Vuk Hranic

Serbian prince Vuk Hranic Kosaca, master of the upper Podrinje, Dabar and Herzegovina. A brave fighter and a member of the noble Kosaca family, the Serbian ruling monarchy in the second half of the 14th and most of the 15th century. Brother of the Grand Duke of Serbia, Sandalj Hranic Kosaca. Father of the Serbian prince Ivan Vukovic Kosaca and the Serbian prince Sladoje Vukovic Kosaca.

Year of birth: 1374

Place of birth: Kosace

Father’s name: Serbian Duke Hrana Vukovic Kosaca

Mother’s name: Teodora

Wife: first wife unknown, second wife Jelena Vukcic

Descendants: Serbian prince Ivan Vukovic Kosaca, Serbian prince Sladoje Vukovic Kosaca

Religious affiliation: Orthodox Christian

Year of death: 1424

Serbian prince Vuk Hranic Kosaca was born in 1374 in Kosaca as the third son of the Serbian duke Hrana Vukovic Kosaca. The young prince grew up with his father and uncle, the great Serbian dukes who fought bravely to protect their people and their Principality of Herzegovina. Serbian prince Vuk Hranic Kosaca was named after his grandfather Vuk Kosaca, the ancestor of the Kosaca family and the great military leader of the Serbian emperor Dusan Silni. Looking at his uncle and father, the young prince was able to learn the skills of warfare and negotiation. These were very important lessons in the young prince’s upbringing. The valley of the Drina for Kosaca has always been and remains the starting point of existence and they did not separate from it even after falling under the Turkish invaders. Since he was born as the third son of the great duke of Serbia, Hrana Vukovic Kosaca, he was thus the third in the line to take the throne.

The religious affiliation of the Serbian prince Vuk Hranic Kosaca was unequivocally the Orthodox Christian faith. In support of this are the facts that during his life, the Serbian prince Vuk Hranic Kosaca helped his older brother in the erection of many monuments, temples and many founding works. In cooperation with the brothers, he prepared for himself a family temple-tomb in the church of St. Stephen on Scepan Polje.

The first mention of the Serbian prince Vuk Hranic Kosaca dates from 1405, where he is mentioned as a noble member of the Kosaca family. His work and engagement as the youngest brother and third in line to take over the throne is shrouded in a veil of secrecy. Unfortunately, there are not many historical documents that would shed light on that. Unlike his brothers, who were more engaged in Herzegovina, he was more engaged in the northern territories, in most cases in the area of ​​Foca and Podrinje. His people were mostly from the Foca region, and apparently the Serbian prince Vuk Hranic Kosaca was very attached to the river Drina and the original possessions of Kosaca.

In 1403, his first son was born, the Serbian prince Ivan Vukovic Kosaca, as the oldest male member of the Kosaca family in that generation. Having acquired the right to take the throne in the Kosaca family. The events that followed prevented that due to the nature of the middle brother of the Serbian prince Vukac Hranic Kosaca. The fight for the throne was not specific only to the Kosaca family. We find that other ruling families were in a constant struggle for the throne between members of the family.

In 1405, at the beginning of the year, his second son, the Serbian prince Sladoje Vukovic Kosaca, was born. He was the third male member in the line to take over the throne of the Kosaca family. Somewhat older than him was the Duke of St. Sava, Stefan Vukcic Kosaca, who was born in 1404 as a child of the Serbian prince Vukac Hranic Kosaca.

That will be the reason for the conflict over taking the throne between the Serbian prince Ivan Vukovic Kosaca and the duke of St. Sava Stefan Vukcic Kosaca.

In April 1405, Serbian Prince Vuk Hranic Kosaca took part in an official visit to the Vukcic Hrvatinic nobility. In that mission, which led to the conclusion of two marriages and an alliance of two noble families, a marriage was concluded between the Serbian duke Sandalj Hranic Kosaca and Katarina Vukcic and another marriage between the Serbian prince Vuk Hranic Kosaca and Jelena Vukcic. Both were sons of Hrvoje Vukcic.

Vuk Vukcic was the brother of Hrvoje Vukcic. Katarina and Jelena were his daughters and half-sisters.

The visit and the two marriages were the beginning of a great alliance of the two strongest noble families in the Kingdom of Bosnia and the beginning of the rise of the Kosaca family. There is little known information from the marriage of the Serbian prince Vuk Hranic Kosaca and Jelena Vukcic. That marriage did not bring heirs to the Serbian prince Vuk Hranic Kosaca. His two sons were born before his marriage to Jelena.

The Serbian duke Sandalj Hranic Kosac always included the names of the two brothers in his charters, according to their antiquity and the right to the title. It all tells us about the duke’s close relationship and respect for his brothers. Their connection was never questioned. Unlike his middle brother, Serbian Prince Vuk Hranic Kosaca never openly attacked Serbian Duke Sandalj Hranic Kosaca. His job or task was to take care of the northern territories, the fortified cities of Samobor, Durdevac, Todevac. The concern also referred to the open trade and cultural center of Foca, where the Mowers were originally rooted.

