Tvrtko I of Bosnia
Encyclopedia
Stjepan Tvrtko I (5 August 1338 – 10 March 1391) was a ruler of medieval Bosnia. He ruled in 1353–1366 and again in 1367–1377 as Ban
and in 1377–1391 as the first Bosnian King.
Tvrtko I was an able ruler, and his state included most of Bosnia as well as the neighbouring territories, which included Bosnia, Dalmatia
, Croatia
and Serbia (Rascia)
. Tvrtko was a member of the House of Kotromanić
. He transformed the country from an autonomous banate into an independent and prosperous kingdom.
and Jelena Šubić
, who were married at the Šubić
's Klis Fortress
in Croatia during summer-long festivities open to the whole population. Tvrtko's father, Vladislav of Kotroman was the son of Stephen I, Ban of Bosnia, and Elizabeth of Serbia
. Tvrtko's mother, countess Jelena Šubić was daughter of Croatian count George II Šubić
from the noble Šubić
family, and his wife. Tvrtko was a scion of the two most prominent families. Tvrtko was the first cousin of Elizabeth of Bosnia, the daughter of Vladislav's brother, ban Stephen II Kotromanić, and his third wife the Polish princess Elizabeth of Kuyavia
.
In the times when the plague was devastating the region, Tvrtko's mother Jelena Šubić was in charge of the household, which, among others, included her own family, including her ailing husband Vladislav, and the family of her ailing in-laws of Stephen II Kotromanić. Jelena brought up her own children, Tvrtko, his younger brother Stjepan Vuk Kotromanić, and his sister Catherine
, together with her niece and adopted daughter Elizabeth of Bosnia.
In 1350, Elisabeth of Bosnia
was hand-picked to become, in 1353, the second wife of the king Louis I of Hungary, king of Hungary
, since 1370 of Poland
, etc. In 1361, Catherine was married to Hermann I of Celje. They became parents of Hermann II of Celje
and grandparents of Barbara of Cilli, the future wife, queen and empress to Sigismund, Holy Roman Emperor
.
All House of Kotroman siblings, Tvrtko and Elizabeth in particular, were very close, calling themselves, even in official documents, as my beloved brother and my beloved sister, respectively. Thus, Tvrtko was, in fact, the brother-in-law, vassal and trusted ally of Louis I, and the brother-in-law of Hermann I of Celje.
Tvrtko was also a descendant, on both paternal and maternal sides, from the Arpad dynasty
that ruled Hungary
and Croatia
, and House of Nemanja
, that ruled the Serbia
n Lands and at its peak the Greek lands.
Tvrtko's paternal grandmother was Elizabeth of Serbia
, the daughter of the Serbia
n nobleman Stephen Dragutin of Serbia and his wife, Catherine of Hungary
, the daughter of the Cuman Koteny Princess christened Elizabeth and her husband Stephen V of Hungary
who was the son of King Bela IV of Hungary
.
Tvrtko's maternal great-grandmother was Ursa Nemanjic, Elizabeth's sister.
Tvrtko's maternal uncle Croatian noble Mladen III Šubić was son of Juraj II Šubić and grandson of Pavao I Šubić Bribirski. Mladen III Šubić married to Jelena Šubić (Nemanjić)
, the daughter of Stefan Decanski, from Nemanjić dynasty, and Maria Palaeologina, and a half-sister of Serbia
n Emperor Stefan Dušan.
Tvrtko's paternal aunt Maria was the wife of Nicolae Alexandru Basarab and the grandmother of Mircea I the Elder. Tvrtko's maternal uncle Croatian noble Pavao III Šubić was married to Catherina Dandolo, his maternal aunt Katarina Šubić was married to Ivan Jurišić,
his grand-aunt was Elizabeta Krčka (later known as Frankopan
), while his grand-uncle was Jacopo Tiepolo
.
Tvrtko succeeded his uncle Ban Stephen II Kotromanić as Ban of Bosnia in the Hungarian King's name in 1353 at the age of 15. He was still young, so his father Vladislav Kotromanić ruled in his name. The first year of Tvrtko's reign passed mostly as confirming and issuing new edicts. In 1354, Tvrtko and his brother Vuk were declared as Bans of Bosnia, the Lower Edges, Zagorje and the Hum land
. The same year Tvrtko's father and Bosnia's
de facto ruler, Vladislav, died. Tvrtko's mother, Banass Jelena Šubić
asserted to the throne, but she wasn't accepted in Bosnia because she was a woman, so much of the Bosnian nobility refused to obey her. The first one to rebel was Tvrtko's close cousin Pavle Kulišić. Tvrtko gathered a small force, defeated Pavle, took his Usora cities for himself and threw him in the dungeon, where he died.
Mladen III Šubić had died and his lands were being split. The Hungarian Kingdom
and the Republic of Venetia quarreled over Klis
and Skradin
, the cities which were held by Jelena Šubić. The Hungarian King wanted Jelena Šubić Kotromanić to take over the cities with the Bosnians. So in 1355, Tvrtko and his mother moved with their forces to Duvno for the negotiations with the Croatian Prince, Ivan Nelipac. The Bosnian Ban managed to get a hold for himself over some of the former Šubićs' cities and forged a military alliance with Prince Ivan Nelipac ready to advance to Zadar
if the cities didn't answer their side's demands.
In 1356–1358 the Hungarian King was at war with Venetia, so he had mustered Tvrtko's forces, but Ban Tvrtko was unwilling to assist him. In the middle of 1357, Tvrtko visited the King's court and the King had forced Tvrtko to relinquish Završje and the Hum as well as swear an oath of loyalty and promise to wipe out the Bosnian Church
. The last task was given to Bosnian Bishop Petar Šikloš, who unlike his predecessor Peregrin, wasn't loyal to the House of Kotromanić
. In turn, the King confirmed Tvrtko and his brother Vuk as the Bans of Bosnia and Usora. The King also imposed a law that always, either Tvrtko or his brother had to be at the Hungarian court as hostages. The Hungarian King also took the rulers of the Lower Edges from Tvrtko's suzerainty for himself and continued to rile up the rest of the Bosnian nobility against the Ban.
Ban Tvrtko desired to restore power. He threatened the nobility of the Lower Edges and mustered a side out of the nobility loyal to him, but his party began to crumble. The Hungarian King had finished his conquest of Dalmatia
from Venetia by 1358 and even had put the Republic of Dubrovnik under his supreme rule, to which he issued an edict that totally undermined Tvrtko's authority. Tvrtko's plot against the Hungarian King and the Bosnian Bishop Petar Šikloš later that year utterly failed.
Serbia
n Prince Vojislav Vojinović counterattacked the Hungarian Kingdom at the Republic of Dubrovnik, which asked Ban Tvrtko for assistance as the Hungarian King recommended. Tvrtko amassed his forces, but the war was already over by the time he was prepared. In the peace treaty, the Hungarian King again undermined Tvrtko's authority. In 1361, the Dubrovnik Republic was attacked by Prince Vojislav again. After numerous pleas from the Republic's envoys, the Ban dispatched Prince
Sanko Miltenović to negotiate. Prince Vojislav refused all negotiations, so Tvrtko claimed that nothing more could be done. The war was eventually over in 1362, so the Republic's pleas have stopped.
The Bosnian Bishop had the permission from the Pope to raise arms since 1360 and the Hungarian King was to supply them. In 1363, the Hungarian King attempted a double invasion of Tvrtko's Bosnia to resolve Tvrtko from his office. The first and primary target was the city of Soko
on Pliva
. Tvrtko's Duke
Vukac Hrvatinić led a three-day defence against the siege of the city from 8 to 10 July. The Hungarian Palatine MIklós Kont was sent later to renew the invasion. He attacked Srebrenik
in Usora. The Hungarians suffered heavy losses and someone even stole the royal seal from its guardian the Archbishop of Esztergom
from the Hungarian camp. After this triumph, by 1364 Tvrtko called himself Ban of All Bosnia by the mercy of God instead of by the mercy of the Hungarian King. The Republic of Venetia, Hungary's old enemy nominated Tvrtko as its honorary citizen. The war strengthened the Bosnian nobility. Prince Sanko Miltenović and the Dabišić brothers have stopped recognizing the Ban's supreme rule and numerous Venetian
and Ragusan
trade caravans have been raided by the lesser nobility. Anarchy ruled in Tvrtko's Bosnia.
In February 1366 opened conflicts emerged. The Bosnian nobility deposed Tvrtko from his throne and brought his brother, Vuk. Tvrtko had to flee to Hungary
. By the end of March 1366, Tvrtko managed to return to Bosnia and take one part of it. Tvrtko again inserted the Hungarian King in his title. With the help of the Hungarian King and the Republic of Dubrovnik, Tvrtko restored control and defeated the rebels by the middle of 1367. Tvrtko tricked the nobility, bribed some, some punished and gave privileges to some and managed to regain support from the Bosnian nobility. Ban Tvrtko fograve Prince Pavle Vukoslavić for the betrayal. Tvrtko again forgot about his loyalty to the Hungarian King and asserted the throne with the title by the mercy of God Lord of many lands, Bosnia
, and Soli
and Usora and the Lower Edges and the Drina
and the Hum
Lord. His brother Vuk fled to the Dubrovnik Republic. The Ragusians and the brothers' mother, Jelena Kotromanić invited Tvrtko to make peace with his brother, but Tvrtko came to the Republic with an army in July 1367. Although he feasted in Dubrovnik, Vuk escaped from the city.
The new Serbian nobleman, Prince Nikola Altomanović
attacked the widow of Prince Vojislav Vojinović. Tvrtko assisted her by helping her to flee to Albania
. Out of revenge, Prince Nikola attacked the Drina
area of Tvrtko. Prince
Altomanović assisted Tvrtko's brother, Vuk and then mustered Prince
Sanko Miltenović against him. Prince Sanko was on egde, so he made peace with Tvrtko in the summer of 1367, but rebelled against him again the following 1368. In 1369, Tvrtko went to the Hum Land
and raided Sanko's land with his army. Prince Sanko had to flee to the Dubrovnik Republic. Tvrtko again made peace with Sanko, whom he gave his army to lead. Sanko leading Tvrtko's forces raided the lands of Prince Nikola Altomanović, although was killed in a trap set for him when he entered Trebinje
.
