Serbian Despotate

Serbian Despotate
Српска Деспотовина
Srpska Despotovina
  • 1402–1442
  • 1444–1459
The Serbian Despotate in 1422
The Serbian Despotate in 1422
Capital
Common languagesOld Serbian
Religion
Serbian Orthodox
Demonym(s)Serbian, Serb
GovernmentMonarchy
Despot 
• 1402–1427
Stefan Lazarević
• 1427–1456
Đurađ Branković
• 1456–1458
Lazar Branković
• 1458–1459
Stefan Branković
• 1459
Stefan Tomašević
Establishment
Historical eraMiddle Ages
• Establishment
22 February 1402
• Conquest by the Ottoman Empire
1439
• Reestablishment
1444
• Reconquest by the Ottoman Empire
20 June 1459
CurrencySerbian dinar
Preceded by
Succeeded by
Moravian Serbia
District of Branković
Zeta under the Balšići
Sanjak of Smederevo
Banate of Belgrade
Zeta under the Crnojevići
Today part of Serbia
 Montenegro

The Serbian Despotate (Serbian: Српска деспотовина / Srpska despotovina) was a medieval Serbian state in the first half of the 15th century. Although the Battle of Kosovo in 1389 is mistakenly considered the end of medieval Serbia, the Despotate, a successor of the Serbian Empire and Moravian Serbia, lasted for another sixty years, experiencing a cultural, economic, and political renaissance, especially during the reign of Despot Stefan Lazarević. After the death of Despot Đurađ Branković in 1456, the Despotate continued to exist for another three years before it finally fell under Ottoman rule in 1459.

After 1459, political traditions of the Serbian Despotate continued to exist in exile, in the medieval Kingdom of Hungary, with several titular despots of Serbia, who were appointed by kings of Hungary. The last titular Despot of Serbia was Pavle Bakić, who fell in the Battle of Gorjani in 1537.[1]

  1. ^ Jireček 1918, pp. 263–264.