The District of Branković or Vuk's land was one of the short lived semi-independent states that emerged from the collapse of the Serbian Empire

Serbian Empire

The Serbian Empire was a short-lived medieval empire in the Balkans that emerged from the Serbian Kingdom. Stephen Uroš IV Dušan was crowned Emperor of Serbs and Greeks on 16 April, 1346, a title signifying a successorship to the Eastern Roman Empire...

 in 1371, following the death of the last Emperor Uroš the Weak (1346-1371). The founder and only ruler of this realm was Vuk Branković, the son of sebastokrator

Sebastokrator

Sebastokratōr was a senior court title in the late Byzantine Empire. It was also used by other rulers whose states bordered the Empire or were within its sphere of influence. The word is a compound of "sebastos" Sebastokratōr was a senior court title in the late Byzantine Empire. It was also used...

Branko Mladenović

Branko Mladenović

Branko Mladenović was a 14th-century Serb feudal lord in the Lake Ohrid border region in 1346 between the Serb lands ruled by Stefan Dušan and Albanian lands ruled by Matarango...

 who governed Ohrid

Ohrid

Ohrid is a city on the eastern shore of Lake Ohrid in the Republic of Macedonia. It has about 42,000 inhabitants, making it the seventh largest city in the country. The city is the seat of Ohrid Municipality. Ohrid is notable for having once had 365 churches, one for each day of the year and has...

 under Dušan the Mighty (1331-1346).

Through Vuk's marriage with the Mara, the daughter of Prince Lazar, he was given substantial lands to govern in Kosovo.

The Realm of Branković was located in the largest part of today's Kosovo

Kosovo

Kosovo is a region in southeastern Europe. Part of the Ottoman Empire for more than five centuries, later the Autonomous Province of Kosovo and Metohija within Serbia...

. Vuk also got areas of Raška

Raška (state)

Principality of Serbia or Serbian Principality was an early medieval state of the Serbs ruled by the Vlastimirović dynasty, that existed from ca 768 to 969 in Southeastern Europe. It was established through an unification of several provincial chiefs under the supreme rule of a certain Višeslav,...

 (including the old Serbian capital Ras

Ras

Ras is the name given to a family of related proteins found inside cells, including human cells. All Ras protein family members belong to a class of protein called small GTPase, and are involved in transmitting signals within cells...

) and lands in Polimlje in present day northern Montenegro. After the death of Đurađ I Balšić, Vuk captured his cities of Prizren

Prizren

Prizren is a historical city located in southern Kosovo. It is the administrative center of the eponymous municipality and district.The city has a population of around 131,247 , mostly Albanians...

 and Peć

Pec

Peć or Pejë is a city and municipality in north-western Kosovo and Metohija - Serbia, and the administrative centre of the homonymous district. Governor of city is Ali Berisha....

 and the area of Metohija

Metohija

Metohija , is a large basin and the name of the region covering the southwestern part of Kosovo.It encompasses three of the seven districts of Kosovo, namely the historical :* District of Peć * District of Đakovica * District of Prizren...

. The most important cities in Vuk's Realm were Priština

Pristina

Pristina, also spelled Prishtina and Priština is the capital and largest city of Kosovo. It is the administrative centre of the homonymous municipality and district....

, Prizren, Peć, Skopje

Skopje

Skopje is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Macedonia with about a third of the total population. It is the country's political, cultural, economic, and academic centre...

and Ras, as well as the rich mining settlements of Trepča, Janjevo, Gluhavica and others.