Sandalj Hranić | |
|---|---|
| Grand Duke of Bosnia | |
| Coat of arms |  Sandalj's proto-heraldic escutcheon from marriage to Katarina Vuković Hrvatinić.[1] |
| Reign | 1392–1435 |
| Predecessor | Vlatko Vuković(uncle) |
| Successor | Stjepan Vukčić Kosača(nephew) |
| Born | 1370 |
| Died | 15 March 1435 |
| Noble family | Kosača noble family |
| Spouse(s) | |
| Father | Hrana Vuković |
Sandalj Hranić Kosača (Cyrillic:Сандаљ Хранић Косача; 1370 – 15 March 1435) was a powerful Bosnian[2] nobleman whose primary possessions consisted ofHum, land areas betweenAdriatic coast, theNeretva and theDrina rivers inBosnia, and served the court as theGrand Duke of Bosnia sometime between 1392 and his death in 1435, although the first mention as a Grand Duke in sources comes from 16 June 1404.[3] He was married three times, but had no children. After his death, he was succeeded by his nephewStjepan Vukčić Kosača.[4][5]
His father wasHrana Vuković.
As the head of the House of Kosača, Sandalj Hranić succeeded his uncleVlatko Vuković in 1392.
In 1403,Radič Sanković led the attacks on Dubrovnik during theBosnian-Ragusan War in the name of KingStephen Ostoja. Sandalj Hranić captured and blinded Radič, and held him in prison until his death in 1404.[6] WhenKing Ladislaus of Naples sold his rights to the kingdom ofDalmatia to theRepublic of Venice and retreated from theBalkans in 1409, many local nobles allied themselves withHoly Roman Emperor Sigismund and acceptedStephen Ostoja asKing of Bosnia. This seriously weakened the position ofHrvoje Vukčić Hrvatinić, whose niece Katarina was Sandalj's second wife. In such circumstances Sandalj also allied with Emperor Sigismund in mid 1411 and decided to establish closer connections with Sigismund's important allyStefan Lazarević by marrying his widowed sisterJelena.[7] Sandalj divorced Katarina in 1411 and married Jelena in December of the same year.[8][9][10]
This marriage had its important political consequences because Hranić, the most dangerous enemy ofBalša III, became his stepfather and protector.[10] With this marriage Hranić spoiled the relations with Hrvoje but developed closer relations with Lazarević family.[11] Jelena went to live with her husband in Bosnia, and although she was in her forties, Sandalj left a deposit inDubrovnik, in May 1413, for children he hoped they would have, while Balša was entrusted with governing ofZeta.[12]
He took part in a conspiracy to killPavle Radinović in 1415, and the assassination must have been hatched in the background of thestanak, held inSutjeska in August 1415 and attended by all the major noblemen except forHrvoje Vukčić.
At the end of the month, in the morning of August 24, 1415,King Ostoja and his son left Sutjeska on a horseback. With them on their departure were Knez Pavle and his sonPetar, Duke Sandalj Hranić, DukePavle Klešić, Duke Vukmir ofZlatonosović's,Župan Dragiša ofDinjčić's and Sandalj's brother, KnezVuk Hranić. They departed together in the procession that moved from theroyal court in Sutjeska towardsBobovac Fortress along theBukovica river.[13][14]
During a walk, at the location calledParena Poljana, somewhere in the canyon of Bukovica between the royal court and the city-fortress Bobovac, a brawl erupted and Sandalj drew his sword which was a cue to King Ostoja, who jumped on Pavle's son Petar and bound him, and Vukmir Zlatonosović, who immediately attacked Pavle who tried to escape but was caught by Sandalj's men, led by his brother, Vuk Hranić, and decapitated on site. Pavle succeeded in wounding Vukmir above the right shoulder but caught by a surprise and outnumbered he was unable to defend himself more effectively. It seems as if Pavle walked into a Sandalj's trap oblivious of his alleged misdeeds.[13][15]
Four men died that day and several people from Pavle's entourage were captured along with his son Petar. Vuk Hranić tied up Pavle'sprotovestijar,Brailo Tezalović, while a merchant fromPrača,Pribislav Muržić, was captured by other Sandalj's men. Of Pavle's retainers onlykrstjaninVlatko Tumurlić escaped by seeking shelter in a Franciscan home, and later took Pavle's corpse to his estate inVrhbosna, where he was buried at the location called Pavlovac near present dayKasindo, few kilometers south ofSarajevo.[16] Petar was at first brought to Bobovac, and was supposed to be blinded, but for some reason this did not happen. Pavle's lands were promptly divided between the conspirators,[13][16] but Petar and his brother KnezRadosav Pavlović will successfully repel all attempts of takeover from happening.
