| Despot Stefan Lazarević | |
|---|---|
 Fresco portrait of Despot Stefan Lazarević in Manasija monastery, 1407-1418 |
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| Born | 1374 |
| Died | 1427 |
| Resting place | Manasija monastery |
| Nationality | Serbian |
| Title | Despot |
| Predecessor | Lazar of Serbia |
| Successor | Đurađ Branković |
| Religious stance | Serbian Orthodox |
| Parents | Lazar of Serbia Princess Milica of Serbia |
Stefan Lazarević (Serbian Cyrillic: Стефан Лазаревић; 1374 – 1427) was a Serbian Despot. He was the son and heir to Prince Lazar (Serbian: Knez Lazar, Кнез Лазар), who died at the Battle of Kosovo against the Turks in 1389, and Princess Milica (Милица) from the subordinate branch of the Nemanjić (Немањић) dynasty. His reign and his personal literary works are sometimes associated with early signs of the Renaissance in Serbian lands.- Stefan Lazarević (Serbian Cyrillic: Стефан Лазаревић; 1374-1427) was a Serbian Despot.Stefan Lazarević was the first European-style knight in Serbia and also a poet. He introduced knight tournaments, modern battle tactics, and firearms to Serbia. + | name = Despot Stefan Lazarević
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Life
Stefan became Prince in 1389, and participated as an Ottoman vassal in the Battle of Karanovasa in 1394, the Battle of Rovine in 1395, the Battle of Nicopolis in 1396, and in the Battle of Ankara in 1402. He became the Despot of Serbia in 1402 after the Ottoman state temporarily collapsed following Timur's invasion of Anatolia with the Battle of Ankara, and in 1403 proclaimed Belgrade his capital. He built a fortress with a citadel which was destroyed during the Great Turkish War in 1690; only the Despot Stefan Tower remains today. Stefan defeated and killed his brother-in-law Bayezid I's son Musa during the Battle of Despotovac in 1406. After the battle, Serbia had peace with the Ottomans for a long time.
Stefan II became an ally of the Kingdom of Hungary and a knight of a special order, so when the Hungarian king Sigismund renewed the Order of the Dragon (Societas draconistrarum) in 1408, Despot Stefan Lazarević was the first on the list of members. In 1404, Sigismund gave Lazarević land in the present-day Vojvodina (and Pannonian part of present-day Belgrade), including Zemun (today part of Belgrade), Slankamen, Kupinik, Mitrovica, Bečej, and Veliki Bečkerek. In 1417, Apatin is also mentioned among his possessions. Under his rule, he issued a Code of Mines in 1412 in Novo Brdo in Kosovo, the economic center of Serbia. In his legacy, Resava-Manasija monastery (Pomoravlje District), he organized the Resava School, a center for correcting, translating, and transcribing books. Stefan Lazarević died suddenly in 1427, leaving the throne to his nephew Đurađ Branković. His deeds eventually elevated him into sainthood, and the Serbian Orthodox Church honors him on August 1st. Despot Stefan is buried in his legacy monastery Manasija. Apart from the biographical notes in charters and especially in the Code on The Mine Novo Brdo (1412), Stefan Lazarević wrote three original literary works: The Grave Sobbing for prince Lazar (1389); The Inscription on the Kosovo Marble Column (1404); and A Homage to Love (1409), a poetic epistle to his brother Vuk.
Quotes
| Despot Stefan Lazarević |
A HOMAGE TO LOVE |
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| 1. I, Despot Stefan, |
6.
As David rightly sang: |
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| 2.
The Lord hath made both |
7. Youths and maidens, |
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| 3.
But all these |
8. Together we were, and close to each other, |
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| 4.
No room in love is there for lies, |
9.
May the winds collide with the rivers, |
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| 5.
Pure and keen |
10.
And may we be together again, |
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| (Translated by Vida Janković) | (1409 AD) |
(Quotation from: Serbian Literary Magazine, Relations, No 4/1998, with permition of Executive Editor)
See also
External links
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