ПОВЕЉА ПРЕСТОЛОНАСЛЕДНИКА СТЕФАНА УРОША (ДЕЧАНСКОГ) МАНАСТИРУ ВРАЊИНИ
CHARTER OF THE HEIR TO THE THRONE STEFAN UROŠ (DEČANSKI) FOR THE MONASTERY OF VRANJINA

Summary/Abstract: The paper examines Parchment nr. 7 of the Archival and Library department of the National Museum of Montenegro (ABO NMCG) in Cetinje. This item is part of a parchment collection preserved in very bad condition, due to the fact that between 1918 and 1923 it was buried in the yard of the former king’s residence. After multiple confusions and incorrect attributions in previous research, it can currently be determined that Parchment nr. 7 is in fact the document mentioned by Nićifor Dučić (1870) as the one of the “Lord of Dalmatia, Travunija, and Zahumlje” – i.e. the heir to the Serbian throne Stefan Uroš III (Dečanski). He had issued it to the monastery of St. Nicholas on the (former) island of Vranjina on Lake Scutari as the king in Zeta between 1306/08 and February 1314, when he was expelled to Constantinople following to the failed uprising against his father, king Milutin, who eventually confirmed the son’s donations with his own charter (ABO NMCG Parchment nr. 2). The content analysis, especially the identification of the word “Dalmatia” and the detected differences in the text, including the signature, show that Parchment nr. 7 and Parchment nr. 2 are not two copies of one and the same diplomatic unit, but actually two separate units. As the latter had been transcribed to “Gavrilo’s compilation“ in 1721, the text reconstruction of both heavily damaged parchments is largely possible. Based on that and direct examination of the document, the first edition of the almost complete text of Stefan’s charter can be given here. The monastery on Vranjina is granted the village Orahovo, the locality of Štititare and the mountain Selca with serfs – all possessions in the wider area of the west-southwest coast of Lake Scutari – as well as part of the income from the market of St. Sergius and one unknown toll. The document provides clear evidence of Stefan’s rule in Zeta with the title of king, which is attested not only in the signature, but also in several places in the text. Both external and internal features of the charter indicate that it had been prepared and written down by the recipient and given to the actor to be confirmed by his (autograph?) signature and probably a (in the meantime lost) seal.

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