Stephen II of Kotroman, nicknamed the Devil's Student was a Bosnian Ban or Herzeg of Bosnia from 1314 to 1353 together with his brother, Prince Vladislav in 1326-1353 that made Bosnia and independent state. He was the son of Bosnian Ban Stephen I Kotroman and the Serbian Princess Jelisaveta.
Life
Exile and Arrisal
When his father died in 1314 and Croatian Ban Mladen II Šubić emerged as Count of Zadar, Princeps of Dalmatia and Second Bosnian Ban, Stephen took his brothers and mother Jelisaveta and fled with them into exile in the Republic of Dubrovnik. Mladen was not popular in Bosnia and had fought bloody but losing wars against the Serbs of Rascia (led by King Stefan Milutin), and the Venetians (to whom he lost Zadar in 1313), along with numerous inner opponents of his regime. Mladen came to the idea to impose Stephen of Kotroman as his vassal in Bosnia, for he was sure that he would be well accepted in Bosnia. The House of Šubić, vengeful enemies of the House of Kotroman now became their protectors. Mladen has decided to keep Stephen II under his firm grip and to use him to eradicate the Bosnian Church, so he arranged a marriage between Stephen and a Princess from the family of the Count Meinhard of Ortenburg that ruled in Carniola (Some claim that the Kotromans were actually directly related to this house trough their German roots[citation needed]). Stephen decided that this political marriage would give him certain advantages, so he convinced the Pope to allow it.
Ban
Croatian Civil Wars and Early Reign
Mladen's plight
Mladen had almost entirely retreated from Bosnia as he had numerious troubles with rebelling Šibenik in 1319 and also later Trogit. What's more, both cities recognize Venetian supreme rule in 1322. Mladen's Army could not crush the rebels, so they burned the surrounding fields and cut the nearby vinyards and fruit groves. In the Spring of 1322, Mladen called a Council to make the Croatian nobility help him crush the rebellion. the Croatian Princes have soundly refused that, which led to numerious acusations of treason of them by Mladen. This created a huge rift between Mladen and his subjects. His rule was now seriously threatened. This disorder helped greatly Stephen II as he had the chance to rule n his own and built up his realm. The supreme liege, King of Hungary Charles I Robert of Anjou had plans too. Charles Robert went on a campaign to eradicate the Croatian major nobility in order to become the sole ruler of his realm. He successfully removed Matija Čak and destroyed the Gizing family. Time has come for the Subićs. Near the end of 1321, he ordered Stephen II to act from Bosnia supported by Ban Ivan Babonežić from Slavonia, encircling and isolating Croatia. Stephen II has now fell under King Charles Robert's direct command. Due to the fact that he wanted to revenge and get rid of the Subićs, this was useful to him for the time being, for if he could free himself of the Subićs, he could rule Bosnia almost entirely by himself; as his Hungarian Lieges would be too far away to watch his every move. Besides that, he also got a chance to expand his influence in Croatia. The decisious battle happenned near Mladen's capital Skradin in 1322, where the Croatian nobility deafeated him deceisivly. Mladen fell back to Klis and waited for Charles Robert to came, blindly believing that the King would help him keep his power because of the help that he received from the Subićs during his coming to power. The King came to Knin and invited Mladen to meet him there. Mladen was imprisoned and sent to a dungeon in Hungary where he died.
Early Reign and other marriages
After this, Stephen II spent the first years of his reign in relative peace. He gave numerious privileges to the local noblity to increase popularity. One of the most famous was the dict in which he gave some Zhupanates to Prince Vukoslav. In the dicts he refers to his brother Vladislav with the title Prince of Bosnia sharing equal rule with him since 1326, although Stephen had, being Ban, the real rule.
In 1323 Hungarian King Charles Robert wanted to increase influence in the eyes of Ban Stephen II Kotroman. He offered Stephen the hand of his wife's distant relative, Elizabeth, daughter of Duke Kazimir (ruling place specification needed!) and received from the King as a gift with the marriage the lands to the west formerly held by Mladen Šubić and Usora and Soli in the north formerly held by Stefan Dragutin and his son, Vladislav II of the House of Nemanja. The marriage was legallized by 1239. Up to 1239 Stephen's was still married with the daughter of the Bulgarian Czar.
