Ivan Vukovic

Serbian prince Ivan Vukovic Kosaca. Master of the upper Podrinje and the whole of Herzegovina. Serbian knight and defender of the Principality of Herzegovina. A member of the noble Serbian family Kosaca. Father of the Serbian prince Adam Vukovic Kosaca.

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Year of birth: 1403

Place of birth: Foca

Father’s name: Serbian prince Vuk Hranic Kosaca

Mother’s name: Unknown

Wife: Unknown

Descendants: Serbian prince Adam Vukovic Kosaca

Religious affiliation: Orthodox Christian

Year of death: 1473

Serbian prince Ivan Vukovic Kosaca (my direct ancestor) was born in 1403 in Foca as the first son of Serbian prince Vuk Hranic Kosaca. Mother’s name is unknown. It is assumed that the first marriage of the Serbian prince Vuk Hranic Kosaca was not properly concluded in the church and according to the rules of the Serbian Orthodox Church. As a result, the right to the throne of the Kosaц family was denied to Serbian Prince Ivan Vukovic Kosaca. The young prince was born in the noble family of Kosaca as the oldest in the generation. In antiquity, he was the first to inherit the throne. His father was the youngest and therefore the least listed in the hierarchy of the Kosaca family. He was in charge of taking care of the northern territories and the Drina river valley in connection with the Foca region. The young Serbian prince Ivan Vukovic Kosaca grew up with his father, the Serbian prince Vuk Hranic Kosaca, since when he learned the skills of warfare and rule. When his younger brother, Serbian prince Sladoje Vukovic Kosaca, was born in 1405, their mother died in childbirth and because of that, his father very quickly married another woman, Jelena Vukcic.

The religious affiliation of the Serbian prince Ivan Vukovic Kosaca was unequivocally the Orthodox Christian faith. In support of this are the facts that during his life, the Serbian prince Ivan Vukovic Kosaca, helped his uncle’s brother, the Duke of St. Sava Stefan Vukcic Kosaca, in erecting many monuments, temples and many founder’s works. Serbian Prince Ivan Vukovic Kosaca is known for ordering the painting of the most famous icon in Herzegovina, the Mother of God with Jesus. The icon was made in Maine near Budva by the famous painter Tudor Vukovic. The icon is a masterpiece and was a cultural treasure of Herzegovina until 1992, when it was stolen during the civil war in Bosna, and since then all trace of it has been lost.

The icon is painted on a background made of two linden boards connected by two battens. The dimensions of the icon are 55x69x3.5 cm. The frame of the icon itself is marked in color so that the icon has no raised edges which makes it special. The icon painter painted the Mother of God holding Jesus Christ. Jesus blesses with one hand and holds the scroll with the other. The right hand is painted in the spirit of eastern Byzantine iconography. Jesus is dressed in a marifon with a gold hem and stars on the icon, the chiton and the himation of Christ with conventional signatures and the attitudes of the figures are entirely in the sign of the Orthodox iconography of the Virgin Hodegetria. The influence of Russian iconography is also recognized on the icon.

In 1419, the Serbian prince Ivan Vukovic Kosaca was first mentioned as a witness to the charter. Considering that at that time adulthood was counted at the age of 14, the prince was without a doubt an adult at that time. He was older than his brother than the uncle of the duke of St. Sava, Stefan Vukcic Kosaca. He was 16 at the time of writing the charter. The charter was made by the Serbian duke Sandalj Hranic Kosaca and was sent to Dubrovnik regarding the sale of the part of Konavle that belonged to Kosaca. The charter mentions Serbian Prince Ivan Vukovic Kosaca, on which he swears as a prince that he will respect his uncle’s decision to sell Konavle and hand over the rights to Dubrovnik to use.

The charter states that Serbian Prince Ivan Vukovic Kosaca and the other nobles. The charter is confirmed by the Serbian duke Sandalj Hranic Kosaca, the Serbian prince Vukac Hranic Kosaca, and the Serbian prince Vuk Hranic Kosaca. They confirm the charter with their hanging seals and signatures. The charter was made on April 24, 1419 in Soko grad on Scepan Polje.

