Saint Miloš Obilić Милош Обилић | |
|---|---|
 Painting by Aleksandar Dobrić, 1861 | |
| Born | Unknown |
| Died | 28 June 1389 Kosovo field,District of Branković |
| Venerated in | 1800-1900 |
| Feast | 28 June |
Miloš Obilić (Serbian Cyrillic:Милош Обилић,pronounced[mîloʃôbilit͡ɕ]) is alegendary Serbian knight and saint in the Serbian Orthodox Church traditionally said to have servedPrince Lazar during theOttoman invasion of Serbia in the late 14th century. Although absent from contemporary records, he features prominently in later accounts of the1389 Battle of Kosovo as the assassin of SultanMurad I.[1] The assassin remains unnamed in historical sources until the late 15th century, but the widespread circulation of the story in Florentine, Serbian, Ottoman, and Greek sources suggests that versions of it were known across the Balkans within decades of the battle.
His original name is believed to have been Miloš Kobilić, though multiple variations exist in historical sources, and his actual existence remains uncertain.[2][3] TheLazar dynasty, consolidating its power, gave birth to theKosovo Myth, which incorporated the legend of Obilić.[3]Jelka Ređep notes that Obilić's legend significantly evolved through oral tradition, reflecting Serbian cultural ideals of heroism, loyalty and sacrifice. Over time, he became a central figure inSerbian epic poetry, where he was elevated to the status of a national hero embodying medievalSerbian folklore. Alongside Prince Lazar’smartyrdom and the alleged treachery ofVuk Branković, Miloš's deed became integral to Serbian narratives surrounding the Battle of Kosovo. By the 19th century, he was also venerated as asaint in theSerbian Orthodox Church.
Miloš Obilić also appears inAlbanian epic poetry, where he is remembered as Millosh Kopiliqi, with his birthplace traditionally linked to theDrenica region in modern-dayKosovo, where villages named Kopiliq still exist.[4][5] However, there is no definitive evidence confirming the identity of Murad’s assassin.[6][7][8]
Miloš is a Slavic given name recorded from the early Middle Ages among theBulgarians,Czechs,Poles andSerbs. It is derived from the Slavic rootmil-, meaning "merciful" or "dear", which is found in a great number of Slavic given names.[9]
Several versions of the hero's surname have been used throughout history.[A] His original surname was Kobilić or Kobilović,[10] a thesis which is further supported by archival findings by historianMihailo Dinić inRagusan archives of 1433 which show that Miloš's original surname was indeed Kobilić (Latin:Cobilich).[11] In Albanian folklore, the original name is preserved and he is known as Kopiliq. The root of the name 'Kopiliq' might be in an old Balkan substrat word, in Albanian kopil (child or bastard child), in Romanian copil (child) and in Serbian kopile (bastard child) or kobila (mare, from which kobilić, son of the mare).[12] The etymological origin of his name is indicated in Serbian folk stories which claim that the hero is said to have been nursed by a mare.[13][14][15] Jireček connected the surname to two noble families in medievalRagusa andTrebinje, the Kobilić andKobiljačić in the 14th and 15th centuries, and noted that they altered their surnames in the 18th century because they considered it "indecent" to be associated with mares.[16] A poem by CroatAndrija Kačić Miošić titledPisma od Miloscia Cobilichja i Vuka Brancovichja (Pisma od Kobilića i Vuka Brankovića, modern spelling) preserves the old name in the 18th century.[17]
The rendering Obilić has universally been used by Serbian writers in modern times. Its first version is found in theHistory of Montenegro (1754) byVasilije Petrović, who wrote of one Miloš Obilijević, and in 1765, the historian Pavle Julinac who rendered the surname as Obilić.[10] According to Czech historianKonstantin Jireček, the surname Obilić and its different renderings are derived from the Serbian wordsobilan ("plenty of") andobilje ("wealth, abundance").[16]
Miloš is often referred to in the epic poems as "Miloš of Pocerje", and according to local legends, he came from the western Serbian region ofPocerina. In Pocerina there is a spring known as "Miloševa Banja" (Miloš's spring) and an old grave that is claimed to be the grave of Miloš's sister.[18]
The earliest sources on the Battle of Kosovo, which generally favour the cult ofPrince Lazar, do not mention Miloš or his assassination of the sultan.[19] The assassination itself is first recorded byDeacon Ignjatije on 9 July 1389, only 12 days after the battle.[20] The assassination of sultan Murad and one of his sons (Yakub Çelebi) was also mentioned in the instructions of theVenetian Senate issued to Andrea Bembo on 23 July 1389, although Venetians were uncertain if news about the assassination were true.[21] On 1 August 1389 KingTvrtko I of Bosnia (r. 1353–1391) wrote a letter toTrogir to inform its citizens about the Ottoman defeat.[22] Victory over the Turks (Latin:ob victoriam de Turcis) was also reported byColuccio Salutati (died 1406), Chancellor of Florence, in his letter to King Tvrtko, dated 20 October 1389, on behalf of the Florentine Senate.[23][24] The killer is not named but he is described as one of twelve Christian noblemen who managed to break through the Ottoman ranks:
