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COAT OF ARMS
DETAILS
One part of this coat of arms can be seen
on a seal of King Vukasin from 1370 but the
shield was missing. White eagle is presented
most likely because it was considered as the
symbol of Serbia (though here it has one head
only) and many noblemen used to put the eagle
ornaments on their clothes and personal things.
Another powerful symbol that can be found on
Serbian official coat of arms, is four "C"
shaped fire-starters. |
The
family of Mrnjavcevic was the first Serbian family
that collided with the Turkish conquerors. The battle
of Marica in 1371 was lost and the Turks kept on
approaching the rest of the country.
Both
brothers, Ugljesa and Vukasin were killed in the
battle, and Vukasin's son, Marko was proclaimed the
new king. Although Marko was in fact subjected to the
Turkish rule, folk songs of the time captured his
deeds and proclaimed him as a new hero, a knight of
supernatural strength and abilities. King Marko was
killed in 1395 while he was in the military campaign
of Sultan Bayazit I.
King Vukasin's coins
After
this death, the family of Mrnjavcevics very soon
disappeared and we don't know much about the other
family members. Ugljesa's wife Jelena, went to the
monastery and became nun Jefimija and she embroidered
the famous "Praise for St. Prince Lazar" which is
available within the
Manuscripts section.
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