Nelipac's plight
Hungarian King Charles I Robert of Anjou had placed the Slavonian Ban Ivan Babonežić as the new Ban of Croatia. After the King's return to Hungary, the most powerful Croatian nobleman Prince Nelipac moved fast and took Knin from the Royal Forces. He was supported by the three brothers of Mladen II Šubić; Paul, George and Juraj. He did not allow Ivan to assert to his throne in Knin, so King Charles Robert deposed Ivan from his duty in 1323. He ordered the new Ban of Slavonia Nikola Omodijev and Stephen II of Kotroman to launch a joint offensive against Nelipac in Croatia. Nikola's expedition eventually failed, although, it did rise up Juraj II Šubić (brother of Mladen II Šubić) against Nelipac, as well as the Princes from Krka Frangepans, the City of Zadar and eventually, Bosnian Ban Stephen II himself. The movement wanted to return the Šubić dynasty to power in Croatia with Juraj II Šubić at the Throne. Stephen again changed allegencies and now fought for the Šubićs again. It all eventually turned into an all-out war when the armies of Prince Nelipac and Juraj II Šubić clashed near the waterfalls of Krka in the Summer of 1324. Stephen gave considerable support to the Šubićs, but he did not dare involve into the fight himself. It was good that he didn't, because the Šubić's party was massacred near Knin and Juraj II Šubić himself was captured by Prince Nelipac soon. Stephen had attempted to liberate Juraj from imprisonment, but all atempts have reached failure.
Prince Nelipac immediatly pushed the fight against Stephen II. Nelipac managed to conquer the city of Visuć, but Stephen's long-ago given privileges to the nobility had finally been proven useful, as Vuk of Vukoslav had helped him to retake the city. Although Stephen's miltary ambitions only relativly successful he continued to wage war against the enemies of the Šubićs. His target was the City of Trogir which was one of the major supporters of Nelipac's campaigning. Stephen has adopted a harsh tactic. His forces have raided Caravans from Trogir, which eventually forced its denizens to humbly sign peace and adressed to him as the high and mighty lord Stephen free ruler and master of Bosnia, Usora and Soli and many other places and Prince of the Hum. It is because of this that Stephen opened a conflict with the Republic of Dubrovnik regarding trade. Stephen was shown as a very tough negotioator and the negotiations have finally ended in 1326.
After seeing that Ban Nikola Omodejev was unable to weaken the position of Prince Nelipac, Hungarian King Charles I Robert deposed him. The new man for the job was one o his most trusted men, Mikac Mihaljević. Ban Mikac advanced to Croatia in the Summer of 1325. Bosnian Ban Stephen II sent squadrons of troops to assist him in his offensive. In 1326, Mikac took the cities of the Babonežić family advance deeper into Croatia, meeting with Stephen's reinforcements. The expedition eventually reched little success, so Mikac sent a portion of his army to Bihać which would serve as defence against possible Nelipac's counterattacks and retreated to Hungary, to the King.
War against the Serbs
Between 1322 and 1326, Ban Stephen attacked Serbia in a military allience with the Republic of Dubrovnik and conquered Kraina, gaining access to the Adriatic Sea and including a large Serbian Orthodox Christian population and a highly advanced Serbian Orthodox Church. This changed balance in Bosnia, as the Bosnian Bogumils have lost majority in the realm. He also expanded to Završje, including the Fields of Glamoč, Duvanj and Livanj. The province of Zahumlje that he conquered was ruled by the Serbian noble rogue dynasty, the House of Branivoj. That Serbian family has tricked Stefan of Dečani's vassalaged Prince, Crep, who was a close friend of the his faithful friend, so King Stefan had no desire to defend those areas from Ban Stephen's forces. Bosnia controlled the coast from the border with the Dubrovnik Republic across Neretva to Omiš. Ban Stephen himself killed two members of the House of Branivoj, while Branko of Branivoj fled to Serbia and seek help from King Stefan and Brajko of Branivoj fled to the Republic of Dubrovnik, from where he proceeded to Ston. Ban Stephen pursued chase of Brajko, but eventually the forces of Dubrovnik have caught the last member of the four brothers from the House of Branivoj. The Bosnian titles included "Lord of the Hum land" ever since.