In 1420, the prince is mentioned in Venetian documents as the prince and nephew of the Serbian duke Sandalj Hranic Kosaca. In the same year on 30.05.1420. year is also mentioned in the same relationship, as part of the authorities who confirm the validity of the document on the sale of Konavle Pavlovic’s work to Dubrovnik. Serbian Prince Ivan Vukovic Kosaca is cited as a witness to the charter and swears by the validity of the sale. At that time, he still did not have his own seal because his father, the Serbian prince Vuk Hranic Kosaca, was still alive and did not have the right to the seal of Vukovic. Until the death of his father, the Serbian prince Vuk Hranic Kosaca, the young prince was the first choice to take over the throne of the Kosaca family. That is how he was listed in the hierarchy of the Kosaca family. Proof that the Serbian prince Ivan Vukovic Kosaca had the title of prince as early as 1419, and the duke of St. Sava Stefan Vukcic Kosaca received that title only in 1429. Behind the process of obstruction of the takeover of the throne by the Serbian prince Ivan Vukovic Kosaca, stood Stefan’s father, the Serbian prince Vukac Hranic Kosaca, who worked for the benefit of his son and the takeover of the throne by him, which he eventually succeeded in doing. This was especially intensified after the death of his father, the Serbian prince Vuk Hranic Kosaca. Then, the Serbian prince Vukac Hranic Kosaca took over the possessions of his brother and expressed all his arrogance. It is not unimportant that he tried to oust the Serbian duke Sandalj Hranic Kosaca from the throne during his lifetime. Proof of that lies in the letters he sent to Dubrovnik and where he asked for support from Dubrovnik for the shift. He asked for clear support for the removal of the Serbian duke Sandalj Hranic Kosaca from the throne of the Kosaca family and the classification of Dubrovnik on the nhis side which they of course refused.

In 1424, the Serbian prince Ivan Vukovic Kosaca’s father died and he later took over the leadership of the Vukovic Kosaca House. He was then considered the leading prince in the Vukovic house. He took over the territories around Foca as well as the town of Foca. Donje polje in the town of Foca, which after the arrival of the Turkish conquerors, was named Ivanov Mahal after the Serbian prince Ivan Vukovic Kosaca. There are historical documents of the then Turkish conquerors and a census from the 16th century that confirm that. He also inherited the town of Ustikolina from Cvilin polje from his father, which was popularly called Vuk’s field after his father, Serbian prince Vuk Hranic Kosaca. Since he figured as the heir to the throne, Serbian Prince Ivan Vukovic Kosaca, he was taught the art of rule and war. Yet after his father’s death comes a difficult period for his status in the Kosaca clan hierarchy. It is completely eliminated from the combination to take the throne. Thanks to his uncle, his positions become difficult and he will spend his whole life trying to correct the injustice and take over the throne of the Kosaca family. From this time distance, it can be said that his failed attempt to take the throne was a great loss for the Kosaca family itself, because under the leadership of the Duke of St. Sava Stefan Vukcic Kosaca, the family will collapse on its own due to mutual struggles. The arrogance of the duke himself is reflected in the conflict with his own son, which shows us the wrong path taken by the duke and his entire family and that branch of the Kosaca family.

07/15/1429 Serbian Duke Sandalj Hranic Kosaca made a new deposit in the Dubrovnik Treasury and Serbian Prince Ivan Vukovic Kosaca is listed as one of the heirs of that deposit and the leader of one of the four houses of Kosaca. Until then, there were three Kosaca houses, but with his intriguing ability, his uncle, the Serbian prince Vukac Hranic, pushed Kosaca out of the option to take over the throne of the Kosaca family and transferred him to a wider circle (four houses of the Kosaca family) where he had no place since he had a direct blood relationship unlike other houses of the Mowers. The deposit then deposited was 16,562 ducats and 322 plates of silver. On November 10, 1429, an additional 3,000 new ducats were deposited.

In February 1431, in the deposit placed by the Serbian duke Sandalj Hranic Kosaca, which amounted to 6758 ducats, 131 liters of silver and 4266 perpers, the Serbian prince Ivan Vukovic Kosaca is mentioned. This deposit reflects an even worse position in the hierarchy of the Kosaca family, the Serbian prince Ivan Vukovic Kosaca, because the will states that the Serbian duke Sandalj Hranic Kosaca leaves one half of his deposit to the Serbian prince Vukac Hranic Kosaca and his male descendants and the other half to other Kosaca houses.

