Stefan Branković (Serbian Cyrillic: Стефан Бранковић; c. 1417 – 9 October 1476), also known in historiography as Stefan the Blind (Стефан Слепи), was briefly the despot (ruler) of the Serbian Despotate between 1458 and 1459, member of the Branković dynasty.
Stefan and his relations are named in Dell'Imperadori Constantinopolitani (also known as the "Massarelli manuscript" after the work was found in papers of Angelo Massarelli, the general secretary of the Council of Trent[1]), a manuscript held in the Vatican Library.[2] This manuscript names him a son of Đurađ Branković and Eirene Kantakouzene. D. M. Nicol (1994) questioned his maternity, suggesting Đurađ had a prior marriage to a daughter of John IV of Trebizond. However his theory presented no sources and failed to take into account that John IV was born between 1395 and 1417. He would be unlikely to be a grandparent by the 1410s.[3]
Personal coat of arms
On 11 September 1429, Đurađ made a donation to Esphigmenou Monastery at Mount Athos. The charter for the document names his wife Irene and five children. The Masarelli manuscript also names the same five children of Đurađ and Eirene. Other genealogies mention a sixth child, Todor Branković. He could be a child who died young and thus not listed with his siblings.[3] The oldest sibling listed in the Massarelli document was Grgur Branković. The 1429 document mentions him with the title of Despot. Grgur was appointed governor of territories of southern Serbia associated to the House of Branković.[4] He was reportedly appointed by Murad II of the Ottoman Empire in 1439. In April 1441, Grgur was accused of plotting against Murad and his governorship terminated. He was imprisoned in Amasya and blinded on 8 May 1441.[4] Grgur and his brothers co-signed a charter by which Đurađ confirmed the privileges to the Republic of Ragusa[5] Grgur retired to a monastery under the monastic name "German".[6] According to Fine, Grgur resurfaced in 1458, claiming the succession of the vacant throne of Serbia for himself or his son.[7] The Massarelli manuscript mentioned Grgur as unwed. Later genealogies name his wife as "Jelisaveta". Vuk Grgurević, a son of Grgur, was later a titular Serbian despot (1471–1485). He was possibly an illegitimate.[3]
The Massarelli next names an older sister of Stefan, Mara Branković. She was one of the wives of Murad II.[8] Stefan himself is listed third. His younger sister is listed as Cantacuzina, the Latinized version of their mother's last name. Later genealogies give her name as Katarina. She married Ulrich II of Celje. The last and youngest sibling listed was Lazar Branković, successor to their father.[3]
Reign
Serbian Despotate, 1455-1459
According to Nicol, Stefan had become a citizen of the Republic of Venice. He was blinded alongside his brother Grgur in 1441.[3] Both blind brothers seem to have been omitted from considerations as possible heirs to their father. They could only claim the throne in 1458, since the death of Lazar left them the only male representatives of the Branković.
According to Fine, Stefan secured the throne by co-operating with his sister-in-law Helena Palaiologina, widow of Lazar. She was a daughter of Thomas Palaiologos, Despot of the Morea, and Catherine Zaccaria of the Principality of Achaea. Helena however arranged the marriage of one of her daughters to Stjepan Tomašević, prince of Bosnia. She thus managed to secure the throne for her new son-in-law.[9]Matthias Corvinus of Hungary and Stjepan Tomaš Kotromanić, King of Bosnia and father of Tomašević, dethroned Stefan on April 8, 1459. They enthroned Stjepan Tomašević as his replacement. At the end of 1459 Stefan decided to travel to Albania, where he had relatives.[10] In mid-1460 he travelled to Albania where he married Angelina Arianit Komneni in November 1460. Angelina was the sister of Donika, who married Skanderbeg.[11] Skanderbeg gave to Stefan Branković an unknown estate as appanage.[12] At the beginning of 1461 Stefan Branković went to Italy with Skanderbeg's written recommendation.[13]
When Serbian Despotate had been lost to Ottomans, Stefan's son Jovan led Serbian refugees to the Kingdom of Hungary. There Jovan was finally recognized as Serbian Despot, with a principality called Raitzen.
Jovan (d. 10 December 1502). Mentioned first in the Massarelli manuscript. Titular despot of the area of Raitzen, Kingdom of Hungary. Married Jelena Jaksić. She is mentioned as “Helena, Serbiæ despotissa” in a charted dated to 1502.