Tvrtko's brother Vuk appealed to Pope Urban V accusing Tvrtko for heresy and stating that he supports the Bosnian Krstjani
. The Pope asked then the Hungarian King to restore control over Bosnia and give the authority to Vuk. In 1370 Vuk raised an army and assaulted Tvrtko's capital, Bobovac
. Bobovac was defended by Stipan Rajković, who managed to convince Vuk to give up his military attempts against Tvrtko for the sake of the brotherhood.
In the Spring of 1370, Tvrtko led Bosnia's nobility to a war against Prince Nikola Altomanović. Negotiations were initiated already in the Summer. In Serbia Nikola's power was rapidly decreasing and that of the House of Mrnjavčević
rapidly increasing. Tvrtko negotiated with Serb King Vukašin Mrnjavčević
to marry a cousin, the daughter of Grgur II Šubić to Vukašin's son, Young Serb King Marko. Marko was Orthodox Christian
, so the Pope wasn't supportive of the marriage and Vuk had mettled around the affair, so Tvrtko gave up of the idea. In 1371, Tvrtko prepared a joint offensive against Nikola Altomanović with two Serbian noblemen, Vukašin Mrnjavčević
and Đurađ Balšić. The move was stopped as the Mrnjavčević brothers attacked the Ottoman Turks
at the famous Battle of Marica. The Serbian Emperor
Stefan Uroš V himself died very soon. Tvrtko sought help in the remaining Serbian lords that still didn't recognize supreme Ottoman rule. He forged an alliance with Lazar Hrebeljanović, the Prince
of Moravian Serbia
. The decisive conflict was in 1373. Ban Tvrtko raised his army and the Hungarian King sent a thousand pikemen under Srem's Ban Miklós Garai. Tvrtko attacked from the west, while Prince Lazar attacked from the east. Very soon, the two armies met at Užice
, where they forced Nikola Altomanović to surrender. Nikola was blinded and banished to a monastery, while his demesne was split. Tvrtko gained the Upper Drina
area and the Lim
area with Mileševa as well as Gacko
. Konavle
, Trebinje
and Dračevica; other lands in which was Tvrtko interested, were seized by Đuraš Balšić of Zeta. The other lands were given to Prince Lazar.
In 1374, Tvrtko finally made peace with his brother Vuk. By the end of the same year, he married the daughter of Bulgarian Prince Ivan Stracimir
of Vidin
, Dorothea of Bulgaria
upon the appeal of the Hungarian King. The ceremony took place in December 1374 in Saint Ilija (today's Ilinci
) near Šid
. Tvrtko soon raised his armies and occupied Trebinje
, Konavle
and Dračevica. Đurađ Balšić died before he could counterattack. Tvrtko took the remaining Bosnian lands from the Adriatic to the Mileševa monastery, a pilgrimage site with the remains of Saint Sava
, the founder of the Serbian Orthodox Church
.
On 26 October 1377, Tvrtko had himself crowned as Stephen Tvrtko I, by the Grace of God, King of Serbia, Bosnia and the Seaside and the Western Lands. Today, some historians consider that he was crowned in Monastery of Mileševa, even though there is no evidence of that. Another possibility, supported by archaeological evidences, is that he was crowned in Mile near Visoko
in the church which was built in time of Stephen II Kotromanić's reign, where he was also buried alongside his uncle Stjepan II. Stephen (Stefan) was the standard title of the rulers from the House of Nemanjić
. In 1375–1377 Tvrtko created a unique genealogy that explicitly stated his descendency from the House of Nemanjić
.
Tvrtko assessed the Double crown (Sugubi vijenac) as King of Bosnia, his native God-given land and King of Serbia. Logothet Vladoje abandoned the Serbian throne and went to work for Tvrtko, for whom he modelled his ruling ideology identical to the Serbian. King Stephen Tvrtko took the titles from the Serbian throne and gave them to the Bosnian nobility. His crowning was recognized by the most powerful noblemen in Serbia
, Princes Lazar Hrebeljanović and Vuk Branković. Although the Hungarian King recognized his crowning, he continued to call him Ban until his death in 1382. By this, Tvrtko officially declared the independence of the Kingdoms of Bosnia and Serbia.
In 1378, a new war erupted between the Hungarian Kingdom and the Republic of Venetia. Venetia desired to take the Ston
area from the Republic of Dubrovnik, so Ragusa asked Tvrtko for assistance. King Stephen Tvrtko I was too busy to intervene as he was waging a war in Serbia
to consolidate power. Kotor
was conquered by Venetia and the Dubrovnik Republic wanted to use Genoa
to finally destroy its greatest adversary, the City of Kotor. The Citizens of Kotor promised Bosnia's King Stephen Tvrtko I that they will accept his supreme rule if he liberates them from Venetian rule. The Dubrovnik Republic didn't like this, so the relations between it and Tvrtko sharpened. In 1379, the relations between them were good again. Kotor played him out as it recognize the supreme rule of the Hungarian King as soon as it rebelled from Venetian rule. Tvrtko was mad and planned a joint attack on Dubrovnik
and Kotor
. He couldn't launch an attack, though, since his army had to quell a rebellion in the vicinity of Trebinje
. Although, Tvrtko gave support to the surrounded Venetian garrison in Kotor by sending them mercenaries, food and weapons. In 1381 in Torin, it was finally decided that Hungary will have Kotor.
He built, and in 1382 opened the ports of Brstanik near Počitelj and Sveti Stefan, now known as Herceg Novi
in Bay of Kotor Monte Negro
as a line of defence from Dubrovnik and Kotor. The Fort was soon renamed to Novi. The Republic of Dubrovnik was jealous of its trading and solt producing success, so it sent a Galleon to block entrance to the port. King Stephen Tvrtko I asked Venetia to dispatch two warships to help him raise the blockade of Novi, but the Venetians didn't have anything to spare. In the end, Tvrtko decided in December 1382 that no solt would be distributed in Novi any more, which ended the crisis with the Republic of Dubrovnik, which began to rile up the neighbouring Bosnian cities in the meantime.
After Hungarian King Louis I's death in 1382, Stephen Tvrtko became the protector of his cousin and Louis's widow Elizabeth, and her daughters, Queen Mary of Hungary
and Queen Hedwig of Poland. King Stephen Tvrtko received Nicholas Baseja from Venetia, who became admiral of the new Bosnian fleet. Stephen Tvrtko bought a Galleon from Venetia and ordered two more. In 1383, he became the honorary citizen of the Republic of Venetia. In 1383, a rebellion of members of the Hospital Order broke out in Serbia
which was assisted by Stephen Tvrtko, but Queen Mary quickly quelled it. The rebellion ended with a rebellion in Zadar
in 1384, but it was broken quickly.
In 1385, Elizabeth lost to Tvrtko her patrimoni of Hum
. The same year, Tvrtko took some territories of Croatia
: Livno
, Duvno and Glamoč
. Tvrtko met later that same year with the Hungarian Palatine Nicholas I Garay
and achieved a political understanding. Tvrtko was not to help rebels against Queen Mary's authority anymore and become a Hungarian vassal. In return, he received the City of Kotor
. To ensure his authority over the city, Tvrtko sent numerous gifts to its citizens and swore to defend them.
In 1387, after the murder of Tvrtko's cousin Elizabeth, and captivity of her daughter Queen Mary, Tvrtko might have become, on Mary's request, the heir presumptive to the throne of Hungary as well.
Since 1387, Tvrtko had pretensions to rule the Croatian lands of the Bribir Prince, ancestors across his mother's side as well. He dispatched that year Duke Hrvoje Vukčić
to relieve the Siege of Bishop Pavle Horvat in Zagreb
. In July the same year, King Stephen made his first greater military success by making Klis
to surrender. From there he continued on to Split
and then the Zadar
hinterland. Finally his forces reached Vrane
and freed the rebels from the Hungarian rule that were being besieged there. King Sigismund's men had to fall back to Nin
, which was subsequently attacked by Bosnians. Ostrovica
was captured in 1388. Tvrtko's forces conducted terror in the Dalmatian cities. Split's hinterland was entirely burned to the ground as a punishment for its stouch loyalty to the Hungarian King and other cities suffered too. The Bosnian forces held Klis
, Ostrovica
, Vrana and Knin
. It is because of this that Trogir
decided to accept Tvrtko's supreme rule. Split
, Zadar
and Šibenik
were frightened because of this, so they asked Hungarian King Sigismund for assistance. Tvrtko's ground forces were too weak to assault those cities, so he started building up a navy of his own in Kotor.
In 1386-1388 numerous breaches of Ottoman Turks
into Bosnia occurred under the request of Đurađ Stracimirović of Zeta. The greatest battle occurred on 27 August 1388 near Bileća
when the Ottoman commander Shahin advanced deep into Tvrtko's realm with 18,000 soldiers. Tvrtko's Duke
Vlatko Vuković
and Prince Radič Sanković
led the Bosnian Army and fought off the Ottomans. In the meantime, Hungarian King Sigismund dispatched Ladislaus Loszonac to help the Dalmatian cities. The Hungarian Army moved from Zadar
, but Ladislaus called it off subsequently. As a punishment, Tvrtko's forces broke into the city of Zadar and burned a part of it. The Dalmatian cities saw that the Hungarian King couldn't help them, so they asked Tvrtko to issue them a deadline for surrender, which King Tvrtko subsequently did.
The Dalmatian cities received some more time as the Ottomans were braking into Europe. Tvrtko had accepted the necessity of defending Christian Europe on his shoulders and dispatched the best squadrons of his military under the Duke
Vlatko Vuković
to fight in the Serbian Army of Prince Lazar Hrebeljanović in the epic Battle of Kosovo
on 15 June 1389. The Ottomans were led by Sultan Murad I
himself. In the battle, both sides suffered heavy losses, as both Prince Lazar and Sultan Murad lost their lives.
Tvrtko cherished the battle as his personal success, claiming that he had defended Europe and Christianity in the name of the Christ
against the infidel soldiers that threaned the civilized world. He dispatched the news across to western Europe and described how 12 Serbian noblemen managed to break through the Ottoman ranks to Sultan Murad and kill him. However, after the Battle of Kosovo, Tvrtko's rule in Serbia
remained only de jure.