In February 1433, in the last deposit of the Serbian duke Sandalj Hranic Kosaca, which was after the death of the Serbian prince Vukac Hranic Kosaca, things went even worse for the Serbian prince Ivan Vukovic Kosaca. In that deposit, all the pledge is left to the duke until Saint Sava, Stefan Vukcic Kosaca, and only in the event of the death of him and his male heirs, then the other houses of Kosaca receive a deposit. There, the Serbian prince Ivan Vukovic Kosaca is mentioned as a conditional heir. Realizing that he had been tricked, he was born with great dissatisfaction, which would result in the arbitrariness and banditry of his people in the Foca region. The Serbian duke Sandalj Hranic Kosaca himself could not stop that savagery and arbitrariness. The thick end was drawn by Dubrovnik merchants who suffered that terror and robberies. Often the complaints of Dubrovnik to the duke himself tell us that. After his father’s death, Serbian Prince Ivan Vukovic Kosaca inherited his father’s army in the north. Their names are known to us from the description of his father, the Serbian prince Vuk Hranic Kosaca.

Radoslav Nemio, Vukota Obradovic, Pribinja Mirusic, Milat Milcinovic, Radoslav Drugalinovic, Bozidar Drugalinovic, Radovac Milatovic, Stojko Ratkovic and Dobrilo Radosinjic and others. They were mostly from the Foca region.

03/15/1435 year, the Serbian duke Sandalj Hranic Kosaca died and the duke of St. Sava Stefan Vukcic Kosaca became the head of the Kosaca family. Serbian Prince Ivan Vukovic Kosaca himself attended the takeover of the title and enthronement. Aware of the injustice done to him, he retreats north to Foca. There are his estates and his army. Foca was an open trading town in the time of Kosaca. In it, the Mowers formed a cultural and spiritual center. They also founded the Orthodox Theological Seminary there. School of Religious Education and Spiritual Development. Serbian Prince Ivan Vukovic Kosaca was a great believer and a devout Orthodox Christian. His grandson Marko Dabro-bosanski will become the first bishop who speaks the Serbian language and who went from those areas to serve in Constantinople, where he served until 1532.

04/12/1437 In the documents from Dubrovnik, the Serbian prince Ivan Vukovic Kosaca is mentioned. These are certificates of withdrawal of deposits deposited by Serbian Duke Sandalj Hranic Kosaca. The prince raised a deposit worth 1640 ducats, 15 pounds of silver and 260 perpers. He and his brother raised a deposit left to them by the Serbian duke Sandalj Hranic Kosaca They were placed very unjustly in the position of a lower order among the four houses of Kosaca, although the Serbian prince Ivan Vukovic Kosaca himself was the closest relative to the Duke of St. Sava, Stefan Vukcic Kosaca.

Serbian Prince Ivan Vukovic Kosaca was the brother of his uncle, the Duke of St. Sava, Stefan Vukcic Kosaca. On the icon in the church of St. John the Baptist on Scepan Polje, they are painted next to each other. This is clear proof of their fraternal connection.

In 1442, in Venetian historical documents, we find a mention of the Serbian prince Ivan Vukovic Kosaca. That is the period before the war in the area of ​​Kotor. Historical documents say that the Serbian prince Ivan Vukovic Kosaca spoke before the Venetian parliament in the desire to make an alliance with the Venetian Republic. His aspirations were to overthrow his uncle’s brother from the throne in alliance with them, and he would take over the throne of the Kosaca family. That right to the throne belonged to him by birth and age. Aware that he could not do it alone because he had a smaller number of soldiers in his service in the north in relation to the duke’s army, he entered into an alliance with the Venetian Republic. We record his testimony before the Venetian Senate. The Venetians were aware that war with the duke was inevitable.

Videtur velle nobis inferre guerram – statement of the Venetian senate

He was invited before the senate to present his offer for an alliance. That happened at the end of July 1442. He came to Italy traveling through today’s Albania, which was a safe path for him. He said before the senate that the inheritance of the Serbian duke Sandalj Hranic Kosaca should have belonged to him and not to the duke of Saint Sava, Stefan Vukcic Kosaca.

