Jovan Oliver
Jovan Oliver ( Greek Ἰωάννης ὁ Λιβερος Ioannes o Liberos ; * around 1310; † 1356 ) was a Serbian nobleman and general of the emperor Stefan Dušan .
His father probably belonged to the lower nobility of Serbia and was called Grčin, the name perhaps points to a Greek origin. Some sources assign Oliver a Greek father and a Serbian mother. Jovan Oliver was married to Anna Maria and had seven children with her.
It is not known how he managed to rise to high Serbian nobility, but it is believed because of his military achievements. He distinguished himself particularly in the conquest of Macedonia and Thessaly . He received a fiefdom from Stefan Dušan in what is now Macedonia . Jovan Oliver seems to have had an important position as early as 1342 when he and Vratko Nemanjić participated in the negotiations between Stefan Dušan and John VI. had participated. Together with Vratko, he led the Serbian army at the side of John VI. against Serres . When Stefan Dušan was crowned emperor in 1346, Oliver was first elevated to the status of sebastocrators - and shortly thereafter to the despot status. He thus belonged to the highest nobility, with the right to mint his own coins. Therewith Jovan Oliver was undoubtedly one of the most powerful princes in the empire. He died in 1356, shortly after the death of Stefan Dušan. The cause of his death and why his estates were divided between the later co-regent Vukašin and the Sebastokrator Dejan , the father of Konstantin Dragaš , although Oliver had six sons, is historically not known. He may have supported the party of Simeon Uroš , whose defeat falls in the same year.
Historically, Jovan Olivers was remembered primarily through his foundation of the Lesnovo Monastery in what is now Macedonia.
literature
- Branislav Todić: Natpis uz Jovana Olivera . In: Zbornik radova Vizantološkog instituta 38, 1999, pp. 373–382.
- Srđan Pirivatrić: The Byzantine titles of Jovan Oliver: A contribution to the issues of their origin and chronology. In: Zbornik radova Vizantološkog instituta. Volume 50, 2013, pp. 713-724.
Remarks
- ↑ It is possible that Jovan Oliver had the despot title as early as 1334 from the Byzantine emperor Andronikos III. receive.
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Jovan Oliver |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | Serbian nobleman |
| DATE OF BIRTH | around 1310 |
| DATE OF DEATH | 1356 |