In the meantime, Hungarian commander Ladislaus conquered Klis in July 1389. Duke Vlatko Vuković
returned from Serbia
soon, as the Ottomans were temporarily stopped. Tvrtko launched a counteroffensive in the Fall of the same year and struck at the surroundings of Zadar. The Bosnian forces moved to Vrana, where they fought the Hungarian forces several days. The Hungarians took Vrana and held hostage Tvrtko's ally, Ivan Paližna. The Hungarian Army suffered a heavy defeat and Klis subsequently surrendered to King Stephen Tvrtko. In April 1390 the Dalmatian cities started to negotiate terms of surrender. In the Summer, Split, Trogir and Šibenik all accepted his rule as well as the islands of Brač
, Hvar
and Korčula
. Tvrtko accepted the title by the mercy of God famous King of Rascia
, Bosnia
, Dalmatia
, Croatia
, the Seaside...
Tvrtko's last territorial aims were at Zadar, and he failously requested ships from Venetia to take the city. His wife, Queen Dorothea
died, so Tvrtko negotiated with Albert III of the Habsburg
line to remarry into the Habsburg dynasty. Austrian duke Albert III also acted as a mediator to finally bring peace between Tvrtko and the Hungarian King Sigismund.
King Stephen Tvrtko I surprisingly died on 10 March 1391.
, became null and void.
Within two decades following Tvrtko's death, Sigismund fomented a number of wars in Bosnia
and Croatia
and murdered almost 200 prominent families. Some of carnage is known as 1397 Bloody Sabor of Križevci
and the 1408 Dobor Massacre. Sigismund became the Holy Roman Emperor
. A few surviving Bosnian
and Croatian
noble families in the eastern part were forced to accept Ottoman
vassalship and converted to Islam
. Some members of those families became prominent military leaders of the Ottoman armies, governors, Grand Viziers, Sultan's sons-in-law and the mother of Sultan
Mehmed the Conqueror.
|-
|-
|-
Ban (title)
Ban was a title used in several states in central and south-eastern Europe between the 7th century and the 20th century.-Etymology:The word ban has entered the English language probably as a borrowing from South Slavic ban, meaning "lord, master; ruler". The Slavic word is probably borrowed from...
and in 1377–1391 as the first Bosnian King.
Tvrtko I was an able ruler, and his state included most of Bosnia as well as the neighbouring territories, which included Bosnia, Dalmatia
Dalmatia
Dalmatia is a historical region on the eastern coast of the Adriatic Sea. It stretches from the island of Rab in the northwest to the Bay of Kotor in the southeast. The hinterland, the Dalmatian Zagora, ranges from fifty kilometers in width in the north to just a few kilometers in the south....
, Croatia
Croatia
Croatia , officially the Republic of Croatia , is a unitary democratic parliamentary republic in Europe at the crossroads of the Mitteleuropa, the Balkans, and the Mediterranean. Its capital and largest city is Zagreb. The country is divided into 20 counties and the city of Zagreb. Croatia covers ...
and Serbia (Rascia)
Rascia
Rascia was a medieval region that served as the principal province of the Serbian realm. It was an administrative division under the direct rule of the monarch and sometimes as an appanage. The term has been used to refer to various Serbian states throughout the Middle Ages...
. Tvrtko was a member of the House of Kotromanić
House of Kotromanic
The Kotromanić dynasty was a ruling house that ruled in the medieval Bosnia and the surrounding lands, from the 13th century as Bans until the crowning with the Bosnian crowns in 1377 and then as kings until the Ottoman conquest conquest in 1463....
. He transformed the country from an autonomous banate into an independent and prosperous kingdom.
Family Connections
Tvrtko was the firstborn child of Vladislav KotromanićVladislav Kotromanic
Vladislav Kotromanić was a 14th-century acting regent of medieval Bosnia, from September 1353 to his death in 1354. He was co-regent with his brother, Stephen II, Ban of Bosnia, 1326-1353....
and Jelena Šubić
Jelena Šubic
Jelena Šubić was a Croatian kneginja from the noble Šubić family, and mother of Bosnian King Tvrtko.Jelena Šubić was daughter of Juraj II Šubić. She was born early in the 14th century , and was married to Regent of Bosnia Vladislav Kotromanić by his brother Mladen III Šubić at Klis Fortress in...
, who were married at the Šubić
Šubic
The Šubić were one of the twelve tribes which constituted Croatian statehood in the Middle Ages; they held the county of Bribir in inland Dalmatia.-Origins:...
's Klis Fortress
Klis Fortress
The Klis Fortress is a medieval fortress situated above a village bearing the same name, near the city of Split, in central Dalmatia, Croatia. From its origin as a small stronghold built by the ancient Illyrian tribe Dalmatae, becoming a royal castle that was the seat of many Croatian kings, to...
in Croatia during summer-long festivities open to the whole population. Tvrtko's father, Vladislav of Kotroman was the son of Stephen I, Ban of Bosnia, and Elizabeth of Serbia
Elizabeth of Serbia
Elizabeth of Serbia was Baness of Bosnia by her marriage to Stephen I, Ban of Bosnia.-Family:...
. Tvrtko's mother, countess Jelena Šubić was daughter of Croatian count George II Šubić
George II Šubić of Bribir
George II Šubić of Bribir was a Count of Bribir and member of the Croatian Šubić noble family, who ruled from Klis Fortress.- Family Connections :...
from the noble Šubić
Šubic
The Šubić were one of the twelve tribes which constituted Croatian statehood in the Middle Ages; they held the county of Bribir in inland Dalmatia.-Origins:...
family, and his wife. Tvrtko was a scion of the two most prominent families. Tvrtko was the first cousin of Elizabeth of Bosnia, the daughter of Vladislav's brother, ban Stephen II Kotromanić, and his third wife the Polish princess Elizabeth of Kuyavia
Elizabeth of Kuyavia
Elizabeth of Kuyavia was the only daughter of Casimir II of Kuyavia and his wife, whose name and origins are unknown. Elisabeth was Baness of Bosnia by her marriage.- Family :...
.
In the times when the plague was devastating the region, Tvrtko's mother Jelena Šubić was in charge of the household, which, among others, included her own family, including her ailing husband Vladislav, and the family of her ailing in-laws of Stephen II Kotromanić. Jelena brought up her own children, Tvrtko, his younger brother Stjepan Vuk Kotromanić, and his sister Catherine
Catherine of Bosnia, Countess of Cilli
Catherine of Bosnia was a Bosnian noblewoman. She was Countess of Cilli by her marriage to Hermann I, Count of Cilli, and a member of the House of Kotromanić by birth.- Family :...
, together with her niece and adopted daughter Elizabeth of Bosnia.
In 1350, Elisabeth of Bosnia
Elisabeth of Bosnia
Elizabeth of Bosnia was Queen of Hungary from 1353 until 1382 and Queen of Poland from 1370 until 1382 as the second wife of King Louis the Great. After her tenure as queen consort, Elizabeth served as regent for her daughter Mary.As queen consort, Elizabeth was overshadowed by her domineering...
was hand-picked to become, in 1353, the second wife of the king Louis I of Hungary, king of Hungary
Hungary
Hungary , officially the Republic of Hungary , is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is situated in the Carpathian Basin and is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine and Romania to the east, Serbia and Croatia to the south, Slovenia to the southwest and Austria to the west. The...
, since 1370 of Poland
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
, etc. In 1361, Catherine was married to Hermann I of Celje. They became parents of Hermann II of Celje
Hermann II of Celje
Hermann II was a Count of Celje and Ban of Croatia, Slavonia and Dalmatia. Hermann was the son of Hermann I, Count of Cilli and his wife Katherine of Bosnia.Hermann II married Countess Anna of Schaunberg in c...
and grandparents of Barbara of Cilli, the future wife, queen and empress to Sigismund, Holy Roman Emperor
Sigismund, Holy Roman Emperor
Sigismund of Luxemburg KG was King of Hungary, of Croatia from 1387 to 1437, of Bohemia from 1419, and Holy Roman Emperor for four years from 1433 until 1437, the last Emperor of the House of Luxemburg. He was also King of Italy from 1431, and of Germany from 1411...
.
All House of Kotroman siblings, Tvrtko and Elizabeth in particular, were very close, calling themselves, even in official documents, as my beloved brother and my beloved sister, respectively. Thus, Tvrtko was, in fact, the brother-in-law, vassal and trusted ally of Louis I, and the brother-in-law of Hermann I of Celje.
Tvrtko was also a descendant, on both paternal and maternal sides, from the Arpad dynasty
Árpád dynasty
The Árpáds or Arpads was the ruling dynasty of the federation of the Hungarian tribes and of the Kingdom of Hungary . The dynasty was named after Grand Prince Árpád who was the head of the tribal federation when the Magyars occupied the Carpathian Basin, circa 895...
that ruled Hungary
Hungary
Hungary , officially the Republic of Hungary , is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is situated in the Carpathian Basin and is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine and Romania to the east, Serbia and Croatia to the south, Slovenia to the southwest and Austria to the west. The...
and Croatia
Croatia
Croatia , officially the Republic of Croatia , is a unitary democratic parliamentary republic in Europe at the crossroads of the Mitteleuropa, the Balkans, and the Mediterranean. Its capital and largest city is Zagreb. The country is divided into 20 counties and the city of Zagreb. Croatia covers ...
, and House of Nemanja
House of Nemanjic
The Nemanjić was the most important dynasty of Serbia in the Middle Ages, and one of the most important in Southeastern Europe. The royal house produced eleven Serbian monarchs between 1166 and 1371. It's progenitor was Stephen Nemanja, who descended from a cadet line of the Vukanović dynasty...
, that ruled the Serbia
Serbia
Serbia , officially the Republic of Serbia , is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeast Europe, covering the southern part of the Carpathian basin and the central part of the Balkans...
n Lands and at its peak the Greek lands.
Tvrtko's paternal grandmother was Elizabeth of Serbia
Elizabeth of Serbia
Elizabeth of Serbia was Baness of Bosnia by her marriage to Stephen I, Ban of Bosnia.-Family:...
, the daughter of the Serbia
Serbia
Serbia , officially the Republic of Serbia , is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeast Europe, covering the southern part of the Carpathian basin and the central part of the Balkans...
n nobleman Stephen Dragutin of Serbia and his wife, Catherine of Hungary
Catherine of Hungary, Queen of Serbia
Catherine of Hungary was the second daughter of Stephen V of Hungary and his wife Elizabeth, a member of the Cuman tribes. Catherine became Queen consort of Serbia by her marriage to Stephen Dragutin of Serbia.-Family:...