Que l’heritage de Sandali devait lui revenir, a lui et non a Etiene

During further negotiations, he advocates a joint attack on the duke’s army, and for that he is ready to attack the Venetian army and his army, attack it in the area of ​​Kotor and overthrow it from the throne of the Kosaca family.

A combattre ce dernier s’il etait envoye a Cattaro

An agreement was reached and he joined the army with the forces that were supposed to stop the duke in the attack on Kotor. For that, he received the necessary funds for the trip, which amounted to 25 ducats for travel expenses plus regular monthly income that would be paid to him in Kotor. The whole process was accelerated, so on July 27, 1442. sent to Kotor via Albania. In order for the process to run faster, his payments were increased to 50 ducats.

Ut presto vadat ad illas partes Albanie. What to do against the dictum of the Stephani committee.

However, things on the field changed quickly, so by the time the prince arrived in Kotor with the army, the situation for the duke had worsened. Herceg lost two towns, Bar and Omis, and after that the lower Zeta with Poljice. All these circumstances influenced the Venetians to be able to change their tactics and cancel the alliance with the prince. Thus, the Serbian prince Ivan Vukovic Kosaca missed the opportunity to overthrow the Kosaca family, his brother from the uncle of the duke of St. Sava Stefan Vukcic Kosaca. There came a period that did not go to the prince’s advantage. The stable and strong rule of the duke did not give him the opportunity to try to overthrow him from the throne. The beginning of the conflict between the duke’s son Vladislav and the duke himself opened that possibility, but it did not happen. Serbian Prince Ivan Vukovic Kosaca ruled the northern territories with his son Adam because in the meantime he made an agreement with his brother from his uncle the duke to St. Sava Stefan Vukcic Kosaca. That agreement included the autonomy of the prince’s territories under the crown of the duke. That period lasted a full 20 years. Serbian Prince Ivan Vukovic Kosaca had problems with incursions by Turkish robbers who were raiding the northern territories. He had to protect the Drina Valley from looters.

In 1463, Sultan Mehmed II began the process of conquering the northern territories and the Podrinje. At the beginning of the summer, he launched a war campaign, and then one of the two great battles between the Turkish conquerors and the army of the Serbian prince Ivan Vukovic Kosaca took place under the crown of the Duke of St. Sava, Stefan Vukcic Kosaca. The battle took place in the village of Jošanica (Foča) on the right bank of the river Jošanica. During that battle, many soldiers were killed on both sides of the war. The northern territories were guarded by the army of the Serbian prince Ivan Vukovic Kosaca. This is witnessed by the Hungarian knight and historian Miron Zarzycki, who states that many heroes were killed on both sides. The famous hero Ivko died on the prince’s side. He was buried in Cvilina polje near Ustikolina. There is also his grave and the stone above the grave is called Ivkov kamen. The hero Ivko was killed by a Turkish duke who led the Turkish invaders. During the battle, he was severely wounded, so Ivko tried to escape and save his life, but the wounded duke chased him to Cvilina polje, where he killed him. That Turkish duke returned to the battle of Josanica after he killed Ivko, but he was also killed by the prince’s soldiers. A sword, mace and arrow are carved on his grave and stone, and above the grave, yes anas there is a source of drinking water. Today, there is an old Turkish military cemetery with military-type monuments on that site. The brave prince’s soldiers resisted the invaders and stopped the penetration of the army towards the town of Foca. Above that small river Josanica in the village of Vladikovo, the prince’s family will form the “Old House” which will become and remain their home to this day. The proximity of the Drina River and the Kosaca family will remain an unbreakable link to this day. In that village, Vladikovi, my father also came from that “Old House”.

The village of Vladikovi is located in the municipality of Foca (Republika Srpska). It is 5 kilometers away from the town of Foca.

The second conflict between the two armies took place in the village of Presjeci (Ustikolina) in the same year. Serbian Prince Ivan Vukovic Kosaca gathered the army with his uncle’s uncle, the Duke of St. Sava Stefan Vukcic Kosaca, in an attempt to stop the penetration of the Turkish invaders into the Principality of Herzegovina. The battle took place on a slope on the hill of Presjeci. During the battle, the army of the Principality of Herzegovina suffered a heavy defeat and that was a sign of the beginning of the disappearance of the Principality of Herzegovina. The army was practically cut off and the people called that place Presjeka. In that conflict, Turhani-Emin himself was killed, who was appointed by the sultan to lead that army and manage that territory. This is evidenced by a large number of military-type monuments with drawn military signs on the tombstones.

