Stephen Dabiša of Bosnia

Stephen Dabiša (Latin: Stephanus Dabissa, Bosnian: Stjepan Dabiša, Serbian Cyrillic: Стефан Дабиша; fl. 1391 - died 1395), was the King of Bosnia from 1391 to 1395 as a member of the Kotromanić dynasty. He was possibly an illegitimate son of Vladislav Kotromanić and thus half-brother of King Stephen Tvrtko I.

Life

Early life

Dabiša was possibly an illegitimate son of Vladislav Kotromanić and thus half-brother of King Stephen Tvrtko I.

Reign

Stephen Dabiša's charter by which he granted a village to his daughter, specifying that it should pass to her daughter and heirs

Dabiša succeeded Tvrtko I in 1391. At the time of his ascension to power, Bosnia was already decentralized by the semi-independent nobility. Beljak and Radič Sanković ruled independently in the Hum and Popovo. The Sankovići gave Konavle to the Republic of Ragusa, which then started to rile up Kotor and other Dalmatian cities from the Bosnian King's rule, asking them to reaccept the supreme rule of the Hungarian King Sigismund, but they refused. King Stephen Dabiša dispatched vojvoda Vlatko Vuković and knez Pavle Radenović to Konavle in 1391, where they kicked out the Sankovići and shared their lands among themselves. Beljak died and Radič was thrown into captivity, and this marked the end of the Sanković family. The Ottoman Empire started to invade Bosnia again and in 1392, King Stephen Dabiša dispatched Hrvoje Vukčić, who decisively defeated the Ottomans.

The rest of his reign, Dabiša spent quarrelling with the Hungarian King Sigismund and the King of Naples Ladislaus for control over Croatia and Dalmatia. Naples' King managed to win the Vukčić nobility to his side. Vuk Vukčić, Dabiša's Ban took Ostrovica and Vrana from Ivaniš Paližna. Dabiša desired to put Zadar under his supreme rule, but Vuk worked for the King of Naples. Hrvoje Vukčić recognized Dabiša's supreme rule, stating that he will serve him as long as Dabiša draws breath, but serve the Hungarian King Sigismund afterwards.

At the beginning of 1394, the Croatian nobility under Ivaniš Horvat, a subject of the King of Naples refused to serve King Dabiša. Dabiša dispatched Prince Ivan Radivojević to take Omiš from Horvat as a punishment. The Hungarian King Sigismund moved to destroy both Horvat and Dabiša. The Hungarian Army besieged and burned to the ground Dobor in the lower stream of Bosna. Dabiša arrived there, recognized King Sigismund's supreme rule and gave up Dalmatia and Croatia in his name. in turn, the Hungarian King nominated him Prince of the Szomod Principality.

King Stephen Dabiša died of disease on 8 September 1395 and King Sigismund took over most control over Bosnia, but the Bosnian Rusag elected that his wife, Queen Jelena Gruba should ascend the throne.

Title

He signed his charter with the title "King of the Serbs. Bosnia. the Maritime, lands of Hum, the Lower regions, Western province. Usori, Soli and Podrinje."^[2]

Marriage and children

Dabiša was married to Jelena Gruba, who belonged to the Nikolić noble family which ruled a part of Zahumlje (also known as Hum).^[3] They had one known child, a daughter named Stana, whose own daughter Vladava married Đurađ Radivojević.

References

Sources

• Fine, John Van Antwerp (1994). The Late Medieval Balkans: A Critical Survey from the Late Twelfth Century to the Ottoman Conquest. Ann Arbor, Michigan: The University of Michigan Press. ISBN 0-472-08260-4. 

External links