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Serbian Empire Српско Царство Srpsko Carstvo
← 1346–1371 ↓
Flag
Serbian Empire under Tsar Dušan, 1355 A.D.
Capital	Skopje, later Prizren
Language(s)	Serbian
Religion	Serbian Orthodoxy
Government	Absolute monarchy
Tsar
- 1346–1355	Stefan Uroš IV Dušan
- 1355–1371	Stefan Uroš V
History
- Established	16th April 1346
- Disestablished	04 December 1371
Currency	Serbian perper
Preceded by Succeeded by Kingdom of Serbia (medieval) Moravian Serbia District of Branković Principality of Zeta Kingdom of Prilep Despotate of Velbazhd Despotate of Epirus Nikola Altomanović
Today part of	Serbia  Montenegro  Republic of Macedonia  Bosnia and Herzegovina  Croatia  Bulgaria  Greece  Albania

The Serbian Empire (Serbian: Српско Царство / Srpsko Carstvo, pronounced [sr̩̂pskoː tsâːrstʋo]) 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 (Byzantines). Dušan the Mighty significantly expanded the state, stretching over half of the Balkan peninsula, also promoting the church to a Patriarchate. The Empire crumbled during the rein of his son, Uroš V the Weak (hence his epithet). The Serbian Empire existed from 1346 to 1371, although nominally until 1402.

History[link]

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Stefan Uroš IV Dušan,
Tsar of Serbia (1346–1355)

Stephen Uroš IV Dušan, before ascending the throne as king of all Serbs, proved himself as a very skilled military leader in the Battle of Velbazhd, in which Serbia memorably defeated the Bulgarian Empire. As his father was not an able conqueror, Dušan, with the help of Serbian nobility, removed his father from the throne, ordering his people to strangle him. The medieval Serbian state reached its apex in the mid-14th century, during the rule of Stefan Dušan, who proclaimed himself in 1345 tsar in Serres and was crowned in Skopje on the 16th April 1346 as the "Emperor of the Serbs and Greeks" by the newly proclaimed Serbian Patriach Joanikie II with the help of the Bulgarian Patriarch Simeon and the Archbishop of Ohrid, Nicholas.

Tsar Dušan created a set of laws known as Dušan's Code, in 1349 and 1354. The Code was based on Roman-Byzantine law and the first Serbian constitution — St. Sava's Nomocanon (1219). It was a Civil and Canon law (based on the Ecumenical Councils) for the functioning of the state and church. The Serbian Empire flourished, becoming one of the most developed countries and cultures in Europe.

Tsar Dušan doubled the size of his former kingdom, seizing territories to the south, southeast and east at the expense of Byzantium. He did not fight a single field battle, instead winning his empire by besieging cities. He was succeeded by his son Stefan Uroš V, called the Weak, a term that might also apply to the state of the empire, as it slowly slid into feudal anarchy. The combination of sudden conquest, backwards administration, and failure to consolidate his holdings led to the fragmenting of the empire. This is a period marked by the rise of a new threat: the Ottoman Turkish sultanate gradually spreading from Asia to Europe and conquering Byzantine Thrace first, and then the other Balkans states. Too incompetent to sustain the great empire created by his father, Stefan V could neither repel attacks of foreign enemies, nor combat the independence of his nobility. The Serbian Empire of Stefan Uroš fragmented into a conglomeration of principalities, some of which did not even nominally acknowledge his rule. Stefan Uroš V died childless on 4 December 1371, after much of the Serbian nobility had been killed by the Ottoman Turks during the Battle of Maritsa.

Aftermath and legacy[link]

The crumbling Serbian Empire under Uroš the Weak was to be of little resistance to the powerful Ottomans. In light of conflicts and decentralization of the realm, the Ottomans defeated the Serbs under Vukašin at the Battle of Maritsa in 1371, making vassals of the southern governors, and soon thereafter, the Emperor died. As Uroš was childless and the nobility could not agree on the rightful heir, the Empire continued to be ruled by semi-independent provincial lords, who often were in feud with each other. The most powerful of these, Lazar, a Duke of present-day central Serbia (which had not yet come under Ottoman rule), stood against the Ottomans at the Battle of Kosovo in 1389. The result was indecisive, but it resulted in the subsequent fall of Serbia. Stefan Lazarević, the son of Lazar, succeeded as ruler, but had by 1394 become an Ottoman vassal. In 1402 he renounced Ottoman rule and became an Hungarian ally; the following years are characterized by power struggle of the Ottomans and Hungary over the territory of Serbia. In 1453, the Ottomans conquered Constantinople, and in 1458 Athens was taken. In 1459, Serbia was annexed, Greece as well, a year later.