, the daughter of the Cuman Koteny Princess christened Elizabeth and her husband Stephen V of Hungary
Stephen V of Hungary
Stephen V , was King of Hungary from 1270 to 1272.-Early years:...
who was the son of King Bela IV of Hungary
Béla IV of Hungary
Béla IV , King of Hungary and of Croatia , duke of Styria 1254–58. One of the most famous kings of Hungary, he distinguished himself through his policy of strengthening of the royal power following the example of his grandfather Bela III, and by the rebuilding Hungary after the catastrophe of the...
.
Tvrtko's maternal great-grandmother was Ursa Nemanjic, Elizabeth's sister.
Tvrtko's maternal uncle Croatian noble Mladen III Šubić was son of Juraj II Šubić and grandson of Pavao I Šubić Bribirski. Mladen III Šubić married to Jelena Šubić (Nemanjić)
Jelena Šubic (Nemanjic)
Jelena Šubić was the daughter of Stefan Uroš III Dečanski of Serbia and the half-sister of Stefan Uroš IV Dušan of Serbia. She was married to the Croatian magnate Mladen III Šubić, Prince of Bribir from noble Šubić family. They ruled from Klis Fortress in Dalmatia...
, the daughter of Stefan Decanski, from Nemanjić dynasty, and Maria Palaeologina, and a half-sister of Serbia
Serbia
Serbia , officially the Republic of Serbia , is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeast Europe, covering the southern part of the Carpathian basin and the central part of the Balkans...
n Emperor Stefan Dušan.
Tvrtko's paternal aunt Maria was the wife of Nicolae Alexandru Basarab and the grandmother of Mircea I the Elder. Tvrtko's maternal uncle Croatian noble Pavao III Šubić was married to Catherina Dandolo, his maternal aunt Katarina Šubić was married to Ivan Jurišić,
his grand-aunt was Elizabeta Krčka (later known as Frankopan
Frankopan
The Frankopans are a Croatian noble family. Also called Frankapan, Frangepán in Hungarian, and Frangipani in Italian.The Frankopan family is the leading princely Croatian aristocratic family which dates back to the 12th Century and even earlier to Roman times...
), while his grand-uncle was Jacopo Tiepolo
Jacopo Tiepolo
Jacopo Tiepolo was Doge of Venice from 6 March 1229 to 2 May 1249. Previously, served as a first Venetian duke of Crete and podestà in Constantinople ....
.
Ban
Zahumlje
Zachlumia or Zahumlje was a medieval principality located in modern-day regions of Herzegovina and southern Dalmatia...
. The same year Tvrtko's father and Bosnia's
de facto ruler, Vladislav, died. Tvrtko's mother, Banass Jelena Šubić
Jelena Šubic
Jelena Šubić was a Croatian kneginja from the noble Šubić family, and mother of Bosnian King Tvrtko.Jelena Šubić was daughter of Juraj II Šubić. She was born early in the 14th century , and was married to Regent of Bosnia Vladislav Kotromanić by his brother Mladen III Šubić at Klis Fortress in...
asserted to the throne, but she wasn't accepted in Bosnia because she was a woman, so much of the Bosnian nobility refused to obey her. The first one to rebel was Tvrtko's close cousin Pavle Kulišić. Tvrtko gathered a small force, defeated Pavle, took his Usora cities for himself and threw him in the dungeon, where he died.
Mladen III Šubić had died and his lands were being split. The Hungarian Kingdom
Kingdom of Hungary
The Kingdom of Hungary comprised present-day Hungary, Slovakia and Croatia , Transylvania , Carpatho Ruthenia , Vojvodina , Burgenland , and other smaller territories surrounding present-day Hungary's borders...
and the Republic of Venetia quarreled over Klis
Klis
Klis is a village located around a mountain fortress bearing the same name. It is located in central Dalmatia, Croatia, located just northeast of Solin and Split near the eponymous mountain pass...
and Skradin
Skradin
Skradin is a small town in the Šibenik-Knin county of Croatia it has a population about 3,986 . It is located near the Krka river and at the entrance to the Krka National Park, from Šibenik and from Split...
, the cities which were held by Jelena Šubić. The Hungarian King wanted Jelena Šubić Kotromanić to take over the cities with the Bosnians. So in 1355, Tvrtko and his mother moved with their forces to Duvno for the negotiations with the Croatian Prince, Ivan Nelipac. The Bosnian Ban managed to get a hold for himself over some of the former Šubićs' cities and forged a military alliance with Prince Ivan Nelipac ready to advance to Zadar
Zadar
Zadar is a city in Croatia on the Adriatic Sea. It is the centre of Zadar county and the wider northern Dalmatian region. Population of the city is 75,082 citizens...
if the cities didn't answer their side's demands.
In 1356–1358 the Hungarian King was at war with Venetia, so he had mustered Tvrtko's forces, but Ban Tvrtko was unwilling to assist him. In the middle of 1357, Tvrtko visited the King's court and the King had forced Tvrtko to relinquish Završje and the Hum as well as swear an oath of loyalty and promise to wipe out the Bosnian Church
Bosnian Church
The Bosnian Church is historically thought to be an indigenous branch of the Bogomils that existed in Bosnia during the Middle Ages. Adherents of the church called themselves simply Krstjani...
. The last task was given to Bosnian Bishop Petar Šikloš, who unlike his predecessor Peregrin, wasn't loyal to the House of Kotromanić
House of Kotromanic
The Kotromanić dynasty was a ruling house that ruled in the medieval Bosnia and the surrounding lands, from the 13th century as Bans until the crowning with the Bosnian crowns in 1377 and then as kings until the Ottoman conquest conquest in 1463....
. In turn, the King confirmed Tvrtko and his brother Vuk as the Bans of Bosnia and Usora. The King also imposed a law that always, either Tvrtko or his brother had to be at the Hungarian court as hostages. The Hungarian King also took the rulers of the Lower Edges from Tvrtko's suzerainty for himself and continued to rile up the rest of the Bosnian nobility against the Ban.
Ban Tvrtko desired to restore power. He threatened the nobility of the Lower Edges and mustered a side out of the nobility loyal to him, but his party began to crumble. The Hungarian King had finished his conquest of Dalmatia
Dalmatia
Dalmatia is a historical region on the eastern coast of the Adriatic Sea. It stretches from the island of Rab in the northwest to the Bay of Kotor in the southeast. The hinterland, the Dalmatian Zagora, ranges from fifty kilometers in width in the north to just a few kilometers in the south....
from Venetia by 1358 and even had put the Republic of Dubrovnik under his supreme rule, to which he issued an edict that totally undermined Tvrtko's authority. Tvrtko's plot against the Hungarian King and the Bosnian Bishop Petar Šikloš later that year utterly failed.
Serbia
Serbia
Serbia , officially the Republic of Serbia , is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeast Europe, covering the southern part of the Carpathian basin and the central part of the Balkans...
n Prince Vojislav Vojinović counterattacked the Hungarian Kingdom at the Republic of Dubrovnik, which asked Ban Tvrtko for assistance as the Hungarian King recommended. Tvrtko amassed his forces, but the war was already over by the time he was prepared. In the peace treaty, the Hungarian King again undermined Tvrtko's authority. In 1361, the Dubrovnik Republic was attacked by Prince Vojislav again. After numerous pleas from the Republic's envoys, the Ban dispatched Prince
Župa
A Župa is a Slavic term, used historically among the Southern and Western branches of the Slavs, originally denoting various territorial and other sub-units, usually a small administrative division, especially a gathering of several villages...
Sanko Miltenović to negotiate. Prince Vojislav refused all negotiations, so Tvrtko claimed that nothing more could be done. The war was eventually over in 1362, so the Republic's pleas have stopped.
The Bosnian Bishop had the permission from the Pope to raise arms since 1360 and the Hungarian King was to supply them. In 1363, the Hungarian King attempted a double invasion of Tvrtko's Bosnia to resolve Tvrtko from his office. The first and primary target was the city of Soko
Soko
Sokoband, formerly known as Soko, is a jazz fusion duo, featuring pianist Michael Sokolowski and bassist Houston Ross. The group formed as a trio in Charlottesville, Virginia in 1991, with Sokolowski, Ross, and drummer John Gilmore. The group performed live for several years, then released their...
on Pliva
Pliva
Pliva d.d. is a Croatian pharmaceutical company, based in Zagreb, Croatia. One of the world's largest producers of generic Adderall, it has seen drastic increases in revenue with an increasing number of patients being diagnosed with Attention Deficit Disorder . It is the largest pharmaceutical...
. Tvrtko's Duke
Duke
A duke or duchess is a member of the nobility, historically of highest rank below the monarch, and historically controlling a duchy...
Vukac Hrvatinić led a three-day defence against the siege of the city from 8 to 10 July. The Hungarian Palatine MIklós Kont was sent later to renew the invasion. He attacked Srebrenik
Srebrenik
Srebrenik is a town and municipality in northeastern Bosnia and Herzegovina. It is administratively part of the Tuzla Canton and the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina. The town of Srebrenik is located northwest of Tuzla, the country's third largest city....
in Usora. The Hungarians suffered heavy losses and someone even stole the royal seal from its guardian the Archbishop of Esztergom
Esztergom
Esztergom , is a city in northern Hungary, 46 km north-west of the capital Budapest. It lies in Komárom-Esztergom county, on the right bank of the river Danube, which forms the border with Slovakia there....
from the Hungarian camp. After this triumph, by 1364 Tvrtko called himself Ban of All Bosnia by the mercy of God instead of by the mercy of the Hungarian King. The Republic of Venetia, Hungary's old enemy nominated Tvrtko as its honorary citizen. The war strengthened the Bosnian nobility. Prince Sanko Miltenović and the Dabišić brothers have stopped recognizing the Ban's supreme rule and numerous Venetian
Republic of Venice
The Republic of Venice or Venetian Republic was a state originating from the city of Venice in Northeastern Italy. It existed for over a millennium, from the late 7th century until 1797. It was formally known as the Most Serene Republic of Venice and is often referred to as La Serenissima, in...
and Ragusan
Republic of Ragusa
The Republic of Ragusa or Republic of Dubrovnik was a maritime republic centered on the city of Dubrovnik in Dalmatia , that existed from 1358 to 1808...
trade caravans have been raided by the lesser nobility. Anarchy ruled in Tvrtko's Bosnia.
