The Mining Law of Despot Stefan

affairs of his state, dealing in particular with questions of mining. The most important mining center was Novo Brdo, where the population enjoyed a special status. The significant presence of merchants from Dubrovnik, who enjoyed privileges in the Serbian lands, contributed to an even greater development of trade.

The growth of mining production in the Serbian Despotate was also spurred by political events in Europe. The conflict between Venice and Genoa over dominance at sea disrupted international trade in the Mediterranean. Sea routes were cut off or completely blockaded, which led to shortages of important raw materials, including gold and silver. As a consequence, the prices of these metals rose considerably. The merchants of Dubrovnik, recognizing this opportunity, expanded their overland trade routes and strengthened their economic ties with the Serbian lands. This situation set in motion the overall economic development of the Serbian Despotate, accelerating the growth of trade, of mining and of the financial stability of the state.

In the time of Despot Stefan Lazarević, his state contained some of the richest mines in Europe, renowned both for the volume of their production and for the quality of the metals obtained. Among them Novo Brdo stood out in particular. In the words of the Despot's biographer Constantine the Philosopher, recorded in the Life of Despot Stefan, Novo Brdo was "a city truly of silver and gold" [ŽDS 46]. The importance of Novo Brdo is also shown by the fact that Constantine mentions it repeatedly in the Life.

The silver mined in the mines of Novo Brdo was of exceptional value, since it contained a high proportion of gold. This special kind of silver, known as glama silver, was in great demand throughout Europe, and the merchants of Dubrovnik exported it to Italy and other Mediterranean lands. The wealth of Novo Brdo was well known throughout the medieval world, arousing both admiration and the desire for conquest. Various contemporary sources bear witness to its economic strength. The French knight Bertrandon de la Broquière (†1459) recorded in 1433 that Despot Stefan Lazarević drew an annual income of more than 200,000 ducats from Novo Brdo, while somewhat later the Franciscan friar John of Capistrano (Johannes Kapistran, 1386– 1456) cited a sum of about 120,000 ducats. Byzantine writers also emphasized the importance of this city, and the Roman (Byzantine) historian Doukas (c. 1400–1462) called it "the mother of cities."

Stojan Novaković (1842–1915) pointed out that mining was a key factor in the economic prosperity of medieval Serbia, enabling certain noble families to grow considerably rich. Among them was the family of Prince Lazar. The Lazarević family governed Novo Brdo and had great influence on the development of mining production. Life in large towns such as Novo Brdo required regulation by special laws. In the Serbian Despotate the general legal order of the state was maintained mainly through the judiciary established in the Nemanjić era, as well as through the personal decisions of Despot Stefan himself.