Scholars consider many details in Tvrtko's letter to be fanciful, including the symbolic number 12.[26]
In 1402, an anonymous Catalan author assigned Murad's death to a Hungarian knight. The knight might have been related to Lazar through marriage and had sent a Hungarian contingent to the battle.[26][27] In the legend, Miloš Obilić was Lazar's son-in-law; in reality, Lazar had a Hungarian son-in-law.[2] Another Italian account,Mignanelli's 1416 work, asserted that it was Lazar who killed the Ottoman sultan.[28]
The assassin's first appearance in Serbian sources is in the biography ofStefan Lazarević, Lazar's son, byConstantine the Philosopher, written in the 1440s. The hero, still anonymous, is described as a man of noble birth whom envious tongues had sought to defame before the prince. To prove his loyalty and courage, he left the front line on the pretext of being a deserter, seized the opportunity to stab the sultan to death and was killed himself shortly afterwards.[29] The initial phase of ignominy and its redemption by a courageous plot of slaying the sultan are narrative ingredients which would become essential to the Serbian legend as it evolved in later times.[29]
The loss of the Sultan also made an impression on the earliest Ottoman sources. They usually describe how Murad was unaccompanied on the battlefield and an anonymous Christian who had been lying among the corpses stabbed him to death. In the early 15th century, for instance, the poet Ahmedi writes that "[s]uddenly one of the Christians, who was covered in blood and apparently hidden among the enemy dead, got up, rushed to Murad and stabbed him with a dagger."[30][31]
Halil İnalcık explained that one of the most important contemporary Ottomans sources about the Battle of Kosovo is the 1465 work ofEnveri (Turkish:Düstûrnâme). İnalcık argued that it was based on the testimony of a contemporary eyewitness of the battle, probably Hoca Omer, an envoy sent by the Sultan to Lazar before the battle.[32] In this work Enveri explains that before he became a Serbian nobleman, Miloš (Miloš Ban is how İnalcık rendered the name in Enveri's text) was a Muslim at the Sultan's court who deserted Ottomans and abjured Islam. The Sultan allegedly called him to return to his service many times. Enveri explains that although Miloš always promised to return, he never did. According to this account, when Lazar was captured, Miloš approached the Sultan who was riding a black stallion and said:"I am Miloš Ban, I want to go back to my Islamic faith and kiss your hand." When Miloš came close to the Sultan, he struck him with the dagger hidden in his cuff. The Sultan's men cut Miloš into pieces with swords and axes.[32]
One historian fromEdirne,Oruc Bey, explains the lack of protection by saying that the army was preoccupied with pursuing the enemy in rear flight and introduces an element of deception: the Christian "had promised himself as a sacrifice and approached Murad, who was sitting alone on his horse. Pretending he wished to kiss the Sultan's hand, he stabbed the Sultan with a sharp dagger."[30][24][33]
Since about the late 15th century, Greek sources also begin to record the event. The Athenian scholarLaonicus Chalcocondyles (d.c. 1490) claims to draw on Greek traditions when he refers to Murad's killer asMiloes, "a man of noble birth [... who] voluntarily decided to accomplish the heroic act of assassination. He requested what he needed from Prince Lazar, and then rode off to Murad's camp with the intention of presenting himself as a deserter. Murad, who was standing in the midst of his troops before the battle, was eager to receive the deserter. Miloes reached the Sultan and his bodyguards, turned his spear against Murad, and killed him."[30] Writing in the second half of the same century,Michael Doukas regarded the story as worthy of inclusion in hisHistoria Byzantina. He relates how the young nobleman pretended to desert the battle, was captured by the Turks and professing to know the key to victory, managed to gain access to Murad and kill him.[34]
In 1976, Miodrag Popović suggested that the narrative elements of secrecy and stratagem in the Serbian tradition were all introduced from Turkish sources, seeking to defame the capabilities of their Christian opponents by attributing the death of the Murat to "devious" methods.[35] Thomas A. Emmert agrees with him.[24]
Emmert says that Turkish sources mentioned the assassination several times, while Western and Serbian sources didn't mention it until much later. He thinks that Serbians knew about the assassination, but decided not to mention it in their first accounts for unknown reasons.[36]