In February 1366 opened conflicts emerged. The Bosnian nobility deposed Tvrtko from his throne and brought his brother, Vuk. Tvrtko had to flee to Hungary
Hungary
Hungary , officially the Republic of Hungary , is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is situated in the Carpathian Basin and is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine and Romania to the east, Serbia and Croatia to the south, Slovenia to the southwest and Austria to the west. The...
. By the end of March 1366, Tvrtko managed to return to Bosnia and take one part of it. Tvrtko again inserted the Hungarian King in his title. With the help of the Hungarian King and the Republic of Dubrovnik, Tvrtko restored control and defeated the rebels by the middle of 1367. Tvrtko tricked the nobility, bribed some, some punished and gave privileges to some and managed to regain support from the Bosnian nobility. Ban Tvrtko fograve Prince Pavle Vukoslavić for the betrayal. Tvrtko again forgot about his loyalty to the Hungarian King and asserted the throne with the title by the mercy of God Lord of many lands, Bosnia
Bosnia (region)
Bosnia is a eponomous region of Bosnia and Herzegovina. It lies mainly in the Dinaric Alps, ranging to the southern borders of the Pannonian plain, with the rivers Sava and Drina marking its northern and eastern borders. The other eponomous region, the southern, other half of the country is...
, and Soli
Soli
Soli can refer to:* Soli, Cyprus, an ancient city on the island of Cyprus.* Soli, Cilicia, an ancient city in Cilicia, later renamed Pompeiopolis.* Soli, a 10th century name for Tuzla, a city in Bosnia and Herzegovina....
and Usora and the Lower Edges and the Drina
Drina
The Drina is a 346 kilometer long river, which forms most of the border between Bosnia and Herzegovina and Serbia. It is the longest tributary of the Sava River and the longest karst river in the Dinaric Alps which belongs to the Danube river watershed...
and the Hum
Zahumlje
Zachlumia or Zahumlje was a medieval principality located in modern-day regions of Herzegovina and southern Dalmatia...
Lord. His brother Vuk fled to the Dubrovnik Republic. The Ragusians and the brothers' mother, Jelena Kotromanić invited Tvrtko to make peace with his brother, but Tvrtko came to the Republic with an army in July 1367. Although he feasted in Dubrovnik, Vuk escaped from the city.
The new Serbian nobleman, Prince Nikola Altomanović
Nikola Altomanovic
Nikola Altomanović was Serbian župan from 14th century. He ruled vast areas from Rudnik, over Polimlje, Podrinje, east Herzegovina with Trebinje, till Konavle and Dračevica, neighboring the Republic of Dubrovnik...
attacked the widow of Prince Vojislav Vojinović. Tvrtko assisted her by helping her to flee to Albania
Albania
Albania , officially known as the Republic of Albania , is a country in Southeastern Europe, in the Balkans region. It is bordered by Montenegro to the northwest, Kosovo to the northeast, the Republic of Macedonia to the east and Greece to the south and southeast. It has a coast on the Adriatic Sea...
. Out of revenge, Prince Nikola attacked the Drina
Drina
The Drina is a 346 kilometer long river, which forms most of the border between Bosnia and Herzegovina and Serbia. It is the longest tributary of the Sava River and the longest karst river in the Dinaric Alps which belongs to the Danube river watershed...
area of Tvrtko. Prince
Župa
A Župa is a Slavic term, used historically among the Southern and Western branches of the Slavs, originally denoting various territorial and other sub-units, usually a small administrative division, especially a gathering of several villages...
Altomanović assisted Tvrtko's brother, Vuk and then mustered Prince
Župa
A Župa is a Slavic term, used historically among the Southern and Western branches of the Slavs, originally denoting various territorial and other sub-units, usually a small administrative division, especially a gathering of several villages...
Sanko Miltenović against him. Prince Sanko was on egde, so he made peace with Tvrtko in the summer of 1367, but rebelled against him again the following 1368. In 1369, Tvrtko went to the Hum Land
Zahumlje
Zachlumia or Zahumlje was a medieval principality located in modern-day regions of Herzegovina and southern Dalmatia...
and raided Sanko's land with his army. Prince Sanko had to flee to the Dubrovnik Republic. Tvrtko again made peace with Sanko, whom he gave his army to lead. Sanko leading Tvrtko's forces raided the lands of Prince Nikola Altomanović, although was killed in a trap set for him when he entered Trebinje
Trebinje
Trebinje is the southernmost municipality and town in Bosnia and Herzegovina. It is administratively part of the Republika Srpska entity and is located in southeastern Herzegovina, some from the Adriatic Sea....
.
Tvrtko's brother Vuk appealed to Pope Urban V accusing Tvrtko for heresy and stating that he supports the Bosnian Krstjani
Bosnian Church
The Bosnian Church is historically thought to be an indigenous branch of the Bogomils that existed in Bosnia during the Middle Ages. Adherents of the church called themselves simply Krstjani...
. The Pope asked then the Hungarian King to restore control over Bosnia and give the authority to Vuk. In 1370 Vuk raised an army and assaulted Tvrtko's capital, Bobovac
Bobovac
Bobovac is a fortified city of medieval Bosnia and Herzegovina. It is located near today's Vareš.The city was built during the reign of Stephen II, Ban of Bosnia, and was first mentioned in a document dating from 1349...
. Bobovac was defended by Stipan Rajković, who managed to convince Vuk to give up his military attempts against Tvrtko for the sake of the brotherhood.
In the Spring of 1370, Tvrtko led Bosnia's nobility to a war against Prince Nikola Altomanović. Negotiations were initiated already in the Summer. In Serbia Nikola's power was rapidly decreasing and that of the House of Mrnjavčević
House of Mrnjavcevic
The House of Mrnjavčević was a medieval Serbian noble house that existed during the Serbian Empire, its fall, and the subsequent years when it held a region of present-day Macedonia region. The house ruled a province from its base at Prilep from 1366 to 1395.Vukašin Mrnjavčević was a military...
rapidly increasing. Tvrtko negotiated with Serb King Vukašin Mrnjavčević
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...
to marry a cousin, the daughter of Grgur II Šubić to Vukašin's son, Young Serb King Marko. Marko was Orthodox Christian
Eastern Orthodox Church
The Orthodox Church, officially called the Orthodox Catholic Church and commonly referred to as the Eastern Orthodox Church, is the second largest Christian denomination in the world, with an estimated 300 million adherents mainly in the countries of Belarus, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Georgia, Greece,...
, so the Pope wasn't supportive of the marriage and Vuk had mettled around the affair, so Tvrtko gave up of the idea. In 1371, Tvrtko prepared a joint offensive against Nikola Altomanović with two Serbian noblemen, Vukašin Mrnjavčević
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...
and Đurađ Balšić. The move was stopped as the Mrnjavčević brothers attacked the Ottoman Turks
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...
at the famous Battle of Marica. The Serbian Emperor
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...
Stefan Uroš V himself died very soon. Tvrtko sought help in the remaining Serbian lords that still didn't recognize supreme Ottoman rule. He forged an alliance with Lazar Hrebeljanović, the Prince
Prince
Prince is a general term for a ruler, monarch or member of a monarch's or former monarch's family, and is a hereditary title in the nobility of some European states. The feminine equivalent is a princess...
of Moravian Serbia
History of Serbia
The history of Serbia, as a country, begins with the Slavic settlements in the Balkans, established in the 6th century in territories governed by the Byzantine Empire. Through centuries, the Serbian realm evolved into a Kingdom , then an Empire , before the Ottomans annexed it in 1540...
. The decisive conflict was in 1373. Ban Tvrtko raised his army and the Hungarian King sent a thousand pikemen under Srem's Ban Miklós Garai. Tvrtko attacked from the west, while Prince Lazar attacked from the east. Very soon, the two armies met at Užice
Užice
Užice is a city and municipality in western Serbia, located at the banks of the Đetinja river. It is the administrative center of the Zlatibor District...
, where they forced Nikola Altomanović to surrender. Nikola was blinded and banished to a monastery, while his demesne was split. Tvrtko gained the Upper Drina
Drina
The Drina is a 346 kilometer long river, which forms most of the border between Bosnia and Herzegovina and Serbia. It is the longest tributary of the Sava River and the longest karst river in the Dinaric Alps which belongs to the Danube river watershed...
area and the Lim
Lim River
The Lim is a river flowing through Montenegro, Albania, Serbia and Bosnia and Herzegovina. long, it's the right and the longest tributary of the Drina.- Montenegro and Serbia :...
area with Mileševa as well as Gacko
Gacko
Gacko is a town and municipality in southeastern Bosnia and Herzegovina in the Republika Srpska entity. It is situated in the Foča Region.-Geography:The town is in a short distance from Montenegro...
. Konavle
Konavle
Konavle is a small region and municipality located southeast of Dubrovnik, Croatia.It is administratively part of the Dubrovnik-Neretva County and forms a municipality with its center at Gruda with a total population of 8,250 people split in 32 villages, in which 96.5% are Croats...
, Trebinje
Trebinje
Trebinje is the southernmost municipality and town in Bosnia and Herzegovina. It is administratively part of the Republika Srpska entity and is located in southeastern Herzegovina, some from the Adriatic Sea....
and Dračevica; other lands in which was Tvrtko interested, were seized by Đuraš Balšić of Zeta. The other lands were given to Prince Lazar.
In 1374, Tvrtko finally made peace with his brother Vuk. By the end of the same year, he married the daughter of Bulgarian Prince Ivan Stracimir
Ivan Sratsimir of Bulgaria
Ivan Sratsimir or Ivan Stratsimir was emperor of Bulgaria in Vidin from 1356 to 1396. He was born in 1324 or 1325, and he died in or after 1397. Despite being the eldest surviving son of Ivan Alexander, Ivan Sratsimir was disinherited in favour of his half-brother Ivan Shishman and proclaimed...
of Vidin
Vidin
Vidin is a port town on the southern bank of the Danube in northwestern Bulgaria. It is close to the borders with Serbia and Romania, and is also the administrative centre of Vidin Province, as well as of the Metropolitan of Vidin...
