Serbia Becomes an Ottoman Vassal

Timeline

1. 1390–1392Kruševac · SerbiaAfter Lazar fell in battle, Stefan, about 12, succeeded as ruler of Moravian Serbia and was governed by his mother Milica until he came of age (in 1393). The treaty required providing troops and paying tribute, and Stefan and his brother Vuk Lazarević had to attend the sultan's court annually; Olivera married Bayezid, and the brothers escorted her to Bursa. In summer 1390 Serbian forces already campaigned alongside Ottoman troops to recover lost lands. Vuk Branković was Stefan's brother-in-law and an independent lord, not his uncle.
2. 1390–1392Moravian Serbia · SerbiaStefan and the family of Vuk Branković maintained an uneasy coexistence; in May 1390 Vuk, feeling threatened, sought guarantees from Ragusa. By the end of 1392 Vuk too was forced to submit to Bayezid. The title of Despot was granted by the Byzantine emperor in 1402, and Belgrade was given by Hungary in 1403–04; neither was an investiture of the 1390s.
3. 1396Nicopolis · BulgariaIn 1396 crusaders besieged Nicopolis; Bayezid's and Stefan's heavy cavalry joined forces near Plovdiv and routed the crusaders on 25 September. The battle showed Serbia was deeply embedded in the Ottoman military system. Vuk Branković died in Ottoman captivity around 1397.