Stefan Uroš IV Dušan

Timeline

1. 1308–1331Dečani · KosovoEldest son of King Stefan Dečanski, he experienced the twists of court politics in his youth; from 1318 he served as co-ruler, and in 1331 he staged a coup, deposing and imprisoning his father and taking the throne of Serbia himself.
2. 1331–1345Skopje · MacedoniaAfter accession he rapidly expanded into Macedonia, Albania, and northern Greece, defeating local Byzantine forces and Bulgaria, and moved the capital to Skopje, preparing for his imperial coronation.
3. 1346–1355Skopje · MacedoniaIn 1346 he was crowned at Skopje as Emperor of Serbs and Greeks, established an independent church, and promulgated the Dušan Code to unify the empire's legal system; he continued expanding south into the Greek heartland until his death in 1355, after which the empire quickly fell apart.