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The last glow of old Serbia

After the death of Despot Stefan Lazarević in 1427, when Belgrade was contractually returned to Hungary, Serbia was left without a capital. Upon decision of Despot Đurađ Branković, the new capital was built on the confluence of the small river Jezavica into the Danube. Their model was Constantinople itself, the city of all cities, works were supervised by Toma Kantakuzin, and the construction was completed, amazingly, in only two years. Everyone in the state made big sacrifices to achieve this exploit. This magnificent capital that ”grew like a mushroom” was the end of Serbian golden Middle Ages. Despite the destructions in both world wars, it is one of the best preserved medieval fortifications in Serbia even today, with potentials that are yet to be seriously exploited


By: Vojislav Filipović
Photo by: Dragan Bosnić


The city of Smederevo, with surface area of over 10 hectares, is today one of the biggest medieval fortifications in Europe, representing the peak of Serbian military building construction at that time. This fortress, initially planned as a smaller capital castle, was built in an amazingly short time, in only two years, with great efforts invested in it by the weakened Serbian despotate. After the death of Despot Stefan Lazarević in 1427, his successor Đurađ Branković had to return Belgrade, the capital at that time, to Hungarians. At that moment, the Serbian state, worn down by numerous and long wars, was left without a capital. Strategically favorable and until then not very well known Smederevo was chosen for the new capital, on the confluence of the small river Jezavica into the Danube. In addition to all other problems, for the construction of the new city an approval had to be obtained from the Sultan himself, to whom Despot Đurađ in return had to give a whole lot of money and his daughter Mara in marriage. Smederevo was, among other things, also selected because of its vicinity to Hungary, making it possible to, in case of need, easily find refuge in the territory of the northern neighbor.
The construction began in 1428 under the supervision of Toma Kantakuzin, brother of Despotess Irina (Jerina), and Constantinople itself was taken as the model for the new fortification.
Mali grad (Small Town), in which the residential area and audience palace were located, was built in two years, and was conceived as an independent fortress. This town, the palace of Despot Đurađ and his family, was surrounded on all sides with water – the Danube, the Jezava and a deep dike that connected both rivers, so it had a triangular base. Next to the audience hall with windows facing the Danube there was the main Donjon Tower, and on the other parts of the bastion there were five more. In the central part of Mali grad there was a stone encircled well. On one of the towers that guarded the southern entrance even today there is a dated donor's inscription of Despot Đurađ, made with bricks embedded into the stone wall, which was the tradition of Byzantine building heritage. In the audience hall – magna sala audentiae, the court life and official affairs of the despotate were taking place, and in 1434 it was mentioned as the place where a treaty was signed between Serbia and Venice. In this area of the fortification there was also a goldsmith shop and a mint, as well as library with a scribe school.

THE TIME OF PEACE WAS GONE

Major part of Veliki grad (Big Town), which also had a triangular base, was built by 1439. This area was conceived as a residential area for courtiers, encircled with wide fortified walls and 19 towers more than 20 meters high. On the southern side of the city, 11 towers were erected on that part of the fortification, with 4.5 meter thick walls. In front of them there was a large dike filled with water. Veliki grad had a total of five entrances. One of them, facing the Danube, was five meters wide and probably served as a canal and a jetty for smaller battleships (šajke).
Outside the fortification of Veliki grad there was a suburb, encircled with dry dikes and embankments, but it was not preserved, and today we do not have much information about this part of the medieval Smederevo.
After occupying the fortification, the Turks built a low stone wall outside the fortification of both towns, which connected three polygonal artillery towers on the edges of the fortress.
Immediately after the construction of Mali grad had been completed in 1439, Murat II, Sultan of the Ottoman Empire, attacked and conquered Smederevo. Despot Đurađ fled to Zeta, but as the result of unfavorable events he ended up at the Hungarian court. After several years of preparation, in 1443 the great army led by king Vladislav, Despot Đurađ and Janoš Hunjadi (Sibinjanin Janko), reached the Turkish territory and in the so-called ”Duga vojna” (Long War) conquered central areas of the Balkans, reaching Sofia. Through mediation of Sultaness Mara and Despot Đurađ, the peace treaty was signed in Szeged in 1444. Pursuant to this treaty, another 24 fortified towns were returned to the Despot, besides Smederevo, including Novo Brdo, Kruševac and Golubac. In August 1444, Despot triumphally returned to his capital.
The peace, however, did not last long. Murat’s successor Mehmed II the Conqueror besieged Smederevo in 1456, only three years after the fall of Constantinople. Although the siege was broken, the Despot died that same year. The Turks conquered the weakened Serbian despotate in 1459, when, in addition to other towns, Smederevo fell too.
Despite the destructions in World Wars One and Two, the town of Smederevo remained one of the best preserved medieval fortifications in Serbia.

The old knew this well: for proper establishment of a city, in addition to hard fortification walls and live water, a temple was needed as well. The temple altar is that sacral stone with which the city foundations are not buried into the ground but into the sky.
Within the town of Smederevo, of course, in addition to numerous military and civilian buildings, there was a big church as well. It was dedicated to the Annunciation, and Despot Đurađ transferred the relics of Saint Luca, one of the apostles and evangelists, from Epirus to this church.