Акт сремских жупанијских власти о истрази против деспота Ђорђа и Јована Бранковића и њихових фамилијара (Врдник, 22. август 1497)
Act оf Srem County Authorities аbout the Investigation against Despots Đorđe and Jovan Branković and Their Familiares (Vrdnik, 22 August 1497)

Summary/Abstract: This paper presents a critical edition of the act of Srem county authorities of 22 August 1497 on the occasion of the complaint of Peter Geréb de Vingart, the judge royal, against Serbian despots Đorđe and Jovan Branković and their familiares. According to the complaint, Dmitar Pozob, the provisor curiae of the despots in Kelpény (Kupinik, present-day Kupinovo on the Sava river in Srem), and Damjan Belmužević, castellan of Árki (Jarak on the Sava), together with the despots’ familiares and serfs in Silbaš (present-day Sibač in Srem), Gereb’s estate, killed the son of voivode Elezke. Apart from that, together with the despots’ men and upon their order, Vuk Kolaković, the castellan of Ireg (Irig in Srem) pillaged the Árpatarlo estate (present-day town of Ruma in Srem). Responding to the order of Palatine Stephen Zápolya, the authorities of Srem County carried out an investigation, confirming the credibility of the complaint. The document is important because it contains information about the estates and officers of Serbian despots in Srem in the late 15th century, and about conflicts that the despots, like other Hungarian noblemen, had with their neighbours. It shows that despots Đorđe and Jovan entrusted the administration of their castles in Srem to Serbs. In Serbian historiography, this hitherto unpublished document has been known for more than a century, but several gross errors have been made in terms of its interpretation and dating. Among other, the castellan of Árki was wrongly specified as Damjan Velmožović. It is certain that it was an unknown member of the prominent Serbian noble family of Belmužević. This document is kept in the National Archives of Hungary in Budapest (Magyar Nemzeti Levéltár Országos Levéltára; Diplomatikai levéltár, shelf mark 20598).

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