Đorđe (d. 18 January 1516). Mentioned second in the Massarelli manuscript. Titular despot of the area of Raitzen, Kingdom of Hungary. Married Isabella del Balzo, daughter of Agilberto, Duke of Nardò. Later retired as a monk under the monastic name "Maxim". Resurfaced as Metropolitan of Ungro-Wallachia from 1508 to 1521. He also held the title of Archbishop of Belgrade.
Irene. Mentioned third in the Massarelli manuscript. Considered to have died young.
Marija (died 27 August 1495). Mentioned fourth and last in the Massarelli manuscript. Married Boniface III, Marquess of Montferrat (1424–1494, reign 1483–1494).
Milica (died 30 January 1554). Not listed in the Massarelli manuscript, only later genealogies. Married Neagoe Basarab, Prince of Wallachia.
^Srejović, Dragoslav; Gavrilović, Slavko; Ćirković, Sima M. (1982). Istorija srpskog naroda: knj. Od najstarijih vremena do Maričke bitke (1371). Srpska književna zadruga. p. 375.
^Elsie, Robert (2000). A dictionary of Albanian religion, mythology and folk culture. New York University Press. p. 9. ISBN0-8147-2214-8.
^Samardžić, Radovan (1892). Istorija srpskog naroda: Doba borbi za očuvanje i obnovu države 1371-1537. Srpska knjiiževna zadruga. p. 375. ...Скендербега, који му је уступио неки ближе непознати посед за издржавање
^Samardžić, Radovan (1892). Istorija srpskog naroda: Doba borbi za očuvanje i obnovu države 1371-1537. Srpska knjiiževna zadruga. p. 375. ...Већ почетком 1461 отишао је са Скендербеговом препоруком у Италију.
^Brook, Lindsay L. (1989). "The Problematic Ascent of Eirene Kantakouzene Brankovič". Studies in Genealogy and Family History in Tribute to Charles Evans on the Occasion of His Eightieth Birthday. Salt Lake City, Utah : Association for the Promotion of Scholarship in Genealogy. p. 5.
^Williams, Kelsey Jackson (2006). "A Genealogy of the Grand Komnenoi of Trebizond" (PDF). Foundations. 2 (3): 171–189. (PDF) from the original on 8 June 2019.
Sources
Cawley, Charles (15 March 2012), Medieval Lands-A prosopography of medieval European noble and royal families, Medieval Lands database, Foundation for Medieval Genealogy,[self-published source][better source needed]
Miklosich, Franz (1858), Monumenta Serbica Spectantia Historiam Serbiae, Bosniae, Ragusii
Odak, Marina I. (2015). "Ikonografija i simbolika predstava na srpskom srednjovekovnom novcu". Belgrade: Filozofski fakultet.
Porčić, Nebojša. "Документи Лазара и Стефана Бранковића о подизању поклада деспота Ђурђа." Иницијал. Часопис за средњовековне студије 2 (2014): 215–239.
Fine, John Van Antwerp Jr. (1994) [1987]. The Late Medieval Balkans: A Critical Survey from the Late Twelfth Century to the Ottoman Conquest. Ann Arbor, Michigan: University of Michigan Press. ISBN0472082604.
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Stefan Branković.
March 08, 2023
stefan, branković, serbian, cyrillic, Стефан, Бранковић, 1417, october, 1476, also, known, historiography, stefan, blind, Стефан, Слепи, briefly, despot, ruler, serbian, despotate, between, 1458, 1459, member, branković, dynasty, saint, Стефан, Бранковићfrom, . Stefan Brankovic Serbian Cyrillic Stefan Brankoviћ c 1417 9 October 1476 also known in historiography as Stefan the Blind Stefan Slepi was briefly the despot ruler of the Serbian Despotate between 1458 and 1459 member of the Brankovic dynasty SaintStefan Brankovic Stefan Brankoviћfrom the Esphigmenou charter 1429 Despot of SerbiaReignJanuary 19 1458 March 21 1459PredecessorLazar BrankovicSuccessorStephen TomasevicBornc 1417BelgradeDied 1476 10 09 October 9 1476Belgrade Castle near UdineBurialKupinovoSpouseAngelina of SerbiaIssueĐorđe BrankovicJovan BrankovicMarija BrankovicHouseBrankovicFatherĐurađ BrankovicMotherEirene KantakouzeneReligionOrthodox Christian Serbian Church Contents 1 Family 2 Reign 3 Marriage and children 4 Legacy 5 Ancestry 6 See also 7 References 7 1 SourcesFamily EditStefan and his relations are named in Dell Imperadori Constantinopolitani also known as the Massarelli manuscript after the work was found in papers of Angelo Massarelli the general secretary of the Council of Trent 1 a manuscript held in the Vatican Library 2 