Jovan Oliver Grčinić | |
|---|---|
| despot,sevastokrator,veliki vojvoda,veliki čelnik | |
 | |
| Reign | Lord ofOvče Pole and the left bank of theVardar |
| Full name | Jovan Oliver Grčinić (Јован Оливер Грчинић) |
| Born | ca. 1310 |
| Died | ca. 1356 |
| Wife | Karavida (†1336) Maria Palaiologina |
| Issue | seefamily |
| Father | vlastelin Grčin |
Jovan Oliver Grčinić (Serbian:Јован Оливер Грчинић; ca. 1310–1356) was a magnate of theSerbian EmperorDušan the Mighty (r. 1331–1355), holding the titles ofsebastokrator anddespotes, and the rank of "greatvoivode", showing his prominence and status as one of the most important nobles of Dušan. Oliver supported Dušan in the succession war against his father, and was one of the supreme generals in the southern military expeditions (Macedonia,Thessaly). His province includedOvče Pole and the left bank of theVardar. After the death of Emperor Dušan, there are no more mentions of Oliver. During thefall of the Serbian Empire, his lands were held by theDejanovići.
Jovan was the son avlastelin Grčin (Грчин, "Greek") who had lands in some part of theSerbian Kingdom.
Jovan is referred to in aRagusan source asOliver Grčinić, and his knowledge ofGreek lends support to the notion of a Greek origin.[2] He ruled his domain, in modern-dayNorth Macedonia, as a semi-independent prince, acknowledging Dušan's suzerainty but not subordinate to him.[2] He probably had supported Dušan's overthrow of his father, KingUroš III, in 1331, and after the death of his first wife, Karavida, in 1336, he marriedMaria Palaiologina, Dušan's stepmother.[3] His second wife is depicted in a 1349 fresco and described as "Maria Lyverina" or "Ana Maria Liverina" at Lesnovo.[4][5] There is considerable scholarly debate as to when Jovan Oliver acquired his domains, i.e. whether he held them before Dušan's accession, whether they were granted to him by Dušan as a reward for his support, or whether he gained them as a result of his marriage to Maria.[3]
At any rate, he was one of the most powerful nobles under Dušan, and exercised considerable influence over him, as evidenced in the negotiations in July 1342 which led to the decision to supportJohn VI Kantakouzenos in theByzantine civil war of 1341–1347, in exchange for which he hoped to marry his daughter toManuel Kantakouzenos.[6] He was also active in the 1334 war with theByzantine Empire, and was present during the subsequent peace negotiations together withVratko Nemanjić, when Jovan was probably nameddespotes byAndronikos III Palaiologos.[3] With the death ofHrelja in late 1342, when the latter's domain was split between Jovan Oliver and Dušan, he was able to further expand his lands, including the important towns ofŠtip andStrumica.[7]
In 1341, imitating the Serbian kings, he built theEastern OrthodoxLesnovo monastery as his endowment.[7] Jovan Oliver outlived Dušan, but after his death, his sons were unable to assert themselves: possibly opposed by a coalition of other nobles, they failed to acquire any positions of importance, and most of their father's lands were taken over byConstantine andJohn, the sons ofsebastokratorDejan Dragaš of Kumanovo.[8]
He had 7 children:
| Court offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| First | despot of Stefan Dušan 1346–? Served alongside: Simeon Uroš andJovan Asen | Succeeded byas despot of Uroš V |
| First | sevastokrator of Stefan Dušan before 1346 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded byas čelnik | veliki čelnik of Stefan Dušan before 1340–before 1349 | Succeeded by |
| Military offices | ||
| Vacant Title last held by Novak Grebostrek | veliki vojvoda of Stefan Dušan fl. 1341–1355 Served alongside:Nikola Stanjević | Succeeded byas veliki vojvoda of Uroš V |
