The Life of the Holy and Right-Believing Stefan the Tall, Despot of Serbia

is seen from his charter to the monastery of the Lavra of St. Athanasius on Athos (issued on January 20, 1427), by which he assigns to that monastery an abundant yearly gift of money and bestows two great gilded candlesticks, asking the fathers of the monastery either to pray for his soul when he dies, or, should he “by God’s permission because of his sins” be driven into exile, that there “in a foreign land” might be “his death and his grave.” The new sultan Murad was not pleased with the Despot’s frequent journeys to Hungary, for many slandered the Despot, saying that he was preparing something there. Therefore the sultan moved with his army closer to Serbia (in the summer of 1425), and sent his envoy to the Despot “to learn what the truth was.” The Despot, who was then negotiating in Hungary that after him all his possessions in Hungary should remain as an inheritance to his heir Đurađ as well, at once returned home, but because of illness did not receive the sultan’s envoy, and only sent him gifts for the sultan. This angered Sultan Murad, and he set out with his army against the Despot’s land, took the fortress of Niš by force, and advanced toward the city of Kruševac. The Despot was not frightened by this, but arrived with his army at Kruševac and was ready to oppose Murad. But since they first entered into negotiations, Murad agreed to withdraw to his old borders in Bulgaria. This, however, was a warning to the Despot that with this Murad one had to be cautious. While the Despot was in Kruševac, the Bosnians had risen against him and wished to take from him the mine of Srebrenica. Then the Despot, “taking the army he had prepared against the Turks, at once went against Bosnia. And when the Despot suddenly reached the river called the Drina, which the Bosnians thought could not be crossed, he swiftly crossed the river, and the Bosnians, seeing this, abandoned all their camps and fled with their king (Tvrtko II). And their sling (that is, their cannon), called Humka, was left behind, and with it two others. The Despot ordered the great sling to be carried to Belgrade, and the other two to Srebrenica. Going further into the Bosnian lands, the Despot pursued their king, who, shut up in one of the strong cities, sent his envoys and entreated the Despot to depart. The Despot turned back to his own people, and went about the land doing good.” As has already been mentioned, the holy Despot had fallen more gravely ill in his legs, and so he began to reflect on his death and on securing the land after him. It was necessary to secure the succession to the throne for his nephew Đurađ, and not only the throne, but all the regions and cities. It was especially necessary to do everything so that Đurađ would inherit the many possessions of Stefan which he held in the Hungarian lands.27 Therefore he went again to Hungary (in the month of May, 1426) and there concluded an agreement on this with King Sigismund at the diet in the city of Tata. After this the Despot returned to Serbia and at once convened a great council of all the Serbian lords at the Šumadija place of Srebrenica (near Stragari below Rudnik, in 1426). At that council he announced to all, in the presence of the Most Holy Patriarch of Serbia and all the hierarchs and magnates, that as his heir he was leaving his nephew Đurađ Branković. Of all this the biographer Constantine the Philosopher speaks to us thus: “The pious Despot Stefan was overtaken by the illness of the legs from which he had long suffered. Therefore, fearing death, he sent for his nephew the lord Đurađ to come to the place called Srebrenica. There, together with the patriarch, he gathered a council of honorable hierarchs and nobles, of his officials and of all the chosen. At this council