Duke Sandalj justified the murder to an astonished witness, a Ragusan diplomat Ivan Gundulić who had written account of this whole affair, by accusing Pavle of bringing much misfortune to the Bosnian kingdom, saying:[13][17][18]
"Did you expect to see this? This is how we, by the grace of God, do justice just like your lordship in Dubrovnik, because in Dubrovnik the punishment for treason is beheading, so I do the same with other faithful Bosnians."
— excerpt from Ivan Gundulić's letter written to his superiors in Dubrovnik
Afterwards, Hranić's came into conflict withPavlović family. In fighting against them, he allied withOttoman Empire. In 1420Ishak Bey organized unsuccessful campaign in Bosnia to support Sandalj's struggle against his internal enemies.[19]
At the beginning of February 1426, a special ceremony was dedicated to Duke Sandalj and Duchess Jelena in Dubrovnik, when they attended the feast ofSaint Blaise, the city's patron saint.[10] Sandalj often had conflicts withKing Stephen Tvrtko II, even refusing to attend his wedding to the Hungarian-bornDorothy Garai in 1428.
From 1419 Sandalj became the most powerful man in theKingdom of Bosnia and remained so to his death. Sandalj died childless in 1435. He was succeeded by his nephewStjepan Vukčić Kosača, son of his brother Vukac.
Fine believes that Sandalj was most likely the person who killedMusa Çelebi, who was inspiration for epic heroMusa Kesedžija, or contributed significantly to his murder, and should have been the epic hero attributed with fighting and killing Musa, rather thanMarko Kraljević.[20][21]
Ragusan historian Junije Restić (1669—1735), compiled brief obituary for Sandalj, based on local archived records:[22]
"He was a prince with lively spirit, with great intelligence and with much delicacy, who was always able to penetrate the heart of the matter with great facility, whose memory would have been immortal, if his life had not been stained and his fame obscured with the error of schism and the Patarin [Bosnian Church] rite in which he was born and in which he died."
— Junije Restić
Sandalj was a staunch supporter of theBosnian Church, which he openly followed, and used every opportunity to instill its influence in all spheres of life in the kingdom. This is confirmed byGiunio Resti (Junije Restić), known as Restius, who in his chronicle points out that Sandalj was born and died in the bosom of the Bosnian Church. Accordingly, in letters from April and May 1405,Ragusans tied him to the top brass of the Bosnian Church. The presence ofdjed, highest ranking priest of the Bosnian Church, always close to Sandalj during the Konavle War also confirms duke's conviction in role of the Bosnian Church and its place in political and public life in medieval Bosnia. Like his contemporaries,Hrvoje Vukčić,Pavle Radinović and his sonRadislav Pavlović, Sandalj was closely linked to the philosophy and "moral politology" of his time, represented by the shadowypatarens, orKristjani as the members of the Bosnian Church called themselves, and whose organized structure was deeply interwoven with all aspects of human everyday life, protecting the rights, morals and elements of the state-building in its time.[23][24]
Већ сљедеће године кренуо је скопски намјесник Исхак у Босну да сатре Сандаљеве противнике, које је подржавао босански краљ. Ништа он није ни могао предузети против Сандаљевог пасторка и вјерног султановог харачара Балше III.
COBISS.BH-ID 17413382
| Military offices | ||
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| Preceded by | Grand Duke of Bosnia 1392–1435 | Succeeded by |
| International | |
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| National | |
