The Republic of Ragusa: An Episode of the Turkish ConquestVillari, Luigi
History
The Republic of Ragusa: An Episode of the Turkish Conquest
Villari, Luigi
Dubrovnik (Croatia) -- History
His son, Stephen III., captured the town of Vidin or Bdin from
the Bulgarians, and the district of Syrmia between the Save and the
Danube. His brother, Ladislas, who succeeded him, abandoned Vidin on
marrying the Bulgarian Tsar’s daughter. A third brother, Stephen IV.
the Great, succeeded in 1237. With Stephen Uroš II. Milutin (succeeded
1275) Servia is almost at the height of her power. He conquered a large
part of Macedonia, capturing the town of Serres, besieged Salonica
in 1285, and invaded Albania. He added Bosnia, which had been under
Hungarian vassalage, once more to Servia, by divorcing his first wife
and marrying Elizabeth, the daughter of the King of Hungary, who gave
him Bosnia as a dowry. His grandson, Stephen, who was called Dušan or
the Strangler, because he had strangled his own father,[100] succeeded
in 1331, and extended his power over the greater part of the Balkan
peninsula. He conquered the rest of Macedonia and Albania, and reduced
Bulgaria to a state of vassalage. In 1346 he had himself crowned “Tsar
of the Serbs and Greeks.”[101]
Bosnia, which corresponded to the modern region of that name, minus the
eastern districts under Servia and the north-west corner, was ruled by
a Banus who owed allegiance to Hungary. The first Banus, whose name
is recorded in authentic documents, is Borić, who reigned from 1154
to 1163. During the next twenty years the country was under Byzantine
suzerainty, represented at times by Greek governors, at others by
native princes with Imperial diplomas. In 1180 the great Banus Kulin or
Čulin came to the throne, shook off Byzantine authority, and ruled the
country wisely and well for twenty-four years. He cultivated friendly
relations with his neighbours, including Ragusa.[102] “The days of
Čulin” became proverbial in later and less happy times to indicate a
golden age. After Čulin’s death the country’s prosperity declined,
but revived to some extent under Matthew Ninoslav (1232). After the
death of his successor in 1254 Bosnia fell once more under Hungarian
vassalage, and was divided into Bosnia proper (afterwards Bosnia-Mačva)
under native vassal Bani, and the district of Usora and Soli ruled
by Hungarian magnates. After a short period under the Croatian house
of Šubić the native prince, Stephen Kotromanić, became Banus under
Hungarian suzerainty, and reigned until 1353, when his nephew, Stephen
Trvartko or Tvrtko,[103] succeeded him and crowned himself king.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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