Stefan Lazarević

Who was Stefan Lazarević?

Stefan Lazarevic known also as Stevan the Tall was the son of Prince Lazar Hrebeljanović and a ruler of Serbia. He held a title of prince and despot. In his time he was regarded as one of the best knights and military leaders, and because of his literature works he is regarded as one of the best Serbian writers in the Middle ages. After the death of his father on the Kosovo Field in 1389, he became ruler of Moravian Serbia and ruled with his mother Milica Hrebeljanović, until he reached adulthood in 1393. His reign and his personal literary works are sometimes associated with early signs of the Renaissance in Serbian lands. He introduced knightly tournaments, modern battle tactics, and firearms to Serbia.

As an Ottoman vassal, Lazarevic was leader of Serbian auxiliary squads in battle of Rovine, Nicopolis and Angora. After the battle of Angora, Lazarevic received, from Byzantines in Constantinople, the title of despot in 1402. In the year 1403-1404 he became vassal of Hungarian king Sigismund and received Mačva, Belgrade, Golubac and other domains, such as Srebrnica in 1411.