Konstantin Balšić

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Konstantin Balšić (? - 1402) was a Serbian lord of the House of Balšić that ruled over lands in Albania.

[edit] Biography

Konstantin Balšić was the son of Đurađ I and his wife, Theodora. After his father's death in 1378, he inherited a small parchment of land between the rivers of Bojana (alb. Buna) and Drin. He married an Albanian princess, Helena, daughter of Karlo Thopia. To expand links in the western Balkans, he married his sister Eudokia to the Florentine Despot of Ioannina (alb. Janina) Esau de' Buondelmonti. He then went to serve for the Ottomans; he was charged as the Ottoman governor of the lands once belonging to Thomas Preljubović at the far south as an Ottoman vassal. In late 1394, Konstantin was installed as governor of Krojë by the Ottomans and married Marco Barbadigo's wife, Helena Thopija. He was sent to become the Balšićs head as an Ottoman protege and apparently failed, losing his stronghold, Danj, to his cousin, Đurađ II, in 1395.

Konstantin was very faithful to Sultan Bayezid I. On 17 May 1395 he fought in the Battle of Rovine and witnessed the deaths of all Serbian noblemen but managed to survive himself. Of those who died included his cousin Konstantin Dejanović, according to whom he was named after, and King Marko Mrnjavčević). In 1402, he was executed in Dyrrhachium for unknown reasons, but it is generally believed that his absence at the Battle of Angora may had something to do with this.