This manuscript names him a son of Đurađ Brankovic and Eirene Kantakouzene D M Nicol 1994 questioned his maternity suggesting Đurađ had a prior marriage to a daughter of John IV of Trebizond However his theory presented no sources and failed to take into account that John IV was born between 1395 and 1417 He would be unlikely to be a grandparent by the 1410s 3 Personal coat of arms On 11 September 1429 Đurađ made a donation to Esphigmenou Monastery at Mount Athos The charter for the document names his wife Irene and five children The Masarelli manuscript also names the same five children of Đurađ and Eirene Other genealogies mention a sixth child Todor Brankovic He could be a child who died young and thus not listed with his siblings 3 The oldest sibling listed in the Massarelli document was Grgur Brankovic The 1429 document mentions him with the title of Despot Grgur was appointed governor of territories of southern Serbia associated to the House of Brankovic 4 He was reportedly appointed by Murad II of the Ottoman Empire in 1439 In April 1441 Grgur was accused of plotting against Murad and his governorship terminated He was imprisoned in Amasya and blinded on 8 May 1441 4 Grgur and his brothers co signed a charter by which Đurađ confirmed the privileges to the Republic of Ragusa 5 Grgur retired to a monastery under the monastic name German 6 According to Fine Grgur resurfaced in 1458 claiming the succession of the vacant throne of Serbia for himself or his son 7 The Massarelli manuscript mentioned Grgur as unwed Later genealogies name his wife as Jelisaveta Vuk Grgurevic a son of Grgur was later a titular Serbian despot 1471 1485 He was possibly an illegitimate 3 The Massarelli next names an older sister of Stefan Mara Brankovic She was one of the wives of Murad II 8 Stefan himself is listed third His younger sister is listed as Cantacuzina the Latinized version of their mother s last name Later genealogies give her name as Katarina She married Ulrich II of Celje The last and youngest sibling listed was Lazar Brankovic successor to their father 3 Reign Edit Serbian Despotate 1455 1459 According to Nicol Stefan had become a citizen of the Republic of Venice He was blinded alongside his brother Grgur in 1441 3 Both blind brothers seem to have been omitted from considerations as possible heirs to their father They could only claim the throne in 1458 since the death of Lazar left them the only male representatives of the Brankovic According to Fine Stefan secured the throne by co operating with his sister in law Helena Palaiologina widow of Lazar She was a daughter of Thomas Palaiologos Despot of the Morea and Catherine Zaccaria of the Principality of Achaea Helena however arranged the marriage of one of her daughters to Stjepan Tomasevic prince of Bosnia She thus managed to secure the throne for her new son in law 9 Matthias Corvinus of Hungary and Stjepan Tomas Kotromanic King of Bosnia and father of Tomasevic dethroned Stefan on April 8 1459 They enthroned Stjepan Tomasevic as his replacement At the end of 1459 Stefan decided to travel to Albania where he had relatives 10 In mid 1460 he travelled to Albania where he married Angelina Arianit Komneni in November 1460 Angelina was the sister of Donika who married Skanderbeg 11 Skanderbeg gave to Stefan Brankovic an unknown estate as appanage 12 At the beginning of 1461 Stefan Brankovic went to Italy with Skanderbeg s written recommendation 13 Fenek monastery was founded by Stefan Brankovic When Serbian Despotate had been lost to Ottomans Stefan s son Jovan led Serbian refugees to the Kingdom of Hungary There Jovan was finally recognized as Serbian Despot with a principality called Raitzen Marriage and children EditSee also Brankovic family tree In 1461 Stefan married Angjelina Arianit Komneni daughter of Albanian voivode of Shkoder and Durres Gjergj Arianit Komneni 14 They had four or five children 9 Jovan d 10 December 1502 Mentioned first in the Massarelli manuscript Titular despot of the area of Raitzen Kingdom of Hungary Married Jelena Jaksic She is mentioned as Helena Serbiae despotissa in a charted dated to 1502 Đorđe d 18 