, Dorothea of Bulgaria
Dorothea of Bulgaria
Dorothea of Bulgaria was the first Queen of Bosnia.-Early life:She was the daughter of Emperor Ivan Sratsimir of Bulgaria and his wife Anna of Wallachia....
upon the appeal of the Hungarian King. The ceremony took place in December 1374 in Saint Ilija (today's Ilinci
Ilinci
Ilinci is a village in Serbia. It is situated in the Šid municipality, in the Srem District, Vojvodina province. The village has a Serb ethnic majority and its population numbering 827 people .-See also:*List of places in Serbia...
) near Šid
Šid
Šid is a town and municipality in the Srem District of Vojvodina, Serbia. Šid town has a population of 16,301, and Šid municipality 38,921.-Name:...
. Tvrtko soon raised his armies and occupied Trebinje
Trebinje
Trebinje is the southernmost municipality and town in Bosnia and Herzegovina. It is administratively part of the Republika Srpska entity and is located in southeastern Herzegovina, some from the Adriatic Sea....
, Konavle
Konavle
Konavle is a small region and municipality located southeast of Dubrovnik, Croatia.It is administratively part of the Dubrovnik-Neretva County and forms a municipality with its center at Gruda with a total population of 8,250 people split in 32 villages, in which 96.5% are Croats...
and Dračevica. Đurađ Balšić died before he could counterattack. Tvrtko took the remaining Bosnian lands from the Adriatic to the Mileševa monastery, a pilgrimage site with the remains of Saint Sava
Saint Sava
Saint Sava was a Serbian Prince and Orthodox monk, the first Archbishop of the autocephalous Serbian Church, the founder of Serbian law and literature, and a diplomat. Sava was born Rastko Nemanjić , the youngest son of Serbian Grand Župan Stefan Nemanja , and ruled the appanage of Hum briefly in...
, the founder of the Serbian Orthodox Church
Serbian Orthodox Church
The Serbian Orthodox Church is one of the autocephalous Orthodox Christian churches, ranking sixth in order of seniority after Constantinople, Alexandria, Antioch, Jerusalem, and Russia...
.
King
- Tvrtko was the remaining heir of the sacronist House of NemanjićHouse of NemanjicThe Nemanjić was the most important dynasty of Serbia in the Middle Ages, and one of the most important in Southeastern Europe. The royal house produced eleven Serbian monarchs between 1166 and 1371. It's progenitor was Stephen Nemanja, who descended from a cadet line of the Vukanović dynasty...
- Tvrtko ruled numerous lands which included parts of NemanjićHouse of NemanjicThe Nemanjić was the most important dynasty of Serbia in the Middle Ages, and one of the most important in Southeastern Europe. The royal house produced eleven Serbian monarchs between 1166 and 1371. It's progenitor was Stephen Nemanja, who descended from a cadet line of the Vukanović dynasty...
domains
On 26 October 1377, Tvrtko had himself crowned as Stephen Tvrtko I, by the Grace of God, King of Serbia, Bosnia and the Seaside and the Western Lands. Today, some historians consider that he was crowned in Monastery of Mileševa, even though there is no evidence of that. Another possibility, supported by archaeological evidences, is that he was crowned in Mile near Visoko
Visoko during the Middle Ages
Archaeological excavations proved that the Visoko Valley was the center of a medieval Bosnian state and later kingdom. Many royal charters were written in Visoko and surrounding locations...
in the church which was built in time of Stephen II Kotromanić's reign, where he was also buried alongside his uncle Stjepan II. Stephen (Stefan) was the standard title of the rulers from the House of Nemanjić
House of Nemanjic
The Nemanjić was the most important dynasty of Serbia in the Middle Ages, and one of the most important in Southeastern Europe. The royal house produced eleven Serbian monarchs between 1166 and 1371. It's progenitor was Stephen Nemanja, who descended from a cadet line of the Vukanović dynasty...
. In 1375–1377 Tvrtko created a unique genealogy that explicitly stated his descendency from the House of Nemanjić
House of Nemanjic
The Nemanjić was the most important dynasty of Serbia in the Middle Ages, and one of the most important in Southeastern Europe. The royal house produced eleven Serbian monarchs between 1166 and 1371. It's progenitor was Stephen Nemanja, who descended from a cadet line of the Vukanović dynasty...
.
- And Stephen the King, brother of Milutin the King, Uroš II, that held SyrmiaSremŚrem is a town on the Warta river in central Poland. It has been situated in the Greater Poland Voivodeship since 1999; from 1975 to 1998 it was part of the Poznań Voivodeship...
, with his wife Catherine, daughter of the Hungarian King Ladislaus, had Urošica and Elizabeth. And Elizabeth had three sons: Stephen the Bosnian Ban, Ninoslaus and Vladislaus. And Vladislaus had Tvrtko the Ban and Vuk.
Tvrtko assessed the Double crown (Sugubi vijenac) as King of Bosnia, his native God-given land and King of Serbia. Logothet Vladoje abandoned the Serbian throne and went to work for Tvrtko, for whom he modelled his ruling ideology identical to the Serbian. King Stephen Tvrtko took the titles from the Serbian throne and gave them to the Bosnian nobility. His crowning was recognized by the most powerful noblemen in Serbia
Serbia
Serbia , officially the Republic of Serbia , is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeast Europe, covering the southern part of the Carpathian basin and the central part of the Balkans...
, Princes Lazar Hrebeljanović and Vuk Branković. Although the Hungarian King recognized his crowning, he continued to call him Ban until his death in 1382. By this, Tvrtko officially declared the independence of the Kingdoms of Bosnia and Serbia.
In 1378, a new war erupted between the Hungarian Kingdom and the Republic of Venetia. Venetia desired to take the Ston
Ston
Ston is a village and municipality in the Dubrovnik-Neretva County of Croatia, located at the south of isthmus of the Pelješac peninsula. The town of Ston is the center of the Ston municipality.- Demographics :...
area from the Republic of Dubrovnik, so Ragusa asked Tvrtko for assistance. King Stephen Tvrtko I was too busy to intervene as he was waging a war in Serbia
Serbia
Serbia , officially the Republic of Serbia , is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeast Europe, covering the southern part of the Carpathian basin and the central part of the Balkans...
to consolidate power. Kotor
Kotor
Kotor is a coastal city in Montenegro. It is located in a secluded part of the Gulf of Kotor. The city has a population of 13,510 and is the administrative center of the municipality....
was conquered by Venetia and the Dubrovnik Republic wanted to use Genoa
Genoa
Genoa |Ligurian]] Zena ; Latin and, archaically, English Genua) is a city and an important seaport in northern Italy, the capital of the Province of Genoa and of the region of Liguria....
to finally destroy its greatest adversary, the City of Kotor. The Citizens of Kotor promised Bosnia's King Stephen Tvrtko I that they will accept his supreme rule if he liberates them from Venetian rule. The Dubrovnik Republic didn't like this, so the relations between it and Tvrtko sharpened. In 1379, the relations between them were good again. Kotor played him out as it recognize the supreme rule of the Hungarian King as soon as it rebelled from Venetian rule. Tvrtko was mad and planned a joint attack on Dubrovnik
Dubrovnik
Dubrovnik is a Croatian city on the Adriatic Sea coast, positioned at the terminal end of the Isthmus of Dubrovnik. It is one of the most prominent tourist destinations on the Adriatic, a seaport and the centre of Dubrovnik-Neretva county. Its total population is 42,641...
and Kotor
Kotor
Kotor is a coastal city in Montenegro. It is located in a secluded part of the Gulf of Kotor. The city has a population of 13,510 and is the administrative center of the municipality....
. He couldn't launch an attack, though, since his army had to quell a rebellion in the vicinity of Trebinje
Trebinje
Trebinje is the southernmost municipality and town in Bosnia and Herzegovina. It is administratively part of the Republika Srpska entity and is located in southeastern Herzegovina, some from the Adriatic Sea....
. Although, Tvrtko gave support to the surrounded Venetian garrison in Kotor by sending them mercenaries, food and weapons. In 1381 in Torin, it was finally decided that Hungary will have Kotor.
He built, and in 1382 opened the ports of Brstanik near Počitelj and Sveti Stefan, now known as Herceg Novi
Herceg Novi
Herceg Novi is a coastal town in Montenegro located at the entrance to the Bay of Kotor and at the foot of Mount Orjen. It is the administrative center of the Herceg Novi Municipality with around 33,000 inhabitants...
in Bay of Kotor Monte Negro
Monte Negro
Monte Negro is a municipality located in the Brazilian state of Rondônia. Its population was 16,233 and its area is 1,931 km²....
as a line of defence from Dubrovnik and Kotor. The Fort was soon renamed to Novi. The Republic of Dubrovnik was jealous of its trading and solt producing success, so it sent a Galleon to block entrance to the port. King Stephen Tvrtko I asked Venetia to dispatch two warships to help him raise the blockade of Novi, but the Venetians didn't have anything to spare. In the end, Tvrtko decided in December 1382 that no solt would be distributed in Novi any more, which ended the crisis with the Republic of Dubrovnik, which began to rile up the neighbouring Bosnian cities in the meantime.
After Hungarian King Louis I's death in 1382, Stephen Tvrtko became the protector of his cousin and Louis's widow Elizabeth, and her daughters, Queen Mary of Hungary
Mary of Hungary
Mary of Anjou was queen regnant of Hungary from 1382 until her death in 1395.-Childhood:...
and Queen Hedwig of Poland. King Stephen Tvrtko received Nicholas Baseja from Venetia, who became admiral of the new Bosnian fleet. Stephen Tvrtko bought a Galleon from Venetia and ordered two more. In 1383, he became the honorary citizen of the Republic of Venetia. In 1383, a rebellion of members of the Hospital Order broke out in Serbia
Serbia
Serbia , officially the Republic of Serbia , is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeast Europe, covering the southern part of the Carpathian basin and the central part of the Balkans...
which was assisted by Stephen Tvrtko, but Queen Mary quickly quelled it. The rebellion ended with a rebellion in Zadar
Zadar
Zadar is a city in Croatia on the Adriatic Sea. It is the centre of Zadar county and the wider northern Dalmatian region. Population of the city is 75,082 citizens...
in 1384, but it was broken quickly.
In 1385, Elizabeth lost to Tvrtko her patrimoni of Hum
Zahumlje
Zachlumia or Zahumlje was a medieval principality located in modern-day regions of Herzegovina and southern Dalmatia...
