International congress of byzantine studies belgrade, 22 27 august 2016

Nina Kršljanin
University of Belgrade, Faculty of Law, Belgrade, Serbia; 
[e-mail]
The Portrayal of Byzantium in the 
Life of Despot Stefan Lazarević
The paper will analyze the portrayal of Byzantines and the Byzantine Empire in the Life of 
Despot Stefan Lazarević (1377-1427) by Constantine the Philosopher (Constantine of Kostenets). 
This biography is not, as was common in Serbia at the time, a hagiographical depiction of the life of a 
canonized ruler, but a fully-fledged historical work written about a ruler praised first of all as a warrior 
and politician. Given the nature of Despot Stefan’s relations with the Byzantine Empire, his life is also 
a valuable source for the study of Byzantine history in the last decades of the Empire’s existence.
Naturally, the Life is not chiefly concerned with the portrayal of Serbia’s Byzantine neighbours, 
since their direct political influence on Serbia of Despot Stefan’s time is less pronounced than 
that of the Ottoman Empire, the good (or ill) will of which frequently affected the welfare and 
threatened the very existence of both Serbia and Byzantium. However, a much deeper cultural and 
ideological influence can already be seen in the initial chapters of the Life. Its author provides us 
with an apocryphal genealogy of the Serbian Nemanjić Dynasty, supposedly tracing back its origins 
to Constantius Chlorus, the father of Constantine the Great.
In the present, however, Constantine the Philosopher acknowledges the decline of the 
Byzantine Empire. He mentions that its power has already been long waning in the time of Prince 
Lazar (Despot Stefan’s father), and his description of Constantinople during Stefan’s visit in 1402 is 
that of a city ravaged by hunger, whose wealthier inhabitants fear to leave their houses after nightfall.
It is no surprise, then, that Stefan’s receiving of the title of despot (first granted by John VII and 
later confirmed by Manuel II) is not described as a great honour bestowed upon the Serbian prince, 
but as the awarding of a title that was justly deserved by Stefan Lazarević’s brave deeds. Constantine 
underlines how the Byzantines were impressed by the young ruler’s prowess: it is obvious that he 
was welcomed as a potential saviour of the declining Empire. His betrothal to Helena Gattilusio, the 
daughter of Francesco II Gattilusio and sister-in-law of John VII Palailogos, is presented as significant 
for Serbia because of her relation to the imperial family, but is also, although more subtly, shown as 
significant to the Byzantines as a method of keeping Stefan close to the Empire with ties of marriage.
Still, despite these sad facts showing the Empire’s decline (as well as others, which will be 
discussed at greater length in the paper), its power does not seem to be entirely presented as a 
thing of the past. When describing Sultan Bayazid’s futile attempts to conquer Constantinople, the 
biographer describes it as a city protected by God. The combination of this phrase with the short 

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description of two attempts of conquest in which Bayazid “could not succeed” leads one to think 
that Constantine believed that, despite the hardships Byzantium was enduring, it was God’s will that 
Constantinople would not and could not fall.
The paper will thus conclude that the Life of Despot Stefan painted a grimly realistic picture of 
the contemporary position of the Byzantine Empire – yet that it also attributed to it a great historical 
and ideological significance, as well as the belief (or, perhaps, merely hope?) that the Empire would 
prevail over its foes and hardships and, perhaps, rise to power once more.