January 1516 Mentioned second in the Massarelli manuscript Titular despot of the area of Raitzen Kingdom of Hungary Married Isabella del Balzo daughter of Agilberto Duke of Nardo Later retired as a monk under the monastic name Maxim Resurfaced as Metropolitan of Ungro Wallachia from 1508 to 1521 He also held the title of Archbishop of Belgrade Irene Mentioned third in the Massarelli manuscript Considered to have died young Marija died 27 August 1495 Mentioned fourth and last in the Massarelli manuscript Married Boniface III Marquess of Montferrat 1424 1494 reign 1483 1494 Milica died 30 January 1554 Not listed in the Massarelli manuscript only later genealogies Married Neagoe Basarab Prince of Wallachia Legacy EditHe is venerated as a Saint Stefan the Blind by the Serbian Orthodox Church Ancestry EditAncestors of Stefan Brankovic16 Mladen8 Branko Mladenovic4 Vuk Brankovic2 Djuradj Brankovic20 Pribac Hrebeljanovic10 Lazar Hrebeljanovic5 Mara Lazarevic22 Vratko Nemanjic11 Milica Nemanjic1 Lazar Brankovic24 John VI Kantakouzenos12 Matthew Kantakouzenos25 Irene Asanina6 Theodore Kantakouzenos 15 26 Demetrios Palaiologos13 Irene Palaiologina27 Theodora Komnene 3 Eirene Kantakouzene28 Simeon Uros14 John Uros29 Thomais Orsini7 Helena Ouresina Doukina 16 30 Radoslav Hlapen15 Unnamed daughter of Radoslav Hlapen31 Irene See also EditList of Serbian monarchsReferences Edit The Archives the past amp the present section The Council of Trent Archived 2008 10 03 at the Wayback Machine Tony Hoskins Anglocentric medieval genealogy Archived 2011 07 16 at the Wayback Machine a b c d e Cawley Profile of Đurađ a b Fine 1994 p page needed Miklosich 1858 p page needed Schwennicke 1878 p 180 Fine 1994 p 574 Cawley Profile of Mara a b Cawley Profile of Stefan Srejovic Dragoslav Gavrilovic Slavko Cirkovic Sima M 1982 Istorija srpskog naroda knj Od najstarijih vremena do Maricke bitke 1371 Srpska knjizevna zadruga p 375 Elsie Robert 2000 A dictionary of Albanian religion mythology and folk culture New York University Press p 9 ISBN 0 8147 2214 8 Samardzic Radovan 1892 Istorija srpskog naroda Doba borbi za ocuvanje i obnovu drzave 1371 1537 Srpska knjiizevna zadruga p 375 Skenderbega koјi mu јe ustupio neki blizhe nepoznati posed za izdrzhavaњe Samardzic Radovan 1892 Istorija srpskog naroda Doba borbi za ocuvanje i obnovu drzave 1371 1537 Srpska knjiizevna zadruga p 375 Veћ pochetkom 1461 otishao јe sa Skenderbegovom preporukom u Italiјu Cawley Profile of the Araniti family Brook Lindsay L 1989 The Problematic Ascent of Eirene Kantakouzene Brankovic Studies in Genealogy and Family History in Tribute to Charles Evans on the Occasion of His Eightieth Birthday Salt Lake City Utah Association for the Promotion of Scholarship in Genealogy p 5 Williams Kelsey Jackson 2006 A Genealogy of the Grand Komnenoi of Trebizond PDF Foundations 2 3 171 189 Archived PDF from the original on 8 June 2019 Sources Edit Cawley Charles 15 March 2012 Medieval Lands A prosopography of medieval European noble and royal families Medieval Lands database Foundation for Medieval Genealogy self published source better source needed Miklosich Franz 1858 Monumenta Serbica Spectantia Historiam Serbiae Bosniae Ragusii Schwennicke Detlev 1878 Europaische Stammtafeln Stammtafeln zur Geschichte der Europaischen Staaten vol 3 p 180 Odak Marina I 2015 Ikonografija i simbolika predstava na srpskom srednjovekovnom novcu Belgrade Filozofski fakultet Porcic Nebojsa Dokumenti Lazara i Stefana Brankoviћa o podizaњu poklada despota Ђurђa Iniciјal Chasopis za sredњovekovne studiјe 2 2014 215 239 Cirkovic Sima 2004 The Serbs Malden Blackwell Publishing ISBN 9781405142915 Fine John Van Antwerp Jr 1994 1987 The Late Medieval Balkans A Critical Survey from the Late Twelfth Century to the Ottoman Conquest Ann Arbor Michigan University of Michigan Press ISBN 0472082604 Regnal titlesPreceded byLazar Brankovic Serbian Despot1458 1459 Succeeded byStephen Tomasevic Wikimedia Commons has media related to Stefan Brankovic Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Stefan Brankovic amp oldid 1129140212, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
