Balša III
| Balša III Stracimirović | |
|---|---|
| Lord of Zeta and the Coast | |
Coat of arms
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| Reign | April 1403 – 28 April 1421 |
| Predecessor | Đurađ II |
| Successor | Stefan Lazarević |
| Born | 1387 |
| Died | 28 April 1421 Belgrade, Serbian Despotate |
| Spouse | |
| House | Balšić |
| Father | Đurađ II |
| Mother | Jelena |
| Religion | Serbian Orthodox |
| Signature |  |
Balša Stracimirović (last name is sometimes Balšić or Đurđević) or Balša III (1387 – 28 April 1421, Belgrade) was the fifth and last ruler of Zeta from the Balšić noble family, from April 1403 – April 1421. He was the son of Đurađ II and Jelena Lazarević.
In April 1403, the seventeen-year-old Balša III became the ruler of Zeta when his father Đurađ II died as a result of the injuries he had suffered at the Battle of Tripolje. As he was young and inexperienced, his main advisor was his mother, Jelena, a sister of the ruler of Serbia at the time, Stefan Lazarević. Under the influence of his mother, Balša III reverted the order of the state religion, passing a law declaring Christian Orthodox as the official confession of the state, while Catholicism became a tolerant confession.
Balša III waged a 10-year war against Venice, the First Scutari War. In 1405, Ulcinj, Bar and Budva were seized by the Venetians. Balša then became a vassal to the Ottoman Turks. In 1409, however, Venice had purchased the rights to Dalmatia from King Ladislaus of Naples and began fighting for control of Dalmatian cities. After a huge effort, Balša seized Bar from the Venetians in 1412. Venice, pressed with difficulties, had no choice but to agree to return territories it had previously seized. In 1413 he built a church dedicated to Saint Nicholas in Praskvica Monastery. According to a chapter Balša III issued in 1417 he was probably a ktitor of the Moračnik Monastery.
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