In 1329, Ban Stephen II of Kotroman pushed another military attempt into Serbia, but the main portion of his force was defeated by Young King Dušan who commanded the forces of King Stefan of Dečani. The Ban's personal horse was killed in the battle, and he would've lost his life if his vassal Vuk of Vukoslav didn't give him his horse. This cost Vuk's life as the Rascians have killed him in open battle. Although, he manage to add Nevesinje and Zagorje to his realm.
Although the Zachlumoi have mostly accepted the Ban's rule, some resisted, like Peter of Tolien who ruled the Seaside from his capital in Popovo, grandson of the famous Zachlumian Prince Andrews. He raised a rebellion, wishing either more autonomy or total independence and the eventual restoration of the conquered territories to Serbia. He lost a battle against Ban Stephen II and was imprisoned and put in irons. Stephen II of Kotroman had him thrown with his horse off a cliff. Peter suffered a tragic death as he was alive for another full hour after the fall.
The Ban's vassal that governed the Hum started to raid Dubrovnik's trade routes, which worsened the Bosnia-Dubrovnik relations that were very high during the conquest of Zahumlje. To make matters worse, Ban Stephen II asked Dubrovnik to pay him the old traditional mogorish tax that it traditionally paid to the Zachlumian and Serbian rulers and even asked it recognize his supreme rule. Dubrovnik soundly refused it.
The Ban's edicts
Stephen withdrew all demands as can be seen in his edict to the Republic from 1332 in which he guarranteed future friendships between the Banate of Bosnia and the Republic of Dubrovnik. In the edict he called his people Bosnians (Bošnjani).
Ban Stefan II issued several edicts to the Republic of Dubrovnik in 1333. They written by a Serbian scribe that worked in Dubrovnik. There were four documents. The following is an excerpt of the copies of the edicts. 1:
Original version | English translation |
---|---|
да имамо и дрьжимо до конца свиета непомачно. и за то |
to have and hold to the end of the world moveless. And for that |
Of 60 words in the excerpt:
- 29 (48.3%) are completely the same in contemporary Serbian — or, for that matter Croatian or Bosnian
- 15 (25%) differ only in slightly changed sound of a letter (usually through iotation, or loss or it, or by transfer of "ou" to "u")
- 8 (13.3%) differ in one phoneme
- 8 (13.3%) differ more but are fully recognisable
In the edict, Bosnian Ban Stephen II of Kotroman was reffering to his Latinized, of German origin father and his Serbian mother.
In 1347, Ban Stephen wrote to the Pope. He stated that Croatian was his mother tongue in the letter.
Religious tensions in Bosnia
The Pope was enraged by the religious tensions that grew in Bosnia, and implased Fabian of the Franciscan Order as the Inquisitor in Slavonia and gave him the task of rooting out heresy in Bosnia. The Pope requested Bosnian Ban Stephen's full assistence. In 1327 the Dominicans and Franciscans have argued over who will be granted the task of burning the heretics. Although Fabian eventually took over the leadership over the movement, he utterly failed. Then the Pope wrote to the Hungarian King for a military intervention in Bosnia.
In 1334, the Bosnian Bishop Peter died, and a huge dispute appeared over his successor. Hungarian King Charles Robert managed to implace his supporter, but it would take until 1336 that the final dispute would be resolved in the Catholic Church's favour.
Pope Benedict XII lost all patience and eventually accepted the offer of Prince Nelipac of Croatia in 1337, who not only wanted to restore Bosnia under Croatian control, but also desired personal revenge to Stephen II Kotroman for the past troubles that he had made him. The still powerful Croatian Šubićs family protested Nelipac's decision. Talks of joining the House of Šubić and the House of Kotroman into one were taken. An arranged marriage was made between Bosnian Ban Stephen II's brother, Vladislav of Kotroman and the sister of Ban of Croatia Mladen III Šubić, Jelena in 1338 in Klis. Mladen's wife was Jelena of Nemanja, sister of the Serbian King Stefan Dušan, so this created a strong dynastic allience of three families: the House of Kotroman, the House of Šubić and the House of Nemanja that strictly opposed Prince Nelipac's reign. The first to fall to Nelipac's hand were the Šubićs who were, despite constant help from Bosnian Ban Stephen II, forced to sign a peace treaty with Prince Nelipac and compensate him for the war. The Hungarian King Charles Robert did not watch easily as his subjected lands were being war-torn. He was preparing to move to Croatia and depose Nelipac. Stephen II seized the opportunity and pushed against Nelipac, talking some of his lands for himself.