In 1410, we note the great diplomatic engagement of the Serbian prince Vuk Hranic Kosaca in Sutorina. That event happened on March 3, 1410. year as well as 05.03.1410. years when a delegation arrived from Dubrovnik, which included Nikola Gucetic and Teodor Prodanelic. The hosts of that delegation were the Serbian duke Sandalj Hranic Kosaca with his wife Katarina and the Serbian prince Vuk Hranic Kosaca with his wife Jelena. The topic of the meeting was defining the relations between the Principality of Herzegovina and the Republic of Dubrovnik. That gathering had another reason. Their mother-in-law Anka Vukcic, wife of Vuk Vukcic, came to visit them. There was a reconciliation between the sons-in-law and the mother-in-law.

In 1415, an event occurred that shook the whole region. The murder of Pavle Radinovic took place in Parena Poljana near Sutjeska. The main participant in that event was the Serbian prince Vuk Hranic Kosaca, who also killed Pavle. The reason for that event was hunting, which was attended by the King of Bosnia, and nobles from other provinces. Serbian Duke Sandalj Hranic Kosaca was behind the plan. The plan was to capture Pavle Radinovic and force him to cede some territories to the Kosaca family. The King of Bosnia also took part in that bloody plan. At the sign of the Serbian duke Sandalj Hranic Kosaca, an attack was launched. All this was led by the Serbian prince Vuk Hranic Kosaca. Instead of being captured and disabled, Pavle Radinovic was killed in that conflict. His son was captured with his famous merchant and closest associate Baril Tezalovic. However, that accident did not lead to any major shifts in the takeover of the territory. It is assumed that at that time the area of ​​Ustikolina, which until then was under the rule of Pavle Radinovic, belonged to the Serbian prince Vuk Hranic Kosaca. The field next to Ustikolina was named Vukovo polje, where the stadium of the football club Kolina is now located. The whole unfortunate event of Pavle Radinovic’s murder happened in an unplanned course.

In 1420, we note the mention of the Serbian prince Vuk Hranic Kosaca on a document issued by the Venetians. It lacks a stamp which makes the document suspicious. Serbian Prince Vuk Hranic Kosaca had his original Cyrillic seal and coat of arms.

In February 1424, the Serbian prince Vuk Hranic Kosaca died. It is difficult to say what led to the death because there are no reliable historical documents. There is evidence from the Dubrovnik archives that condolences were sent to the Serbian duke Sandalj Hranic Kosaca as well as to his brother the Serbian prince Vukac Hranic Kosaca. His wife is not mentioned which indicates that then the marriage is no longer active. She is said to have died in 1437 in the Catholic monastery of St. Benedict in Split. Her will also mentions that she is the widow of the Serbian prince Vuk Hranic Kosaca, which indicates that the marriage was not properly dissolved.

The estates or estates owned by the Serbian prince Vuk Hranic Kosaca were not large. These were estates that leaned on their brother’s estates. The documents mention the estates around Jelec near Foca, as well as Bileca and Ljubinje. We note that there were a lot of historical documents that mention the people of the Serbian prince Vuk Hranic Kosaca, and in a rather negative context. The reason for that is the prince’s anger over the denial of the right to the throne to his son, the Serbian prince Ivan Vukovic Kosaca. He was the oldest male member of the Kosača family in that generation and was entitled to the throne. The names that are mentioned as the people of the Serbian prince Vuk Hranic Kosaca are: Radoslav Nemio, Vukota Obradovic, Pribinja Mirusic, Milat Milcinović, Radoslav Drugalinovic, Bozidar Drugalinovic, Radovac Milatovic, Stojko Ratkovic and Dobrilo Radosinjic. Lawsuits from 1422 cite many of these names among the people of Dubrovnik. All this tells us about the dissatisfaction of the Serbian prince Vuk Hranic Kosaca due to the denial of the right to the throne. In most cases, the mentioned people were from the vicinity of Foca, which also tells us that the Serbian prince Vuk Hranic Kosaca mostly stayed in the Foca region, where his descendants remain to live to this day. The village in question is Vladikovi (Foca), where my father was born.

The village of Vladikovi (municipality of Foca, Republika Srpska) is located on the slopes of a hill above the river Drina. It is 5.5 kilometers away from Foca, and some 9.6 kilometers by air from the village of Kosaca, where the starting point was.

In that village, the Vukovics have lived since the arrival of the Turkish invaders until today. Having taken refuge in that village, the Vukovics preserved their branch of the Kosaca family. By fleeing from the brutal conquerors of the Turks, Austro-Hungarians and Communists, the Vukovics (Kosaca) preserved their being, identity and culture. We can freely say that the Vukovićs from the village of Vladikovi (Foca) are the only remaining and very vital part of the Kosaca family, to which I myself proudly belong.

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