In 1512, Ottoman historianMehmed Nesri wrote a detailed account of the battle that became the source for later Ottoman and Western descriptions of the battle. Nesri's account took several elements from popular Serbian tradition, and described the assassination in a way which reflected negatively on the perpetrators.[24]
There is no evidence about the knight's origin; theories that the legend was based on a Serb, Albanian or Hungarian knight have been put forward.[2][37][27]
Miloš Obilić is a major hero of the Serbian legend of Kosovo, whose central part is theBattle of Kosovo. According to the legend, Miloš was married with the princessJelena, daughter of the SerbianPrince Lazar. A quarrel broke out between his wife and her sister who was married toVuk Branković, about superiority in valour of their respective husbands. As a consequence of this, Branković took offence and picked a fight with Miloš. Filled with hate, Branković maligned Miloš to Lazar, saying that he conspired with Turks to betray the prince. At Lazar's supper on the eve of the battle, the prince reproached Miloš for disloyalty. To prove his loyalty, Miloš went into the Turkish camp feigning defection. At a favourable moment, he stabbed and killed the Turkish Sultan Murad, whose attendants then executed Miloš. The legend then goes on to describe events regarding the battle.[38]
There are two main views about the creation of the Kosovo legend. In one view, its place of origin lies in the region in which the Battle of Kosovo was fought. In the other view, the legend sprang up in more westerly Balkan regions under the influence of the Frenchchansons de geste. Serbian philologist Dragutin Kostić stated that the French chivalric epics had in fact no part in the formation of the legend, but that they "onlymodified the already created and formed legend and its first poetic manifestations".[38] The nucleus from which the legend developed is found in thecultic literature celebrating Prince Lazar as a martyr and saint, written inMoravian Serbia between 1389 and 1420. Especially important in this regard is theDiscourse on Prince Lazar composed by Serbian Patriarch Danilo III. The legend would gradually evolve during the subsequent centuries.[38]
The tale of the maligned hero who penetrated the Turkish camp and killed Sultan Murad, is found in theLife of Despot Stefan Lazarević written in the 1430s byKonstantin the Philosopher. The hero's name is not mentioned in this work. The theme of the quarrel between Lazar's sons-in-law was first recorded inHerzegovina in the mid-15th century. Lazar's supper on the eve of the battle and his reproach of Miloš are mentioned in texts from the 16th century. The argument between Lazar's daughters over the valor of their husbands was first recorded byMavro Orbin in 1601. The fully developed legend of Kosovo, with all of its elements, is recorded in theTale of the Battle of Kosovo composed around the beginning of the 18th century in theBay of Kotor orOld Montenegro. This was a very popular text, whose copies were continuously produced for some 150 years in an area stretching from the south of ex-Yugoslavia to Budapest and Sofia. TheTale played a notable role in the awakening of national consciousness of the Serbs in theHabsburg monarchy, which began in the first half of the 18th century.[38]
The first author to refer to Murad's killer by his full name isKonstantin Mihailović, a SerbianJanissary from the village of Ostrovica, nearRudnik, who wrote hisMemoirs of a Janissary orTurkish Chronicle in ca 1497. In a passage intended to infer a moral lesson about disloyalty from the Serbian defeat at Kosovo, Mihailović identifies Miloš Kobila[B] as the knight who on the fateful last Friday of the battle slew Murad.[39] The next time a name is given in the sources is three decades later, in 1530, when the (Slovene) monkBenedikt Kuripečič (Curipeschitz) wrote memoirs of his travels through theBalkan Peninsula. His visit to Murad's tomb inKosovo Polje provides the occasion for the story of the knight whom he names Miloš Kobilović.[40] Kuripešić elaborates on the humiliation and fall out favour which Miloš endured before the battle, his last dinner with Lazar and his nobles, his admittance to Murad's tent, the brutal murder and his own death on attempting to escape on horseback.[41] The monk, though not explicit about his sources, writes that Miloš was a celebrated figure in the popular traditions ofSerbs, who sing about his heroic exploits on the border.[42] He recorded some legends about theBattle of Kosovo and mentions epic songs about Obilić in regions far from Kosovo, likeBosnia andCroatia.[43] In his 1603 workRichard Knolles described the"country songs" of Serbs about the Battle of Kosovo and refer to Obilić as "Cobelitz".[44]