Soon, Ban Stephen II of Kotroman would finally stop the constant threat of the Western Crusades to the Bogumil population of Bosnia. In 1339, during Franciscan General Gerard's stay at the Hungarian Court of King Charles Robert, Gerard payed a visit to the Bosnian Ban to negotiate an arranged prosecution of Bosnia's heretics. At first, Stephen II thought that he pushed his luck far enough, and that it was the time to bow to the Catholic Church; but he realised that the neighbouring Shismatics might stand up to him if he moves against the Bogumils. In addition, Serbia wanted a reason to involve in a conflict, for its King desired revenge for the losses in the Bosnian war against the Serbs, so Ban Stephen abandoned the though. Nevertheless, Stephen's gift in diplomacy convinced the Pope that he was a loyal Catholic Christian in February 1340, once again saving Bosnia.
After the final peace between the Bosnian Ban and the Papacy, the Catholic Church started to grow in influence rapidly throughout Bosnia in 1340 - 1343. The Catholic Monks have constructed numerious Monasteries in Usora and Hum and baptised a large number of Bosnia's heretics on their way to Ston in the Republic of Dubrovnik. This process eventually brought upon the demise of the Bosnian Church that help supremacy over the religous life life in Bosnia.
Changes in the Throne
In 1342 Hungarian King Charles Robert died and so did Bosnian Ban Stephen II of Kotroman's past ally, Ban Mikac of Slavonia in 1343. This gave the rise of a new idea. The opportunity arrised to detach Bosnia from the Kingdom of Hungary and that Ban Stephen II ruled it independently, vassalaged to no one. He immediatly seeked help in Hungary's greatest foe, the Venetian Republic. In the Summer of 1343 he sent an emissary to Venetia, proposing an allience. The Venetians wanted to act only if victory was certain, so they wanted another member in their allience; their traditional ally, the Kingdom of Serbs. The Serbian King was, unfortunatly for the Venetians, busy with other matters. The Republic of Venetia was just waging war against Prince Nelipac of Croatia, so it only agreed to arm and help build up Bosnia's military, but begged Stephen II not to move against Hungary withough it. It became evident that the Venetians only wanted to push Ban Stephen II of Kotroman against Nelipac for additional support.
In 1344 Croatia's Prince Nelipac unexpectedly died; so the new Hungarian King ordered the new Slavonian Ban Nikola to move and take Knin from Nelipac's widow Vladislava and son Ivan. Vladislava initially decided to fold to all Regal demands when she saw the Royal Hungarian Army in front of Knin. She attempted to negotiate help from Venetia, but the Croatian nobility have stopped her from this because of their most recent war with them. The Hungarian King became impatious, so he commanded Ban Nikola to move to Knin immediatly and ordered Ban Stephen II of Kotroman to send help at once. Ban Stephen came leading his forces. A large 10,000 strong Army was ammassed near Knin, and this was only the first wave as the main part of the Army was arriving headed by the Hungarian King himself. This time Princess Vladislava of Nelipac had no choice but to accept demands. The Hungarian King planned the shape of his coastal territories in the new order that he would create. He annexed several cities from the Nelipac family of Croatia, but left them two largest until Stephen II gives the Cetina region to Croatia. Ban Stephen II of Kotroman swore an Oath to respect the treaty in front of his Twelve Knights, whome he had just formed out of the most valient and experienced of the Bosnian Nobility to assist him in his reign. In the middle of 1345 the new order was ratified in Bihać. The Hungarian King subsequently issued a proclaimation in Zagreb accepting Ban Stephen II as a member of his family and returned with his 30,000 men to Hungary before attempting to reconquer the coastal cities taken by the Venetians.
Upon the numerious changes, Zadar switched side from Venetia back to Hungaru, but their letter missed the Hungarian King during his stay in Bihać, so they had to seek alternative allies which they found in the Croatian Šubić dynasty and the Serbian King Stefan Dušan. When it became evident that the Venetians were going to attack, Zadar asked Hungary directly to interviene. The Hungarian King ordered Ban Stephen II of Kotroman and Ban Nikola of Slavonia to move with their forces in assistence. The two Bans moved with their 10,000 man Army to Zadar, but only to find out that the Venetians have constructed an improvised Wooden Fortification with 28 Bastidas (Towers), huge enough to man the entire Venetian Army. Deciding not to move against the Venetians, the Bans have accepted a bribe of 1,000 Florins each; although Zadar has acused them of treason.
