Saxons in medieval Serbia

Saxons, known as Sasi (Serbian Cyrillic: Саси), migrated to medieval Serbia in the mid-13th century from Hungary. Serbia's mines were developed by the community.

The earliest mention of Saxons in Serbia is from 1253–54, which shows them as an established community.^[1] These Saxons, or Sasi, had settled the Kingdom of Serbia during the reign of Stefan Uroš I (r. 1243–1276), from the Kingdom of Hungary.^[1] Under Stefan Uroš I, Serbia became a significant power in the Balkans, partly due to economic development through opening of mines.^[1] The mines were developed by the Sasi, who were experienced in the extracting of ore.^[1] Their settlements, located by the mines, had privileged status – they lived under their own laws and were allowed to adhere to Catholicism and build their churches.^[1]

Mines included Brskovo, Novo Brdo, and others.

Legacy

The village of Sase, Srebrenica, and the Saška reka was named after the community.

See also

• Vlachs in medieval Serbia
• Ragusans in medieval Serbia

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: University of Michigan Press, ISBN 978-0-472-08260-5