Principality of Moravian Serbia | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1371–1402 | |||||||||
 Moravian Serbia in the second half of the 14th century | |||||||||
| Status | Independent andSovereign state (1371-1389) Vassal state of theOttoman Empire (1389–1402) | ||||||||
| Capital | Kruševac | ||||||||
| Common languages | Serbian | ||||||||
| Religion | Serbian Orthodox | ||||||||
| Demonyms | Serbian,Serb | ||||||||
| Government | Monarchy | ||||||||
| Prince (Knyaz) | |||||||||
• 1371–1389 | Lazar Hrebeljanović | ||||||||
• 1389–1402 | Stefan Lazarević | ||||||||
| Historical era | Middle Ages | ||||||||
• Established | 1371 | ||||||||
• Promotion to despotate | 1402 | ||||||||
| Currency | Serbian Perper | ||||||||
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| Today part of | |||||||||
Moravian Serbia (Serbian:Моравска Србија,romanized: Moravska Srbija), thePrincipality of Moravian Serbia (Serbian:Кнежевина Моравска Србија,romanized: Kneževina Moravska Srbija) or theRealm of Prince Lazar was the largest and most powerful Serbian principality to emerge from the ruins of theSerbian Empire (1371).[1] Moravian Serbia was named afterMorava, the main river of the region.[a][3] The independent principality in the region of Morava was established in 1371, and attained its largest extent in 1379 through the military and political activities of its first ruler, princeLazar Hrebeljanović. In 1402 it was raised to theSerbian Despotate, which would exist until 1459.[4]
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Lazar Hrebeljanović was born in around 1329 in thefortress of Prilepac, near the town ofNovo Brdo in the region ofKosovo,Kingdom of Serbia. Lazar was a courtier at the court of Serbian TsarStefan Uroš Dušan, and at the court of Dušan's successor, TsarStefan Uroš V (r. 1356–1371).[5] Uroš's reign was characterized by the weakening of the central authority and the gradual disintegration of theSerbian Empire. Powerful Serbian nobles became practically independent in the regions they controlled.[6]
Lazar left the court of Tsar Uroš in 1363 or 1365, and became a regional lord. He held the title of prince since at least 1371.[7] His territory initially developed in the shadow of stronger regional lords. The strongest were the Mrnjavčević brothers,Vukašin andJovan Uglješa. They were defeated and killed by theOttoman Turks in theBattle of Maritsa in 1371, after which Lazar took a part of their territory. Lazar andTvrtko I, theBan ofBosnia, jointly defeated in 1373 another strong noble,Nikola Altomanović. Most of Altomanović's territory was acquired by Lazar. About that time, Lazar accepted the suzerainty of KingLouis I of Hungary, who granted him the region ofMačva, or at least a part of it. With all these territorial gains, Lazar emerged as the most powerful Serbian lord.[8] The state he then created is known in historiography as the Principality of "Moravian Serbia".[2]
Moravian Serbia attained its full extent in 1379, when Lazar tookBraničevo andKučevo, ousting the Hungarian vassal Radič Branković Rastislalić from these regions.[9] Lazar's state was larger than the domains of the other lords on the territory of the former Serbian Empire. It also had a better organized government and army. The state comprised the basins of theGreat Morava,West Morava, andSouth Morava Rivers, extending from the source of South Morava northward to theDanube andSava Rivers. Its north-western border ran along theDrina River. Besides the capitalKruševac, the state included important towns ofNiš andUžice, as well asNovo Brdo andRudnik, two richest mining centres of medieval Serbia. Of all the Serbian lands, Lazar's state lay furthest from Ottoman centres, and was least exposed to the ravages of Turkish raiding parties. This circumstance attracted immigrants from Turkish-threatened areas, who built new villages and hamlets in previously poorly inhabited and uncultivated areas of Moravian Serbia. There were also spiritual persons among the immigrants, which stimulated the revival of old ecclesiastical centres and the foundation of new ones in Lazar's state.[10]
A Turkish raiding party, passing unobstructed through territories of Ottoman vassals, broke into Moravian Serbia in 1381. It was routed by Lazar's nobles Crep Vukoslavić and Vitomir in the Battle of Dubravica, fought near the town ofParaćin. In 1386, the OttomanSultanMurad I himself led much larger forces that took Niš from Lazar. It is unclear whether the encounter between the armies of Lazar and Murad at Pločnik, a site southwest of Niš, happened shortly before or after the capture of Niš. Lazarrebuffed Murad at Pločnik.[11][12]
After the death of King Louis in 1382, a civil war broke out in theKingdom of Hungary. Lazar briefly participated in the war as one of the opponents of PrinceSigismund of Luxemburg, and he sent some troops to fight in the regions ofBelgrade andSyrmia. These fights ended with no territorial gains for Lazar, who made peace with Sigismund in 1387.[13]
In theBattle of Kosovo fought on 15 June 1389, Lazar led the army which confronted a massive invading army of the Ottoman Empire commanded bySultanMurad I. Both Prince Lazar and Sultan Murad lost their lives in the battle. Although the battle was tactically a draw, the mutual heavy losses were devastating only for the Serbs.[14] Lazar was succeeded by his eldest sonStefan Lazarević. As he was still a minor, Moravian Serbia was administered by Lazar's widow,Milica. She was attacked from north, five months after the battle, by troops of the Hungarian King Sigismund. When Turkish forces, moving toward Hungary, reached the borders of Moravian Serbia in the summer of 1390, Milica accepted Ottoman suzerainty.[14][15]
Stefan Lazarević participated as an Ottoman vassal in theBattle of Karanovasa in 1394, theBattle of Rovine in 1395, theBattle of Nicopolis in 1396, and in theBattle of Angora in 1402. After Angora, he visitedConstantinople, the capital city of theByzantine Empire, where he was given the title ofDespot, and since then his state became known as theSerbian Despotate in 1402.[16][17]
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