The Hungarian King was amassing forces for a new strike against the Venetian positions, but both parties have elected the new Emperor of All Serbs, Albanians, Greeks and Bulgarians Stefan Dušan to assist Ban Stephen II of Kotroman and form a mediation party to decide a truce between the two warring sides. Eventually, all agreements failed. In the Spring of 1346 the Hungarian King arrived with his vast Royal Army of 100,000 men of whome more than 30,000 were Horsemen and Man-at-Arms and 10,000 soldiers under Ban Stephen II arrived. The Venetians have attempted to bribe several Hungarian Generals, including the Bosnian Ban. Ban Stephen II of Kotroman gave away the positions of Hungarian troops for a handsom sum of money, thereby earning the nickname the Devil's Student. On 1 July 1346 fierce clash happenned, which the Hungarian side eventually won only due to numerical superiority and achieved a "Pirus' Victory" with more than 7,000 Hungarian troops killed in battle Hungarians. The Hungarian King lost trust in Ban Stephen II of Kotroman and losing confidence as well, returned to Hungary.
Ban Stephen played tacticly between Venetia and Hungary slowly ruling Bosnia more and more independently and soon initiated a conspiracy with some members of the Croatian and Hungarian nobility against his Hungarian Liege. In 1346 Zadar finally returned to Venetia, and the Hungarian King, seeing that he lost war the war, made peace in 1348. The Ban of Croatia Mladen II Šubić was greatly opposed of Stephen II's policy, acusing him of treason and the relations between the two Bans worsened ever since. Bosnian Ban Stephen II's relations with Venetia started to improve, as the Bosnian Bishop Peregreen was a notable Venetian member of the Franciscan Order.
More Wars against Serbia
The Serbian Czar Stefan Dušan was constantly demanding from Ban Stephen II of Kotroman to return the Hum area to the House of Nemanja, but Stephen II always refused.
Ban Stepen's Bosnia was weaker than Dušan's multi-cultural Empire, so he asked Venetia, as a mutual ally to act as a mediator. Eventually the Serbian Emperor accepted a three-year non-aggression pact because he was busy with his conflicts with the Byzantine Empire. The Bosnian Ban immediatly proceeded to war preparations and went to construct a Fortress in the Hum land right near the river of Neretva. He also attempted to convince the Venetians to give him naval support in the case of war with the Tsar. The Venetians have discouraged him from building a Fort, but he constructed it anyway. The distant wars of Tsar Stefan Dušan have gave the chance to Stephen II of Kotroman to move the first. In the Christmas of 1349 Bosnia's Ban moved quickly, proceeding all the way across Konavli which he raided heavily until he reached the Bay of Kotor. Trebinje, Rudine and Gacko were raized during his military operations. Venetia attempted to make another peace between the warring sides, but the Serbian Emperor agreed only to stall his counterattack a little.
In October of 1350 Tsar Stefan Dušan crossed the river of Drina with 50,000 Horsemen and 30,000 Infrantriers. Ban Stephen II of Kotroman did not have strength to meet his Army in open battle, so he decided to take a guerilla tactic. Using trees he blockaded all major Roads in Bosnia and slowly withdrew his forces to forests, mountains and forts that were easier to defend. He planned the defence of Bosnia, splitting his forces enough to defend every possible entryway into his realm. His plan soon fell to dust, as Tsar Dušan had bribed a number of his most trusted servants who crossed to the Serbian side.
Losing control over the conflict, Ban Stephen II was shocked. Not knowing what to do further, he retreated with his most trusted men to the most unreachable mountains of Bosnia. He no longer new whome he could trust, so he regurarely dismissed and recruited new men to serve him. His older daughter Jelisaveta hid from Dušan in Bosnia's strongest enfortification of Bubovac. Tsar Dušan's forces easily defeated the scattered Bosnian squadrons and went on a campaign to slowly conquer Bosnia. Bubovac was besieged, but Dušan failed to seize it, so he ordered his armies to raid Bosnia. After he created a strong foothold of his forces in Bosnia, he sent a portion of his Army on raiding quests towards Cetina and the other to Croatia towards Krka, while he returned with the rest of his troops to Serbia to resolve new conflicts that the Byzantines stirred in Macedonia.