. The same year, Tvrtko took some territories of Croatia
Croatia
Croatia , officially the Republic of Croatia , is a unitary democratic parliamentary republic in Europe at the crossroads of the Mitteleuropa, the Balkans, and the Mediterranean. Its capital and largest city is Zagreb. The country is divided into 20 counties and the city of Zagreb. Croatia covers ...
: Livno
Livno
Livno is a town in western Bosnia and Herzegovina, in Canton 10 of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, located between Tomislavgrad, Glamoč, Bosansko Grahovo, Kupres and the Croatian border.- Position :...
, Duvno and Glamoč
Glamoc
Glamoč is a town and municipality of the same name in western Bosnia and Herzegovina. It is in Canton 10, in the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina...
. Tvrtko met later that same year with the Hungarian Palatine Nicholas I Garay
Nicholas I Garay
Nicholas I Garay , Croatia of Gorjani/Gara, form city Đakovo, the chief governor of Bratislava, was a palatine to the King of Hungary . He was Palatine of Pozsony and he was Count of Pozsony ; Count of Baranya ; and Duke of Mаčva...
and achieved a political understanding. Tvrtko was not to help rebels against Queen Mary's authority anymore and become a Hungarian vassal. In return, he received the City of Kotor
Kotor
Kotor is a coastal city in Montenegro. It is located in a secluded part of the Gulf of Kotor. The city has a population of 13,510 and is the administrative center of the municipality....
. To ensure his authority over the city, Tvrtko sent numerous gifts to its citizens and swore to defend them.
In 1387, after the murder of Tvrtko's cousin Elizabeth, and captivity of her daughter Queen Mary, Tvrtko might have become, on Mary's request, the heir presumptive to the throne of Hungary as well.
Since 1387, Tvrtko had pretensions to rule the Croatian lands of the Bribir Prince, ancestors across his mother's side as well. He dispatched that year Duke Hrvoje Vukčić
Hrvoje Vukcic
Hrvoje Vukčić Hrvatinić was a Ban of Croatia, Grand Duke of Bosnia and a Herzog of Split. He was the most prominent member of the Croatian noble House of Hrvatinić and the strongest of the three main large feudalists of early feudal medieval Bosnia...
to relieve the Siege of Bishop Pavle Horvat in Zagreb
Zagreb
Zagreb is the capital and the largest city of the Republic of Croatia. It is in the northwest of the country, along the Sava river, at the southern slopes of the Medvednica mountain. Zagreb lies at an elevation of approximately above sea level. According to the last official census, Zagreb's city...
. In July the same year, King Stephen made his first greater military success by making Klis
Klis
Klis is a village located around a mountain fortress bearing the same name. It is located in central Dalmatia, Croatia, located just northeast of Solin and Split near the eponymous mountain pass...
to surrender. From there he continued on to Split
Split (city)
Split is a Mediterranean city on the eastern shores of the Adriatic Sea, centered around the ancient Roman Palace of the Emperor Diocletian and its wide port bay. With a population of 178,192 citizens, and a metropolitan area numbering up to 467,899, Split is by far the largest Dalmatian city and...
and then the Zadar
Zadar
Zadar is a city in Croatia on the Adriatic Sea. It is the centre of Zadar county and the wider northern Dalmatian region. Population of the city is 75,082 citizens...
hinterland. Finally his forces reached Vrane
Vrane
Vrane is a village in the municipality of Arilje, Serbia. According to the 2002 census, the village has a population of 775 people.-References:...
and freed the rebels from the Hungarian rule that were being besieged there. King Sigismund's men had to fall back to Nin
Nin, Croatia
Nin is a town in the Zadar county of Croatia, population 1,256 , total municipality population 4,603 .Nin was historically important as a centre of a Christian Bishopric in the Middle Ages. Up to the abolition and Latinization imposed by King Tomislav in the first half of the 10th century, Nin was...
, which was subsequently attacked by Bosnians. Ostrovica
Ostrovica
Ostrovica may refer to:* Ostrovica, Croatia, village in Croatia, near Benkovac, in Lišane Ostrovičke municipality* Ostrovica, Bosnia and Herzegovina, village in Bosnia, near Kulen Vakuf* Ostrovica , village in Serbia, near Niš...
was captured in 1388. Tvrtko's forces conducted terror in the Dalmatian cities. Split's hinterland was entirely burned to the ground as a punishment for its stouch loyalty to the Hungarian King and other cities suffered too. The Bosnian forces held Klis
Klis
Klis is a village located around a mountain fortress bearing the same name. It is located in central Dalmatia, Croatia, located just northeast of Solin and Split near the eponymous mountain pass...
, Ostrovica
Ostrovica, Croatia
Ostrovica is a village in Croatia in the Zadar County, in the Lišane Ostrovičke municipality at .Near the village there is a ruined medieval castle of the Šubić noble family.- External links :* *...
, Vrana and Knin
Knin
Knin is a historical town in the Šibenik-Knin county of Croatia, located near the source of the river Krka at , in the Dalmatian hinterland, on the railroad Zagreb–Split. Knin rose to prominence twice in history, as a one-time capital of both the Kingdom of Croatia and briefly of the...
. It is because of this that Trogir
Trogir
Trogir is a historic town and harbour on the Adriatic coast in Split-Dalmatia County, Croatia, with a population of 12,995 and a total municipality population of 13,322 . The historic city of Trogir is situated on a small island between the Croatian mainland and the island of Čiovo...
decided to accept Tvrtko's supreme rule. Split
Split (city)
Split is a Mediterranean city on the eastern shores of the Adriatic Sea, centered around the ancient Roman Palace of the Emperor Diocletian and its wide port bay. With a population of 178,192 citizens, and a metropolitan area numbering up to 467,899, Split is by far the largest Dalmatian city and...
, Zadar
Zadar
Zadar is a city in Croatia on the Adriatic Sea. It is the centre of Zadar county and the wider northern Dalmatian region. Population of the city is 75,082 citizens...
and Šibenik
Šibenik
Šibenik is a historic town in Croatia, with population of 51,553 . It is located in central Dalmatia where the river Krka flows into the Adriatic Sea...
were frightened because of this, so they asked Hungarian King Sigismund for assistance. Tvrtko's ground forces were too weak to assault those cities, so he started building up a navy of his own in Kotor.
In 1386-1388 numerous breaches of Ottoman Turks
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...
into Bosnia occurred under the request of Đurađ Stracimirović of Zeta. The greatest battle occurred on 27 August 1388 near Bileća
Bileca
Bileća is a town and municipality in the southeast of Bosnia and Herzegovina in the entity of Republika Srpska. It is in eastern Herzegovina near the border with Montenegro, north of Trebinje and south of Gacko...
when the Ottoman commander Shahin advanced deep into Tvrtko's realm with 18,000 soldiers. Tvrtko's Duke
Duke
A duke or duchess is a member of the nobility, historically of highest rank below the monarch, and historically controlling a duchy...
Vlatko Vuković
Vlatko Vukovic
Vlatko Vuković Kosača was a medieval nobleman who ruled as Grand Duke of Hum.He was a son of Vuk Kosača, the founder of the medieval house of Kosača. He governed the province of Hum, which was part of the Banate of Bosnia. The Ottoman threat was building to the east, threatening neighboring...
and Prince Radič Sanković
Radič Sanković
Radič Sanković was a 14th-century voivode , and nobleman in present-day Herzegovina, that at his height of power held Nevesinje, Popovo Polje and Konavle, being one of the most powerful de facto-independent lords of the Kingdom of Bosnia during the rules of Stephen Dabiša and Queen Helen , and in...
led the Bosnian Army and fought off the Ottomans. In the meantime, Hungarian King Sigismund dispatched Ladislaus Loszonac to help the Dalmatian cities. The Hungarian Army moved from Zadar
Zadar
Zadar is a city in Croatia on the Adriatic Sea. It is the centre of Zadar county and the wider northern Dalmatian region. Population of the city is 75,082 citizens...
, but Ladislaus called it off subsequently. As a punishment, Tvrtko's forces broke into the city of Zadar and burned a part of it. The Dalmatian cities saw that the Hungarian King couldn't help them, so they asked Tvrtko to issue them a deadline for surrender, which King Tvrtko subsequently did.
The Dalmatian cities received some more time as the Ottomans were braking into Europe. Tvrtko had accepted the necessity of defending Christian Europe on his shoulders and dispatched the best squadrons of his military under the Duke
Duke
A duke or duchess is a member of the nobility, historically of highest rank below the monarch, and historically controlling a duchy...
Vlatko Vuković
Vlatko Vukovic
Vlatko Vuković Kosača was a medieval nobleman who ruled as Grand Duke of Hum.He was a son of Vuk Kosača, the founder of the medieval house of Kosača. He governed the province of Hum, which was part of the Banate of Bosnia. The Ottoman threat was building to the east, threatening neighboring...
to fight in the Serbian Army of Prince Lazar Hrebeljanović in the epic Battle of Kosovo
Battle of Kosovo
The Battle of Kosovo took place on St. Vitus' Day, June 15, 1389, between the army led by Serbian Prince Lazar Hrebeljanović, and the invading army of the Ottoman Empire under the leadership of Sultan Murad I...
on 15 June 1389. The Ottomans were led by Sultan Murad I
Murad I
Murad I was the Sultan of the Ottoman Empire, from 1361 to 1389...
himself. In the battle, both sides suffered heavy losses, as both Prince Lazar and Sultan Murad lost their lives.
Tvrtko cherished the battle as his personal success, claiming that he had defended Europe and Christianity in the name of the Christ
Christ
Christ is the English term for the Greek meaning "the anointed one". It is a translation of the Hebrew , usually transliterated into English as Messiah or Mashiach...
against the infidel soldiers that threaned the civilized world. He dispatched the news across to western Europe and described how 12 Serbian noblemen managed to break through the Ottoman ranks to Sultan Murad and kill him. However, after the Battle of Kosovo, Tvrtko's rule in Serbia
Serbia
Serbia , officially the Republic of Serbia , is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeast Europe, covering the southern part of the Carpathian basin and the central part of the Balkans...
remained only de jure.