In Serbian epic poetry and song (e.g. "Radul-bey and Bulgarian King Šišman" and the song "Dušan's Wedding"), Miloš Obilić is often grouped along with other literary creations likeKaradjordje,Vuk Karadžić andNjegoš as Serbs ofDinaric origin who distinguished themselves as the great moral and/or intellectual minds of the past in contradistinction to Bulgarian contemporaries, who could claim no such status.[45] In the poem "Obilić Dragon's Son", Miloš is given a mythical ancestry as the son of a dragon to emphasise his superhuman strength on a physical and spiritual level; in this, he joins the ranks of many other heroes of Serbian poetry who fought against Turkish oppression and are claimed to have been descendants of a dragon.[46] Jelka Ređep, a scholar ofSerbian folklore andepic poetry, argues that Miloš Obilić’s story developed significantly through oral transmission, shaping him into a symbolic embodiment ofSerbian cultural identity and heroic ideals.[47]
InAlbanian epic poetry, the hero is known as Millosh Kopiliqi, a version of the which corresponds to the original name attested in Slavic. He is thought to have been born in the village of Kopiliq in theDrenica region of Kosovo.[12][5] In Albanian epic poetry, Prince Lazar is not existent in most variants. Instead Milosh Kopiliq, presented as a Christian Albanian warrior, is the sole killer of Sultan Murat. In the story, after Murat's death he is betrayed by an old Slavic woman (shkina in the original) and then is decapitated by the Ottomans.[48]Gligorije Elezović recorded the Albanian version in the 1920s in Kosovo as sung by folk singers.Albert Lord, an expert in Balkan epic poetry, considered the tale of Milos Kobilić as a "mainly Albanian folk expression which traced its major elements to Albanian oral traditions". By comparing the Slavic and Albanian traditions about Kobilić, Lord came to the conclusion that they developed independently, but also borrowed from each other. Lord considers this cultural meeting point to have happened inSandžak, where Albanians and Slavs lived as neighbours.[4]
The artistically valuable basin by theŠibenik-based goldsmith and engraverHoracije Fortezza [hr] (c. 1530–1596) depicts three scenes from the life of the then-already legendary Christian hero, the Serb Miloš Obilić.[49]
It was not until the early 19th century that Miloš was also venerated as a saint in the Serbian Church. During theSerbian Revolution (1804–1815), a fresco of Miloš as a haloed, sword-bearing saint was painted in Prince Lazar'snarthex in theHilandar Monastery onMount Athos (Greece).[50] The historianRade Mihaljčić suggests that the cult was a popular movement which originated among the Serbs south of theSava andDanube during theOttoman period.[50]
Later in the same century, the heroic figure of Miloš was given a national boost in the epic poemThe Mountain Wreath (1847) byPetar II Petrović-Njegoš, prince-bishop of Montenegro. The poem praises the assassin's valour in battle, calling him "the victim of a noble feeling, / An all powerful military genius, / A dreadful thunder that smashes crowns".[39] Njegoš also instituted the Obilić medal for courage.[51]
This event and theBattle of Kosovo itself has become embedded in theSerbs' national consciousness, history, and poetry. Njegoš's tales, including Miloš, inspired later generations of Serbs – notablyGavrilo Princip, the assassin ofArchduke Franz Ferdinand.[52]
In 1913, theMedal of Miloš Obilić was awarded byKing Peter I to soldiers for the acts of great personal courage, or for personal courage demonstrated on the battlefield. It was given during theBalkan Wars,World War I, and duringWorld War II, to members of the Yugoslav Army or allied forces and was discontinued with the end of the war.
In the late 1980s, religious nationalists began to breathe further life into the figure of Miloš and theKosovo Myth.[53] Special inspiration was taken from Njegoš'sThe Mountain Wreath, with its portrayal of Lazar as a Christ-like martyr and Obilić as the Serb sacrificing himself to prove his loyalty and seek retribution.[54] A key event which gave expression to this idea was the 600th anniversary of the Battle of Kosovo (Vidovdan) on 28 June 1989, which was held at the Gazimestan plain, near the site of the battle.[55] Obilić's feat has been cited as a source of inspiration in public speeches by political leaders, notably PresidentMilošević, who referred to him in hisGazimestan speech on the occasion of the battle anniversary.[56] His regime often alluded to Obilić frequently in comparison to Milosević, who was proclaimed the "saviour of the nation".[57]
Obilić is featured in Serbian rhymicalidiom "Dva loša ubiše Miloša" or "Dva su loša ubila Miloša" which translates as "Two no-goods have killed Miloš". The idiom addresses the issue of quantity prevailing over quality as a sad fact of life, since Obilić was outnumbered by the enemies.[58]
InSerbian epic poetry, there are several blood brotherhoods. Miloš Obilić withMilan Toplica and Ivan Kosančić,[59] Miloš Obilić withPrince Marko,[13] Miloš Obilić with theJugović brothers.[60]
He is included inThe 100 most prominent Serbs.