In 1464, it became clear that the Principality of Herzegovina was irrevocably extinguished, so the Serbian prince Ivan Vukovic Kosaca again initiated an action to save the rule in the northern territories around the river Drina. Then his son, Serbian prince Adam Vukovic Kosaca (my direct ancestor) came on the scene. There are historical records that he stayed in Dubrovnik in 1464 and negotiated the division of the principality with his uncles brothers Vladislav Hercegovic Kosaca and Vlatko Hercegovic Kosaca. The three of them agreed to divide the Principality of Herzegovina into three parts. Vladislav would get Hum, Vlatko the territories around Novi and Onogost, and Adam would get Foca and estates around the river Drina to the fortified town of Samobor. However, all those plans will be ruined by the Turkish invaders, who are attacking again and occupying part by part of the territory, this time irreversibly.

In 1465, the Turkish invaders, led by the Bosnian Sandzakbeg Isa-beg Ishakovic, attacked the town of Foca. That was in June at the beginning of the Lord’s summer. It was a very difficult battle with a lot of casualties. In that conflict, the younger brother also fought on the side of the Principality of Herzegovina. It was the Serbian prince Sladoje Vukovic Kosaca who was captured in that conflict and fell into Turkish captivity. There are historical documents from Dubrovnik that on that occasion, one of the prince’s men, Radin in Dubrovnik, had to pay a ransom in gold and silver for the freedom of the Serbian prince Sladoje Vukovic Kosaca.

Unam centuram argenti in casu quo dictus ser Nicola de Palmotta leiberaret de manibus Tuchorum Sladoe Vuchouich

The result of that was the release of the Serbian prince Sladoje Vukovic Kosaca, who, despite the ransom, changed his religion in order to save money from the inheritance. Unlike him, Serbian Prince Ivan Vukovic Kosaca remains faithful to his faith and tradition, risking his life and the lives of his family in further conflicts.

In 1466, we note the appearance of the Serbian prince Ivan Vukovic Kosaca as a witness in a court case. All this shows us that the Principality of Herzegovina still functioned as a state governed by the rule of law even after 1465. Our Serbian prince Ivan Vukovic Kosaca is also mentioned among the four opponents in that lawsuit.

Ivano Vocovich, Stiepan Zemerovich, Tvrtcho Iamomet and Pavao Varadich. 05/15/1466 years. Litigation from the Dubrovnik archives.

02/08/1472. The trial in the dispute between the Dubrovnik state and the heir of the Duke of St. Sava, Stefan Vukcic Kosaca, was held in Foca on His sons, Duke of St. Sava Vlatko Hercegovic Kosaca and Serbian prince Stjepan Hercegovic Kosaca, have filed a lawsuit over inheritance. The dispute was brought before the kadija of the Herzegovinian vilayet, and the verdict was read by Hamzabeg, the manager of the Herzegovinian vilayet. The disputed debt of 19,000 ducats, which was demanded by the duke’s sons from Dubrovnik, was brought before the court and was represented by their uncle, the Serbian prince Ivan Vukovic Kosaca, and his son, the Serbian prince Adam Vukovic Kosaca. It is known from previous historical documents that the brotherly and kinship ties of Adam, Vlatko, Vladislav and Stjepan were good, which can be seen from this historical document as well. In the trial process, Prince Ivan Vukovic was assisted by Prince Radiva and Prince Radovan. The final verdict was pronounced on February 8, 1472, where it stated that Dubrovnik was not obliged to pay the debt to the duke’s sons. Unfortunately, the political games between Dubrovnik and the Turkish Empire came to the fore in the new situation. The Principality of Herzegovina was disappearing and was no longer an important political factor in the Balkans.

In 1473, the Serbian prince Ivan Vukovic Kosaca died in Foca. It is presumed that he was secretly buried near the old church of St. Nicholas in Foca. Near the foundations of the renovated new church of St. Nicholas in Foca. He is survived by his son, the Serbian prince Adam Vukovic Kosaca, who will continue the stable male line of the Kosaca (Vukovic) family and will turn out to be the only vital branch of Kosaca to this day.

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