In the meantime, Hungarian commander Ladislaus conquered Klis in July 1389. Duke Vlatko Vuković
Vlatko Vukovic
Vlatko Vuković Kosača was a medieval nobleman who ruled as Grand Duke of Hum.He was a son of Vuk Kosača, the founder of the medieval house of Kosača. He governed the province of Hum, which was part of the Banate of Bosnia. The Ottoman threat was building to the east, threatening neighboring...
returned from Serbia
Serbia
Serbia , officially the Republic of Serbia , is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeast Europe, covering the southern part of the Carpathian basin and the central part of the Balkans...
soon, as the Ottomans were temporarily stopped. Tvrtko launched a counteroffensive in the Fall of the same year and struck at the surroundings of Zadar. The Bosnian forces moved to Vrana, where they fought the Hungarian forces several days. The Hungarians took Vrana and held hostage Tvrtko's ally, Ivan Paližna. The Hungarian Army suffered a heavy defeat and Klis subsequently surrendered to King Stephen Tvrtko. In April 1390 the Dalmatian cities started to negotiate terms of surrender. In the Summer, Split, Trogir and Šibenik all accepted his rule as well as the islands of Brač
Brac
Brač is an island in the Adriatic Sea within Croatia, with an area of 396 km², making it the largest island in Dalmatia, and the third largest in the Adriatic. Its tallest peak, Vidova Gora, or Mount St. Vid, stands at 778 m, making it the highest island point in the Adriatic...
, Hvar
Hvar
- Climate :The climate of Hvar is characterized by mild winters and warm summers. The yearly average air temperature is , 686 mm of precipitation fall on the town of Hvar on average every year and the town has a total of 2800 sunshine hours per year. For comparison Hvar has an average of 7.7...
and Korčula
Korcula
Korčula is an island in the Adriatic Sea, in the Dubrovnik-Neretva County of Croatia. The island has an area of ; long and on average wide — and lies just off the Dalmatian coast. Its 16,182 inhabitants make it the second most populous Adriatic island after Krk...
. Tvrtko accepted the title by the mercy of God famous King of Rascia
Rascia
Rascia was a medieval region that served as the principal province of the Serbian realm. It was an administrative division under the direct rule of the monarch and sometimes as an appanage. The term has been used to refer to various Serbian states throughout the Middle Ages...
, Bosnia
Bosnia (region)
Bosnia is a eponomous region of Bosnia and Herzegovina. It lies mainly in the Dinaric Alps, ranging to the southern borders of the Pannonian plain, with the rivers Sava and Drina marking its northern and eastern borders. The other eponomous region, the southern, other half of the country is...
, Dalmatia
Dalmatia
Dalmatia is a historical region on the eastern coast of the Adriatic Sea. It stretches from the island of Rab in the northwest to the Bay of Kotor in the southeast. The hinterland, the Dalmatian Zagora, ranges from fifty kilometers in width in the north to just a few kilometers in the south....
, Croatia
Croatia
Croatia , officially the Republic of Croatia , is a unitary democratic parliamentary republic in Europe at the crossroads of the Mitteleuropa, the Balkans, and the Mediterranean. Its capital and largest city is Zagreb. The country is divided into 20 counties and the city of Zagreb. Croatia covers ...
, the Seaside...
Tvrtko's last territorial aims were at Zadar, and he failously requested ships from Venetia to take the city. His wife, Queen Dorothea
Dorothea of Bulgaria
Dorothea of Bulgaria was the first Queen of Bosnia.-Early life:She was the daughter of Emperor Ivan Sratsimir of Bulgaria and his wife Anna of Wallachia....
died, so Tvrtko negotiated with Albert III of the Habsburg
Habsburg
The House of Habsburg , also found as Hapsburg, and also known as House of Austria is one of the most important royal houses of Europe and is best known for being an origin of all of the formally elected Holy Roman Emperors between 1438 and 1740, as well as rulers of the Austrian Empire and...
line to remarry into the Habsburg dynasty. Austrian duke Albert III also acted as a mediator to finally bring peace between Tvrtko and the Hungarian King Sigismund.
King Stephen Tvrtko I surprisingly died on 10 March 1391.
The Aftermath
Following Tvrtko's death, any agreement which appear to have been reached with the Ottoman EmpireOttoman 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...
, became null and void.
- In 1391 John of PalisnaJohn of PalisnaJohn of Palisna was a Croatian knight and warrior, prior of Vrana, and Ban of Croatia.-Prior of Vrana:It is unclear when John of Palisna became prior of Vrana. In May 1381 he was already prior, because the citizens of Zadar were complaining about him to the King of Hungary and Croatia...
died of battle wounds. He was succeeded by Ban Ivan Krcki FrankopanFrankopanThe Frankopans are a Croatian noble family. Also called Frankapan, Frangepán in Hungarian, and Frangipani in Italian.The Frankopan family is the leading princely Croatian aristocratic family which dates back to the 12th Century and even earlier to Roman times...
, who died in 1393. - In 1392, Vlatko Vukovic Kosača died and was succeeded by his nephew Sandalj Hranić Kosača.
- In 1392, Vuk Branković lost SkopjeSkopjeSkopje 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...
to OttomansOttoman EmpireThe Ottoman EmpireIt was usually referred to as the "Ottoman Empire", the "Turkish Empire", the "Ottoman Caliphate" or more commonly "Turkey" by its contemporaries...
and was forced to accept their vassalship. - In 1395 Queen Mary of HungaryMary of HungaryMary of Anjou was queen regnant of Hungary from 1382 until her death in 1395.-Childhood:...
, Tvrtko's first cousin once removed (granddaughter of Stephen II, Ban of Bosnia), died under suspicious circumstances. - In 1399 Queen Jadwiga of PolandJadwiga of PolandJadwiga was monarch of Poland from 1384 to her death. Her official title was 'king' rather than 'queen', reflecting that she was a sovereign in her own right and not merely a royal consort. She was a member of the Capetian House of Anjou, the daughter of King Louis I of Hungary and Elizabeth of...
, Tvrtko's first cousin once removed (granddaughter of Stephen II, Ban of Bosnia), died of childbirth complications.
Within two decades following Tvrtko's death, Sigismund fomented a number of wars in Bosnia
Bosnia (region)
Bosnia is a eponomous region of Bosnia and Herzegovina. It lies mainly in the Dinaric Alps, ranging to the southern borders of the Pannonian plain, with the rivers Sava and Drina marking its northern and eastern borders. The other eponomous region, the southern, other half of the country is...
and Croatia
Croatia
Croatia , officially the Republic of Croatia , is a unitary democratic parliamentary republic in Europe at the crossroads of the Mitteleuropa, the Balkans, and the Mediterranean. Its capital and largest city is Zagreb. The country is divided into 20 counties and the city of Zagreb. Croatia covers ...
and murdered almost 200 prominent families. Some of carnage is known as 1397 Bloody Sabor of Križevci
Bloody Sabor of Križevci
Bloody Sabor of Križevci or Bloody Parliament Session or Križevci Bloody Assembly was organised killing of the Croatian ban Stjepan Lacković and his followers by King Sigismund, in Križevci, Croatia on 27 February 1397.-The Prelude:...
and the 1408 Dobor Massacre. Sigismund became the Holy Roman Emperor
Holy Roman Emperor
The Holy Roman Emperor is a term used by historians to denote a medieval ruler who, as German King, had also received the title of "Emperor of the Romans" from the Pope...
. A few surviving Bosnian
Bosnians
Bosnians are people who reside in, or come from, Bosnia and Herzegovina. By the modern state definition a Bosnian can be anyone who holds citizenship of the state. This includes, but is not limited to, members of the constituent ethnic groups of Bosnia and Herzegovina: Bosniaks, Bosnian Serbs and...
and Croatian
Croats
Croats are a South Slavic ethnic group mostly living in Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina and nearby countries. There are around 4 million Croats living inside Croatia and up to 4.5 million throughout the rest of the world. Responding to political, social and economic pressure, many Croats have...
noble families in the eastern part were forced to accept 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...
vassalship and converted to Islam
Islam
Islam . The most common are and . : Arabic pronunciation varies regionally. The first vowel ranges from ~~. The second vowel ranges from ~~~...
. Some members of those families became prominent military leaders of the Ottoman armies, governors, Grand Viziers, Sultan's sons-in-law and the mother of Sultan
Sultan
Sultan is a title with several historical meanings. Originally, it was an Arabic language abstract noun meaning "strength", "authority", "rulership", and "dictatorship", derived from the masdar سلطة , meaning "authority" or "power". Later, it came to be used as the title of certain rulers who...
Mehmed the Conqueror.
See also
- History of Bosnia and HerzegovinaHistory of Bosnia and Herzegovina-Pre-Slavic Period :Bosnia has been inhabited at least since Neolithic times. In the late Bronze Age, the Neolithic population was replaced by more warlike Indo-European tribes known as the Illyrians. Celtic migrations in the 4th and 3rd century BCE displaced many Illyrian tribes from their former...
- History of HerzegovinaHistory of HerzegovinaThe History of Herzegovina ranges from the first Slavic migrations to the region to the most recent Bosnian War.-Pre-Slavic history:See Illyrians...
- House of KotromanićHouse of KotromanicThe Kotromanić dynasty was a ruling house that ruled in the medieval Bosnia and the surrounding lands, from the 13th century as Bans until the crowning with the Bosnian crowns in 1377 and then as kings until the Ottoman conquest conquest in 1463....
- House of Šubić
- House of NemanjićHouse of NemanjicThe Nemanjić was the most important dynasty of Serbia in the Middle Ages, and one of the most important in Southeastern Europe. The royal house produced eleven Serbian monarchs between 1166 and 1371. It's progenitor was Stephen Nemanja, who descended from a cadet line of the Vukanović dynasty...
- History of CroatiaHistory of CroatiaCroatia first appeared as a duchy in the 7th century and then as a kingdom in the 10th century. From the 12th century it remained a distinct state with its ruler and parliament, but it obeyed the kings and emperors of various neighboring powers, primarily Hungary and Austria. The period from the...
- History of SerbiaHistory of SerbiaThe history of Serbia, as a country, begins with the Slavic settlements in the Balkans, established in the 6th century in territories governed by the Byzantine Empire. Through centuries, the Serbian realm evolved into a Kingdom , then an Empire , before the Ottomans annexed it in 1540...
- List of rulers of Bosnia
- List of rulers of Croatia
External links
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