| Radič Božić Радич Божић | |
|---|---|
| titular Despot of Serbia | |
| Despot of Serbia | |
| Reign | 1527-1528 |
| Predecessor | Stjepan Berislavić |
| Successor | Pavle Bakić |
| Born | Serbia |
| Died | September 1528 (1528-10) Eastern Hungarian Kingdom |
| Religion | Serbian Orthodox Christian |
Radič Božić (Serbian:Радич Божић,Hungarian:Radics Bosics ;fl. 1502 – September 1528) was titularDespot of Serbia, from 1527 until his death in September 1528. He was one of the most notable military commanders amongSerbian nobility in theEastern Hungarian Kingdom, and fought against theOttoman Empire in several battles, most notably theBattle of Mohács.[1]
By the end of the 15th century, he leftOttoman-occupied Serbia for Hungary, and received the towns ofSolymos andLippa by Hungarian king. He was part of the Hungarian-Serbian army that crossed into Serbia and Bulgaria in 1502 and burnt the Ottoman bases atBraničevo,Kladovo,Vidin andNikopol.[2][3]
In 1522, shortly after theSiege of Belgrade (1521), he became the commander of a flotilla, with 500chaiki. Together withPál Tomori he defeated the Bosnian pasha Ferhat at Manđelos inSyrmia, on August 12, 1523. Although he already was elderly and sick, he defeated an Ottoman band atPetrovaradin in 1526, then participated in theBattle of Mohács, as well as destroying an Ottoman Army department atTitel after the battle.John Zápolya called him the most revered Serbian person in Hungary.
During the succession war between two rivals for the Hungarian crown,Ferdinand Habsburg andJohn Zápolya, he took the side of Zápolya, whileStjepan Berislavić (titular Despot of Serbia) opted for king Ferdinand. In 1527, king John decided to create his own Despot of Serbia, in order to attract Serbian nobility and soldiers to his side, and chose Radič, granting him the title. As newly created Despot of Serbia, he remained loyal to king John until his death in September 1528.[4]
| Regnal titles | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Serbian Despot 1527–1528 | Succeeded by |