The failed siege of Bubovac and the retreat of Dušan's from main Army from Bosnia gave hope to Stephen II of Kotroman. Ban Stephen II therefore won the war, even though he lost all battles. This encouraged the Ban to refuse all suggestions from Dušan to share Hum as a common area as joint rulers. Dušan ordered his forces to retreat to Hum and keep only it. Ban Stephen II soon launched a military campaign to conquer all the territories that he had previously lost to Dušan. The Republic of Dubrovnik was enraged by the war over the Hum because it greatly damaged their trade, so, backed up by the Venetian Republic, Dubrovnik suggested suggested a peace to Tsar Dušan that would constituate a marriage between the Emperor's son King Uroš and Stephen II of Kotroman's daughter Jelisaveta. The Peace Treaty also required the giving of the Hum area to Stephen II, but as a land of the House of Nemanja. Stephen II had better plans for his daughter, so he refused the agreement. Ban Stephen gambled on the Serbian side considering that a large multi-ethnic Empire ruled autocraticly by one man could not succeed. He was eventually proved right, as he witnessed the first traces of demise of Dušan's Tsardom and retook control over Bosnia.
Late Reign
The rest of Ban Stephen II of Kotroman's reign passed mostly in peace. The only conflict that he had is a dispute with Venetia and Dubrovnik since the Ban's men have raided their trade caravan. The Ban managed to put his supporter, Monk Petergreen as the new Bosnian Bishop. Since 1352 Stephen II of Kotroman refers to himself as Bosnia's Herzeg in resemblence to the German culture. The same year he married his sister, Marija to Count Ulriq of Helvenstein, which was legallized by the Hungarian King. He sent his daughter Katarina to marry Count Herman I of Celje, but the actual married happenned long after Stephen II's death. On 20 June 1353 Stephen II of Kotroman married his younger daughter Jelisaveta to the Hungarian King himself, achieving a huge diplomatical success. The mother of the Hungarian King heard that Stephen had a little daughter, she insisted immediatly to bring her to the Hungarian Court. Stephen II was reluctant first, but eventually dispatched Jelisaveta. After three years of life on the Hungarian Court, Jelisaveta fell in love with the Hungarian King and the King's mother immediatly invited Stephen II of Kotroman to the Hungarian Throne and arranged a marriege so that she would become the King's second wife. The first queen, the Polish Princess died earlier. The Bosnian Ban became heavily ill and could not present the actual wedding. It was discovered that Jelisaveta and the Hungarian King were related across the fourth knee through a common branch of the House of Nemanja, so the Catholic Church was tempted to curse them. Later the same year Pope Innocent IV writes to the Bishop in Zagreb legallizing the marriage and forgiving the sin.
Death
Stephen II of Kotroman died in September of 1353. He was buried in his own foundation, the Catholic Church of Saint Nicholas of the "Little Brother" of the Franciscan Order at Mileševa. Upon his death his nephew, Tvrtko, son of Stephen's brother and co-regnent Prince Vladislav inherited the title of Ban of Bosnia as Stephen II of Kotroman had previously arranged. Although, Tvrtko was still to young to rule, so Prince Vladislav asserted the actual rule over Bosnia.
Marriages & Children
Bosnian Ban Stephen II of Kotroman was married three times:
- daughter of Count Meinhard of Ortenburg in Carniola
- daughter of Czar of Bulgarians up to 1329
- Elizabeth, daughter of Count Kazimar since 1239
Bosnian Ban Stephen II of Kotroman had three children:
- Vuk, who died during his life
- Jelisaveta, who married Hungarian King Louis I the Great on 20 June 1353. She died in 1387.
- Katarina, who married Heinrich I of Celj in 1361. She was mother of Hermann II of Celje and died on 21 March 1385.
References
- Franz Miklosich, Monumenta Serbica, Vienna 1858, p. 105-109; obtained from slike/1333.GIF at [1]
- 1Mak Dizdar, Antologija starih bosanskih tekstova, Alef
See also
- History of Bosnia and Herzegovina
- History of Croatia
- History of Hungary
- History of Serbia
- Zahumlje
- List of rulers of Bosnia
- List of Bosnians
Links
- The Kotromanićs (in Serbian)
- Stjepan's document (in Bosnian)