Đurađ Branković

Đurađ Vuković Branković or George Branković (Serbian Cyrillic: Ђурађ Вуковић Бранковић, Hungarian: Brankovics György; 22 February 1377 – 24 December 1456) served as the Serbian Despot from 1427 to 1456, making him one of the final rulers of medieval Serbia.

In 1429, Branković was formally granted the Byzantine title of Despot by Emperor John VIII Palaiologos. Like many Christian rulers in Eastern Europe at the time, his rule was marked by Ottoman vassalage. Despite this, he often sought to strengthen Christian alliances while maintaining the appearance of loyalty to the Ottoman Empire. Branković is also remembered for constructing the Smederevo Fortress in the city of Smederevo, which became the last capital of medieval Christian Serbia. He risked his life defending Belgrade with 3,000 knights against an Ottoman army of 60,000 under the command of Mehmed II the Conqueror.

Despot Đurađ died in late 1456. Following his death, Serbia, Bosnia, and Albania fell under the dominance of Sultan Mehmed II. During his reign, Đurađ amassed a significant library of Serbian, Slavonic, Latin, and Greek manuscripts, making Smederevo a hub of Serbian culture. He was the first member of the Branković dynasty to hold the Serbian throne.

Source: Wikipedia — https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/%C4%90ura%C4%91_Brankovi%C4%87