Serbian despots
In the Byzantine world was despot or Despot ( Greek δεσπότης, Despot - ruler ) of the title of a ruler on a smaller, at least nominally dependent on the imperial country; some of the emperor's sons were also given the same title. In the Byzantine liturgy the priest is addressed by the deacon as a despot to this day. These titles are to be understood neutrally in the sense of "ruler", without the negative meaning "tyrant", despot , which is common today . In the hierarchy , despot came after the highest ruler title of autocrator and basileus , in Byzantium the actual imperial titles, but came before the sebastocrator and " emperor " ( Caesar ). Despot was the highest title of ruler in Serbia for more than a century.
In Serbia, the title of despots was awarded for the first time under Tsar Stefan Dušan based on Byzantium. Well-known despots from that time were Jovan Oliver , a military leader of Stefan Dušan, and Jovan Uglješa , the brother of King Vukašin . But these despots were not considered to be the highest rulers of Serbia. The first Serbian despot in the true sense of the word was Stefan Lazarević . In 1402, after the battle of Ankara and the defeat of the Ottomans under Sultan Bayezit I against the Mongols of Tamerlans , in which Stefan Lazarević had to participate as an Ottoman vassal, he stopped in Constantinople , where the Byzantine Emperor John VII awarded him the title of despot. At least in the Byzantine world this was an increase in the value of the Serbian state, since Byzantium until then only recognized the Serbian princes and kings as sebastocrators and Caesars, while it regarded Stefan Dušan as usurpers .
Serbian despots
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- Stefan Lazarević , 1389-1427
- Đurađ Branković , 1427-1456
- Lazar Branković , 1456-1458
- Stefan Branković , 1458-1459
- Stjepan Tomašević , 1459
In the same year that Stefan Branković was ousted, the last remnants of medieval Serbia were conquered by the Ottomans. The Ottomans claimed to have occupied Serbia until law and order were to be restored in the country, after which they would leave Serbia. De jure there was never an official annexation of Serbia. Christian Europe emphasized this, especially Hungary insisted on the existence of the Kingdom of Serbia ( Raszien ), which would be occupied by the Ottomans. This was also evident in the official designation of Serbia as an Austrian province in the short period from 1718 to 1739: "Military Command of the Kingdom of Serbia". As a result of this consideration and the endeavor to better protect one's own border against Ottoman attacks, the Hungarian King Matthias Corvinus renewed the Serbian despotate. Serbian despots got fiefs in Hungary, mainly in Syrmia , were dubbed as vassals or subjects of Hungarian kings as the official rulers of "occupied" Serbia and had to take part in wars and battles on the side of Hungary. Many of these despots planned a liberation of Serbia, but unsuccessfully. They were also the highest representatives of the Serbs living in Hungary . The first Serbian despot in Hungary was Vuk Grgurević.
Serbian despots in Vojvodina
- Vuk Grgurević , 1471-1485
- Đurađ Branković , 1486–1496
- Jovan Branković , 1496-1502
- Ivaniš Berislavić , 1504–1514
- Stefan Berislavić , 1520-1526
- Radič Božić , 1527-1528
- Pavle Bakić , 1528 (?) –1537
- Stefan Štiljanović , 1537-1540
Most of Hungary came under Ottoman rule, with the parts that had not yet been conquered either came under Habsburg rule or were separated from Hungary and placed under Ottoman suzerainty as the Principality of Transylvania . The conquest of Hungary also meant the end for the Serbian despots. But with them the foundation stone was ultimately laid for a future political entity, Vojvodina .