Stjepan Vukčić Kosača

Stjepan was the son of Vukac Hranić Kosača and his wife Katarina who was a daughter of Hrvoje Vukčić Hrvatinić, as well as the fraternal nephew of Sandalj Hranić, Grand Duke of Bosnia. Along with his father and uncles Sandalj and Vuk, Stjepan was admitted into the nobility of the Republic of Ragusa by a charter dated 29 June 1419. The same charter granted the family a house in Dubrovnik. Sandalj's father died in 1432, and when his uncle followed him on 15 March 1435, it was Stjepan who inherited the lands and prestigious ducal title, becoming the most powerful vassal of King Tvrtko II of Bosnia.

At the end of September 1441, Kosača captured the territory of Upper Zeta on the left bank of Morača. Stefan Crnojević, who represented the whole Crnojević family, joined him in this campaign and was awarded by Kosača with control over five villages.[1]

Savina Monastery, founded by Stjepan Vukčić Kosača

Like most Bosnian nobleman of the era,[9][10] Stjepan Vukčić too considered himself staunch Krstjanin,[4] as the Bosnian Church adherents were known and as its members called themselves. His conspicuous attitude toward Bosnian Church was highlighted when king Tvrtko II died in September 1443, Stjepan refused to recognize the deceased king's cousin and chosen heir, Thomas, as the new King of Bosnia, thus creating a political crisis which culminated in civil war. All this happened because Thomas was recent convert to Roman Catholicism, move that was potentially harmful for the Kristjani and the Bosnian Church. And while Thomas' decision to convert was forced political maneuvering, albeit founded in sound reasoning with the saving of the realm on his mind, he also committed himself to demonstrate his devotion by engaging in religious prosecution against his recent fellow co-religionist. These developments prompted Stjepan to give Krstjanins of the Bosnian Church safe haven and join the Ottomans in support of Bosnian anti-King Radivoj, Thomas' exiled brother, who was also Bosnian Church faithful and remained so in face of Thomas' crusade against the church adherents.[11]

However, traditionally, most Bosnians' attitude towards religion, and Vukčić's was no exception, was uncommonly flexible for Europe of the era. He titled himself after the shrine of an Orthodox saint while maintaining close relations with the papacy. In 1454 he both erected an Orthodox church in Goražde and requested that Catholic missionaries be sent from Southern Italy to proselytize in his land, while never flinching from developing close relation and/or allying himself with Ottoman Muslims. The Holy See in Vatican treated him as a Catholic, while simultaneously the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople considered him Orthodox.[11]

Accordingly, Stjepan kept at his court a high-ranking prelate of the Bosnian Church, a diplomat and ambassador, well known and highly influential gost Radin as his closest adviser. He was a dedicated protector of Bosnian Church krstjani as long as he lived[11][3]. At the end of his life, he used both gost Radin and priest David, an Orthodox Metropolit of Mileševa, as his court chaplains.[12]

In the early 1460s, Stjepan controlled all of today's Herzegovina as far north as Glamoč, except for Nevesinje and Gacko which were under Ottoman control.[13] Stjepan knew he would soon face Ottoman attack so he asked Venice to allow Skanderbeg's forces to cross their territory to help him,[14] which they did,[15] but Skanderbeg failed to carry out his promises. When King Thomas died in 1461, he was succeeded by his elder son Stephen rather than Sigismund, his son by Queen Katarina. This time, aware of the Ottoman threat, Stjepan did not dispute the succession.

After taking the Kingdom of Bosnia in 1463, Mahmud Pasha also invaded Herzegovina and besieged Blagaj, after which Stjepan conceded a truce by sending his youngest son as a hostage to Istanbul, and ceding all of his lands to the north of Blagaj to the Empire.[16]

Stjepan Vukčić died in 1466, and was succeeded by his eldest son Vladislav.

Stjepan Vukčić was married three times. In 1424, he married Jelena, daughter of Balša III of Zeta (and granddaughter of his aunt, Jelena Balšić). His wife died in 1453. Two years later, he married Barbara (possibly del Balzo). She died in 1459. His final marriage, in 1460, was to a German woman named Cecilie.

Tvrtko's I fortress of 'Stari Grad' (Old Town)

With his first wife Jelena, he had at least four children:

• Katarina (1424–1478), married King King Tomaš of Bosnia in 1446
• Vladislav Hercegović (c. 1427–1489), Duke of St. Sava, Lord of Krajina, married Kyra Ana, daughter of Georgios Kantakuzenos in 1455
• Vlatko Hercegović (c. 1428–1489), Duke of St. Sava, married an Apulian noblewoman
• Hersekzade Ahmed Pasha (c. 1430–1515), baptized Stjepan; the youngest son of Stjepan Vukčić, whom Sultan Mehmed II took as a hostage, became a Muslim in the Sultan's service. He became the Grand Vizier and Grand Admiral to the Sultan, married Sultan Bayezid II's daughter, Fatima, in 1482; and had descendants by her.

Stjepan and his second wife Barbara had a short-lived son (born in 1456) and a daughter named Mara.

In 1482, Vladislav Hercegović was overpowered by Ottoman forces led by his brother, Hersekzade Ahmed Pasha. Herzegovina was organized into a province (the Sanjak of Herzegovina), which later became one of the sanjaks of the Bosnia Eyalet (1580).[17]

• Сима М.. Ћирковић (1964). Херцег Стефан Вукчић-Косача и његово доба. издавачка установа научно дело.
• Ljubomir Jovanović (1891). Стјепан Вукчић Косача.