KING STEFAN DEČANSKI (ruled 1321-1331) Even during the life of his father King Milutin, he was entrusted with the government over the region of Zeta (Zetska oblast). However he hatched a conspiracy to dethrone his father, but was prevented. His father had him made blind and expelled with his family to Constantinople. After the death [...]

SIMONIDA (1289-1340) – The Byzantine emperor, Andronik II, on the occasion of concluding peace agreement with Serbia in 1299, ‘donated’ his daughter Simonida to the Serbian King Milutin, which served as a guarantee of continual peace and friendship between the two states.

KING MILUTIN (1282-1321) King Milutin was inclined to provide peaceful development for Serbia and maintained good relations with the neighbors. Soon he married the Byzantine princess and thereby protected the northern border of his kingdom and undisturbed annexing of the western regions that has used to be ruled by his brother Dragutin. The exploitation of [...]

KING DRAGUTIN Saint monk Teoktist (ruled 1276-1282) King Dragutin took over the rule from his father Uroš, however after several years he descended in favor of his younger brother Milutin. As a son-in-law of the Hungarian ruler, Dragutin withdrew to the northern regions, establishing his own kingdom in the western Serbian regions, eastern Bosnia and [...]

KING UROŠ I NEMANJIĆ (ruled 1243-1276) King Uroš I managed to establish rather good relations with the neighboring states and ruled longer and with more success then his brothers had ruled. He was notable especially for initiating the exploitation of Serbian mines, which resulted in more dynamic economic strengthening of Raška. Simultaneously with mining, crafts [...]

KING VLADISLAV (ruled 1234-1243) King Vladislav married the Bulgarian Princess Beloslava and took efforts to make closer and tighter relations between Serbia and Bulgaria. However in 1241 the Mongol invaders attacked and devastated Serbia and then pulled down the Bulgarian state. Since it was not possible to rely on the support from his father-in-law, Vladislav [...]

KING RADOSLAV (ruled 1223-1233) Radoslav came to rule after his father Sfefan Prvovenčani. He was under the strong Byzantine influence, especially of his father-in-law, the Epirus despot and then Emperor Teodor Andjel. He initiated the coin make, pursuant to the Greek forms and the Greek inscriptions. Relying on the experience of his uncle Sveti Sava, [...]

STEFAN PRVOVENČANI Sveti Kralj (St. King) (1196-1228) The second son of Stefan Nemanja, the Great Count (veliki župan) (1196-1217) and the King of Serbia (1217-1228). Soon after his coming to rule great war turbulences shook Europe; the 4th War of Crusaders broke out, the Byzantine Empire was pulled down and the Latin Empire rose, Serbia [...]

RASTKO NEMANJIĆ – Sveti Sava (1175-1235) Sava is the youngest son of Nemanja, born in 1175. Rather early he abandoned secular life and in 1191 went to Sveta Gora. With the support of his father he erected the Orthodox monastery Hilandar. While his father Nemanja and brother Stefan took efforts to establish and protect the [...]