References:
The tale told to us by Berisha corresponds to an Albanian - language Kosovo ballad recorded by the folklorist G. Elezović in the 1920s and later commented upon anew by Lord . Indeed, Lord treats the tale of Murat and Milos Kobilić as a mainly Albanian folk expression, tracing its major elements to Albanian oral traditions and noting their absence from the canon elaborated by the famous Serb linguist Vuk Stefanović Karadžić. Lord argues that two traditions, Slav and Albanian, developed independently but then borrowed from each other, meeting in the Sandžak region. Cultural influences went in both directions with the story of the old woman and her advice to the Turks being considered by Lord as essentially Albanian but appearing as far north as eastern Croatia. Lord argued persuasively that this folk image emerged from ancient Albanian lore associated with the land and the origins of rivers.
In truth, no historical evidence confirms Kopiliq's Albanian origin, but no evidence confirms Obilić's Serbian origin either.
Динић је у дубровачком архиву пронашао документ који нас приближава правом презимену и који сведочи о раној слави косовског јунака. Milosh Stanishich Cobilich ...
In Ragusa gab es eine Familie Kobilić (einer war 1390 Visconte von Breno), in Trebinje im 14.-15. Jahrh. eine Adelsfamilie Kobiljačić. Erst im 18. Jahrh. fand man den Namen eines "Stutenschnes" unanständig; der serb. Historiker Julinac (1763) änderte ihn zu Obilić, der seitdem in den Büchern zu lesen ist, von obilan reichlich, obilje Fülle, Überfluss.
In Ragusa, there was a family Kobilić (one was Viscount in Breno, 1390), in the 14th and 15th centuries there was a noble family "Kobiljačić" in Trebinje. In the 18th century, they found the name of a "mare's son" indecent; the Serb historian Julinac (1763) changed it to Obilić, who has since appeared in the books, it comes fromobilan ("plenty of"),obilje ("wealth", "abundance".)
најстарији помен, настао свега 12 дана после битке,
For present purposes, the key importance of the July 23 senate deliberation record is its indication that one of Murad's sons died in...
O porazu Osmanlija pisao je 1. avgusta Trogiru, a oko dva mjeseca kasnije Firenci
Код Мињанелиjа, кнез је претходно заробл>ен и принуЬен да Мурату положи заклетву верности! и тада је један од њих, кажу да је то био Лазар, зарио Мурату мач у прса
In truth, no historical evidence confirms Kopiliq's Albanian origin, but no evidence confirms Obilić's Serbian origin either.
Бенедикт Курипечић. пореклом Словенаи, који између 1530. и 1531. путује као тумач аустријског посланства, у свом Путопису препричава део косовске легенде, спомиње епско певање о Милошу Обилићу у крајевима удаљеним од места догађаја, у Босни и Хрватској, и запажа настајање нових песама.
Richard Knolles, writing in 1603, refers to the 'country songs' of the Serbs which tell of the alleged duplicity of the ...In 1603, the English historian Richard Knolles called lim 'Cobelitz'
Ашик паша Заде помшье име Билиш Кобила. За Уруца убица је био један [...] И К. Михаиловип ^е за име сазнао посредством предан>а и то, веро- ватно, преко Турака. Дакле, извори наводе имена: Билиш Кобила, Милош Кобила, Милош Кобиловип, Димигрще Кобиловий. Сагласно је само презиме Кобила ...
Разлика међу рукописима Г и УБ постоји, као што смо видели, и у употреби форме Обилић и Кобилић. У рукопису УБ (1715–1725) сачувала се форма Кобилић а у рукописима ММ (1714–1715) и Г (1727) форма Обилић, што значи да се млађа форма Обилић јавља не иоловином XVIII века, као што је гврдио Драгутин Костић, већ и раније, почетком XVIII а можда и крајем XVII века.
... Обилић и Кобилић. Рукопис Стевана Гезовића (СГ)*1, писан у XVIII веку, има форму Обилић. Преглед варијаната рукописне Приче о боју косовском показује да сле- дећи рукописи имају презиме Милошево: Кобилић: УБ, В, МЈ. Обилић: ММ, Г, К, НБ 433, СУД, ПН, ГК, ДК, Б, ПМ, СГ, односно Обилич: ИЈ, АМ, ТН Хобилић: ГК, ДК, МС, Р Кобилић и Обилић: САН 134, НБ 425, С, П, ЛВ Анализа ...
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