Mrnjava

Who is Mrnjava?

Mrnjava was a Serbian provincial nobleman, born in Zahumlje, a frontier province in the western Serbian Kingdom. Mrnjava is the eponymous founder of the notable Mrnjavčević family; his son Vukašin Mrnjavčević became the co-ruler of the Serbian Empire as King during the fall of the Serbian Empire.

Mrnjava's father was Mrnjan, a financial chancellor that served King Stephen Uroš I of Serbia and his wife, Queen Helen of Anjou at the court at Trebinje. Mavro Orbini wrote that the family hailed from Hum, and that the poor Mrnjava and his two sons, which later lived in Blagaj, quickly rose to prominence under Stephen Uroš IV Dušan of Serbia who sent for them to come to his court. Possibly, the family had left Hum, which previously was part of the Serbian Kingdom, after the Bosnian conquest of Hum, and settled in Livno. The family most likely supported Dušan's Bosnian campaign, in which he saw to reconquer Hum.

The name of his wife is unknown. It is known that he had at least 2 sons: