Ilija (kefalija) explained

Ilija
knez (count); kefalija (governor)
More:no
Spouse-Type:Spouse
Issue:Đuraš Ilijić
Noble Family:Đurašević
House-Type:Noble family
Father:Đuraš Vrančić
Birth Date:second half of the 13th century
Death Date:first half of the 14th century
Occupation:Serbian royal deputy, minister, and governor of Zeta
Religion:Eastern Orthodoxy (Serbian Church)

Ilija (Serbian: Илија; 1318–22) was a Serbian nobleman who served kings Stefan Milutin (r. 1282–1321) and Stefan Dečanski (r. 1321–31) with the titles of knez (comes, count) and kefalija (governor). At the end of Milutin's reign (and life), Ilija governed Zeta (a crown land), instead of the Young King, Stefan Dečanski, who was held in Constantinople since 1314.[1] He first held the title of knez (fl. 1318), and received the title of kefalija by 1321. There existed two types of kefalija in Serbia, local ones (as in Byzantium) and provincial ones; Ilija belonged to the latter. Ilija was a royal deputy.[2]

The Republic of Ragusa paid a tax to the Kingdom of Serbia, called the "St. Demetrius income" (svetodmitarski dohodak). In a document dated 4 November 1318, the collectors were bishop Stefan of Skadar and knez Ilija of Zeta. He is mentioned in a document dated 23 September 1321, being ordered along with bishop Petar of Skadar to raise the income from Ragusa. He is mentioned in 27 October 1321, regarding bishop Petar, who was authorized by Stefan Milutin to travel to Dubrovnik, but was unable to. He is mentioned as Stefan Dečanski's minister in Ragusan documents dating to 24 August 1322.

His father Đuraš Vrančić served King Stefan Milutin (r. 1282–1321) with the court title of stavilac. His son, Đuraš Ilijić, served Stefan Dečanski, Stefan Dušan (r. 1331–55) and Stefan Uroš V (r. 1355–71), from 1326 until his death in 1362, with the title of čelnik ("head"), and governed Upper Zeta.

Sources

. Miloš Blagojević. Državna uprava u srpskim srednjovekovnim zemljama. 2001. Službeni list SRJ. 9788635504971.

Notes and References

  1. Book: Srpska akademija nauka i umetnosti. Arhiepiskop Danilo II i njegovo doba. 1991. 1987. Srpska akademija nauka i umetnosti. 146. 9788670251373. .
  2. Book: Vizantološki institut. Zbornik radova. 41-42. 2004. Srpska akademija nauka i umetnosti. 310. .