Stephen Vladislav I of Serbia

Stefan I Vladislav Стефан I Владислав
King of all the Rascian Lands and Diocleia and Dalmatia and Travunia and Zachlumia, King of all the Serbian and Maritime Lands
King Vladislav, (founder's portrait (fresco) in Mileševa monastery, painted during his lifetime, around 1235)
Reign	1233-1243
Born	around 1198
Died	1264+
Predecessor	Stefan Radoslav
Successor	Stefan Uroš I
Consort	Beloslava
Royal House	House of Nemanjić
Father	Stefan Prvovenčani
Mother	Eudokia Angelina
Religious beliefs	Serbian Orthodox

Stefan Vladislav I (Serbian Cyrillic: Стефан Владислав I; died after 1264) was a Serbian king from 1233/4 to 1243, a son of Stefan Prvovenčani and a grandson of Grand Prince Stefan Nemanja and Anna, the granddaughter of Enrico Dandolo, Doge of Venice.

Life

Mileševa monastery was built by King Vladislav between 1234 and 1236.

After the defeat of the army the Emperor Theodore Komnenos Doukas of Epirus in Battle of Klokotnitsa in Bulgaria on 1230 by the Emperor Ivan Asen II of Bulgaria, a Serbian king Radoslav loses the support of the serbian nobility, which he turns to his younger brother Vladislav. In 1234th Radoslav was stripped off and on the throne was brought Vladislav. As Radoslav had the support of Epirus, Vladislav turns for support to Bulgaria, which at that time becomes the most powerful country in the Balkans. King Vladislav is married Beloslava, a daughter of Emperor Ivan Asen II. Earlier Epirus influence in Serbia is now replaced with the Bulgarian. Archbishop Sava was not satisfied with the replaced of government and he travel to the east, where visiting the Holy Land (Kingdom of Jerusalem). From that traveling Sava did not return, and died on 1236 in Tărnovo. King Vladislav, finding himself in the uneasy position due to the death of his uncle archbishop Sava, goes to father-in-law, Ivan Asen II, to ask him for uncle body. Negotiations were not easy, but in the end he allowed the body to return to Serbia. In 1237 king Vladislav transferred the body of Saint Sava from Tărnovo, to the monastery of Mileševa in Serbia.

During the reign of King Vladislav, there was a great Mongol invasion. Mongols are conquered Serbia on 1241. They have not stayed longer and according to the sources at the time, they made minor damage in Serbia, but in Bulgaria they caused a complete uproar, which is further aggravated and the death of Emperor Ivan Asen II on June 1241. When Bulgaria became a Mongol vassal, the reputation of King Vladislav was decreased, and the serbian nobles once again began to protests. King Vladislav was removed from the throne on 1243 when it is, with the support of the nobility, inherits half brother Urosh I. The new king may have allowed Vladislav to rule Zeta as governor, and in any case did not completely remove him from an active role in government.

He died in 1269 and was buried in Mileseva.

By his marriage with Beloslava, daughter of Ivan Asen II of Bulgaria, Stefan Vladislav had the following children:

1. Stefan
2. Desa, a župan (1281/5)
3. daughter, married Djure Kačić, the Knez of Omiš.

Flag of Serbia

Main articles: Flag of Serbia and List of Serbian flags

Reconstruction of the flag of Serbia described in the 1281 document

The oldest known description of a flag of Serbia is from the 1281 description of a flag in the treasury of King Stefan Vladislav (1233–1243), which was kept in the Dubrovnik Republic. The description lists "vexillum unum de zendato rubeo et blavo" - a flag of fabric red and blue (zendato - čenda a type of light, silky fabric). We however don't know how were the colours patterned; horizontal diband shown to the left is sometimes used in commemorations of medieval events in Serbia. As Vladislav ruled from 1233 to 1243 and died after 1264, the flag predates the time of the description, hence making it likely to have been used around the middle 13th century.

See also

• Nemanjić family tree

Stephen Vladislav I of Serbia Nemanjić Dynasty Born: 1198 Died: 1264
Regnal titles
Preceded by Stefan Radoslav	King of Serbia 1233/1234–1243	Succeeded by Stefan Uroš I
Preceded by Đorđe Nemanjić	King of Zeta 1243 With: Beloslava (Queen)	Succeeded by Stefan Uroš I

References

Sources

• Encyclopedia Sveznanje published by "Narodno delo", Belgrade, 1937.
• John V.A. Fine Jr., The Late Medieval Balkans, Ann Arbor, 1987.