also a talented writer and translator from the Greek language. Among the many who found refuge in his vicinity was Constantine the Philosopher, also known as Constantine of Kostenets, who, as he himself testifies, fled from the "roaring beast," that is, from the Turkish conquering power. He arrived in Serbia between 1410 and 1413, bringing with him knowledge and zeal in the study of texts. He was a native of Kostenets, not far from the renowned Bachkovo Monastery, where the Bulgarian Patriarch Euthymius, Constantine's model in the correction and translation of liturgical books from the Greek language, had once resided.
The original manuscript of Constantine's Life of Despot Stefan has not been preserved, but it is known that it was written by 1431 at the latest; after that year every trace of Constantine is lost. However, his work has been preserved through numerous copies made between the 15th and 17th centuries. There is a longer version of the Life, preserved in four important manuscripts - two Serbian and two Russian.
The first and most important Serbian copy of the Life is the Odessa or Cetinje manuscript, written in the Serbian recension. It was published by Vatroslav Jagić in 1875, and according to an analysis of its watermarks it has been dated to the period between 1508 and 1527. This manuscript is a precious source for the study of the language and style of Serbian literature of that era.
The second Serbian manuscript is known as the Cavtat or Bogišić copy, which is kept in the Bogišić Museum in Cavtat. Recognizable by its beautiful scribal execution, this manuscript was made at the beginning of the 17th century, and it was used by K. Kuev and G. Petkov as the basis for their editions of the Life.
Of the Russian copies, the first is the Kirillo-Belozersky manuscript, made in the 16th century, which is now kept in the National Library of Russia in Saint Petersburg. This version shows the influence of the Russian recension, which bears witness to the spread of Constantine's work beyond the Serbian lands.
The second Russian manuscript is the Volokolamsk copy, which dates from the end of the 15th or the beginning of the 16th century. It is one of the oldest known copies of the Life and bears witness to the continuity of interest in the life and work of Despot Stefan and in his role beyond the Serbian lands as well.
Besides the extensive version, there are also shorter recensions of the Life, preserved in three Russian manuscripts - the Trinity, the Kazan and the Pogodin manuscripts. To this day no short version in the Serbian Slavonic recension has been discovered, which leaves room for further research.
The Life of Despot Stefan Lazarević is one of the most important historical sources on conditions in the Serbian medieval lands, because it was written by a witness of many events, a man who for years was close to the Despot and recorded important moments of his reign. In its approach, the work departs from classical medieval hagiographies and is closer to the Byzantine historiographical tradition, such as the work of Nikephoros Gregoras. Precisely for this reason, it represents a precious link