With the fall of Serbia, migrations began to the north. Serbs became mercenaries in foreign armies, and fought in the irregular militias and guerrilla units of Hajduks and Uskoks within the Balkans (Habsburg Monarchy), while others joined the Hussars, Seimeni, Stratioti etc.

Jovan Nenad, a Serbian military commander in service to Hungary, proclaimed himself Emperor in 1527, ruling a region of southern Pannonian Plain.

Economy[link]

The east-west Roman roads carried a variety of commodities: wine, manufactures, and luxury goods from the coast; metals, cattle, timber, wool, skins and leather from the interior.^[1] This economic development made it possible for the creation of the Empire.^[1] Important roads were the ancient Roman Via Militaris, Via Egnatia, the Via de Zenta, and the Kopaonik road among others. Ragusan merchants in particular had trading privileges throughout the realm.^[1]

Srebrenica, Rudnik, Trepca, Novo Brdo, Kopaonik, Majdanpek, Brskovo and Samokov were the main centers of the mining of iron, copper and lead ores, and silver and gold placers.^[2] The silver mines provided much of the royal income, and were worked by slave-labour, managed by Saxons.^[3] A colony of Saxons worked the Novo Brdo mines and traded charcoal burners.^[1] The silver mines processed an annual 0.5 million dollars (1919 comparation).^[4] In East Serbia were mainly copper mines.

The currency used was called dinars, an alternative name was perper, derived from the Byzantine hyperpyron. The golden dinar was the largest unit; the imperial tax was one dinar coin, per house, annually.^[5]

Law[link]

Dušan's Code was enacted in two state congresses: in May 21, 1349 in Skopje and amended in 1354 in Serres.^[6] It regulated all social spheres, thus it is considered a medieval constitution. The Code included 201 articles. The Code was based on Roman-Byzantine law. The legal transplanting is notable with the articles 171 and 172 of Dušan's Code, which regulated juridical independence. They were taken from the Byzantine code Basilika (book VII, 1, 16-17). The Code had its roots in the first Serbian constitution — St. Sava's Nomocanon (Serbian: Zakonopravilo) from 1219, enacted by Saint Sava.^[7][8] This legal act was well developed. St. Sava's Nomocanon was the compilation of Civil law, based on Roman Law^[9] and Canon law, based on Ecumenical Councils. Its basic purpose was to organize the functions of the state and Church.

Administration[link]

The monarch had wide autocratic powers, but was surrounded and advised by a permanent council of magnates and prelates.^[3] The court, chancellery and administration were rough copies of those of Constantinople.^[3]

In Dušan's Code, the constitution, named the administrative hierarchy as following: "lands, cities, župas and krajištes", the župas and krajištes were one and the same, with the župas on the borders were called krajištes (frontier). The župa consisted of villages, and their status, rights and obligations were regulated in the constitution.

The ruling nobility possessed hereditary allodial estates, which were worked by dependent sebri, the equivalent of Greek paroiko; peasants owing labour services, formally bound by decree.^[3]

The earlier župan-title was abolished and replaced with the Greek kephalus (kefalija, "head, master").^[3]

Divisions[link]

• župas in modern Serbia: Preševo,
  • Kosovo and Metohia: Topolnica, Letnica, Lab, Lugovi, Nerodimlje, Paunpolje, Sitnica, Zagorje, Zvečan, Banjska, Ibarski Kolašin, Jelci, Drenica, Lapušnik, Altin, Vokš, Drškovina, Hvosno, Patkovo, Reka, Zatrnava, Suhogrlo, Trnava, Prizrenski Podgor, Gora, Opolje, Sredska, Sirinić.

• župas in modern Republic of Macedonia: Slavište, Žegligovo,

Military[link]

Serbian military tactics consisted of wedge shaped heavy cavalry attacks with horse archers on the flanks. Many foreign mercenaries were in the Serbian army, mostly Germans as cavalry and Spaniards as infantry. He also had personal mercenary guards, mainly German knights. A German knight named Palman became the commander of the Serbian "Alemannic Guard" in 1331 upon crossing Serbia to Jerusalem; he became leader of all mercenaries in the Serbian Army. The main strength of the Serbian army was the armoured knight feared for their ferocious charge and fighting skills.

Government[link]

Emperors

• Stefan Uroš IV Dušan (1346–1355)
• Stefan Uroš V (1355–1371)

For a list of magnates, feudal lords and officials, see Nobility of the Serbian Empire,

See also[link]

• History of Serbia
• Serbian Despotate
• Serbia in the Middle Ages

References[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Serbian Empire