1389-1407

History

HISTORICAL CIRCUMSTANCES PRECEDING THE CONSTRUCTION OF THE FOUNDATION

  • The monastery of Manasija, today known under the name of Resava, is the foundation of the Despot Stefan Lazarević, son of the Prince Lazar and the Princess Milica. By building the monastery with the temple of the Holy Trinity the despot desired when he was living, in to the tradition of the foundation of the Nemanjić and of his father, edified a mausoleum where he will be buried.

    The construction of the monastery has been preceded by a political and economical complex situation. After the battle of Kosovo, Serbia has been under the permanent threats of invasions of the Turks in the south and in the meantime, in the north to the pressure of Hungary. The princess Milica invested herself painstakingly, with wisdom, ability to maintain the State. Soon as her son reached majority, she ceded to him the Serbian throne and remote herself to the monastery, from where she continued to help him to run the country.

    The young prince Stefan had to dedicate himself to the arrangement of the inner situation in the country, torn by conflicts between the nobles, but also tried to economically reinforce the country. As a vassal of the Turkish sultan, he took place in the Turkish war campaign.

  • After the famous battle of Ankara (1402) and the defeat the sultan in the conflict with the Mongols, he had the possibility to free the State from the Turkish pressure. On his way back to Serbia, he visited Constantinople where the Byzantine king Manuel 2nd the Palaeologos welcomed him cordially and conferred him the very high title of Despot. This corroborate that Byzantium supported the new autonomous policy of Serbia.

    However, Serbia needed a much more powerful ally to change its attitude towards Turkey. That is why the Despot Stefan chose Hungary, already accepting in 1404 a relation of vassalage. This means that Serbia, if needed would receive the military help from Hungary and the Despot, apart from his guarantees, also obtained the Mačva region and Belgrade. The reinforced position of the state and of his sovereign also contributed to the rapid arrangements of the relations with the sultan Suleyman, to the reestablishment of the trading relationships with Dubrovnik, and to the instauration of an interior peace and to certain interior instauration. Such circumstances enabled the Despot Stefan to begin building the foundation…

CHRONOLOGY