, Serbian forces led by Prince Lazar, Vuk Branković, and Tvrtko's noblemanVlatko Vuković of Zachlumia, confronted the Ottoman army led by SultanMurad I and his two sons Bayezid and Yakub. This was theBattle of Kosovo—the most famous battle in Serbia’s medieval history. If the earlierBattle of Maritsa was the beginning of the end of the Serbian Empire, then the Battle of Kosovo less than 20 years later was the death knell. The majority of the Serbian army was obliterated in battle, although it started well for the Serbs; Vuk Brankovic, who led the Serbian right-wing, routed the left wing of the Ottomans being led by another son of Murad, Yakub, after the Serbian heavy cavalry began the battle by hitting the Ottoman left hard and damaging their centre, pushing them back and gaining the initial advantage. Murad's other son, Bayezid, commanded the Ottoman right, which was made up of four Turkish, two Serbian, and one Bulgarian divisions. He held off the forces of Vlatko Vukovic and the Serbian/Bosnian component of the Serbian left. Bayezid, with his reserves fresh and ready for battle, counterattacked Lazar's Serbs, who had been pushing hard against the Ottoman centre. His troops broke through to the wounded Lazar himself, captured him and other Serbian nobles, and took them before the face of Murad, who by this point was dying after being stabbed by a Serbian false deserter,Milos Obilic. Before Murad's death, he watched the beheading of Lazar and the other nobles. While the Serbs then retreated, the Ottoman army also withdrew, due to their heavy casualties, and Bayezid returned to Adrianople to consolidate his hold on his new throne. The battle was a loss for the Serbian prince and his vassals;^[21] although they had destroyed most of the opposing force, few Serbian troops remained, while the Turks had many more troops in the east. Consequently, the Serbian principalities that were not already Ottoman vassals soon began to submit in the following years.^[22]

The majority of the Serbian army was obliterated in battle;^[22] but both Lazar and Murad lost their lives in it, and the remnants of their armies eventually retreated from the battlefield. Furthermore, in response to Turkish pressure,^[23] some Serbian noblemen wed their daughters, including the daughter of Prince Lazar, to Bayezid.^[24][25] In the wake of these marriages,Stefan Lazarević became a loyal ally of Bayezid, going on to contribute significant forces to many of Bayezid's future military engagements, including theBattle of Nicopolis. Eventually, theSerbian Despotate would, on numerous occasions, attempt to defeat theOttomans in conjunction with theHungarians until its final defeat in 1459 and again in 1540.

Provinces
Map	Name (Territory)	Ruler(s)	Notes
	Moravian Serbia (Central Serbia)	Lazar Hrebeljanović Stefan Lazarević	Ottoman vassal 1390-
	Zeta Lordship (South Montenegro and northernmost Albania)	Balšić noble family	.
	Prilep Lordship (WesternNorth Macedonia)	Marko Mrnjavčević	Becomes Ottoman vassal after Maritsa.
	Domain of the Dejanović family (EasternNorth Macedonia)	Jovan Dragaš Konstantin Dejanović	Becomes Ottoman vassal after Maritsa.
	Branković District (LowerRaška,Kosovo andUpper Vardar)	Vuk Branković Đurađ Branković	Ottoman vassal 1392-1396
Brief:
	Altomanović District (Herzegovina, Raška,North Kosovo andZlatibor)	Nikola Altomanović	District conquered by neighbouring nobles by 1373.

Serbian epic poems speak of the fall of the Serbian Empire.^[26][27]

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• List of Serbian rulers

• Ferjančić, B. (1975) Vladarska ideologija u srpskoj diplomatici posle propasti Carstva, 1371. in: Božić I., Đurić B. [ed.] O knezu Lazaru, naučni skup, Kruševac, 1971, Beograd: Filozofski fakultet, 139-150
• Nikola B. Popović; Nikola Kusovac; Desanka Milošević; Velimir Vesović (1991).Ilustrovana istorija Srba: Propast srpskog carstva 1371-1389. Litera.ISBN 9788674670125.

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• 14th century in Serbia
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