Jovan Dragaš was a 14th-century Serbian noble that held the title of Despot

Despot

Despot may refer to:* Despot , a Byzantine court title* Despotism, a form of government in which power is concentrated in the hands of an individual or a small groupPeople with the surname Despot:...

 of Kumanovo

Kumanovo

Kumanovo is a city in the Republic of Macedonia and is the seat of Kumanovo Municipality which is the largest municipality in the country. Municipal institutions include a city council, mayor and other administrative bodies.-Name:...

, Kocani

Kocani

Kočani is a town away from Skopje, situated in the Eastern part of the Republic of Macedonia, with population of 28 330. The town of Kočani is the seat of Kočani Municipality.-Geography and population:...

 and Strumica

Strumica

Strumica is the largest city in eastern Macedonia, near the Novo Selo-Petrich border crossing with Bulgaria. About 100,000 people live in the region surrounding the city. The city is named after the Strumica River which runs through it...

 under his uncle Stephen Uroš V of Serbia; he later became an Ottoman

Ottoman Empire

The Ottoman EmpireIt was usually referred to as the "Ottoman Empire", the "Turkish Empire", the "Ottoman Caliphate" or more commonly "Turkey" by its contemporaries...

 vassal after the Battle of Maritsa

Battle of Maritsa

The Battle of Maritsa, or Battle of Chernomen, took place at the Maritsa River near the village of Chernomen on September 26, 1371 between the forces of the Ottoman sultan Murad I's lieutenant Lala Şâhin Paşa and the...

 in 1371.

His father ruled Kumanovo with a district spanning from Presevo to Velbazhd (Kyustendil). After his father's death, the young brothers Jovan and Constantine were taken care of by Vlatko Paskačić

Vlatko Paskačić

Vlatko Paskačić was a 14th century Serbian feudal lord of Slavište region around Kriva Palanka under the Mrnjavčevići , in modern Republic of Macedonia....

, at the order of the Mrnjavcevics, who continued to rule the region until Jovan reached adolescence.

He began his office in circa 1365, and ruled alongside his mother and younger brother Constantine for some years. His uncle gave him the title of Despot, as had done his father before him (this is attested in sources dating to 1373).

After the Battle of Maritsa, the two brothers became Ottoman vassals as the Mrnjavcevics were defeated. They, however, continued to rule their region as a semi-independent state, and managed to further expand their father's district, taking territory from Jovan Oliver

Jovan Oliver

Jovan Oliver Grčinić, known as Despot Jovan Oliver was a magnate of the Serbian Emperor Dušan the Mighty , holding the titles of sebastokrator and despotes, and the great voivode-military rank, showing his prominence and status as one of the most important nobles of Dušan...

. He issued coins that were of same design as those of Vukasin Mrnjavcevic

Vukašin Mrnjavcevic

Vukašin Mrnjavčević was a Serbian ruler in modern-day central and northwestern Macedonia, who ruled from 1365 to 1371. According to 17th-century Ragusan historian Mavro Orbin, his father was a minor noble named Mrnjava from Zachlumia, whose sons Vukašin and Uglješa were born in Livno in western...

.

He donated the Saint Vasilii church in Shtip to the Hilandar

Hilandar

Hilandar Monastery is a Serbian Orthodox monastery on Mount Athos in Greece. It was founded in 1198 by the first Serbian Archbishop Saint Sava and his father, Grand Prince Stefan Nemanja of the medieval Serbian principality of Raška...

 monastery.

He died in 1378 and his brother continued to rule until 1392.