The Life and Deeds of the Ever-Remembered Despot Stefan

Chortiatis. In Thessalonica (itself) he accomplished nothing. Đurađ was still in Thessalonica. Hearing that Sultan Mehmed wished to come again, he set out toward Adrianople by the mountains of Slavija, where the news overtook him that (he) had, behold, already come; (Musa) was filled with fury and rage, and therefore the soldiers slept little by night and (were constantly) on the move. Seeing that (Mehmed) did not come, he remained there until winter.

74. As for Serbian affairs, on the eve of the Nativity of Christ he set out thence, as once Antiochus against Jerusalem, with great rage and wrath, saying that he would utterly destroy everything in the end. He enrolled from his own land many (people) whom he would settle in the Serbian regions, as Shalmaneser settled five Cuthean clans in Samaria,¹²⁰ not knowing that he would soon come to know what he had done, like that Antiochus who said: "Now I have become aware of what I did to Jerusalem." But God sent lions there upon the Cutheans, and here He did not allow the peoples even to peer in.

75. And so Musa, led by such thoughts, came first against his commander who had rebelled (from) him /Musa/ in the cities of Sokolac and Svrljig. When he had come into (that) region, he wrote on slips of paper the name of every village, which he gave to the commanders of his foot soldiers, that they should gather all (the villagers) beneath the city. (He) arose and came beneath the city. He took Sokolac, and the commander Hamza he sent to Adrianople. There he was put to death together with others. Having passed through that land, he settled (the people) in his own village in the year 6921 (1413). Having finished this, he crossed into the Serbian regions and took Bolvan (near Aleksinac), and those who (were) in it and (who) had surrendered it were terrified. These (inhabitants) he plundered and likewise resettled. He took Lipovac too, and the people who (lived) in it were (likewise) plundered and taken captive. Stalać too was plundered in like manner. In the (fortified) tower one (of the noble men) defended himself until he was burned together with the tower,¹²¹ brave as (his forebears) had been in olden times. Having passed through the other cities as well, he came to Koprijan, which he took, and where much blood was shed, and all the people were slain and plundered. Beholding all (this), Despot Stefan sent, by way of the Wallachian lands, (a message) to the eastern sultan that he should come and not pass him by, but, (he) said, "together with my army attack (Musa)." Sultan Mehmed arose from the east, and Despot Stefan from the west with all his army, and also with the Hungarian and Bosnian grandees, (as well as) with the aforementioned Ishmaelite commanders. Musa, learning of this, went out to meet the eastern (sultan Mehmed), (pretending) that he wished to fight him on the morrow; (however), that night they settled everything by means of embassies, and the (eastern) sultan withdrew and returned to the Despot. Musa pursued him hard on his heels, (all the way to) Sredec, and did not overtake him, for not all the army was (with him) - there were, (namely), no more enlisted soldiers. Learning of all this soon after, the Despot too came with all (his) army to Kruševac. There came also all the sultan's grandees to swear a firm oath and (make) a covenant. Having come to an agreement, they set out together.

emperor (602–610).