Despot Stefan Tower

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Despot Stefan Tower stands in Belgrade, Serbia since about 1405, a couple of years after the city was named capital of Serbian Despotate by this very ruler. Despot Stefan Lazarevic was a son of Lazar of Serbia, last Serbian ruler, who died in Battle of Kosovo on June 28, 1389 in the crucial battle that brought Serbian Empire to collapse and allowed Ottoman Turks to penetrare further into the Balkans. However most of today's Central Serbia remained independent under his son Stefan for another 50 years, which allowed northern cities such as Smederevo, Belgrade or Kragujevac to further its development. Belgrade was proclaimed capital of Serbian Despotate in 1404 and it remained capital ever since. While most of the Balkans was conquered and suffered terribly under Turkish yoke. Despot Stefan's Belgrade and Serbia became one of the most prominent city/states in medieval Europe; the population reached 50,000 as public buildings, royal courts, churches and fortifying walls were built. The city became a mecca for Balkan Christians and was the cultural and spiritual capital of this part of Europe. Belgrade was fortified with two great walls (surrounding Upper and Lower City), which contained most of its population as well as the magnificent palace of Despot, which was destroyed during Turkish rule that followed. After despot's death Serbian Despotate was destroyed by the Turks and its last city Smederevo succumbed, but Belgrade was taken by Royal Hungary after glorifying Siege of Belgrade and served as its southern capital until 1521, when a month long siege ended in capitulation and surrender to Turkey, which meant a decline in the city's importance for the next three centuries.